Corinth and Cenchrea--The Final Tour

Our final tour day has ended with a visit to two sites mentioned in the New Testament in relationship to Apostle Paul. We began with a drive south from Athens, along the ancient road that lead from the site of the ancient Battle of Marathon (the 26 miles plus a hair) run by the fabled messenger who relayed news of the win to Athens (before he dropped dead of exhaustion). This was also the road to Eleusius, home of the famed Eleusinian Mysteries that celebrated the story of Demetre and Persephone. We stopped at the narrow isthmus connecting Attica and the Peloponnese that now features a deep canal connecting the Aegean and Ionian Seas. A coffee, snack, or souvenir shop later found us back on the bus and headed to Corinth.

Corinth developed  near the Isthmus with port cities on either side, dominating trade between the two seas. Ships could be unloaded and cargo hauled across a special road for stowage aboard another vessel in the opposing sea. Or, some entire ships could be unloaded, hauled across the road, and re-floated and loaded on the other side. This saved 7 or more days of sometimes treacherous sailing around the southern tip of Greece. Towering over tthe lower city is the Acro-Corinth, the acropolis that served in the biblical period as the site of the Cult of Aphrodite with its sacred temple prostitutes (some sources say there were over 1,000). To "be Corinthianized" was akin to saying one was licentious or a reprobate for having "worshiped" the goddess at Corinthian shrine. It was also at Corinth that Paul first met Priscilla and Aquilla.

Our visit focused on the lower city with its Archaic temple to Apollo (a century older than the Athenian Parthenon seen today), the Bema or judgment seat where the Book of Acts  records Paul being hauled into court before the Pro-counsel Gallio, who threw the case out of court as merely an internal debate among Jews. We enjoyed a stroll down the marbled Lechaion Road to the Peirene Fountain with both Greek and Roman ruins visible. Pastor Glenn paused the group to celebrate the Lord's Supper (Eucharist) under the shade of some trees, reading Paul's instructions to the Corinthian church on how it should be done.

We saw the lovely collection of remains in the small museum of the site, and some ventured down rougher hills to the area of the ancient theater to see the remains of an inscription mentioning the Aedile Erastus who is named in the New Testament three separate times ( Acts 19:22; Romans 16:23, and 2 Timothy 4:20).

A short drive out of Corinth we stopped at the end of the Canal, witnessed an Orthodox baptismal ceremony in process with scores pressed into a small chapel, and had lunch after crossing a small bridge. Little did we realize the bridge did not rise when boats passed, nor swung out of the way, but sank below the water. We enjoyed watching it drop from sight several times while we feasted on calamari, salad, fried fish, spaghetti, or a host of other dishes as the cool wind blew and the fantastically blue seas sparkled. 

Reluctantly returning to the bus, we drove a short way to see the ruins of ancient Cenchrea,  small port town visited by Paul and his companions. It was the home of Phoebe, a female deacon and leader in the early Christian church (Romans 16). The  remains included those foundations of an ancient temple to Isis tthat reached 500 feet out into the sea and included large enclosed pools of fishes. It is today a beach enjoyed by families in the heat of the Summer.

Back to the bus and a short ride back to Athens, the Acropolis rock seen towering above the city with the Parthenon shining in the Summer sun. Our trip is almost complete. We leave our hotel at 3:30 am tomorrow morning for our flight to Frankfurt and connection to DFW. We've had a fantastic time. We are sorry you had to travel with us only by Internet, and will look forward to your joining us in person next time.

Athio sas! (goodbye) from Athens!