What is the Areopagus in Acts 17?

The Areopagus, or Mars Hill, was a rocky hill in Athens and the name of the council that met there to hear matters of religion, philosophy and law. Paul was brought before it so that its members could hear what he was teaching. Acts uses the word for both the place and the group.

What was the altar to the unknown god?

It was an altar in Athens inscribed to an unknown god. Paul says he saw it while walking through the city, and he used it as a starting point, saying that the God they were worshiping without knowing was the one he was proclaiming. The inscription is recorded in Acts 17:23.

Whom was Paul quoting in Acts 17:28?

Paul quotes lines understood to come from Greek poets: in him we live and move and have our being, and we are also his offspring. Using familiar words showed he had listened to the culture he was addressing. He did not treat the poets as Scripture, only as a point of contact.

Did Paul’s speech work?

The response was mixed. Some mocked when he mentioned the resurrection, some wanted to hear more, and a few believed, including Dionysius and a woman named Damaris. Acts presents this as a faithful sermon with an ordinary range of reactions, not as a failure.

How is Acts 17 different from 1 Corinthians 9:19-23?

First Corinthians 9 states the principle, becoming all things to all people in order to win some. Acts 17 shows one occasion of it, with a particular audience, a particular altar and particular poets. One is the rule and the other is a worked example from the same author.

How does Making Heaven Crowded apply this to students?

Its teams reach college students and young adults in Tampa and Gainesville by starting conversations where students already are, near campuses, downtown and online. They do not assume a shared Christian vocabulary, and they listen before they speak. Volunteers always go out alongside experienced team members.

A group of Making Heaven Crowded volunteers in team shirts together outdoors in downtown Tampa

Acts 17:22-34

Acts 17:22-34 explained: Paul at the Areopagus

Paul stands before the philosophers of Athens with no Bible in common. Here is how he begins, where he ends, and why the response was mixed.

The short answer

Starting from what the audience already knows

In Acts 17:22-34 Paul addresses the philosophers of Athens at the Areopagus. He begins with an altar he saw in the city inscribed to an unknown god and says he has come to tell them about the God they worship without knowing. He quotes their own poets, calls them to turn from idols, and speaks of Jesus’s resurrection. Some mocked, some wanted to hear more, and a few believed.

“Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.” Acts 17:22-23 (KJV)

The city

Athens, and a man who was troubled by it

Acts 17:16 says Paul’s spirit was stirred within him when he saw how full of idols the city was. He did not stay quiet and he did not storm the temples. He reasoned in the synagogue with Jews and God-fearers and in the marketplace every day with whoever was there, including Epicurean and Stoic philosophers.

Some of them dismissed him as a babbler. Others thought he was announcing foreign gods, since he spoke of Jesus and the resurrection. They brought him to the Areopagus, a gathering place for discussion and judgment, and asked him to explain what this new teaching was.

The speech

Four moves in one address

A point of contact. Paul notices the altar to an unknown god and uses it as a way in, without insulting the audience.
The God who made everything. He says this God does not live in handmade temples and does not need anything from people, because he gives life and breath to all.
Their own words. He quotes a line from their poets, “in him we live, and move, and have our being,” to show that what they already half-believe points toward the truth.
The turn. Then he calls them to repent, because God has appointed a day of judgment through a man he raised from the dead.

The response

Mocking, waiting and believing

Verse 32 records three reactions. When Paul mentioned the resurrection some mocked, others said they would hear him again on the subject, and a few joined him and believed. Luke names two of them: Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus council, and a woman named Damaris.

Paul did not change the message when part of the audience laughed. He also did not take offense or abandon the city. The passage shows that a faithful presentation can still receive a mixed answer, and that the result belongs to God and not to the speaker.

In Tampa and Gainesville

Meeting students on their own ground

Making Heaven Crowded’s next-generation outreach reaches college students and young adults who often have no Christian background. Like Paul, volunteers try to begin with what a person already cares about and what they already believe, and they do not assume a shared vocabulary. The college ministry in Gainesville page describes how that looks near campus.

The same instinct drives the ministry’s online work. Digital ministry on Instagram meets people in a place they already spend time. For the principle behind it, see Paul’s own summary in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 explained.

Questions

Acts 17:22-34, answered plainly

What is the Areopagus in Acts 17?: The Areopagus, or Mars Hill, was a rocky hill in Athens and the name of the council that met there to hear matters of religion, philosophy and law. Paul was brought before it so that its members could hear what he was teaching. Acts uses the word for both the place and the group.
What was the altar to the unknown god?: It was an altar in Athens inscribed to an unknown god. Paul says he saw it while walking through the city, and he used it as a starting point, saying that the God they were worshiping without knowing was the one he was proclaiming. The inscription is recorded in Acts 17:23.
Whom was Paul quoting in Acts 17:28?: Paul quotes lines understood to come from Greek poets: in him we live and move and have our being, and we are also his offspring. Using familiar words showed he had listened to the culture he was addressing. He did not treat the poets as Scripture, only as a point of contact.
Did Paul’s speech work?: The response was mixed. Some mocked when he mentioned the resurrection, some wanted to hear more, and a few believed, including Dionysius and a woman named Damaris. Acts presents this as a faithful sermon with an ordinary range of reactions, not as a failure.
How is Acts 17 different from 1 Corinthians 9:19-23?: First Corinthians 9 states the principle, becoming all things to all people in order to win some. Acts 17 shows one occasion of it, with a particular audience, a particular altar and particular poets. One is the rule and the other is a worked example from the same author.
How does Making Heaven Crowded apply this to students?: Its teams reach college students and young adults in Tampa and Gainesville by starting conversations where students already are, near campuses, downtown and online. They do not assume a shared Christian vocabulary, and they listen before they speak. Volunteers always go out alongside experienced team members.

Sources

Read the passages on Bible Gateway (King James Version): Acts 17:16-34, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

Where to go next

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