Highway 157 Church of Christ Teacher’s Guide

Book 11

Lessons 131-143

6th – 8th Grades

More Concerning Peter/Church in Jerusalem –Paul’s Fifth Visit to Jerusalem

SUBJECT: More Concerning Peter/Church in Jerusalem Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 131 Acts 12: 1-25

Level of Understanding:

General Characteristics: Energetic, independent, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative, wants to be like his peers, beginning to think abstractly, likes competition, hero worshiper, memorizes easily, attention span up to 20 minutes.

Needs: Firm and loving discipline, involvement in learning activities, challenges to memorize, competition, good examples of Christian lifestyle, one teacher for 10 students.

Understanding: Application of Bible to daily problems, identifying with Bible heroes, challenge to read and investigate areas of interest on own, greater awareness of sin and need for salvation.

Goals:

The students should learn to do good works and have compassion on the needy. They should seek for truth as Cornelius did and ask for help from someone more knowledgeable.

Objectives:

1. Tell what Peter's vision of the clean and unclean animals signified. 2. Describe Cornelius.

Memory Verse:

Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

Suggested Activities

1. List Cornelius' qualities, which made him not only a good man, but also influenced his entire household to believe. 2. Review Bible Facts (contained at the end of this book). Recite these with the students each day.

Available Materials:

Some materials are attached to the end of this lesson. Resource Room V113.2 1 Visual Aid Bible Overview

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Outline:

I. The Persecution by Herod (Acts 12:1-25)

A. Herod Kills James (Acts 12:1, 2)

B. Peter Is Miraculously Released from Prison (Acts 12:3-19)

C. Herod Blasphemes and Dies (Acts 12:20-25)

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II. Peter's Escape From Prison

Peter's Escape From Prison Acts 12:1-18 King Herod was a wicked ruler. He was persecuting the Christians and even had the apostle James, John's brother, put to death. When he saw that the Jews were pleased about it, he had Peter arrested and put in prison. He wanted to make sure Peter didn't escape, so he put guards in the prison to guard him. There were four rotating shifts of four guards each. It would seem there would be no way for Peter to leave the prison. Surely he would be put on trial the next day. The church during this time was praying that God would take care of Peter. They wanted him to be back with them again. Peter was asleep in the prison. There were chains on each of his wrists, and there was a guard on each side of him and more guards at the doorway. However, nothing is too hard for God. Suddenly there was a bright light inside the prison, and an angel appeared. The angel struck Peter on the side to wake him and his chains fell off. "Quick, get up!" he said. Peter followed the angel's instructions when he told him to put on his clothes and sandals. Then he told him to wrap his coat around him and follow him. Peter obeyed though he didn't think it was really happening. He thought it was just a vision.

Grade6_8_131.doc Page 3 of 13 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: More Concerning Peter/Church in Jerusalem Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 131 Acts 12: 1-25 They passed by the first guard, then the second guard, and the guards didn't even see them. Were they asleep, or were they just blind to what was happening? There was still one more barrier to his freedom. The iron gate that led to the city was in front of them, and then without anyone pushing on it, the gate swung open by itself. They walked through the gate and went the length of one street. Then as suddenly as he had appeared, the angel left him. Peter stood in the quiet stillness of the dark street. It dawned on him what had just happened. It wasn't a vision. It had really happened! God had delivered him from Herod and the terrible fate that the king had planned for him. He must hurry to find his friends. He went to the home of Mary, John Mark's mother, where the church was gathered praying for him. He knocked at the outer entrance. A servant girl named Rhoda went to answer the door. Peter spoke and Rhoda recognized his voice. She was so excited she didn't even open the door. She ran back to the others and said, "Peter is at the door!" They thought she was out of her mind. How could it be Peter? Peter was in prison. "It must be his angel," they said. The Jews believed that everyone had a guardian angel, and this angel must be speaking with Peter's voice. Peter kept on knocking. Finally they opened the door and they were so surprised to see Peter standing there. Did they not believe that God could answer their prayers for Peter's release? Everyone started talking at one time. Peter held up his hand for them to be quiet, then he told them how God had sent an angel to deliver him. He instructed them to tell James and the others about his release. This was probably James, the brother of Jesus since James, the apostle had already been killed by Herod. Peter left to go to another place. What happened at the prison the next morning? They looked and looked for Peter and couldn't find him. The guards had been responsible for keeping him in prison, and if they failed in their duty, the penalty was death. Herod ordered that the four guards be executed. As for Herod, not many days later Herod appeared on his throne and gave a speech. The people said, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man." Herod accepted their praise and did not give praise to God. Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

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Grade6_8_131.doc Page 9 of 13 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: More Concerning Peter/Church in Jerusalem Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 131 Acts 12: 1-25 Name ______Date ______Peter's Escape From Prison Acts 12:1-18 1. King Herod had ______the apostle killed and arrested

______because he thought it would please the Jews.

2. Herod placed guards in the prison. There were ______groups

of ______guards each.

3. A bright ______and an ______

appeared in the prison. He struck Peter's side and his ______

fell off.

4. Peter was told to put on his ______, ______,

and ______.

5. They went past the ______and the iron ______

opened by itself.

6. When Peter knocked on the door ______came to answer it.

7. She knew it was Peter because ______

______.

8. The people said ," It must be his ______."

9. What happened at the prison the next day? ______

______

10. The angel caused Herod to die because ______

______

Use the words in the box to help you with spelling.

God recognized clothes guards light James angel Rhoda four Peter chains sandals

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NAME DATE:

List BCV for each answer.

1. Why did Herod seize some who belonged to the church? ______

______

2. James was the first of the original twelve apostles to be martyred. What is a martyr? ______

______

3. How did the Jews feel about the death of James? ______

______

4. The Days of Unleavened Bread is another name for what Jewish holiday? ______

5. Who was praying for Peter? ______

6. On the night Herod was to bring Peter before the Jews, what was Peter doing? ______

______

7. Who told Peter to “get up quickly”? ______

8. Peter thought he was seeing a ______. (Acts 12:9)

9. Where did Peter go after being led into the city and what were those people doing? ______

______

10. Who answered the knock at the gate? ______

11. When it was announced that Peter was at the gate, what did the members of the household think? ______

______

12. Herod examined the guards and ordered that what be done to the guards? ______

13. How did Herod die? ______

14. Why did Herod die? ______

______

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Answers

1. Why did Herod seize some who belonged to the church? He was an evil man who wanted to please the Jews.

2. James was the first of the original twelve apostles to be martyred. What is a martyr? One who submits to death rather

than renounce the Lord or His principles.

3. How did the Jews feel about the death of James? It pleased them.

4. The Days of Unleavened Bread is another name for what Jewish holiday? The Passover.

5. Who was praying for Peter? The church of God.

6. On the night Herod was to bring Peter before the Jews, what was Peter doing? He was sleeping between two soldiers,

bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.

7. Who told Peter to “get up quickly”? An angel of the Lord

8. Peter thought he was seeing a vision. (Acts 12:9)

9. Where did Peter go after being led into the city and what were those people doing? He went to the house of Mary, the

mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

10. Who answered the knock at the gate? A servant-girl named Rhoda

11. When it was announced that Peter was at the gate, what did the members of the household think? That Rhoda was out of

her mind and that it was Peter’s angel.

12. Herod examined the guards and ordered that what be done to the guards? He ordered them to be executed

13. How did Herod die? An angel of the Lord struck him and he was eaten by worms and died.

14. Why did Herod die? Because when Herod was delivering his address or speech to them, the people kept calling him

God and he excepted their praise instead of giving God the glory.

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SUBJECT: The Church in Antioch Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 132 Acts 11:19-30; 12:25

Level of Understanding:

General Characteristics: Energetic, independent, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative, wants to be like his peers, beginning to think abstractly, likes competition, hero worshiper, memorizes easily, attention span up to 20 minutes.

Needs: Firm and loving discipline, involvement in learning activities, challenges to memorize, competition, good examples of Christian lifestyle, one teacher for 10 students.

Understanding: Application of Bible to daily problems, identifying with Bible heroes, challenge to read and investigate areas of interest on own, greater awareness of sin and need for salvation.

Goals:

The student should have an understanding of how the church began and how the gospel was spread. They should also understand how congregations today help brethren today who are in need and how we as individual Christians are to help.

Objectives:

1. Explain how the gospel is spread. 2. Explain what a “contribution” is and how it is used in accordance to the word.

Memory Verse:

Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

Suggested Activities

1. Review Bible Facts (contained at the end of this book). Recite these with the students each day. 2. Show the class a copy of the financial statement for the local congregation and explain in the simplest way where the funds go and why and who is in charge of dispersing/spending the money.

