map of thessalonica, berea and athens
These, by common consent the earliest of Paul's Epistles, show us that the apostle was eager to revisit Thessalonica very soon after his enforced departure: "once and again" the desire to return was strong in him, but "Satan hindered" him (1 Thessalonians 2:18)-a reference probably to the danger and loss in which such a step would involve Jason and the other leading converts. His journey took him along the Via Egnatia, or Egnatian Way. Its population includes some 32,000 Turks, 47,000 Jews (mostly the descendants of refugees from Spain) and 16,000 Greeks and other Europeans. Paul's Visit:Paul visited the town, together with Silas and Timothy, on his 2nd missionary journey. Iconium And after shaking the dust off their feet against them, they came to Iconium (Acts 13:51). I had expected more of Athens, the city of Socrates and Plato, and the home of the Parthenon. Bible Study Guides Souls Are Crying for Truth, Editorial The Wheat, the Tares and Uncertain Voices, The Cost of Revival and Reformation A Response to Concerns and Objections. That is undoubtedly why Paul left the main road, traveling in a direction would-be pursuers would never guess. Coos, Rhodes, Patara And it came to pass that after leaving them, we sailed away; and taking a direct course, we came to Coos, and on the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara (Acts 21:1). As far as human fellowship was concerned, he felt himself to be utterly isolated. Berea was a place of momentary refuge, an accidental stop along Paul's missionary journey. From Thessalonica, the road went all the way to Constantinople (Istanbul). Jorge Valenzuela A/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 3.0. Note that you can see Byzantium (Constantinople) on this map. I am convinced that anyone who invests the time and energy into building better Bible study habits will become passionate about this wonderful way to draw closer to God. I want that for you. The country covers a total area of 41,865 sq. Athens has mountains around it, including Aigaleo (west), Parnes (north), Pentelikon (northeast), and Hymettus (east). Hearing that many of the Jews of Berea were deeply impressed by the truth, what action did the unbelieving Jews of Thessalonica take? The Via Egnatia is the main street of Thessalonica, and it is still a major thoroughfare of Salonika. Note: The minds of the Bereans were not narrowed by prejudice, and they were willing to investigate and receive the truths preached by the apostles. We are here in a Greek commercial city and a seaport, a "free city," moreover, enjoying a certain amount of autonomy and its own constitution. The Acropolis was known as a strong example of architecture due to its structure, but it was ultimately destroyed in an earthquake. But the news of this success reached the Thessalonian Jews and inflamed their hostility afresh. The prehistoric wall around the Acropolis of Athens followed the contours of the rock and was referred to as the Pelargikon. Paul and Silas preached to them during Paul's second missionary journey. Encyclopdia Britannica, 1911/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain. At Thessalonica all is changed. From the Epistle to the Philippians (Acts 1:26; Acts 2:24), written during his captivity, we learn that his intention was to revisit Philippi if possible, and 1 Timothy 1:3 records a subsequent journey to Macedonia, in the course of which the apostle may well have made a longer or shorter stay at Thessalonica. Built by the Athenians in honor of the emperor Hadrian in AD 135, this marble gate was on a street leading from the ancient city to the new Roman one. (berea), Vergna, Kalambaka Today we'll follow the footsteps of Paul in Thessalonki, named after Thessalonica, the sister of Alexander the Great. We looked at the wicked men recruited from the market place to riot against Paul and his companions. . Appii Forum, Puteoli, Rhegium, Rome, Syracuse, Three Taverns Roman cities Paul travels through on his way to trial in Rome (Acts 28:12 - 15). Aleppo is now a city of nearly 130,000 inhabitants. There were converts in all three of these cities in which Paul preached, but only in Thessalonica (as far as we can tell from Scripture) did a church take root. The church at Thessalonica, located as it was in a prominent city of Macedonia, had an ideal opportunity to share the gospel with the whole region. The Jews from Thessalonica followed and persecuted them ( Acts 17:10-13 ). Thus, many in Berea believed the gospel message. Antioch (Syria)Place where believers in Jesus are first called Christians (Acts 11:26). It's in the east, by the Hellespont. During the Peloponnesian War, it supported Sparta against Athens. Distance: 5103.4 miles; Duration: 19h 50m . Choose volunteers to read Acts 17:1-3 . From its beginning in the kingdom of Macedon in 315, Thessalonica quickly became one of the most important sea ports of the kingdom due to its strategic location as a hub connecting several major trade routes, the most important one in Roman times being the Via Egnatia which ran east and west through Macedonia, connecting Europe with Asia. Even the Egyptian city of Alexandria was part of the Hellenistic Empire. Finally, in 904 A.D. it was captured by the Saracens, who, after slaughtering a great number of the inhabitants and burning a considerable portion of the city, sailed away carrying with them 22,000 captives, young men, women and children. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/maps-of-ancient-greece-4122979. From Athens to Corinth, passing through Antioch and Ephesus, here is a summary of Paul's travels, including an indication of where those locations are on today's map. An attack was made on the house of Jason, with whom the evangelists were lodging, and when these were not found Jason himself and some of the other converts were dragged before the magistrates and accused of harboring men who had caused tumult throughout the Roman world, who maintained the existence of another king, Jesus, and acted in defiance of the imperial decrees. The city is rich in examples of Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture and art, and possesses, in addition to a large number of mosques, 12 churches and 25 synagogues.LITERATURE.The fullest account of the topography of Thessalonica and its history, especially from the 5th to the 15th century, is that of Tafel, De Thessalonica eiusque agro. Position and Name: One of the chief towns of Macedonia from