THE SECOND AND THIRD MISSIONARY TOURS.
=1.= A. D. 53. =A few days afterward=, Acts 15:36, Paul and Silas
set out upon a second journey. The expressed object was to revisit the
churches they had planted. Barnabas preferred his nephew as companion;
but Paul, fearing that the desertion which had previously taken place
on the part of Mark might be repeated, preferred to associate himself
with Silas.
Barnabas and Mark left for Cyprus, while Paul and Silas started
for Derbe, not as before by sea, but northward, by land, across the
mountain known as Amanus, the pass of this range being about twenty
miles north of Antioch in Syria. This pass is now known as that of
Beilan, which lets the traveller down upon the famous plain of Issus,
where, B. C. 333, Alexander the Great had met and defeated the Persian
king Darius. Crossing this plain to the extreme northeastern end of
the Mediterranean, now called the Gulf of Iskanderun (or Alexandretta),
an additional distance of about twenty-five or thirty miles from the
mountain pass, they had then the towns of Mopsuesta and Tarsus on the
Roman road on the plain directly west as they turned around the corner
of the coast.[194]
=2. It appears, however=, that they soon reached the pass north of
Tarsus, by which they made their ascent to the great high tableland.
This pass was probably that of the so-called “Silician Gates,”
twenty-two or twenty-three miles north of Tarsus, at the top of which
is the supposed site of Derbe, about fifty miles a little north of west,
upon the great plain we have before described.
=3. From Derbe they passed= westward to Lystra. Here Paul found Timothy,
a young convert from the last visit, as mentioned, Acts 16. Thence they
came to Iconium.
They now left the former route, and judging from the direction of the
old roads and general routes of travel between important cities at that
time, it is probable that their course was through Laodicea (now called
Ladik),[195] Philomelium, and Synnada, the last two known at present as
Ak-sher and Eski Kara-hisser, or the “old black castle.”
Ladik is twenty-four or five miles northwest of Iconium and has many
remains of antiquity. It is now a small place of only 500 inhabitants.
Ak-sher, or the “white city” of the Turks, is about sixty-five miles
northwest of Iconium and contains about 1,500 houses, and is the
Philomelium of Strabo, the geographer. There is a remarkable salt lake
ten miles north of it, which is dry in summer and affords much salt
at that season, but in the winter is full and extends some twenty or
thirty miles westward.
=4. The next point= which seems to have been on the course of travel
was near the great centre of the present opium manufacture of Asia
Minor, namely, the place called “the opium black castle,” or Aphium
Kara-hissar of the Turks. This place is on the northern base of a hill
on the south side of the river of the Ak-sher lake before spoken of.
This river is a small stream whose source is in the hills west of the
town, but it is lost in the lake, having no other outlet. Very fine
marble quarries existed in this region in ancient times.[196]
=5. From this place= it is thought probable, judging, as we have
said, from the lines of travel well known in those days, that the
missionaries went northeastward, first to Pessinus, now Bali-hissar,
and then Ancyra, the present Angora, famous for its fine-haired goats
and containing a population of perhaps 35,000. But nothing is known
certainly of the exact places visited, only that it is stated they
went “throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia,” and then probably
on the same route back to Synnada, and “passing by,” that is on the
borders of Mysia, came down to Troas.
=6. Troas= was at this time a very important seaport on the northwest
of Asia Minor near the site of ancient Troy and opposite the southeast
extremity of the island of Tenedos, four miles distant. It is now
called Eski Stamboul, i. e., Old Constantinople.
=7. From here= Paul and Silas set sail directly towards Samothrace,
an island in the Ægean Sea northwest from Troas, and landed at Neapolis
on the shore of Macedonia. Thence they travelled about twelve miles
north to Philippi, which was a Roman military colony. Here the events
occurred which are described in Acts 16:12‒40.
=8. From Philippi= the travellers took the Roman road to Amphipolis.
This city stood on high ground about three miles from the sea and
thirty-three from Philippi. It was colonized by Athenians and called
Amphipolis from being nearly surrounded by the river Strymon.
=9. The next point= reached was Apollonia, but the exact location is
not known. It is laid down in some of the ancient itineraries as being
thirty miles from Amphipolis. Thence they travelled to Thessalonica,
thirty-seven miles distant from Apollonia. This was a very important
place and is even now second only to Constantinople. Its present name
is Saloniki and it is at the head of the Thermaic Gulf. It was a busy
commercial town at the time of the visit of the two missionaries. Here
Paul and Silas remained for several weeks, publicly explaining and
proving the new doctrines of the gospel, Acts 17:1‒10.
=10. Opposition from the Jews= arising, they left for Berœa. Berœa is
now called Verria, and is sixty miles west by north from Thessalonica.
It is a large town at present, having some 20,000 inhabitants. Here the
usual vexation and opposition on the part of the Jews made it necessary
that the apostle Paul should leave the town, and at night and alone he
went down to the seashore to a shipping town about twenty-five miles
distant, called Dium, and from thence he set sail for Athens, which was
by sea about 270 miles distant. We now may read the history as recorded
in Acts 17.