Available Materials:

Some materials are attached at the end of the lesson. Resource Room M109.0 - 3 Maps Church, spread of –general

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Outline:

I. The Witness of the Early Church (Acts 11:19-12:25)

A. The Witness of the Antioch Church (Acts 11:19-30)

B. The Persecution by Herod (Acts 12:1-25)

Herod Kills James (Acts 12:1, 2)

Peter Is Miraculously Released from Prison (Acts 12:3-19)

Herod Blasphemes and Dies (Acts 12:20-25)

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C. The site of ancient Pisidian Antioch is located on the outskirts of the Turkish town of Yalvac (population 43,345 - 2002). It is located on the western slopes of the Sultan Dag mountains which form the eastern boundary of the high central Anatolian plateau at an elevation of 4055 ft. [1236 m.]. Roads from the central plateau funnel past this site and from here they basically head west 128 mi. [206 km.] to Laodicea ad Lycum from where they radiate out to various coastal cities.

Paul and Barnabas visited the city on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:13–50; 14:22). They reached the city traveling by foot from Perge some 155 mi. [246 km.] to the south. They probably came to the city due to a recommendation of Sergius Paulus, the proconsul of Cyprus who had previously been converted. It is probable that Sergius Paulus had estates and relatives here in Pisidian Antioch and he had probably sent a letter of introduction with Paul and Barnabas.

Here at Pisidian Antioch Luke records a lengthy excerpt of the Paul's sermon given in the synagogue (Acts 13:16–41). In it Paul describes how Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and the witnessing pattern that Paul was to follow on his journeys — to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles (13:46–47) — was established.

Paul and Barnabas had to leave town because of the opposition, but later returned to it at the end of this journey. Paul probably revisited the city on both his second and third journeys as he passed from east to west through this region. Indeed, the book of Galatians was written to churches in this region.

The city was established in the fourth or early third century B.C. It was designated as a Roman colony by the emperor Augustus in 25 B.C. Much building activity took place between 15 B.C. and A.D. 30 — just prior to Paul's visit about A.D. 46 or 47.

Excavated remains include a monumental gate, streets, a small theater, a Temple to Augustus, a bath, a nymphaeum, and a church dedicated to St. Paul. The excavators include Stephen Mitchell and especially the caring work of Mehmet Taslialan. See next few pages.

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City Gate

View looking north. This monumental three-entrance way gate was constructed about A.D. 212. In the foreground the paving stones lead to the gate. The people are standing where the central portion of the gate had been located. To their right is the eastern most entrance along with a road that leads to the top of the hill.

At the top of the hill a road turns east and leads up the hill past the theater and towards the interior of the city.

Only the foundations of this gate remain. The excavator, Dr. Taslialan believes that a water channel led down this street — as at Perge — but only meager portions of it remain.

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Theater (2) View looking south down on a portion of the cavea [semi–circular seating area] of the partially excavated theater with the orchestra area in the right [west] side of the image. The excavator estimates that the theater could hold about 5,000 persons seated on some 26 rows of seats.

The theater was built during the Hellenistic period and expanded by the Romans. It was in existence when Paul and Barnabas visited the city.

Temple & Portico View looking at western front of the podium of the Temple of Augustus and the beginning of southern corner of the semicircular portico that surrounds the Temple of Augustus on three sides.

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Bathhouse View of one of the entrances to the bathhouse. In the foreground a small portion of the exercise area (palaestra) is visible.

In the interior of the bathhouse (not visible) there is an apodyterium (changing room), frigidarium (cold room), tepidarium (warm room), and a caldarium (hot room). The bathhouse dates to the late first, or early second centuries A.D.

St. Paul's Church View looking northwest at the eastern (apse) end of the Church. The church is basilica shaped with a nave, and two side aisles. To the north (visible) are the remains of an adjacent structure.

Additional portions of the church have been excavated since this photo was taken. At the lower left portion of the church some believe the remnants of an earlier synagogue have been found. One of the six major speeches (sermons) of Paul was given on the Sabbath day in the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:13–43). The church was built early in the fourth century A.D.

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Sergius Paulus Inscription An inscription displayed in the courtyard of the Yalvac museum. Clearly visible is the whole of "Paulli" and portions of "Sergii."

The family of Sergii Paulli had large estates in the vicinity of Pisidian Antioch. Please note, that on Paul's first journey, on the island of Cyprus, the proconsul, Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:7–12) was converted to Christianity. It may have been that at that time Sergius Paulus requested Paul to travel to Pisidian Antioch to speak to other members of his extended family that resided there — maybe even giving him a letter of introduction. This, and other inscriptions, strongly hint at the possibility of this type of connection — indeed, even providing a reason as to why Paul traveled to this city.

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NAME DATE:

List BCV for each answer.

1. According to Acts 11:19, why were the Christians scattered? ______

______

2. Before the scattering of the Christians, the gospel had only been preached to the ______. (Acts 11:19)

3. To whom did the men from Cyprus and Cyrene preach the gospel? ______. (Acts 11:20)

4. Once the news about the new believers reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, they sent ______

off to ______.

5. Barnabas encouraged the new Christians to ______to the Lord.

6. Where did Barnabas go and for whom was he looking? (Acts 11:25) ______

______

7. What were the disciples first called in Antioch? ______

8. How did Agabus’s know there was going to be a famine? ______

______

9. What did the disciples do to help the brethren living in Judea? ______

______

10. Who was in charge of the contribution and to whom was it delivered? ______

______

11. “And ______and ______returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their

______, taking along with them ______, who was also ______.”

Acts 12:25

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Answers

1. Because of the persecution from the Jews. 2. Jews. (Acts 11:19) 3. The Greeks. (Acts 11:20) 4. They sent Barnabas off to Antioch. 5. Remain true 6. To Tarsus to look for Saul. (Acts 11:25) 7. Christians 8. He was led by the Spirit 9. They each determined to send a contribution for relief 10. Barnabas and Saul delivered it to the elders . 11. Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark.” Acts 12:25

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Level of Understanding:

General Characteristics: Energetic, independent, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative, wants to be like his peers, beginning to think abstractly, likes competition, hero worshiper, memorizes easily, attention span up to 20 minutes.

Needs: Firm and loving discipline, involvement in learning activities, challenges to memorize, competition, good examples of Christian lifestyle, one teacher for 10 students.

Understanding: Application of Bible to daily problems, identifying with Bible heroes, challenge to read and investigate areas of interest on own, greater awareness of sin and need for salvation.

Goals:

The student should have an understanding of how the church began and how the gospel was spread. They should also understand how congregations today help brethren today who are in need and how we as individual Christians are to help.

Objectives:

1. Trace Paul's journey, locating each city visited on a labeled map of the Bible lands. 2. Explain how Paul and Barnabas were messengers of benevolence.

Memory Verse:

Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

Suggested Activities

1. Give each student a copy of a labeled map of the Bible lands. As you read the biblical account, have students trace the journey to each city. Their home assignment should be to retrace the journey adding a sketch or a few words to show what happened in the different cities. 2. Review Bible Facts (contained at the end of this book). Recite these with the students each day.

Available Materials:

Resource Room M109.0 - 3 Maps Church, spread of –general Resource Room AB109.1 – 2 Abeka Paul & Barnabs, First Journey Resource Room M109.1 – 9 Maps Paul & Barnabs, First Journey

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Outline:

I. The First Missionary Journey (Acts 13:1-14:28)

A. Barnabas and Saul Are Sent from Antioch (Acts 13:1-3)

B. Ministry at Cyprus (Acts 13:4-13)

1. Preaching in the Synagogues (Acts 13:4, 5)

2. Controversy with Bar-Jesus (Acts 13:6-13)

C. Ministry at Antioch (Acts 13:14-50)

1. Paul Preaches on First Sabbath (Acts 13:14-43)

2. Paul Preaches on Second Sabbath (Acts 13:44-50)

D. Ministry at Iconium (Acts 13:51-14:5)

E. Ministry at Lystra (Acts 14:6-20)

1. A Lame Man Is Healed (Acts 14:6-10)

2. Paul and Barnabas Are Deified (Acts 14:11-18)

3. Paul Is Stoned (Acts 14:19, 20)

F. Ministry on the Return Trip (Acts 14:21-25)

G. Report on the First Missionary Journey (Acts 14:26-28)

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Paul's First Missionary Journey Acts 13-14

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Acts 13:2

Below is a map showing the first missionary journey of Paul. Click on any red city name to display specific information about the city and Paul's activity there.

