Let us take you on a spiritual journey to tour the places the Apostle Paul preached in ancient Corinth, the Isthmus canal, and the Athens’s Areopagus, walking in the footsteps of the “Apostle to the gentiles”.
“Charity is patient and is kind; Charity doesn’t envy. Charity doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; it hears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails”.
Saint Paul the Apostle made two missionary journeys to Greece bringing Christianity to its people; from there it spread quickly to all the other western European countries of the time. The Apostle Paul traveled to Greece for the first time on his second missionary tour, coming from Troy in Asia Minor…
Paul traveled over 10,000 miles proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His journeys on land and sea took him primarily through present day Israel, Syria, AsiaMinor, and Greece. We know that he sailed to Samothrace and across the Bay of Neapoli which is called Kavala today at the port called Philippi. There he met Lydia, Paul’s first conversion. Then he traveled to Amphipoli and to Thessaloniki, then to Veroia where he met Timothy a Greek Jew from Asia Minor and Silas.
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love God.
Then Paul sailed to Athens. In Athens, Saint Paul revealed the nature of the ‘unknown God’ whose inscription he had seen on a pagan altar. Damaris, a woman mentioned in a single verse in Acts of the Apostles 17:34 was one of those present when Paul of Tarsus preached in Athens in front of the Athenian Areopagus in AD 55. As well as Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, and several other Athenians became the first believers in Athens.
After his conversion, Dionysius became the first Bishop of Athens. He is venerated as a saint in the Orthodox Christian church. He is the patron saint of Athens and is venerated as the protector of judges and the judiciary. The Areopagus is a hilltop where philosophers debated, but it’s also where city officials held trials for murder and crimes against public order. Legend says the first trial was against the Greek god “Aris” for the murder of Poseidon’s son. “Areopagus” is Greek for Aris’s Hill; the Roman name was Mars’s Hill. Another definition is that it means “arial podium”. At this “arial podium” is where Paul preached to the Athinians “Christianity”.
1 Corinthians 16:22 If any man loves not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be rejected…
Saint Paul, one of the most important figures of early Christianity “the Apostle to the nations” then visited the city of Corinth three times. The Apostle Paul had his work cut out for him! He needed a place to live and a means of supporting his stay. In Isthmus Paul found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. So, because Paul was of the same trade, he stayed with them and worked; occupation wise they were tentmakers. Paul reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks that >”Jesus is the Messiah”<.
2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and breath, perfecting holiness in the fear of God…
Corinth, famous for being the city of the early church to which Saint Paul wrote the letters to the Corinthians containing some of the most well-known passages in the entire Bible. It was because of this that St. Paul was chased away from the Synagogue and then focused on the “Gentiles”. The local synagogue was near the house of Titius Justus where Paul stayed. They say that this house may have shared a wall with the Synagogue as well. Also nearby is a stone with three menorahs that is dated from before Paul’s arrival.
“Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, [2]Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be Saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:[3]Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. [4]I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ. [5]That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;[6]Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you.[7]So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ:[8]Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.[9]God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.[10]Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.[11]For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. [12]Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.[13] Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you, or were you baptized in the name of Paul? [14] I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;[15]Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.[16]And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.[17]For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Jesus Christ should be made of none effect.[18]For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.[19]For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.[20]Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?[21]For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.[22]For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:[23]But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;[24]But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.[25]Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.[26]For you see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:[27]But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;[28]and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yes, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are.[29]That no flesh should glory in His presence.[30]But of Him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:[31]That, according as it is written, He that glories, let him glory in the Lord”. (1Corinthians 1)
In the Apostle Paul’s time, Corinth was an important city in ancient Greece and it played a major role in his missionary work. Corinth was partially destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC, but in 44 BC it was rebuilt as a Roman city under Julius Caesar. It was devoted to business and pleasure, and was mostly populated by freedmen and Jews. Corinth had developed into a major government and commerce center of that region. Corinth was a commercial city, and derived its principal importance, its wealth, and its characteristics, from trade. At its peak, the city was known not only for its riches but also for its paintings and unique architecture. Building columns created in the Corinthian style were some of the most ornate in the ancient world.
