Mars Hill -- The Areopagus

Of all the places there are to visit in Athens, this was the top of my list. I actually knew very little about it historically, and I had no idea what to expect. However, I have read Paul's sermon in Acts 17 many times and, especially after getting my fill of the mythology of pagan gods, I wanted to set my feet there, where Paul had spoken the Truth with great courage, yet in a way that engaged his listeners.

Mars Hill (Areopagus) photo taken from the Acropolis
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Areopagus#/media/File:Areopagus_hill.jpg

In classical times, this rock mass functioned as the place where court matters were settled--the sentencing of murderers and the settling of religious disputes. It was also known as a spot where someone could stand and speak out on the issues of society...hence Paul's speaking about the identity of the "unknown God."

I have never been a person who longs to go to Israel to walk in the "footsteps" of Jesus. Not that I wouldn't enjoy going, but I have not felt an emotional drawing or connection that many others I know feel. Having said that I can only explain my experience with Mars Hill as the movement of the Spirit in my life.

Jeshua had spoken to our tour guide about our wanting to go to Mars Hill and she had said that it would be easy to fit it in after coming down from the Acropolis. So we walked down to the meeting spot and asked her for directions. She pointed down a wide marble expanse and we headed off. It literally is just down the hill and around to the northwest of the Acropolis...not far at all. 

It really is just a huge rock!

Three things to notice about the above picture that I will refer to: 1) to the far left you can see a set of large steps that lead to the top; 2) just left of the center you can see two steps that lead to the steps that are actually carved into the rock itself--and some folks going up who disappear behind the trees and a few emerging at the top; and 3) the large plaque inlaid in a stone wall on the right hand side of the photo.

When we arrived to the view you see above, it took me aback. I don't know what I was expecting, but there's really not much to it, is there? When I stopped to take the picture, I thought, "Okay, I guess I've seen it." The choir kids were ahead of us and were already moving up the stone stairs. I told Jeshua to go ahead up...that I may or may not make the climb. 

Jeshua almost to the top.

I was tired. I'd taken plenty of Advil that morning to prepare for the hike up to the Parthenon, and I thankfully did okay. But it is tense walking when the ground is slippery and/or hole pocked...and being determined not to slow down the group too much. 😎 And now Mars Hill looked like a bit of a letdown...just a big rocky hill. 

The bronze plaque are the words of Paul from Acts 17:22-31.

It's all Greek to me!!

Standing there in the open area, I realized that, oddly enough, I was pretty much by myself--no one was close by. I started thinking about the courage it must have taken Paul to speak out in a way that ran against the current of the times. From Mars Hill you could easily see the temples of the Acropolis and one phrase from Paul's sermon came to mind...(my paraphrase) "that God--the creator of the whole universe--does not live in temples made with hands."  As I stood there, I suddenly felt as though Paul was standing beside me, his arm on my shoulder. And "we" simply stood there...a few tears overflowing on my part.

The next thing I knew, the decision was made. I was going up! I walked over and went up a few of the rock stairs and knew I could not climb them--they were varying heights, no railing to hold on to, lots of loose stone/dirt. It was then that I saw some folks coming down those steps at the left...I had not seen them before...and I went over and up...slow, but up.

Almost to the top.

Jeshua and the choir kids were gathering to sing and as I stepped off the stairs, I could hear their voices...the Truth again being proclaimed in this place as it had been in the first century.

I didn't wander too far from the steps...you needed the surefootedness of a mountain goat! Looking at the top of the photo, you can see how close it is to the Acropolis.

 But I enjoyed the singing and felt the worship of the moment...and took a picture of the view.

The view of modern Athens from Mars Hill.

I'm so glad I went up, but even more so I'm thankful for the moments with Paul--whether for "real" or in the Spirit--I can't explain the experience. I just know it was real for me!

The next day I would again follow in Paul's footsteps as the plan was to go to Corinth. I was looking forward to it.

The Acropolis!

A good night's sleep, but an early call time for the bus to the Acropolis! And we didn't want to miss the anticipated famous breakfast buffet, so up we got and off to breakfast.

And quite the breakfast, it was! There were about nine stations, each with different offerings.

This was the honey, jams, butters and nutella station! Plus it had a bowl of very nice cookies each morning and some other odd things I didn't recognize.😄

I was glad for the cut, prepared fresh fruit, which was so lacking in Syros. And, of course I longed for bacon, which they had here, sort of...but not quite like home. There was a made to order omelet, eggs and waffle station that seemed to attract a lot of attention.

And the little strudels which had been apple on Syros, were cherry here...equally yummy.

The cheese selection was okay, but I missed that local Syros cheese...San Michali Cheese. But there were a few new ones to try and plenty of feta. We had the luxury of this breakfast for three mornings. Delightful!


After breakfast we climbed on the bus to be dropped off at the base of the Acropolis. My cane and I took a deep breath and we were off and climbing. 

Just like in Syros, the paths were of marble and other slick stone...climbing, climbing upward.