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Paul's First Journey

Paul's first journey as a Christian missionary began when members of the congregation at Antioch selected Paul and Barnabas to take the gospel to new places. Setting out from Antioch, they sailed to Cyprus, then ventured to regions that lie in what today is Turkey.

Antioch in Pisidia Acts 13:13-52 Leaving Cyprus, Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch in Pisidia. Paul gave a sermon in the synagogue there, presenting Jesus in light of Israel's history. Some were favorable to the message but others resisted it and the apostles departed.

Context: Antioch in Pisidia is a city in what today is west central Turkey. (It is not to be confused with Antioch in Syria, the city from which Paul set out.) The emperor Augustus made Antioch in Pisidia a Roman colony in 25 B.C. By the middle of the first century A.D., several members of the imperial household had served as magistrates here. Like many cities in Asia, Antioch in Pisidia had a Jewish synagogue. Those who gathered included Jews and others, who revered the God of Israel, but who were apparently not full converts to Judaism (Acts 13:16).

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Antioch in Pisidia

The city was strategically located near the foothills of the Sultan mountains at a juncture of Roman roads. Built on a number of small hills, it overlooked fertile farm lands that produced both fruits and grains. The main streets of the city were paved and bordered by colonnades.

Theater View looking east at the cavea [semi–circular seating area] of the partially excavated theater with the orchestra area in the foreground. The excavator estimates that the theater could hold about 5,000 persons seated on some 26 rows of seats.

The theater was built during the Hellenistic period and expanded by the Romans. It was in existence when Paul and Barnabas visited the city.

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Roman Aqueduct View from Pisidian Antioch looking north toward the aqueduct (center of the image). The aqueduct was fed from a spring about 6 mi. [10 km.] distant from the city. It was built some time in the first century A.D.

Spring of St. Paul A close up view of the spring of St. Paul

Grade6_8_133.doc Page 6 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 Paul's First Missionary Journey Part 1 - The road to Damascus The story of how Saul, the devout Jew and zealous persecutor of the church, became Paul, a passionate preacher of the faith, begins along the road going northward from Jerusalem to Damascus. As Saul approached Damascus with plans to arrest those who "belonged to the Way," he had a vision that totally changed the direction of his life. Luke describes the conversion three times in Acts (Acts 9:1-19, 22:3- 16 and 26:4-18), and Paul alludes to it in his letters to the churches in Galatia and Corinth (Galatians 1:16-21; 2 Corinthians 11:22-23). Saul was one of many Jews who felt that the followers of Jesus posed a threat to the Jewish religion. He had stood by approvingly at the stoning of Stephen, one of the seven church deacons, for alleged blasphemy. Later, "breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples, he went to the Jewish high priest for permission to arrest any followers of "the Way" in the synagogues of Damascus, where the Gospel was attracting converts. The 190 mile journey from Jerusalem to Damascus can now be completed in one day, thanks to excellent roads. When Saul set out from Jerusalem with his escort, he had the choice of two routes. One went east down through the canyon called the Wadi Qelt to Jericho, then turned north through the Jordan River valley. It crossed the river at Scythapolis (modern-day Beit Shean). This route would have taken him round the southern shores of the Sea of Galilee and up to the mountain roads linking the Decapolis with Damascus. However, in summer time it is hot and uncomfortable, lying far below sea level until the area east of the Sea of Galilee is reached. A longer, but better and more frequented way was the route through the khaki-colored hills of Samaria (the northern part of the West Bank/Palestine) across the Jezreel Valley, then over to the Sea of Galilee and up into the foothills of Mount Hermon. Some 15 miles north of the Sea of Galilee it crossed the Jordan River at the historic "Ford of the Daughters of Jacob." The road then ran across a sand-colored upland almost straight for Damascus. It must have been somewhere along this stretch that Saul had a vision that completely changed the direction of his life: "Suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him." and a voice that only he could hear said: 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' 'Who are you, Lord?' Saul asked. 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.'" (Acts 9:3) The brief exchange left Saul convinced that the risen Christ had spoken directly to him, and that in persecuting his followers he had been persecuting Jesus himself. According to Acts, the vision caused Saul to lose his sight so that he had to be led by the hand to Damascus. There his companions took him to the "house of Judas on Straight Street." Renouncing all food and water, he passed the time in darkness and constant prayer. On the third day a disciple named Ananias was instructed in a vision to go to Saul. At first Ananias was fearful, having heard of all the harm Saul had done. But Jesus assured Ananias that Saul was his "chosen instrument" to spread the faith to the Gentiles and the "people of Israel." Ananias went to Saul and laid his hands on him. "Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized." After his conversion, Saul remained in Damascus for some time and began to preach his new found faith in the synagogues, but he soon attracted the attention of hostile Jews and government officials who plotted to kill him. Saul had to escape over the city wall in a basket (Acts 9:25; 2 Corinthians 11:32-33). The date of Saul's conversion has been fixed between 34 and 37 AD.

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Damascus ("silent is the sackcloth weaver") Damascus, in southwestern Syria, stands 2300 feet above sea level, and lies northeast of Mount Hermon, about 60 miles east of the Mediterranean port of Sidon and about 190 miles northeast of Jerusalem over the ancient caravan route, normally a 10-day journey in Saul's day. The city owes its existence to the Barada River, whose waters give life to the Ghouta Oasis, a vast expanse of gardens, fields and orchards from which Damascus gets much of its food, making settlement possible in an otherwise uninhabitable area. It is said to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world and lays claim to being the world's oldest city (although Aleppo in Syria and Jericho in Palestine contest this claim). Its Arabic name, Dimashq (meaning "the northern") is derived from the pre-Semitic word Dimashka suggesting that its beginnings go back to a time before recorded history. However, archaeology cannot contribute much to the study of its history, since its continuing existence makes excavation difficult. Explorations indicate settlement from before 3,000 BC. Tablets from the Syrian center of Ebla mention the city around 2,300 BC and Thutmose III of Egypt claimed to have conquered it in 1475 BC. The Hittites battled Egypt for control of the city until the Hittites were defeated by the Sea Peoples about 1200 BC. In the Bible, Abraham chased invading kings north of Damascus to recover Lot, and Abraham' servant Eleizer came from Damascus. From then on, the name Damascus appears throughout the Old Testament narrative. Both the major international highways of ancient times--the Via Maris and the Kings Highway--ran through Damascus. Thus, it has always been a great trading city and it was famous for its crafts and wealth. The best testimony to this is the term "Damascene" which was used to described the best silk, swords and indeed, anything that was the symbol of quality and fashion, like Paris today. In 732 BC, Damascus was captured by the Assyrians. Afterward the city became a captive state of the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Ptolomies and Seleucids. Finally, Rome gained control in 64 BC.

Walking in Paul's footsteps--Damascus: At the time of Saul of Tarsus, Damascus was briefly occupied by the Nabateans, an Arab merchant people based in Petra (now in Jordan). Many Jews lived in the city, perhaps a legacy from the commercial community set up by Ahab, the infamous ruler of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC. From this a community of Christian disciples had grown up. Acts 9 describes how Saul, a devout Jew and a fanatical persecutor of Christians, traveled to Damascus to hunt out believers among the city's Jewish community. Three-quarters of the Old City section of Damascus is still surrounded by walls, creating a city within a city. The Barada River acts as a moat along part of the north wall. First erected by the Romans, the walls have been flattened and rebuilt several times over the past 2000 years. What stands today dates mostly from the 13th century (photo 1). They are pierced by a number of gates (bab), only one of which, the restored Bab ash-Sharqi (East Gate) (photo 2), dates from Roman times, and thus the time of Paul. With its long straight streets, intersecting at right angles, the layout of the Old City still follows the ancient plan. Bisecting it is the street historically known as "Straight Street" (from Latin "Via Recta"). Nearly a mile long, it was the main east-west thoroughfare of the city in Roman and Byzantine times. In Saul's day it was one hundred feet wide with colonnades on each side; the central passage was for pedestrians the side passages were for carts and horsemen going in different directions It was joined at

Grade6_8_133.doc Page 8 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 right angles by streets leading to various gates. Today the western end is known as Sharia Medhat Pasha and it is lined with shops selling textiles and clothes; at the east end it is called Sharia Bab Sharqi. In the northeast part of the Old City is the Christian Quarter where there are a few churches. The only one with any historical interest is the Chapel of Ananias (photo 3), reputedly (but probably not) the place where Ananias laid his hands on Saul to restore his eyesight.