=11. Athens at the time= of the apostle’s visit was included in the
Roman province of Achaia. It was not then in its palmiest days of
prosperity, but it was nevertheless the centre of art and learning and
a city of great voluptuousness and idolatry. It contained one large
_Agora_, “the market” or place of assembling of its citizens, a large
square or open place which not only contained but was surrounded by
the finest sculptures and buildings perhaps at that time existing
in the world. The apostle came here alone, 1 Thess. 3:1, and while
waiting for his companions he met and preached to many in the Agora,
until he attracted so much attention that he was invited to the great
assembling-place on the north of the Agora called the Areopagus, where
the most important court or council of the Areopagus was held. Solon
gave the court censorial and political powers, but St. Paul was called
here more because of the curious desire of the Athenians to hear about
this new doctrine. At this place he delivered that masterly address
recorded in Acts 17.[197]
His labors at Athens did not meet with much success, although some were
persuaded and believed, and one of the court itself, Dionysius by name,
who afterwards became a bishop of a Christian community formed there.
Paul soon left Athens for Corinth.[198]
=12. Corinth= was a rival of Athens in luxury and magnificence, in
commerce and in wealth, and was perhaps even in art second only to
Athens. It was situated upon the isthmus of the Peloponnesus and noted
for its Acropolis, built upon an elevation 1,886 feet above the city on
the south. It was sacked and nearly destroyed by the Romans, B. C. 146,
and nearly all the treasures of art were carried to Rome, but the city
was restored under Julius Cæsar. Only a few ruins remain. The modern
town is on the Gulf of Corinth, three miles north from the site of the
old city, and contains about 2,600 inhabitants. It is 45 miles a little
south of due west from Athens.[199] Here Paul remained for nearly two
years, A. D. 52, 53, and preached with great success; and while here he
wrote the Epistle to the Thessalonians[200] and planted other churches
in Achaia, 2 Cor. 1:1.
=13. Cenchreæ= was five and a half miles east-southeast of Corinth
on the shore of the Gulf of Ægina. It was an important port at the
time when the apostle visited it. At present it is called Kekriais[201]
and is not inhabited; the only remains are of an ancient dry dock. From
this place Paul set sail for Ephesus, 235 miles almost due east.
=14. Ephesus= is 35 miles south-southeast from Smyrna, near where the
river Cayster empties into the Gulf of Scala Nova. It was the capital
of Ionia and had one of the seven churches mentioned in the book of
Revelation. The ruins which remain consist chiefly of a magnificent
theatre, supposed to be large enough to accommodate 30,000 people,
a stadium or gymnasium, besides walls and towers and remains of the
temple of Diana, for which it was most famous. The worship of Diana was
attended with the study and practice of magic in various forms, and the
“magical letters” spoken of by many classic authors[202] as “Ephesian
letters” were in use at the time of the apostle’s visit. The temple was
in its splendor also at that time.[203]
On this the first visit, A. D. 54, of the apostle to Ephesus he
remained but a short time, and then departed for Jerusalem, Acts
18:19‒21, and thence down to Antioch.
THE THIRD MISSIONARY TOUR.
=15. In this tour the starting-place= was at Antioch, as in the former
tour. The churches planted in Galatia and Phrygia were visited, perhaps
on the line of travel previously chosen, and then a course was taken
direct to Ephesus, which now became the centre of the apostle’s labors,
A. D. 54‒57.
=16.= It was at the close of this visit that the remarkable tumult
described in Acts 19 took place, A. D. 57.
Paul now left Ephesus for Philippi by Neapolis, as in the previous
journey, and thence to Thessalonica and Berœa, and onward by land to
Corinth, a journey of about 220 miles through Thessaly and Achaia.
=17.= But it seems, Rom. 15:19, that at Thessalonica Paul resolved
to visit the lands west of Macedonia as far as Illyricum. This was
probably in the summer of A. D. 57, and perhaps the autumn. The journey
was along the Roman road to Dyrrachium, about 200 miles, and across
several ranges of mountains.
While at Dyrrachium it is probable he made a tour about 170 miles to
the south to Neapolis, on the Bay of Arta, and returning by the city
Apollonia on the Adriatic, came back to Berœa and thence to Corinth.
The region which he visited was that Dalmatia referred to in 2 Tim.
4:10. Dalmatia was included in the greater region of Illyricum, and was
upon the shore of the Adriatic, being contiguous to Mœsia on the north
and Macedonia on the east.
=18. After wintering at Corinth=, Paul with several friends, Acts
20:4, returned to Achaia, Berœa, and the towns previously visited, to
Neapolis, and thence by sea to Troas. At this place the events stated
in Acts 20 took place.
Remaining a short time at Troas while his companions took ship, Paul
walked across the promontory to Assos, about 25 miles distant by the
road, and arrived in time to meet the ship, which had to stop at that
city. The place Assos is now a small village known by the name Beiram.
