Ἄρειος Πάγος

Ἄρειος Πάγος — Áreios Págos

Ἄρειος (Tdf. Ἀριος) Πάγος, Πάγου, ὁ, Areopagus (a rocky height in the city of Athens not far from the Acropolis toward the west; πάγος a hill, Ἄρειος belonging to (Ares) Mars, Mars' Hill; so called, because, as the story went, Mars, having slain Halirrhothius, son of Neptune, for the attempted violation of his daughter Alcippe, was tried for the murder here before the twelve gods as judges; Pausan. Attic. 1, 28, 5), the place where the judges convened who, by appointment of Solon, had jurisdiction of capital offences (as willful murder, arson, poisoning, malicious wounding, and breach of the established religious usages). The court itself was called Areopagus from the place where it sat, alsoAreumjudicium (Tacitus, ann. 2, 55), andcuriaMartis (Juvenal, sat. 9, 101). To that hill the apostle Paul was led, not to defend himself before the judges, but that he might set forth his opinions on divine subjects to a greater multitude of people, flocking together there and eager to hear something new: Act 17:19-22; cf. Act 17:32. Cf. J. H. Krause in Pauly's Real-Encycl. 2te Aufi. i. 2, p. 1497ff under the word Areopag; (Grote, Hist. of Greece, index under the word; Dicts. of Geogr. and Antiq.; BB. DD. under the word; and on Paul's discourse, especially B. D. American edition under the word ).