We just got back on the ship after an afternoon in Athens and had a great visit there with some great weather which was nice after the rain in Corinth. We started off with a city tour and then ended up at the base of the Acropolis, which is the mountain that sits above Athens and is home to the Parthenon and several temples to the Greek gods.
Before we ascended the Parthenon we spent some time at the Arapagus which is also known as Mars Hill. This is where it is believed Paul gave his famous speech to the Athenians that we find in Acts 17. Our group stopped here and we read that text and listen to Paul's words.
The first two pictures below are from Mars Hill and you can see in the background all of the temples built to the Greek gods about which Paul speaks when he talks about temples made by human hands. Our tour guide pointed out that Paul getting up and speaking about his faith in Christ in this setting was akin to someone going to Mecca and in the middle of prayer time standing up and speaking about Christ. In other words, it took quite a bit of courage and boldness. The third picture below is from Mars Hill looking down towards Athens and right of my head are the ruins of the Agora, which was the main shopping area of Athens and where Paul preached on several occasions.
As you hike up to the Acropolis you will see the Parthenon in all of its Glory along with the temple to Athena which are the next two pictures that you see. From the top of the Acropolis, as you look down along the back side, you will see the Olympic stadium and the entryway into which people came for the Olympic Games for hundreds of years.
On the way down from the Acropolis you can witness the great Roman Theatre which was actually built after the time of Paul in the two hundreds but is still used today in the summer for musical acts and performances.
Thanks again for checking in and seeing about our trip. We now head out to sea for a day and so there will be no more blog posts after this until we get to Malta, the island where Paul was shipwrecked. I should be able to make one more post there and then we have one more day at sea before we arrive back in Barcelona. Thanks again for all of your prayers. Grace and peace, Jeff
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