Footsteps of Paul

I had an agenda when planning to visit northern Greece.  The primary reason was observing the places where the Apostle Paul had traveled when he established early churches in both Thessalonica and Philippi on his second missionary journey.  As I learned when planning the trip, ancient ruins were found in both locations.

My tour guide Katrina was a native Greek from Thessaloniki who, in all honesty, taught me more about Greek culture than showing me evidence of the 'Footsteps of Paul' as our tour was titled.  Having a good understanding of Paul's missionary journeys and his motives to spread the Gospel from personal study, I was able to fill in the details regarding Paul's footsteps as needed.

In the meantime, I learned a lot about their culture not only as we talked while traveling the hours to our destinations, but while dining at lunch.  In addition to the standard seafood items on the menu, I got to know a number of classic Greek dishes that I probably wouldn't have thought to try on my own.  All of them incredible!

I also learned of their traditions surrounding Easter weekend with church bells ringing, midnight fireworks and most households all around the country roasting lamb on an outdoor spit.  

LYDIA BAPTISTERY

As we drove toward Ancient Philippi, we stopped at a place that commemorated the first baptism in Europe.  Specifically, we were reminded of Lydia of Thyatira, the first recorded European convert to Christianity who was baptized by Paul (Acts 16:13-15). 

Lydia was a dealer in purple linen, a wealthy woman from Thyatira who resided in Philippi.  She is described as a 'worshiper of God', indicating she was likely a Gentile who revered the Jewish faith.  Her conversion to Christianity marked a pivotal moment in the spread of the faith to Europe, making her a significant figure in early Christian history.

It was interesting to see Paul's missionary journeys recorded in pictorial form on the tile floor and ceiling of the portico.

 

Paul baptized Lydia and her household in a river, similar to the one at the memorial site.

ANCIENT PHILIPPI

The ruins of the first century Ancient Acropolis of Philippi are in the north-eastern part of Greece near the city of Kavala and a 10 minute drive from the Baptistery.  Since I was visiting in April springtime, the summer tourist season was not in 'high gear' yet.  I enjoyed the fact I was mostly on my own and didn't have to battle the crowds.

Ancient Philippi was a major city in the Roman province of Macedonia during Paul's time, having a mix of pagan Roman and Christian influence.  The city was centered around the Roman Forum with Christian citadels built after Emperor Constantine agreed to allow people to practice the Christian faith in the early 4th century.  This decision eventually allowed Christianity to become the dominant religion in the Roman Empire.  

The early Byzantine churches were easy to identify among the ruins -- with the first church built in the ancient city having its columns still standing tall, and the multi-story structure of its third church built in the city that is located on the outskirts of the ruins.

The Amphitheater was also evident among the ruins, complete with trap door where lions and other elements-of-surprise would appear on center stage to entertain the audience.  This amphitheater certainly reminded me of a mini-version of the Roman Colosseum with similar underground hallways and archways that marked entrances to staging areas.

Lastly, a guide explained the significance of a road along the outskirts of the city called the Via Egnatia built between 146-120 BC.  You can envision people in togas walking along this road that connected Constantinople (modern day Istanbul in Turkey) and Rome in Italy.  

I can't imagine the energy needed to WALK this distance, but thanks to Google Maps we learn the distance between Rome and Istanbul is roughly 1,700 km and would take 340 hours (or 40 days) on foot!

Likewise, it would have been quite the decision for Paul and others to visit a congregation.  For instance, it took an estimated 34 hours (or 4 days) to walk between the early churches in Thessalonica and Philippi which are both in the same region!

We read about Paul in prison throughout the New Testament, and the time he converted a slave girl to the Christian faith, freeing her from demon possession.  She lost fortunate-telling abilities after the exorcism and her owner lost the income she generated for him.  Needless to say, the owner was upset and wanted Paul punished -- so he landed in jail.

Seeing the location of the prison in Philippi brought the story of the slave girl to life and was exciting when realizing this was the prison where the doors miraculously opened.  I took a couple shots -- one looking at the prison with iron bars from the Via Egnatia and another with the perspective of the city from his prison cell (Acts 16:12-26).

MODERN DAY KAVALA

Before Katrina and I headed back, we visited a nearby city called Kavala.  In Paul's day, this was called Neapolis, also known as the first far-eastern European settlement where Paul set foot after receiving a vision calling him to preach in Macedonia (Acts 16:9-11).  His journey started from Troas in 50 AD, located in modern day Turkey.

We drove through Kavala to get to the marina for lunch.  What an incredible place to have lunch, giving us opportunity to see the beautiful hillsides surrounding the bay that also revealed the original wall of the city.