Ah, Athens! An unforgettable city where ancient history meets vibrant modern life. For many of us, Athens was the crown jewel on our Walking with Paul itinerary. It didn’t disappoint.
Don’t let the approach to Athens fool you. The major highway we came in on was congested and lined with unimpressive businesses, apartment buildings, gas stations, and other standard features of urban sprawl. The nearly hour-long traffic jam was unappealing.
We learned that approximately 70% of Athenians live in apartments. This vertical housing model—predominantly characterized by multi-story, mid-century blocks of flats known locally as polykatoikies—forms the core of the city’s dense urban footprint. Building heights in Athens are strictly limited to 5 to 7 stories to preserve the historic skyline.
The closer we got to downtown, the better the view! Our guide pointed out various statues, landmarks, and other points of interest. Of course, the main attraction is the Acropolis, an elevated mound full of ancient monuments and structures just begging to have their picture taken! We checked into the lovely Amelia Hotel at the center of all things worth doing in Athens and immediately ate dinner… because that’s what we do.
We shared a chicken, beef, and lamb sampler platter on pita bread in the upstairs of a restaurant in the heart of downtown. We were blessed to be joined by Rusty and Karen Andrews, who are from the St. Louis area but do three months of mission work in Athens annually. I preached a couple of times for Rusty in Granite City, Illinois last month, which was facilitated by our mutual friend, Steve Awtrey. It was good getting to know them and learning about their efforts to grow the Kingdom in this part of the world.
Just down from our hotel, we watched the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The meticulously synchronized routine takes place every hour on the hour, 365 days/year, in front of the Hellenic Parliament at Syntagma Square. A more elaborate, hour-long version, featuring a marching platoon in full-dress uniforms accompanied by a full military band, occurs every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. The guards are a ceremonial elite light infantry unit of the Hellenic Army, wearing highly detailed traditional uniforms—each element having a specific meaning.
After sunset, we strolled down the popular, bustling Ermou Street—the 15th most expensive shopping district in the world. This famous pedestrian-only avenue stretches from Syntagma Square to Monastiraki Square and serves as the city’s primary hub for international clothing, endless shoe stores, high-street fashion brands, local Greek boutiques, and high-end restaurants. While Ermou Street is the main artery, there are inviting feeder streets in both directions with additional shops and cafes, some on cobblestone streets with centuries-old trees emerging from holes in the cobblestone.
Half-way down Ermou Street, we came to the 11th Century Church of Panagia Kapnikarea, one of the oldest continuously operated churches in Athens. Inspired by the man singing and playing “Just the Two of Us” in front of the church, our friends Joe and Jan broke out in a lovely dance that Aphrodite would approve of (if she were real). At the western end of Ermou Street, we came to the Kerameikos Archaelogical Site, ancient Athens’ primary cemetery, which was continuously used from the 9th century BC through the Roman period.
Following breakfast the next morning, we headed for the Acropolis, a large archaeological complex consisting of several important ancient buildings and temples. I won’t cover all of them, but the most famous is the Parthenon, a 5th Century BC temple dedicated to the goddess Athena and the city’s most notable landmark. Fun fact: An exact, full-size replica of the original temple in Athens is located in Nashville’s Centennial Park. It was built for the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition. Even more fun fact: In the Spring of 1987, on a blanket in the shadows of Nashville’s Parthenon, I proposed to Janet, and she said Yes! As of this past March 25th, we’ve been married 38 years!
Atop the Acropolis, we admired the Parthenon (much larger than I remember it being), the Temple of Athena Nike, the Odeon of Herodes, and many other impressive structures. I will not attempt to describe the significance of each, as that would be more book than blog. Suffice it to say I’ve been to 50 states and 30 foreign countries, and the ruins of the Acropolis rank right up there with the Roman Coliseum and the ruins of Pompeii.
According to Acts 17, Paul’s spirit was provoked when he saw that Athens was full of idols. The sense is that Paul would have preferred to wait until Timothy and Silas came from Berea before he began his ministry in Athens. But when he saw that the city was given over to idols, he was compelled to preach the gospel immediately. The idea behind given over to idols (kateidolos) is really under idols, or swamped by idols. Paul saw the beauty of Athens, having the best that Greek sculptors and architects could offer; but all that beauty did not honor God, so it did not impress him at all.
So, he reasoned with Jews and others in the synagogue and with various people in the marketplace. Paul faced a challenging audience in Athens. It was a cultured, educated city that was proud of its history. It was an intellectual center, much like Oxford or Cambridge. Paul spoke to a city perhaps different than any other city he had preached in. The Epicurean and Stoic philosophers called him a babbler and a preacher of foreign divinities, because Paul preached Jesus and the resurrection. The Epicureans pursued pleasure as the chief purpose in life, and valued most of all the pleasure of a peaceful life, free from pain, disturbing passions and superstitious fears (including the fear of death). They did not deny the existence of gods but believed that they had nothing to do with man.
