Acts 17:19

"And they took hold of him, and brought him unto the Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new teaching is, which is spoken by thee?"Took hold of him" Not in. hostile sense, but rather, escorted him. "Areopagus" Pronounced (air ee OP ah gus) (hill of Mars). "A limestone hill in Athens situated between the Acropolis and the Agora; by association, also the council which often met on the hill" (Nelsons p. 96). "It was formerly the place where the most venerable judicial court of ancient Greece met. For this reason the name came to be transferred from the place to the court. By Paul's day, although cases were sometimes heard there, the court had become more. council, with its legal powers diminished. Its members were rather guardians of the city's religion, morals and education, and it normally met in the 'Royal Porch' of the Agora" (Stott p. 283). "The hill was almost in the middle of the city, but little remains on its summit to help us determine what it looked like in Paul's day. There are benches cut in the rock on which the judges sat. Sixteen worn steps led to the summit from. plateau between the Areopagus and the Acropolis. Some have suggested the Areopagites (judges) merely wanted. quiet place, away from the crowd and the noise of the forum, where they could listen undisturbed to what Paul was saying" (Reese p. 624). Nothing in the context suggests that Paul was "on trial" before these men, for he is allowed to leave their presence with ease (Acts 17:34)