The PCUSA Pilgrim Pastor

Athens and Corinth

October 18, 2024

In the morning we walked through the Athenian Agora.

The Agora was the political and public center of Athens. A large open area surrounded by various buildings, the Agora was utilized for commerce, social, political, religious, and military activities.

This is remains of the synagogue of ancient Athens and most likely the place where Paul started his preaching ministry when he first arrived (Acts 17:17). Hard to believe Paul was standing right here so many years ago.

Walking around the Agora you can just imagine the life of this famous city.

Some of the original buildings are very well preserved. This is the most prominent one.

They even have a small museum where many of the original items found in the Agora are carefully preserved. The walkway alongside the museum was quite an experience.

Many of the capitals from the columns are on display as well.

We had to take a group picture in the Agora looking up to Mars Hill where Paul gave his famous Acts 17 speech. Truly we were walking in the footsteps of Paul in both places.

Next we got in the bus to go to Corinth, not far away. Our first stop was the port of Corinth where Paul would have landed when he arrived.

Of course in his days there was no canal, so boats who wanted to go between the Gulf of Corinth and the Aegean Sea would have to be loaded on to huge carts and pulled by slaves to the other side of the isthmus. You can still see the ruts in the ancient roads.

Nowadays, there is a canal and we were lucky enough to see a ship go through.

After a boat goes through, the gate rises again to prevent any unauthorized ships from entering.

Corinth was one of the largest and most important cities in Ancient Greece. Due to its strategic location, all land traffic to Sparta travelled through the city. As a result it became one of the richest cities in Greece.

The Temple of Apollo in Corinth is one of the oldest stone temples in Greece. It was built on a hill overlooking the marketplace (agora). The temple was still functioning when Paul came to visit Corinth.

Paul came to Corinth after leaving Rome as mentioned in Acts 18:1-11. This was his first visit around the year 51 or 52 when he stayed for 18 months. He founded a church in Corinth and wrote several letters to them addressing his concerns about them.

In Corinth he met Aquila and Priscilla who were also tentmakers and they worked together becoming close friends and people of faith.

The Roman Forum in Corinth was the city’s central meeting place. Contained within is the Bema, the public platform where Paul pleaded his case when the Corinthians brought him before the Roman Governor, Gallio. (Acts 18:12-17)

At the Bema we found this inscription from scripture…

I went back to the Bema and imagined Paul making his plea to Governor Gallio. Once again I was in awe that Paul stood in this very place.

Paul came back a second time for about 3 months and wrote a letter to the Romans from this city. (Acts 20:3) Corinth was truly a special place to Paul and I could certainly see why.

Next we went to the top of the Corinth Canal.

The canal is a pretty amazing engineering feat that draws thousands of visitors each year, including us.

Finally we made our way back to Athens for a final farewell dinner. This ended our pilgrimage with Imagine Tours and Travels. We all had a truly meaningful and spiritual trip. We will treasure these memories forever.

While the formal trip had ended, a few of us had planned to extend our pilgrimage for two more days. After all, if you’re going to walk in the footsteps of Paul, you have to end where he did…Rome.