{"id":318,"date":"2016-07-04T09:49:41","date_gmt":"2016-07-04T09:49:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting\/?p=318"},"modified":"2020-07-02T19:52:26","modified_gmt":"2020-07-02T19:52:26","slug":"st-pauls-day-at-the-areopagus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commons.princeton.edu\/globalreporting2016\/2016\/07\/04\/st-pauls-day-at-the-areopagus\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Paul’s Day at the Areopagus"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Harrison Blackman and Amanda Blanco<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The Book of Acts describes how the Apostle Paul traveled to Athens in the first century A.D. and visited\u00a0town leaders on a large outcropping \u00a0below the Acropolis, at a spot known as Areopagus Hill.<\/span><\/p>\n

Acts 17:23 quotes Paul as saying; \u201cFor as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship\u2014and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After the homily, the passage tells us, \u201cSome of the people became followers of Paul and believed.\u201d The sermon’s influence had been\u00a0established for history. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

More than two millennia later, on June 29, 2016, the celebration of the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul was alive and well on the Areopagus Hill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Hieronymus II, the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece (center, in red robes) presides over the service. (Amanda Blanco)<\/p><\/div>\n

A cross and Greek flag had been installed on the rock outcrop, and a grandstand was set up below.\u00a0<\/span>A marching band played\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u201cAyios Yiorgos\u201d (St. George) and a color guard entered the scene, followed by a procession carrying the an icon of St. Paul and a group of clergy, including Hieronymos II of Athens, the <\/span>Archbishop of Athens and All Greece. Since 2008, Hieronymus II has been the head of the Church of Greece, which is an independent branch of the Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Originally a part of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, the Church of Greece was established 1833 after the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Greek color guard stands at attention. (Amanda Blanco)<\/p><\/div>\n

The juxtaposition of state symbols (marching band, soldiers, Greek flag) and religious displays (the cross and icons) may have seemed jarring for visitors accustomed to the separation of church and state. However, for Athanasia Kamperi, an Athens-based lawyer who attended the service, Greek culture and Christianity are one and the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201c[The Greeks] gave their blood to Christ, you cannot set apart Greeks from Orthodoxy,\u201d Kamperi said. \u201cThat is the true roots of our country.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

After the service concluded, Kamperi walked towards an icon placed in front of the Areopagus, and following a line of venerators, she kissed the Byzantine-style painting of St. Peter and St. Paul.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Athanasia Kamperi venerates an Orthodox icon. (Amanda Blanco)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cWhen we go to church, we venerate,\u201d Kamperi said, explaining that the ritual expresses love in the same way one would show affection for a loved one. \u201cWhen you cross yourself it\u2019s like saying what you believe,\u201d she added. <\/span><\/p>\n

Kamperi climbed the stairs to the top of the Areopagus, admiring the sunset views of the Acropolis and the city below.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople come up here and drink beer on the rocks,\u201d she said, indicating that many visitors to the Areopagus are unaware of the greater significance of the site. If there\u2019s one thing Kamperi emphasized, it is imperative for visitors to learn about the Orthodox roots of Greek culture.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLearn about orthodoxy,\u201d she said, \u201cLearn about Christ.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n