ACROPOLIS OF ATHENS

ACROPOLIS

• The Acropolis of Athens is a citadel on a mountaintop above Athens
• A symbol of democracy and the Greek civilization
• The four main parts of the Acropolis are the Parthenon, Propylaea, Erechtheum, and the Temple of Athena Nike

PARTHENON

• Dedicated to the goddess Athena
• Constructed from 447BC-432BC
• Used as a treasury but was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary in the 6th century AD

PROPYLAEA

• This is the monumental gateway into the Acropolis
• Constructed of marble and limestone
• Has a central building that held the gateway and two side wings
• Unclean people, runaway slaves, and criminals were not allowed through the gateway

ERECHTHEUM

• This temple was dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon
• Built of marble with sculptures made of black limestone
• The Erechtheum held Athens' holy relics

TEMPLE OF ATHENA NIKE

• The temple has four columned porches on the east and west sides
• A statue of wingless Nike stood in the center of the building
• On all sides there are friezes which are relief sculptures of the gods and the Battle of Plataea

FACTS

• Pericles coordinated the construction of the Acropolis in 5th century BC in the golden age of Athens
• The Acropolis was mentioned by Homer in the Odyssey

BIBLICAL INTEGRATION

• Paul went to the marketplace to talk about Jesus' resurrection
• Some Greeks took him to the Areopagus- the high court of Athens on the rock of Ares in the Acropolis
• Paul preaches about an altar he saw dedicated "to an unknown god"

BIBLICAL INTEGRATION

• Acts 17:22-34 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

BIBLICAL INTEGRATION

• 24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.

BIBLICAL INTEGRATION

• 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’

BIBLICAL INTEGRATION

• 29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”

BIBLICAL INTEGRATION

• 32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” 33 At that, Paul left the Council. 34 Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

QUESTIONS

• What are the four main parts of the Acropolis?
• Who preached about Jesus on the Rock of Ares?

WORKS CITED

• http://www.acropolisofathens.gr/aoa/
• http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areopagus_sermon
• https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+17&version=NIV