After the time of Saul: Ancient travelers heaped praises on ancient Damascus. Roman emperor Julian called it "Pearl of the East." The Koran described it as one "whose like has never been built before." Mark Twain recalled the ancient tradition of Damascus as the Garden of Eden. Damascus' greatest moment of glory was during the Omayyad Caliphate, when it became the capital of an empire stretching from the Spanish plains in the west to the steppes of Central Asia in the east. One of the landmarks from this era is the Omayyad Mosque (photo 4) which reputedly contains the head of St. John Baptist (the Prophet Yahia to the Muslims), a relic venerated by both Christians and Muslims. It was kept in a casket in the Christian church that previously occupied the site, and was recovered when this mosque was constructed in 705 AD, under Caliph Al Walid. (Tradition also holds that John is buried in the ancient town of Samaria, the former capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.) This period (661 to 750 AD) ended with the bloody downfall of the Omayyads and the rise of the Abbasids, who set up their capital in Baghdad. A period of decline set in until the arrival of the legendary Salah-al-Din, known to the West as Saladin, who made Damascus the capital of united Syria and Egypt. The city served as his base in his struggle with the Crusaders. Saladin died in Damascus and his tomb can be seen there. This was followed by a long period of decline, destruction (by the Mongols), reconstruction, and stagnation until 1946, when it became the capital of an independent Syria. Today Damascus (ash-Sham or Dimashq), with an estimated population of six million, is Syria's largest city.

After Saul's conversion After his revelation of Jesus there was a long period--up to seventeen years--in which Saul disappears from our gaze. Acts tells us very little about these years, only that immediately after his eyesight was restored "he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God." For a good picture of what happened during this time, we need to merge two brief accounts from Galatians (1:16b-21) and 2 Corinthians (11:22-23), with those in Acts (9:18-30; 22:13-21 and 26:12-20). This is the result: After his conversion, Saul spent three mysterious years in "Arabia" (also called Nabatea). During that time he no doubt spent some time in reflection and meditation, while visiting such cities as Philadelphia (now Amman, Jordan), Petra (the Nabatean capital) and Jerash. But, he probably began to preach the Gospel there because he ran had afoul of King Aretas IV of Nabatea and was forced to flee back to Damascus. Here we have two versions of what happened next: In Acts (9:20-25), we are told that his teaching in the synagogues that Jesus was the long awaited "Anointed One" upset the Jews and they sought to kill him. The Jews set a watch on the city gates, but some of Saul 's followers "lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall" (photo 5). And...In 2 Corinthians (11:32-33), Paul tells us that his preaching angered the governor under King Aretas, who "had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands."

Grade6_8_133.doc Page 9 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 Saul then made his way to Jerusalem where he attempted to meet with Peter and James, the brother of Jesus. At first they refused to see him, thinking it was a trick to kill them off. It was through Barnabas, his future traveling companion on his first missionary journey, that he gained an audience with the Apostles. This became an important meeting, for it established Saul as a recognized Apostle alongside the founders of the church at Jerusalem. Acts then states that Saul moved "about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord." But when he talked and debated with the Greek Jews, "they tried to kill him." When "the brothers" learned of this, they took him down to the seaport of Caesarea and sent him off to his home in Tarsus. For "fourteen years" (Galatians 2:1) he engaged in missionary activity in Syria and Cilicia. About this period there is no information...

Tarsus ("a flat basket") Tarsus was a large, prosperous city situated in the wide and fertile Cilician Plain of south-central Turkey, about 79 feet above sea level, about 10 miles from the Mediterranean coast. The area of Cilicia during the New Testament times can be broken down into two distinct parts: on the east was the Cilicia Pedias (or "Flat Cilicia") extending north to south from the edge of the Tarsus Mountains to the sea. On the west was the Cilician Trachaei (or "Rough Cilicia") where the Taurus Mountains extend all the way to the sea. The Cyndus River (now called Tarsus Çayi) flowed into a lake some 5 miles to the south which served as a harbor (now silted up). Thus Tarsus developed as a maritime center. Additionally, main trades routes passed through the city via the Cilician Gates* in the Taurus Mountains to the north and the Syrian Gates in the Amanus Mountains to the east. Tarsus's entire history was one of mixing East and West.Tarsus became one of the great crossroads of history, the meeting place of East and West, and of the Greek and Oriental cultures. The date of the city's founding is uncertain. Archaeological evidence shows habitation dating back to around 5000 BC. From 3000-1200 BC successive fortified cities were built on the site. It is believed that Tarsus was the capital of the Hittite state of Kizzuwatna in the 2nd millennium BC. It was captured by the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III (833 BC), but when the city rebelled about a century later during the reign of Sennacherib, it was destroyed. It was rebuilt and remained under Persian control until it was taken by Alexander the Great in 333 BC, who resided there for a short time. The city passed into the hands of the Seleucid dynasty (312-65 BC), whose efforts to Hellenize (Greek-ize) the inhabitants led to a rebellion. In 64 BC, Tarsus was absorbed into the Roman Empire and it was named capital of the new province of Cilicia. The Roman orator and statesman Cicero governed the city in 50 BC and, in 41 BC the famous first meeting between Mark Antony and Cleopatra took place in Tarsus . Paul described his hometown as "no insignificant city" (Acts 21:39; 9:11; 22:3). During the Roman period, Tarsus was one of the leading cities of the Eastern Roman Empire, with an economy based on agriculture and an important linen industry. Early Greek geographer Strabo (c. 62 BC-23 AD) described the citizens of Tarsus as being avid in the pursuit of culture. It had a famous university noted for its flourishing school of Greek philosophy, especially Stoicism.

*The "Cilician Gates " (photo 6) or Gülek Bogazi (Gulek Pass) is the only major pass

Grade6_8_133.doc Page 10 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 in the Taurus Mountain range (photo 7) connecting the Mediterranean coast with the 3,000 foot-high Anatolian plateau. The Hittites, Alexander the Great, the Romans and the Crusaders all passed through this narrow passage that even today is barely wide enough for both the modern highway and the Tarsus Çayi (Cyndus River) flowing through it. The distance from the Anatolian plateau to the Cilician plain is about 70 miles, and in ancient times this was a journey of nearly five days. Most likely Paul and Silas went this way as they traveled through Syria and Cilicia strengthening the churches at the beginning of the second missionary journey (Acts 15:40-41). Undoubtedly Paul was referring to places like this when he said: "I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits..." (2 Corinthians 11:26).

Growing up in Tarsus: Saul's childhood is sketchy. He was born about 3 BC, maybe a little after Jesus. His family was of the tribe of Benjamin and his father was a Pharisee. We do not know how his parents or forbearers came to live in Tarsus. Many Jewish families emigrated from their homeland willingly or as a result of foreign incursions in the centuries before Christ. Saul had at least one sister and one nephew, but their names are not recorded (Acts 23:16). Growing up up in a Jewish family meant that Saul would have studied the Jewish Scriptures and tradition. At an early age he entered the synagogue day school where he learned to read and write by copying Scripture passages. His later writings indicate that he was at least trilingual in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Probably he spoke a local dialect as well. Every Jewish boy learned a trade--his was tent-making or more properly cloth-weaving. He was likely a weaver of the course goats-hair cloth known as "Cilicium" a name derived from the province of Cilicia where Tarsus was located. The felt-like cloth was preferred for tents and sails because of its toughness and the way it withstood weather. Like canvas, this cloth was airy enough to allow air to escape in hot weather, yet in the rain the goat's hair swelled up and became waterproof. Bedouin throughout the Middle East still use it for their tents. This was the material Saul/Paul used in his profession of tent making, his means of supporting himself during his missionary travels. Perhaps he even attended the great university, second only to those in Athens and Alexandria, with its gymnasia, theater, school of art and stadium. He inherited Roman citizenship from his father, a great privilege at the time and one which he used to his advantage on several occasions. At Tarsus he witnessed Greek influences and saw the convergence of the Jewish conservatism and the pagan Greek world. Eventually Saul's parents shipped him off to Jerusalem (perhaps at about age 19, maybe 22/23 AD) to study under the eminent rabbi Gamaliel. Despite the liberal tolerance of his teacher, Saul became a fire-breathing conservative totally committed to the law and conservative Judaism: "I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers" (Galatians 1:14).