Along the “agora” or marketplace of the Corinth, Paul, Priscilla and Aquila worked as tentmakers. The tents were most likely important because the city of Corinth hosted something similar to our Olympic games during that time, called the Isthmian games. The sale of the tents created the finance Paul needed for his ministry. These Isthmian games brought thousands of guests to the city for musical, physical, oratorical and intellectual competitions. It was due to these crowds that afforded Paul the occasions to speak and teach in the agora, the synagogue and finally the place of the (Vema)”step podium” where the preconsul dismissed the charges against Paul.
“Isthmus” is a narrow piece of land that connects Central Greece with the Peloponnese, it has been, since antiquity, a major issue for the inhabitants of Corinth, since it separated the Saronic Gulf from the Corinthian Gulf, and consequently the Aegean from the Ionian Sea, and made the transition from one sea to another dangerous, tedious and time consuming. The Corinth Canal which connects the Saronic Gulf with the Corinthian Gulf, at the site of the Isthmus village is located 5 miles southwest of Corinth. You can visit the Archaic temple of Apollo, the Pyrenean fountain with its six openings that look like caves. The Glafki fountain, carved into a rock, is also interesting. You will also see the conservatory, Acrokorinthos, and the castle of Corinth.
The Akrokorinthos, or Akropolis of Corinthos, is the imposing fortress towering above Ancient Corinth, it holds significance in the footsteps of St. Paul. As visitors ascend its ancient walls, they follow the path believed to have been traveled by the Apostle. Rising 1800 feet above the plains, Acrocorinth was once the seat of the Temple of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of lust, whose worship contributed to the sexual immorality that Corinth was infamously known for.
“Act Like a Corinthian”: Corinth was known for its vices. Immorality and sexual sins were rampant, due in part to the pagan temple dedicated to the goddess Venus (i.e. lust). The temple’s illicit services employed more than a thousand temple prostitutes daily. There was so much sexual immorality in Corinth that the city literally became synonymous with sexual immorality: the Greek verb “Korinthiazomai”. Literally translated “to act the Corinthian”. It appears from reading 1 Corinthians that the church there was negatively affect by the environment. Immorality and immodesty found their way into the church. The members were taking their grievances to courts, rather than working them out with one another. There were a host of other problems, such as issues around marriage, meats scarified to idols, women praying with their heads uncovered, and money collected for the church in Jerusalem.
Saint Paul had spent 18 months in the city of Corinth. At that time, the Jews were able to convince the then pro-consul, Gallio, to charge him with various crimes that they deemed to be criminal. The place of the important “step” exists today, this site is a platform where Paul was made to stand and where the charges were brought against him. Gallio saw through the charges and found that it was a dispute the Jews had of Jewish law and were not of a criminal nature. The ruler of the synagogue at that time was Sosthenes who was later beaten. Sosthenes in 1 Corinthians 1:1 is called Paul’s friend.
1 Corinthians 8:3 But if any man love God, the same is known by God..
Saint Paul had many friends in Corinth and one of his friend’s name in Romans 16:23 was “Erastus” the chamberlain of the city. What’s interesting about Erastus is that his existence seems to be confirmed by an inscription found east of the theater in Corinth.’ Erastus seems to have been a man of wealth and position and as a friend of Paul’s, contributed to the improvement and infrastructure of the city. The synagogue of Corinth was a hub of public debate when Paul came to the city. Acts 18:4 says “Every Sabbath he would argue in the Synagogue and would try to convince the Jews and Greeks”. It was because of Paul’s relentless preaching that the Corinthian Jews hatched their plot to put Paul on trial before the Roman Pro-consul Gallio.
At the end of his life, the Apostle Paul, falsely accused; arrived in Rome to undergo judgment where he was beheaded between 65 and 67 A.D. His body was buried two miles away from the place of his martyrdom, in the sepulchral area along the Ostiense Way, owned by a devout Christian woman then named Lucina.
The term Apostle is derived from Classical Greek “Apóstolos”, meaning “one who is sent”. The literal meaning in English is therefore “missionary”.
2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you..