=19. From this place= they sailed by Mitylene, the capital of the
island of the same name, now called Lesbos. Going between the islands
and the shore, they passed Chios, Samos, and the promontory and cape
at Trogyllium on the then Ionian coast. At Miletus Paul stopped and
sent for the elders at Ephesus while the vessel was exchanging freight.
Miletus is about 50 miles south of Ephesus. Passing Cos, which is about
55 miles from Miletus, and then the island of Rhodes, they put into
Patera in Lycia, which was a seaport of the town of Xanthus, famous
for its oracle. Thence, taking another vessel, Acts 21:2, Paul sailed
directly for Tyre, on the Phœnician coast. From this city he and his
party sailed for Ptolemais, 28 miles southward, where the sea voyage
ended.
=20. The rest of the journey= to Jerusalem was on foot by Cæsarea. The
occurrences at Cæsarea are narrated in Acts 21, and on his arrival at
Jerusalem Paul was seized in the Temple by a mob comprised of resident
Jews, urged on by some who were in attendance upon the feast from
foreign parts who had seen Paul abroad in some Asiatic place.
Paul was now protected by the military interference of the Roman chief
“captain of the band” stationed at the Temple. The history is minutely
given us in Acts 21:32‒40. By the order of Festus the governor, called
the procurator of Judæa, who succeeded Felix A. D. 61, Paul was taken
to Cæsarea.
=21. On Paul’s appeal to Cæsar= he was taken on board a vessel sailing
from Cæsarea and committed to the care of a centurion, Acts 27:1.
The course of the vessel, as stated Acts 27, was first to Sidon,
where a short stay was made. Then “under Cyprus,” that is to the east
of the island, as the winds were from the northwest and contrary, they
“tacked” to Myra, a city of Lycia. This city stands upon a hill about
two miles back from the shore. It is now called by its ancient name by
the Greeks. Its port is Andriaca.
=22. The course thence= was to Cnidus, which is at the western end of a
peninsula between the islands Rhodes and Cos; there they changed their
course to the southward and passed Cape Salmone, on the extreme east of
the island of Crete. The wind now was more ahead, that is, against them.
Hence they “hardly,” meaning “with difficulty,” reached Fair Havens,
near which was the city of Lasea. It is ninety miles from Cnidus to
Cape Salmone and seventy from Salmone to Lasea. The island of Crete
is 160 miles long, and they remained under Crete and near the shore,
hoping to reach Phœnice, which is about forty miles from Lasea.
=23. They had not sailed= more than about twenty miles before the wind,
which had been from the south, changed around and blew so violently
from the east that the vessel became unmanageable and they “let her
drive.” The course was now west by north seven degrees, and this course
was kept from Clauda to Melita, about 500 miles. Clauda is south of
Crete twenty miles.
MALTA.
=24. Malta= is the largest of a group of islands, the one at that time
called Melita, now Malta, being the easternmost. The shore is almost
entirely precipitous; two or three small bays are found on the northern
shore, one of which is supposed to be that into which Paul’s ship was
driven. It is fifteen miles from the eastern end of the island, which
is twenty miles in length, and this is the only bay on that side with a
stream emptying into its waters. The stream is only a very small brook
coming down from a source in the southwest. It was running in November
when the writer visited the locality.
=25. Acts 27:27 to 28:10= should be read in this connection. The island
of Malta contains many ancient remains of Phœnician, Greek, and Gothic
construction. In the Library at Valetta are three medals and other
objects found on the island said to contain Phœnician letters, and Sir
W. Drummond has translated a Punic legend found on a square stone in a
sepulchral cave which states that it marks the burial-place of Hannibal.
=26. After three months’ stay= on this island Paul’s company proceeded
on their way to Rome, stopping at Syracuse three days. Syracuse at this
time seems to have been very populous. It was on the eastern part of
Sicily and on the coast, and was the residence, at various times, of
some of the most celebrated philosophers and poets, Plato, Simonides,
Zeno, and Cicero; and here Archimedes lost his life at the capture of
the city by the Romans.
=27. Thence the vessel= passed to Rhegium, now called Reggio
(pronounced red´jo). This place, in Calabria, is the southernmost
city and seaport of Italy, and was once a renowned city eight miles
southeast of Messina across the strait of the same name. It has a
population now of about 20,000.
=28. The next day= they came to Puteoli, now Pozzuoli (pronounced
pot-soo-o´-lee) on a gulf of the same name seven miles southwest of
Naples. Its vicinity was celebrated as the residence of wealthy Romans
and the port was an important one. But the land has sunken, as the
writer found many evidences that parts of the ancient city were covered
with the waters of the sea.
=29. The main Roman road=, called the Appian Way, was now taken, upon
which was the marketplace called Apii Forum, forty-three miles from
Rome. Its site is supposed to be marked by some ruins near Treponti.
Farther on was a place called the “Three Taverns,” about thirty-three
Roman miles from the city and near the present Cisterna.