Walking in Paul's footsteps--Tarsus:

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Modern Tarsus is still a bustling city of over 187,000, a few miles inland from the Mediterranean Sea. The city continues to be a prosperous agricultural and cotton- milling center. The Taurus Mountains, 30 miles to the north, rise over 13,000 feet. The river Cyndus, fed by the melting snows, comes rushing down to water the plain, and is led off into a thousand channels, converting the country into a luxuriant paradise. Everywhere there are groves of oranges, lemons, figs and mulberry. The modern city now covers most of the city of Paul. The hippodrome of ancient times lies under the campus of Tarsus American College and the ancient theater is under the playground of the school across the street. However, you can get the feel of bygone days if you walk though narrow streets and by the old houses. Little streams, waterfalls and shady trees at the Tarsus Falls on the outskirts of town create an idyllic stay. The ancient city lies buried 23 feet below the alluvial plain of the Tarsus Çayi (Cyndus River). Because Tarsus was invaded and destroyed on several occasions, only a few monuments from the city's heyday in the early years of Christianity remain:

• Stone arch (photo 8), probably the Sea Gate to the old walls, one of the three gates that led into the city at the time of Paul. It is popularly known as Cleopatra's Gate, and the story is told that it was erected by the local government in honor of the state visit in 38 BC of the Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Some call it St. Paul's Gate. • Excavations in the city center of modern Tarsus have revealed an ancient street (photo 9), probably constructed in late Hellenistic period. It is 40 feet long and covered with basalt stones

• "Saint Paul's Well" (photo 10) where the city of Tarsus put up a plaque in 1980 commemorating the work of Paul. The keeper says it is nearly 100 feet deep.

1. Part of the Old City Damascus wall.

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2. Bab ash-Sharqi (East Gate), the restored Roman gate at the east end of the Old City. Inside, to the right, is the Christian Quarter. The gate gives admittance to the main east-west street of Damascus--historically known as "Straight Street" (now called Sharia Medhat Pasha/Sharia Bab Sharqi). This street is still one of the main bazaars of Damascus. It is roofed with corrugated iron to keep out the blinding sun and is lined with hundreds of shops.

3. Kinesat Hanaiya (Chapel of Ananias) in the Christian Quarter of the Old City; reputedly the place where Ananias laid his hands on Saul to restore his eyesight.

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4. Omayyad Mosque at modern Damascus, originally built in Byzantine times as a Christian church, but converted into a mosque in the 7th century AD, and restored several times. The head of John the Baptist is supposedly buried in the crypt.

5. Kanesat Bab Kisan (Chapel of St. Paul), a gate at the southeastern part of the Old City. Here, tradition says, Saul was lowered in a basket to escape the Nabatean governor.

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6. Cilician Gates (now called Gülek Bogazi), the famed pass through the Taurus Mountains, 30 miles north of Tarsus.

7. Taurus Mountains north of Tarsus.

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8. "Cleopatra's Gate" commemorating Mark Antony's meeting of Cleopatra at Tarsus.

9 . Recently excavated "cardo maximus," the main north-south street of ancient Tarsus, paved with basalt stones.

10. St. Paul's Well at Tarsus.

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"Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts" (Acts 11:19-23).

Antioch, in (the Roman province of) Syria, lay some 300 miles north of Jerusalem. Many Diaspora Jews (those who lived outside Palestine and maintained their religious faith among the Gentiles) lived there, enjoying the rights of Roman citizenship. They were very active in proselytizing and had a large following among the Greeks (Luke mentions Nicholas of Antioch among the Greek-speaking leaders of the Jerusalem church). Jewish converts fleeing the persecution in Jerusalem also came to Antioch, and they told the good news about Jesus, not just to Jews, but to Gentiles from varied cultural backgrounds. As a result, a strong church was formed there. It was in fact at Antioch that the followers of "The Way" (the early name for the church) were first called "Christians." One wonders who used it for the first time, and on what occasion? The Jews did not coin the word for they used the word Nazarine to refer to the sect. It is unlikely that the followers of The Way applied it to themselves, for they used the terms "saints," "brethren" and "believers." It could be that the word was originated by a Greek who, knowing something about the new faith (but not enough to fully understand it), incorporated the name of Jesus Christ (Greek Christianos "Anointed One") with those who believed in him. It is also likely that the word was used as a sarcastic reference to the "devotees of the Anointed One" by the Roman officials at Antioch, in the same manner as the followers of Herod were called "Herodiani," of Pompey, "Pompeiani" or Caesar, who where dubbed "Caesariani." In any event, the followers of Jesus soon adopted for themselves as an honorable term. The large number of converts in Antioch attracted the attention of the church leadership in Jerusalem and Barnabas, a Christian Jew from the island of Cyprus, was sent to oversee affairs. He was satisfied that the Holy Spirit was at work there, but recognized that the young church needed more thorough instruction in the new faith. So he went to Tarsus to look for Saul and brought him to Antioch. It was Barnabas who had earlier convinced his fellow believers in Jerusalem that Saul had genuinely converted. Together, they remained in Antioch for a year, teaching and strengthening the church. During this year in Antioch, the famine mentioned in Acts 11 (also by Josephus) began in Palestine:

"The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul" (Acts 11:29-30).

Upon completion of their mission to Jerusalem, Saul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, accompanied by a young man named John Mark who, at a later time is thought to have authored the Gospel of Mark, based on the personal recollections of Simon Peter.

Grade6_8_133.doc Page 17 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 It was in Antioch that the idea of sending missionaries out to convert the heathens was born. In Acts, only Jerusalem is more closely related to the spread of early Christianity. It was the place where Saul (with Barnabas and John Mark) set out on his first commissioned missionary journey. It would also be the starting point for his second and third...

Antioch Antioch (photo 1) was located where the Lebanon Mountains, running northward, and the Taurus Mountains, running eastward, abruptly meet. The city was founded about 300 BC by Seleucus I Nicator (one of the generals of Alexander the Great). He named it in memory of his father Antiochus and it became the capital of his far-flung empire. It stood 15 miles inland from the northeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea, and was built partly on an island, partly on a levee and partly on the steep, craggy ascent of Mount Silpius, which rose abruptly on the south. It was called "Antioch on the Orontes" (photo 2) or "Antioch of Syria" to distinguish it from 15 other Antiochs. The city soon became the western terminus of the Silk Road which had recently opened up trade with China. Camels arrived here bearing spices, silk and other exotic goods from beyond the Himalayas. Antioch's command of north- south and east-west roads contributed greatly to its growth and prosperity. Five miles to the south were the renowned groves of Daphne, and a sanctuary dedicated to Apollo, where secret cultic rituals ("orgies") were celebrated in honor of the god. This suburb, now called Harbiye, was a favorite pleasure resort and residential area for Antioch's upper classes. The seaport Seleucia ad Pera (also founded by Seleucus and named after himself) at the mouth of the Orontes River, was the city's harbor. Seleucia was the sailing port for Paul's missionary journeys. Antioch remained the center of the Seleucid kingdom until 64 BC, when it was annexed by Rome and made the capital of their province of Syria.

Antioch at the time of Saul/Paul In the first century AD, Antioch ranked behind Rome and Alexandria as the third largest city of the Roman empire, with a population of about 300,000 "free inhabitants," probably 500,000 if slaves were counted. The city was divided into four quarters, each fortified with its own wall, and the whole city was, in turn, enclosed by a common wall. As with many of the eastern Roman cities, Antioch's patron deity was the pagan goddess Tyche of "Fortune." Known as "Antioch the Beautiful," it possessed majestic mansions, temples, theaters, race-courses, aqueducts, and baths. It was further beautified by the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius, and Herod the Great paved its four-mile long main street and lined it with two covered colonnades for pedestrians. The city was wealthy and there was a blatant worship of the material achievements of life. Reminding us of our own time, it had central heating, swimming pools, plumbing and flood-lighting. The city was also called "Queen of the East" because of its mixed population Romans, Persians, Indians and even Chinese. But, as a center of Greek culture it had the reputation of being an immoral city. Disputes centered around the racing stables of Antioch were known throughout the world. The Blues and the Greens were two competing chariot racing teams which were famous in Saul's time. They even enlisted the patronage of the Emperor. Both Caligula and Claudius wore the colors of the Green Faction. The fanatical support network of the two teams could whip up riots or empty the streets at will; their protection was sometimes essential for finding employment or safely operating a shop. As with modern-day major athletic contests (for example European soccer matches, the Super Bowl and World Series), the races could end in riots and even killings. In the summer of 1998, a mosaic inscription was found in a walkway along a steet at the ancient Decapolis city of Scythopolis (Beit Shean) in Israel It read: "May the victory of the Blues win " Similar

Grade6_8_133.doc Page 18 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 inscriptions wishing the Blues luck have been found in other Middle Eastern cities, while slogans encouraging the Greens have been discovered in eastern Europe and Turkey.

