Joined him may be rendered as “took sides with him” or “identified themselves with.” The term believed must probably be understood in this context as “became believers.” Certainly more is implied than merely “believed what Paul had said.”

It is significant that Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, became a believer, since the Areopagus was a closed body and to belong to it was a great honor. Neither Dionysius nor Damaris are mentioned elsewhere in the New Testament.

The final phrase and some others may be expressed as “and there were also some other people who believed.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .