Contextualizing the Gospel in Athens: Paul's Areopagus Address as a Paradigm for Missionary Communication

Abstract

The contemporary emphasis on contextualization has not always recognized that the process of “contextualizing the gospel” goes back to the New Testament itself. This study looks at one of the most instructive case studies in New Testament contextualization, Paul's speech before the Areopagus in Acts 17:16–34. It analyzes various aspects of Paul's missionary communication, showing how both the form and the substance of the speech are targeted to persuade an educated and philosophically minded Greek audience. At the same time, Paul refuses to compromise the non-negotiable message of the Christ event, in particular the resurrection of Jesus, which confronts the worldviews of his hearers. The essay concludes with a reflection on how this paradigmatic account can inform the task of incarnating the gospel in pluralistic settings today.