Later history Antioch prospered in the 4th and 5th centuries from nearby olive plantations, but the 6th century brought a series of disasters from which the city never fully recovered. A fire in 525 was followed by earthquakes in 526 and 528, and the city was captured temporarily by the Persians in 540 and 611. Then it was absorbed by the Arabs in 637, under whom it shrank to the status of a small town. The Byzantines recaptured the city in 969, and it served as a frontier fortification until taken by the Seljuk Turks in 1084. In 1098 it was captured by the Crusaders, who made it the capital of one of their principalities, which lasted 150 years. In 1268 the city was taken by the Mamelukes, who razed it to the ground. Antioch never recovered from this last disaster. When taken by the Ottoman Turks in 1517, it had declined to a small village. It remained part of the Ottoman Empire until after World War I, when it was transferred to Syria under French mandate. France allowed the town and the surrounding area to rejoin Turkey in 1939.

Walking through history--Antioch on the Orontes: Today Antioch is called Antakya or Hatay and it is a shadow of its former self with a population of some 123,900 (photos 3 - 5). The city has witnessed some significant historical events: • Just above Antioch, in a cultivated field beside the sea, Alexander the Great inflicted a decisive defeat on the Persians under Darius III in 333 BC. • In Antioch, too, Alexander almost drowned. • Antioch was also where Mark Antony swooned over Cleopatra dressed up as Venus reclining on her throne, being rowed up the Orontes river on her decorated barge. Aside from the fact that three of Saul/Paul's missionary journeys began at Antioch, there are some other good church history roots here: • According to Eusebius, "Ignatius of Antioch" was the second bishop of Antioch, and supposedly the "successor to Peter." Ignatius of Antioch wrote a letter to Polycarp which is among the earliest pieces of Christian literature we have. • A bit out of town in a mountainside is purportedly the oldest church in the world-- the Senpiyer Kilisesi--the cave-church of St.Peter (photo 6). It is said this grotto was the property of St. Luke the Evangelist, and that around 50 AD saints Peter and Paul preached here. The cave itself is reached by stone steps; its slightly ornate facade was built by the Crusaders. In the cave there's a small altar, part of a mosaic floor and some frescoes. Some references claim that St. Peter preached here when he lived in Antioch. From the garden in front of the cave is a fine view of the city (photo 7). Also, many important archaeological finds have been made in or nearby the city. These include: • Well-preserved Greek theater, • Roman aqueduct (1st century AD)

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• A fortress on Mount Silipius to the east • Rana Köprüsü (Old Bridge) across the Asi River (originally built by the Romans in the 3rd century AD) • One of finest collections of Roman mosaics in the world, now in the Archaeological Museum.

1. Overall view of modern Antakya (Antioch) in southeast Turkey.

2. Channel of the Asi River (ancient Orontes) flowing through Antakya.

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3. Overall view of Antakya.

4. Walking in Old Town Antakya.

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5. Another overall view of Antakya with its mountain backdrop.

6. Senpiyer Kilisesi (St. Peter's Church) in a cliff of Mount Silpius; It is purported to have been built over the cave-church used by the earliest Christians.

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7. View of Antakya from St. Peter's Church.

Grade6_8_133.doc Page 23 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 Paul's First Missionary Journey Part 3 - From Antioch to the island of Cyprus

The account of Paul's First Missionary Journey begins in Acts 13:1.

Summary of the First Missionary Journey Acts describes how Saul and Joseph (called Barnabas, probably meaning "son of prophesy") accompanied by Barnabas' cousin John Mark, set out from Antioch for Cyprus, visiting Salamis and Paphos. They then crossed to the mainland (modern Turkey), landing at the Mediterranean port of Attalia. From there they proceeded inland to the cities along the military road in the southern part of Asia Minor. At Perga, for unknown reasons, John Mark left them to return to Jerusalem. Saul and Barnabas then stopped at Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, all in the Roman province of Galatia, before retracing their steps to revisit the congregations they had founded. Then it was back to Perga, where this time they preached the gospel, and Attalia. But, instead of returning to Cyprus, they sailed directly back to Antioch, Syria where they began their odyssey. There, after, covering some 1,400 miles, Paul and Barnabas stayed "a long time" (6 to 9 months).

The Journey Begins With the church firmly established at Antioch in Syria, the time was ripe for the Gospel to be taken farther afield. Acts records that one day while members of the church were worshiping and fasting, the Holy Spirit spoke to them:

"Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them" (Acts 13:2).

After they had finished their prayers and fasting, the Antioch disciples formally blessed Saul and Barnabas and sent them on their way. About 45 AD, Saul and Barnabas, with John Mark, set out from Antioch (Acts 13:4) for Seleucia (photos 1-3), the port of Antioch, about 16 miles to the southwest:

Seleucia Seleucia was established as the seaport for Antioch in the 3rd century BC and it was normally referred to as Seleucia ad Pieria to distinguish it from nine others towns of the same name, all of which were founded during the Hellenistic period by Seleucis I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, founder of the Seleucid dynasty that ruled Syria after Alexander's death. The name Pieria refers to previous trading center built on the site whose name, in turn, was derived from a special kind of asphalt mined in the area. The major portion of the town was built on a long, sloping spur of a mountain, and its walls ran down to enclose the harbor. Seleucia was destroyed in 1268 and never rebuilt. The constant flow of silt down the Orontes River converted the ancient harbor into a level, marshy expanse. Today the ruins can be seen near the modern village of Samandäg, about 16 miles southwest of Antakya, Turkey. In its heyday the port town had a population of 30,000. Here you can still see the old city walls, while another attraction is the Titus (or Gariz) Tunnel, a canal driven through solid rock at the time of Roman emperors Vespasian and Titus in an attempt to divert the flow of water and save the harbor from silting up (it didn't work).

Grade6_8_133.doc Page 24 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 ...From Seleucia, the trio sailed to the island of Cyprus, undoubtedly at the urging of Barnabas, a Cyprus native who must have known many people there. Presumably they embarked with the opening of the sailing season near the beginning of March when the winds were most favorable for a direct voyage...

Cyprus The third largest island in the Mediterranean, Cyprus is 140 miles long and 60 miles wide. Much of the island is mountainous; the Troodos Mountains (5,900') dominate the the west and central sections, while the Kyrenia Mountains extend along the northern coast. Historically, it was an important source of timber, used in shipbuilding, and copper. Between 2000 and 1000 BC, Asia Minor, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Crete, the Aegean Islands and Greece all conducted trade with Cyprus. After 1000 BC, there were several city-states, each ruled by a king. In 707 BC the Cyprus kings submitted to Assyria and thereafter it was controlled by a succession of dominant empires: Egypt, Persian, Alexander the Great and the Ptolomies. During this later period, many Jews settled on the island, forming an important part of the population. Then, in 22 BC, the Romans made it a province under the jurisdiction of the Roman senate, governed by a proconsul at Paphos. As a result of the persecution associated with the stoning of Stephen in Jerusalem, Jewish-Christians fled to Cyprus and preached the gospel to the Jewish community, thus setting the stage for the visit of Saul, Barnabas and John Mark.

After parting company with Paul at the start of the Second Missionary Journey, Barnabas, with John Mark, returned to Cyprus a second time (Acts 15:39). Later, Paul passed by the island, once on his return to Jerusalem (Acts 21:3) and again on his voyage to Rome (Acts 27:4).

There were no passenger ships in the 1st century AD, only square-rigged cargo ships that regularly plied the Mediterranean sea between Africa, Asia and Europe. Most of the space on the ships was taken up by cargo and crew, but there were accommodations for passengers.

...The men came ashore (photo 4) at Salamis, a large port city on the eastern shore of Cyprus, some 120 miles southwest of Seleucia. An influential Jewish colony had been founded there centuries earlier, and the men preached to the Jews in their synagogues. There may have been a small Christian group as well, founded by disciples who had fled Jerusalem...

Salamis (meaning "salt" probably from Greek salos, " the tossing or swell of the sea")

Salamis (photos 5,6) was located on the east coast of Cyprus, just north of modern Famagusta. Whereas Paphos was the official capital of the island and the seat of the Roman governor, Salamis was the commercial center. According to the Homeric epics, Salamis was founded after the Trojan War by the archer Teucer, who came from the island of Salamis, off Attica. This literary tradition probably reflects the Sea Peoples' occupation of Cyprus about 1193 BC, and Teucer perhaps represents Tjekker found in Egyptian records. Later, the city grew because of its excellent harbor; it became the chief Cypriot outlet for trade.

Later history: In 525 BC Salamis came under Persian control and, in 306 BC, Demetrius I Poliorcetes of Macedonia won a great naval victory there over Ptolemy I of Egypt Salamis was Grade6_8_133.doc Page 25 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 sacked in the Jewish revolt of 115-117 AD and suffered repeatedly from earthquakes. It was completely rebuilt by the Christian emperor Constantius II (reigned 337-361 AD) and given the name Constantia. Under Christian rule, Salamis was the metropolitan see of Cyprus. It was destroyed again by the Arabs (c. 648), and thereafter it was abandoned.