Each of the buses (I think there were four) had a tour guide. Ours for this day was a delightful woman who was an archeologist. She grew up in Canada and had great English and shared both history and mythology. As we climbed along, she would give us a shady break under a tree while she shared more with us.

Our whole group was interested in all that she shared.

Part way up, we stepped off the path to take a look at the Herodeon, a music performance venue originally completed in 174 AD. Like so much of Athens, it was destroyed and rebuilt off and on over the years, but had mostly been left to ruin until the late 1800's when it was rebuilt to accommodate more modern performances including some during the German occupation of WWII. By 1955 it was more completely restored and hosts orchestra concerts/ballets/operas/Greek tragedies, almost always to a full house--which seats 4,680 folks.

They were setting up the stage for an upcoming concert.

Our path wound around to several sets of stairs that would take us up through the Propylaia which was the gateway to the temples on the Acropolis. It was built during the years 438 to 432 BC. In its time it was a collection of buildings that formed a structure that you had to go through to reach the actual tableland of the Acropolis. I have looked at lots of pictures of it since, but at the time, I just concentrated on the steps...the first several sets of wooden ones leading to the final flights of marble ones. In ancient days, the marble steps still preserved at the top came most of the way down the hill. You can see what supported them at the bottom right of the photo.

I actually took this photo from Mars Hill, a lower hill sort of beside the Acropolis. It shows the lines of folks zigzagging up and down both sides and then up/down the central stairs and through the "Gates"--and gives you an idea of how large the whole thing was. Look at the columns!

Once we were on the top, some folks walked right to the edges of the Acropolis to look over. Totally not me! I was happy to take their photo doing it! This is to the right once you are through the entrance gate.

The stones/rock/marble that make up the walking surface on top show the evidence of the millenniums of wear and tear...

I was so very careful...determined not to fall, but had to watch carefully where I placed both my cane tip and my feet!

It was pretty amazing to be there...the whole thing is so much bigger than I had imagined. (The surface length of the flattened hilltop is over 300 yards long).

Once you passed through you found yourself with a good view of the Parthenon. I somehow always thought that the Parthenon was built to honor Apollos...but it was a temple to Athena (Athens...duh--that I'm a little slow on my historical connections is an understatement). Athena was the goddess of wisdom and war, and a host of other things. She was the only goddess depicted with armor and was the patron of Athens.

 

Restoration has been ongoing since the 1980's. It is like a giant 3D jigsaw puzzle, with the pieces having been scattered all over the hills of Athens.

One of the choir kids took this photo...as I was standing there, I thought about that little blond toddler who held my hand...I never dreamed the two of us would be standing here!

The Parthenon started out its life as a temple to Athena; after a few hundred years, it was used as a treasury for the city of Athens, and eventually, in the 500's AD became a Christian church. After Greece became part of the Ottoman Empire in the 1400's, it was changed into a mosque. Then in 1687 when part of the building was used as a munition depot, it was fired upon in an attack by the the Venetians (yes, Venice--a kind of city state in Italy) and, in essence, blew itself up. So the pieces were scattered all over and have been painstakingly gathered and each one numbered.

These little "scrap yards" were in various locations around the Parthenon. Each piece has a number in red lettered on it.

I will confess, that I lost enthusiasm for wandering over the whole grounds to each of buildings. Again, the sadness that all this work and money and slave labor built all of this to honor mythological characters who were worshiped as gods. I'm really glad I've been...but it makes me look at some of that ancient history a bit differently than before. It is true that the nature of humans is that they are looking for something greater than themselves to give their lives to...sadly for the citizens of ancient Athens, Athena was not it! (More about that later on Mars Hill).

As we walked along the outer side of the Parthenon to make our way back to go down all those steps and the path, I got a good look at the back of the Propylaea--the gate.

It looks like they were making the first lego blocks for decorations!

It was mid-morning while we were on the top, but it was already a hot day. There was a nice breeze, however, that made it very bearable. 

I made it down the stairs and down the pathway back to our guide near the parking lot. Jeshua had talked to her about our wanting to go to Mars Hill and she sent us off in that direction. But that is a story worth telling all on its own and I will do it in my next blog post!

Unbeknownst to us, while we were enjoying the Acropolis, a fire had started in small coastal towns to the east of Athens and the breeze that kept us cool fueled the fire into a disaster with loss of homes and life...I think 80 people eventually died from it. While we were on top, another tourist mentioned that the "clouds" we could see in the distance were actually smoke from a fire and the air got smokier as the day went on.

And yet another fire had started on this same day to the west of Athens in the direction of Corinth. Corinth isn't labeled on the map below, but it is to the west of Kineta--  about in the center of that little bay just off the main white road. It's the Aegean Sea to the south and the Ionian Sea to the north. We were hoping to go to Corinth the next day.

I recently found this photo taken by Theodora Tongas/AP and posted online at: photos-of-the-devastating-wildfires-outside-athens-greece 2018

This was the sky over Athens that evening as the winds blew the western fire's smoke across Athens. You can see the  Acropolis rising up over the city.

 And next will come the journey to Mars Hill. I had no idea what was in store for me, but it was no surprise to God!