The Answer to Every Alter

In Acts 17:16–34 Paul entered a high-stakes situation before the Areopagus in Athens. Areopagus means “Hill of Ares” (Mars Hill to the Romans). Originally it referred to the rocky hill near the Acropolis, but by Paul’s day it often referred less to the location and more to the prestigious council of Athenian elders who traditionally met there. The Areopagus wasn’t a hipster coffee house or an edgy pub that philosophers frequented—it was an aristocratic council that weighed matters of civic religion in the city and was charged with guarding Athens’ civic and religious life. That backdrop foregrounds Paul’s nerve, resolve, and faithfulness in a way from which we can learn a great deal.