Paul preaches the Gospel in Salamis: At Salamis, Saul and Barnabas established the pattern for later missions by first bringing their message, when possible, to the Jewish community. In Acts, their entire visit is summarized in one verse:

"When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper" (Acts 13:5) --Note: The plural "synagogues" used here is an indication of the size of the city's Jewish community.

...From Salamis the three missionaries traveled overland to Paphos, a prosperous city on the southwestern coast of Cyprus:

Paphos (Greek, of uncertain derivation, "boiling or hot")

Paphos (photos 7-9) was a port city on the western end of Cyprus some 90 miles from Salamis. In actuality Paphos was the name of two ancient cities. The older ancient city ("Old Paphos") was located at modern Kouklia; New Paphos, which had superseded Old Paphos by Roman times, was 10 miles farther north. Old Paphos (Paleapahos), which was settled by Greek colonists about 1184 BC (the time of the Biblical patriarchs), was noted for its famous shrine to Aphrodite (Venus). It was the legendary site where the goddess emerged from the sea foam. The Cinyrad dynasty ruled Paphos until its final conquest by Ptolemy I of Egypt (294 BC). Old Paphos dwindled in influence after the fall of the Cinyradae, the foundation of New Paphos, and the Roman conquest of Cyprus (58 BC). It was finally deserted after the 4th century AD. New Paphos (Neapaphos) was founded in the 4th century BC. Previously it had been the port town of Old Paphos, and it is the "Paphos" mentioned in Acts, where Saul, Barnabas and John Mark met Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul. Not much of the large and prosperous city of New Paphos has been unearthed. Several impressive underground chambers, dating from Hellenistic times (3rd century BC), can be seen. However, their purpose has not yet been determined, although two--the so-called Tombs of the Kings--are referred to as "catacombs." From this same period are an unexcavated theater and a rock-cut sanctuary to Apollo Hylates. Surviving structures from the Roman period include two large private dwellings, that of Dionysus, another of Theseus, which may have been the residence of the Roman governor. Both houses have splendid mosaic floors with scenes from Greek mythology, attesting to the splendor of Paphos at the time of the visit of Paul and Barnabas. Also noteworthy is the civic center with an agora (marketplace) odeum (small covered theater for musical performances)

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Later history: New Paphos was attacked and destroyed by Muslim raiders in 960 AD. Today its site is partially occupied by the village of Kato Paphos which began to grow only after the British occupation in 1878. The harbor, center of the city's life, was improved in 1908 and 1959 but it remains too small to handle large commercial traffic and thus serves only an active local fishing fleet. Despite economic difficulties arising from the settlement in Paphos of some 5,000 Greek Cypriot refugees after the Turkish occupation of 1974, by the end of the decade the city had become the focus of strong economic development. The city's manufacturing consists of small enterprises producing clothing, footwear, canned meat, beverages, and vegetable oils.

Paul preaches the Gospel in Paphos: At Paphos the missionary trio met with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, the governor of the island, who Acts describes as an intelligent man. Intrigued by the arrival of the itinerant preachers, he "sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God." Like most heads of state, opportunists hung out at his headquarters and one of them was a Jewish prophet and sorcerer named Elymas*, also called Bar-Jesus. Fearing that he would lose his influence if his employer were converted to Christianity, he tried to stop Saul. But Saul snapped back in some of the strongest language recorded in Acts:

"You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun" (Acts 13:10-11).

Struck with blindness, Elymas was led away. Saul's action so impressed Sergius Paulus that "he believed, for he was amazed at the teaching about the Lord." A remarkable thing happened after this audience in Paphos. From 13:9 on, the Acts narrative uses the name Paul instead of Saul. This similar sounding name was more familiar to Greeks and Romans who would now be the focus of the gospel message). It has been suggested that he adopted his Roman name because for the first time he had voiced Christianity before a high official of Rome and realized that Saul the Jew was a less powerful force in the world than Paul the Roman citizen. Here at Paphos his power was proven and the hand of God was seen to be with him. From this point on this narrative also uses the name Paul.

*Elymas - A Semitic name meaning "sorcerer" or "magician" or "wise man" (probably a self-assumed designation).

...From Paphos, Paul, Barnabas and Mark booked passage on another ship heading northwesterly, about 170 miles, for the southern coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). From there they made their way 12 miles northeast to Perga, in the low-lying, marshy region of Pamphylia...

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1. Mediterranean coast looking north near Samandäg, the site of ancient Seleucia ad Pieria.

2. At Samandäg - the harbor wall of Seleucia ad Pieria, the ancient port of Antioch, where Saul and Barnabas set sail for Cyprus.

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3. At Samandäg, ancient Seleucia ad Pieria, with view of mountains into Syria

.

4. Shore line at the site of Salamis, Cyprus, looking south toward the harbor. The brush on the right covers the ruins of the city.

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5. Gymnasium at Salamis built in the 1st century AD over the ruins an an earlier structure destroyed by an earthquake. In the foreground is the swimming pool surrounded by statues

6. Theater at Salamis, built towards the end of the 1st century BC, with seating for 15,000. The columns seen beyond the top row of seats belong to the gymnasium.

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7. The harbor at Paphos, Cyprus from which the missionaries sailed to Attalia on the south coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey).

8. "Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Golden City" in the center of the village of Kato Paphos, Cyprus. According to tradition, Saul was tied to one of the pillars in front of the church and flogged 39 times for preaching the new faith.

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9. Mediterranean coast near Paphos, Cyprus

Grade6_8_133.doc Page 32 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 Paul's First Missionary Journey Part 4 - Perga in Pamphylia "From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia..." (Acts 13:13).

Perga (Greek "earthy") Perga (also spelled Perge) was the capital of the province of Pamphylia Secunda, a beautiful area located between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea, and between the provinces of Lycia and Cilicia. Perga lay 11 miles northeast of Attalia (modern Antalya) and 7 miles from the Mediterranean. The nearby Kestros River was navigable in ancient times but, like most Greek colonies in Asia Minor, Perga was deprived of its harbor, which gradually silted up, leading to its decline in later times. According to a clay tablet discovered in the Hittite capital of Bogazköy, Perga was once known as "Parha." Greek colonists came here after the Trojan War, and probably displaced the earlier inhabitants. Alexander the Great passed through Perga during his campaigns and used guides from there. Second only to Ephesus in wealth and beauty, a temple to Artemis was one of its prominent buildings.

Walking in Paul's footsteps--Perga: Perga is a major archeological excavation (photo 1) and it remains, even in ruins, a majestic site. Most of the remains seen today belong to the Roman period. The excavations began in 1946 and are continuing today. • One of the first structures you come across is the ruined remains of the 2nd century AD theater (photo 2) which could accommodate 15,000 people. During the late Roman Period it was the scene of gladiator fights.

• The U-shaped stadium near the theater also dates back to the 2nd century AD. The rows of 12,000 seats were supported by vaults, but its monumental gate is totally ruined today. • Walking along the main north-south road from the area of the theater and stadium you come to a gate in the south city wall (photo 3). Paul and Barnabas would have passed through this gate, which was already 300 years old. Immediately beyond are:

• Two round towers belonging to a gate (photo 4) of the Hellenistic period (3rd century BC). Nearby is:

• A small agora (marketplace) (photo 5) built in the 4th century AD, with the main street (photo 6) running alongside.

• A church, Roman baths, and an impressive 69-foot-wide colonnaded street (photo 7).

• At the end of the street is a fountain (photo 8) at the foot of the city's acropolis.

Acts indicates that Saul, Barnabas and John Mark sailed directly from Paphos to Perga. At the time Perga must have had access to the sea by way of the Cestius River. Otherwise, the missionaries would have landed at the nearby port city of Attalia and walked about seven miles to Perga. Grade6_8_133.doc Page 33 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 At Perga, Acts says, John Mark abandoned Paul and Barnabas to return to Jerusalem. No reason is given, but commentaries suggest various theories: that he was no longer able to bear the hardships of missionary travel, that he was unwilling to take the gospel to Gentiles, or, as suggested by Paul Maier in his book "First Christians," he resented Paul taking over leadership of the mission from his cousin and friend Barnabas. Whatever the cause of the defection, John Mark's decision was not well received. Paul would later hold the action against him causing him and Barnabas to go their separate ways at the start of the second missionary journey (Acts 15:37-39). Without stopping to preach the word in Perga, the two apostles embarked on a difficult trek across the formidable Taurus Mountains into Phrygia, the same route used by Alexander the Great for his invasion of the interior. Why did Paul and Barnabas avoid preaching in Perga at this time? It has been suggested that Paul may have fallen ill with malaria carried by mosquitoes from the many coastal marshes in the surrounding countryside, necessitating a change in plans. Paul mentions illness as the reason he first preached to the Galatians:

"As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you. Even though my illness was a trial to you, you did not treat me with contempt or scorn. Instead, you welcomed me as if I were an angel of God, as if I were Christ Jesus himself" (Galatians 4:14).

