London, National Gallery, Rafael Exhibition 2022, Preaching of St Paul (cartoon)

Saint Paul stands with raised arms on a stone platform, addressing a crowd of Athenian citizens and philosophers against a backdrop of classical architecture. The audience displays a range of reactions, from prayerful attention to skeptical debate, while a circular temple stands prominently in the background. This composition is one of the famous cartoons designed by Raphael for tapestries intended for the Sistine Chapel.

This scene depicts a foundational moment for Renaissance Neoplatonism: the encounter between Christian revelation and Greek philosophy. Paul's sermon on the 'Unknown God' was used by thinkers like Marsilio Ficino to argue for a 'pious philosophy' that synthesized ancient wisdom with Christian doctrine, specifically through the figure of Dionysius the Areopagite.