Paul at the Areopagus

Abstract

Luke's account of Paul's speech at the Areopagus illustrates five factors at work in the Hellenistic world, namely: Hellenistic interest in religious questions; the unity of the Hellenistic world itself; Hellenistic tolerance for ancient gods from elsewhere; a pyramid-like arrangement of divine powers; and finally, outside Judaism and Christianity, the Hellenistic world's lack of any developed idea of the afterlife.