Areopagus

Areopagus

Areopagus [Gr.,=hill of Ares], rocky hill, 370 ft (113 m) high, NW of the Acropolis of Athens, famous as the sacred meeting place of the prime council of Athens. This council, also called the Areopagus, represented the ancient council of elders, which usually combined judicial and legislative functions from the beginning. The Areopagus represented in the 5th and 6th cent. BC the stronghold of aristocracy. Jurisdiction in murder cases had probably been given to it by Draco; Solon gave it various censorial powers over the officers of the state. The change in the method of choosing the archons in 487 BC caused the beginning of the decline of the Areopagus. In 480 BC the Areopagus enabled the manning of the fleet for the battle of Salamis, and it recovered much of its influence in the war years. But c.462 BC a series of attacks began and eventually the august council was reduced to the status of a court of homicide only, although it maintained its religious character. Pericles was a leader in this democratizing movement; Aeschylus was an opponent, and he brought his trilogy of dramas to a close (in The Eumenides ) with an appeal for the preservation of the ancient traditions of the Areopagus.

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"Areopagus." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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Areopagus

Areopagus A council that met on the hill of that name in ancient ATHENS. Drawn in the beginning from the richest class, the Eupatridae, it was originally an advisory body to the kings, but by the 7th century BC virtually ruled Athens. Its influence was still considerable in the early 5th century. Ephialtes' removal of its “guardianship of the laws” in 462–61 marked the beginning of the radical ATHENIAN DEMOCRACY. It continued to judge some criminal and religious cases, but power thereafter lay with the popular assembly and the lawcourts.

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"Areopagus." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Areopagus." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Areopagus.html

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Areopagus

Areopagus (in ancient Athens) a hill on which was sited the highest governmental council and later a judicial court. The name comes from Greek Areios pagos ‘hill of Ares’; the name for the site came to denote the court itself.

Areopagitica, the title of Milton's pamphlet on the freedom of the press published in 1644, derives from this name. The publication was partly inspired by attempts by Parliament to suppress Milton's own pamphlet on divorce.

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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Areopagus." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Areopagus." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Areopagus.html

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Areopagus

Areopagus (Greek for ‘Mars’ Hill'). A spur of land near the western end of the Acropolis in Athens. The name was also applied to an oligarchical council which met on the hill. It is not clear whether, when St Paul was brought to the Areopagus to explain his teaching (Acts 17: 19), it was before the court or whether the place was merely chosen as convenient for a meeting.

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E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Areopagus." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Areopagus." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Areopagus.html

E. A. LIVINGSTONE. "Areopagus." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O95-Areopagus.html

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Areopagus

Areopagus A hill in Athens where the city council met; Paul gave an address there (Acts 17) to the assembled Gentiles, using a text about an altar he had seen dedicated ‘to an unknown god’ (17: 23).

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W. R. F. BROWNING. "Areopagus." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Areopagus." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Areopagus.html

W. R. F. BROWNING. "Areopagus." A Dictionary of the Bible. 1997. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O94-Areopagus.html

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Areopagus

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"Areopagus." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"Areopagus." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Areopagus.html

"Areopagus." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-Areopagus.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

The Areopagus of Morningside Heights.(Memorials)(Richard John Neuhaus)(In...
Magazine article from: First Things: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life; 4/1/2009
The birth of democracy: in ancient Athens, a leader named Pericles opened...
Magazine article from: Junior Scholastic; 10/30/2006
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Magazine article from: Catholic Insight; 12/1/2005

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Areopagus. (Image by ajbear, CC)