Benaki Museum, Mars Hill (Areopagus Hill).
- Benaki Museum was lovely, but I couldn’t stop but thinking how strange it was that all these precious artifacts belonged to one family… Yes, they made them public (for a fee), but they own those priceless pieces, which one would typically associate with national (=belongs to the people of this country) wealth.
- Mars Hill was heavily attended by tourists, of course, like pretty much anything in Greece. But it has a special religious significance.
- Mars Hill’s purpose in Greek Society: Rising some 377 feet above the land below and not far from the Acropolis and Agora (marketplace), Mars Hill served as the meeting place for the Areopagus Court, the highest court in Greece for civil, criminal, and religious matters. Under Roman rule at the time of Paul, Mars Hill remained an important meeting place where philosophy, religion, and law were discussed. Acts 17:21-26.
- From Acts 17:16-18, we know that Paul’s spirit was provoked when he arrived in Athens and saw that the city was given over to idols. Epicurean and Stoic philosophers learned of Paul’s proclamation of the resurrected Jesus Christ and wanted to learn about the new doctrine he was teaching. They brought him to the Areopagus to hear more. (Source: https://livingpassages.com/preaching-gospel-mars-hill/)