Damaris (Ancient Greek:Δάμαρις) is the name of a woman mentioned in a single verse inActs of the Apostles (17:34) as one of those present whenPaul of Tarsus preached inAthens in front of the AthenianAreopagus in c. AD 55.
Together withDionysius the Areopagite Damaris embraced the Christian faith following Paul'sAreopagus sermon. The verse reads:
Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. (KJV)
As usually women were not present in Areopagus meetings, Damaris has traditionally been assumed to have been ahetaira (courtesan, high-status prostitute);[2] modern commentators have alternatively suggested she might also have been a follower of theStoics (who welcomed women among their ranks;[3] this may explain why her conversion was so easy, since the Stoic'sZeus and the god preached by Paul were very similar),[4][5][6] or a foreigner visiting Athens.[7] TheGeorgian text ofActs makes Damaris the wife of Dionysius.[8]
She is a saint of theGreek Orthodox Church, remembered on 3 October together withDionysius the Areopagite and two other disciples of Dionysius, who also became martyrs.[9] 3 October in theJulian calendar, which is used by theOld Calendarists, currently coincides with 16 October in theGregorian calendar.
The etymology of the name is uncertain. Proposals include derivation fromdamar δάμαρ "wife, spouse", a contraction ofthe classical Greek nameDamarete Δαμαρέτη (attested as the name of a daughter ofTheron of Acragas and wife ofGelo), or derivation fromdamalis δάμαλις "heifer"; a Coptic derivation has also been considered.[10]