Hellenistic times down to the present day. This is the period described in Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey.". Reprinted by permission. So, too, it seems, was Athens. The teachers of the truth were again driven from their field of labor. This reference map of ancient Greece includes the southernpart of the empire. Some of the Jews became converts and a considerable number of proselytes and Greeks, together with many women of high social standing (Acts 17:4). Thessalonica - Modern Salonika or Thessalonika. Perry-Castaeda Library Map Collection, The University of Texas at Austin, 2019. That which is to the earthly mind a desolate wilderness, to the spiritual mind becomes a land of living streams. The Signs of the Times, October 10, 1906. Therefore, when I have finished this task, and have safely delivered into their hands the fruit that was collected, I will set off toward Spain (Romans 15:24, 28). As Paul looked upon the beauty and grandeur surrounding him, and saw the city crowded with idols, his spirit was stirred with jealousy for God, whom he saw dishonored on every side. ThoughtCo. In 362, Athens took over again. The death toll from the head-on collision of two trains in central Greece has risen to at least 40 people, with many more . And that's what they did, as "the Lord's message rang out" from the Thessalonian church ( 1 Thessalonians 1:8 ). Now known as the modern Avlida, the Greeks often got together in this area to set sail to Troy and bring back Helen. Colchis, where the mythological Argonauts went to fetch the Golden Fleece and where the witch Medea was born, is along the Black Sea on its eastern side. (see map, p. 2280). Athens, Corinth Now after these things, Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth (Acts 18:1). During this period, the Phoenicians were colonizing northern Africa, southern Spain, the Greeks, and southern Italy. Alexander the Great died in 323 B.C. Since Timothy is not mentioned (see Ac 17:10 and note), it is . % thes-a-lo-ni'-ka (Thessalonike, ethnic Thessalonikeus):1. Made capital of the Roman province of Macedon, the city flourished due to its location on the major trade route to the east and continued to thrive as one of the most important cities in the Byzantine Empire. The city also sat midway along the Via Egnatia. His solitude in that great city where God was not worshiped was oppressive; and he longed for the sympathy and aid of his fellow-laborers. Political Aspects of the Classical Age of Greece, 10 Fast Facts on Athena and Her Parthenon, The Peloponnesian War: Causes of the Conflict, Timeline of Battles and Treaties in Peloponnesian War, 7 Points to Know About Ancient Greek Government, Important Kings of the Ancient Middle East, M.A., Linguistics, University of Minnesota. In fact, the Roman statesman and philosopher Cicero once described Berea as off the beaten track.. Strabo, writing in the reign of Augustus, speaks of it as the most populous town in Macedonia and the metropolis of the province (vii.323, 330), and about the same time the poet Antipater, himself a native of Thessalonica, refers to the city as "mother of all Macedon" (Jacobs, Anthol. Acts 17:1721. The Christians in Thessalonica secretly take Paul and his companions out of the city. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from . Paul, the great missionary strategist, must have seen that from no other center could Macedonia be permeated with the gospel so effectively as from Thessalonica (1 Thessalonians 1:8).But his success roused the jealousy of the Jews, who raised a commotion among the dregs of the city populace (Acts 17:5). 3rd Edition, Kindle Edition, OUP Oxford, August 22, 2013. . Megistias/Wikimedia Commons/Public Domain. This ancient region and Roman province in the Balkans was known as Moesia. The Stoics and the Epicureans encountered him; but they, and all others who came in contact with him, soon saw that he had a store of knowledge even greater than their own. Sketches from the Life of Paul, 91, 92. Prominent Greek Women: Women of Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens (Acts 17) What about the stereotype that ancient women were mostly housebound? As observed on the physical map of the Netherlands, it is a very flat country with almost 25% of its land at, or below sea level. In this post well consider the geography of Acts 17, focusing on a major Roman highway. Map of Macedonia, Dacia, Thrace, and Moesia, The Path of Alexander the Great in Europe, Asia, and Africa, Thebes on Map of Greece in the Peloponnesian War. Among them the most famous is the inscription engraved on the arch which stood at the western end of the main street of Salonica and was called the Vardar Gate. An ancient sanctuary, Delphi is a town in Greece that includes the Oracle where key decisions in the ancient classical world were made. Acts 17:13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Beroea also, they came there likewise, agitating the multitudes. For that reason, an overland route was a crucial alternative. Bermius, on a tributary of the Haliacmon, and seems to have been an ancient town, though the date of its foundation is uncertain. Though modern visitors are impressed with the great buildings of the Acropolis and Olympian Zeus, the agora and the impressive stoas, St . It was the ancient city of Chalab, lying about midway between Antioch and Hierapolis. Cenchrea, Ephesus And after Paul had remained there many days, he took leave of the brethren and sailed away to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. N. Tod. Thessalonica is the second-largest city in Greece, situated on the north. Go back to see more maps of Thessaloniki Maps of Greece Greece maps Greek Islands Cities Here we find a large number of resident Jews and a synagogue. Map_Macedonia_336_BC-es.svg: Marsyas (French original); Kordas (Spanish translation), derivative work: MinisterForBadTimes (talk)/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY 2.5. Acts 17:15-16, 22; 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 3:1 . Thessalonica also served as the provincial capital, and as the home of the Roman proconsul. Genuine religion gives men the victory over themselves; but a religion of mere intellect and taste is wanting in the qualities essential to raise its possessor above the evils of his nature, and to connect him with God. Berea sat at the base of Mount Bermius, which is part of the Vermio Mountains and provides an ample supply of water for the city and the region.