Athens
The cultural center of Greece, where Paul spoke to the Areopagus.
Region
- AchaiaRoman provinceinferred
Verses and notes
No verse puts Athens in Achaia. Roman history places it inside that province.
Verses: Acts 17:15; Acts 18:1
Outside sources: Tacitus, Annals 2.53; Suetonius, Claudius 25.3
What the sources say, and how sure we are
- The text says
Paul is distressed by the idols in Athens, debates in the marketplace, and speaks to the Areopagus, citing an altar to an unknown god and a Greek poet.Acts 17:16–34
- Outside evidence
Ancient writers mention altars to unknown gods in Athens, and the line in Acts 17:28 matches a verse in the poet Aratus. The agora and the hill of the Areopagus can be visited.Acts 17:23; Acts 17:28; Aratus, Phaenomena 5
- Outside evidence
Athens was a famous self-governing city in the Roman province of Achaia, in southern Greece.Tacitus, Annals 2.53; Suetonius, Claudius 25.3
- Debated
Scholars debate whether Paul spoke on the hill of the Areopagus or before the council that met there, and how much his speech was shaped by Luke.Acts 17:19