The Stoics were pantheists who put great emphasis on moral sincerity and a high sense of duty. They cultivated a spirit of proud dignity and believed that suicide was better than a life lived with less dignity. The Stoics believed that everything was god, and god was in everything. So they believed that all things, good or evil, were from “god,” and so nothing should be resisted, and they believed there was no particular direction or destiny for mankind.
They brought Paul to the Areopagus (Supreme Court) at Mars Hill to get clarification on his new teaching which was strange to their ears. He boldly stood before them and preached an all-time great sermon—I invite you to read it now at Acts 17:22-31.
Following in Paul’s footsteps, our next stop was nearby Mars Hill. Dr. McLarty stood not far from where Paul would have stood to present a devotional message. He provided context and meaning to Paul’s time on Mars Hill two centuries ago. Among several great points, a few stand out:
Lesson 1: Adjust your message to fit your audience. Paul met the audience where they were in order to connect with them. He recognized that they were religious but had directed that energy toward worshipping idols, including “an unknown god”. Calling them “religious” was not necessarily a compliment. Religion can lead one away from God, and if we trust in a false religion, it is little credit to say of us that we are “religious.” Paul started where they were and told them about the God of heaven—the God who made everything… the God who allows us to live and move and have our being. This concept would have been totally foreign to them.
Who is your audience? Who are you trying to reach? You may need to start with a passage they’re studying, or a religious hangup they have, or perhaps somewhere else. Connect with them where they are and develop the conversation from there.
Lesson 2: Jesus’ resurrection is decisive—everything hinges on it. Though Paul spoke in a different place, to a different kind of audience, his message did not change in Athens. He focused on Jesus and the resurrection. Some accepted Paul’s message while others mocked him for talking about resurrection. The resurrection calls for a decision.
I like the way Tim Keller put it: “If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn’t rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.”
Lesson 3: Don’t underestimate the long-term impact of your Kingdom work, even if it appears to be unsuccessful in the short term. This may have been a low point for Paul. He was frustrated by all the idol worship in Athens, and he didn’t seem to be having much of an impact. But here we are, two thousand years later, still studying and reflecting on what Paul had to say. We also know a few of those listening were converted, including Dionysius and a woman name Damaris—don’t tell them Paul wasn’t successful. We traveled all the way to Mars Hill, and we celebrated, because Paul had the guts to stand up and talk about the resurrection of Jesus.
After singing In Christ Alone, several of us climbed Mars Hill and, for the second time on this trip, I got emotional. This is where it happened! This is where Paul did his thing! What an honor and privilege to be standing on this hill! I’ll never forget those few moments, nor will I forget how slippery the boulders are up there.
After taking several pictures and reflecting on the significance of Mars Hill, Janet was ready to go, so she affectionately patted me on the behind. Except that it wasn’t me—it was a random stranger! She turned beet red and said, “I’m so sorry. I thought you were my husband!” He replied, in a thick Russian accent, “You vant do coffee?” I admonished my wife for attempting to pat my behind on the sacred mound where the Apostle Paul taught. Going forward, should Janet ever violate your personal space or commit even the slightest social faux pas, let me encourage you to approach her, in all gentleness, and whisper, “Remember Mars Hill”.
From there, we visited the Agora, now in ruins, which was formerly the commercial hub of ancient Athens and the birthplace of politics and philosophy. It was here that Paul reasoned with the most skeptical audience he met in the course of his travels. It was also here that Socrates engaged in intellectual debate. We saw the Doric Temple of Hephaestus and the Stoa of Attalos, a former retail market (“stoa” is where we get the word store), which is today a museum.
That evening, my buddy Joe and I returned to Ermou Street, in search of a few gifts and lemon gelato, which was delicious. Janet was looking for a child’s golden princess crown as a gift and I found one being sold by a street vendor. I told the man I was interested and he said, “You follow me upstairs.” He led us to a nearby door, which he unlocked, and instructed us to go up the winding staircase to Narnia. There wasn’t a soul in sight. Joe looked at me like “What are you getting us into?” I told him this is how human trafficking begins. Thankfully, at the top of the stairs was a small jewelry store and we were able to make our purchase and escape out the front door unscathed.
Athens, the “cradle of western civilization,” lived up to the hype. Few places are believed to have been continuously inhabited since about 5000 BC, with a recorded history (of the Mycenaean civilization) dating to 1400 BC.
I’m thankful these ruins are still around for us to learn about the people who lived here so long ago. And I’m thankful to the Apostle Paul who had the guts to stand before an unfamiliar, idol worshipping, mostly dismissive crowd and courageously preach the truth! Paul didn’t preach a “soft” gospel. Rather, he boldly confronted the wrong ideas the Athenians had about God and challenged them with the reality of the coming judgment.
May we all be so bold!