To recuperate, he needed to get to a drier, high-altitude climate, like that of Pisidian Antioch in the Roman province of Galatia, on the edge of the 3,000 foot-high Anatolian Plateau. (They would, however, preach the gospel in Perga on their way back to Attalia near the end of this journey, but no details are given--see Acts 14:25.)

1. Aerial view of the ruins of Perga.

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2. Perga's 2nd century AD theater with seating for 15,000 spectators.

3. Gate in the southern city wall with Perga's main north-south street (Paul and Barnabas would have passed through this gate). Beyond, the remains of a tower belonging to the Hellenistic period gate.

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4. Remains of two round towers belonging to Perga's southern city gate (possibly Hellenistic).

5. Agora (marketplace) at Perga.

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6. Colonnaded street by the agora (marketplace) in Perga.

7. Colonnade along Perga's main street.

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8. Perga's main street lead to fountain at the foot of the acropolis. The fountain fed a water channel (foreground) which ran down the center of the street in a series of small waterfalls.

9. A tower in the city wall that would have greeted Paul and Barnabas at Perga.

Grade6_8_133.doc Page 38 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 Paul's First Missionary Journey Part 5 - From Perga to Pisidian Antioch Traveling northward from Perga to Pisidian Antioch, Paul and Barnabas followed the Roman road known as the Via Sebaste. With the mountains looming in the distance, the 100-mile journey took them about a week (traveling about 15 miles a day) and was extremely dangerous. The rough, mountainous passage (photo 1) caused Antioch to be isolated since it was the only way in and out of the city. (Were these mountains daunting to John Mark, and the reason he chose not to continue?) Along the way they would have passed Egirdir Gölü (Egirdir Lake) (photo 2). Eventually, after endless climbing for scores of miles, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch on the 3,280 feet-high plain of the Anatolian plateau (photo below). High, cool and dry, the city must have seemed like an oasis to the ailing Paul.

The site of Pisidian Antioch (atop the ridge in the center of the photo is the aqueduct that supplied water to the city).

Pisidian Antioch Pisidian Antioch, or Antioch in Pisidia, was an ancient city in Phrygia, located north-northeast of Perga. According to written sources and archaeological finds, the city was founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 280 BC, and was one of seventeen Antiochs he named for his father Antiochus. The city stood at a junction of two main roads, guarding the road access from the south, as well as the so called "high road" from Ephesus to Syria. It was situated in the proximity of the border of Pisidia and Phrygia and served the Seleucids as a border fortress up until the defeat of Antiochus III by the Romans. This strategic importance combined with its fertile lands meant that it was an important settlement in the region. From coins minted around that time it is evident that the city rose to a pinnacle of economic prosperity. The population of the city at that time has been put at over one hundred thousand. In 188 BC it was declared a free city and in 25 BC it became a Roman military colony known as Colonia Caesarea Antiocheia. Its old name, however, was not abandoned. Emperor Augustus designated it the capital of the Roman province of Galatia* and three thousand veterans from Rome were brought to settle there. These expatriate Romans enjoyed full citizenship and the city flourished and enjoyed peace and prosperity in the generation leading up to the visit by Paul and Barnabas. Of all the other colonies cities such as Olbasa, Komama, Kremna, Parlais, and Lystra, Pisidian Antioch was the oldest, largest and most Romanized. Its districts were named after those of Rome and the discovery of the important Latin inscription known as the "Res Gestae" on the site

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After the time of Paul The city was razed by the Arabs in the year 713, and although attempts were made to rebuild it, its former splendor had gone, never to return. Its walls were rebuilt to surround a smaller area, and the deterioration in quality of the building materials, is further evidence of decline. The city can be traced up to the end of the 12th century AD, but was finally abandoned entirely when the settlement of Yalvaç was established in the second half of the 13th century. In those last years of its existence two important events put Pisidian Antioch on the map of history once more. The first was the arrival of the Crusader army, which took refuse here after its defeat by the Selçuks at Eskisehir in 1097. The second was the battle of Miryakefalon between the Byzantines and Turkish Selçuks, which took place just outside the city in 1176.

*Galatia is derived from Gaul because its inhabitants were Celts of Galli (Gauls). Rome made Galatia a province and extended its borders to include Lycaonia, Isauria and Pisidia. Its exact boundaries are hard to define as various Roman rulers added or subtracted territory.

Walking in Paul's footsteps--Pisidian Antioch: The remains of the Pisidian Antioch are located just over a half mile north of the modern Turkish city of Yalvaç in the province of Isparta. The first excavations were carried out in 1913-14 and 1924 by the archaeologists W. Ramsay and D. M. Robinson, revealing settlement here since the Neolithic Age. Excavations were resumed in 1979, and although only ten percent of the city has so far been revealed, this once magnificent ancient capital city in the center of Anatolia is a fascinating place to visit.

The site of Pisidian Antioch (Click here to view a map of today's archaeological site) The city was set atop a precipice described by Sir William Ramsey on his visit at the beginning of the 20th century as "an oblong hill varying from 50 feet to 200 feet above the plain," nearly two miles in circumference. As the eastern, southern and northern slopes of the hill are very steep, it is possible to approach the city only from the west. However, hilltop is not flat; indeed there are several high-points on every side, giving the appearance of seven hills, like Rome. The majority of buildings were constructed on the slopes of these small hills or in the valleys. Within the fortification walls, the city is laid out along two main axes, north-south and east-west, which intersect at a right angle. Straight, narrow side-streets cut the main streets at right-angles. It is interesting to note that this so-called Hippodamian street-system (a street plan arranged on a rectangular grid) was skillfully adapted to the terrain. The remains of many important buildings dating from the Roman and subsequent eras have been revealed, including:

• The foundations of the triple city gate built as a monument commemorating the victory of the Roman emperor Septimus Severus over the Parthians.

• One the most important remains at the site of Pisidian Antioch is the aqueduct (photo 4) that brought water from a spring in the foothills to meet the increasing demand for water during the Roman period. Dating to the 1st century AD, it ran for nearly 6 miles along the ridge to the north of the city. Constructed according to the conditions of the terrain it led to the a monumental fountain (nymphaeum) (photo 5) from where the water was

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• On the west side of the city are the foundations of the synagogue where Paul gave his first recorded sermon. In the 4th century AD the Church of St. Paul (photo 6) was built on the remains, incorporating its southern wall. Although most of the walls have disappeared, the superb mosaics and inscriptions which entirely cover the floor are worth seeing. At the center of the mosaic are four Greek inscriptions giving the names of people who made the mosaic floor and the names of priests and dedicators. One of those mentioned is Optimus, a leader and bishop in the Antioch church between 375-381 AD. It is significant that this is the only church in ancient Anatolia built on the site of a synagogue.

• The city had two town squares: The Augusta Platea (Square of Augustus) was located at the very highest point of the city and was connected to the lower Tiberia Platea (Square of Tiberius) by a monumental staircase of twelve steps. The Augusta Platea was the site of a temple built in honor of the emperor Augustus (photo 7). The foundation was carved out of the rock of the hill. At the back of the temple was a two storied, semicircular portico, also quarried out of the rock of the hill. Around 400 AD, the building was used as an open-air church.

• The theater (photo 8) was situated on an hill not far from the city center overlooking the city. It could accommodate 5,000 spectators and probably consisted of 26 rows of seats. The city's main east-west street ran through a tunnel beneath the south side of the seating area, an unusual feature that has not been observed elsewhere.

• Inscription (photo 9) found in the vicinity with the name Sergius Paulus, governor (proconsul) of the island of Cyprus and Paul's first convert on this first missionary journey, who had land holdings in the area (see Acts 13:7).

• Other discoveries included the northern and southern gates, the city walls (on three sides; the fourth was protected by a steep hillside), a Roman bath, a monumental fountain (nymphaeum), a horseshoe-shaped stadium (photo 10) seating thirty thousand, the city's main north-south street (photo 11) and game boards incised with circles and triangles.

• About 3 miles east of Yalvaç, atop Karakuyu Hill, is the sanctuary of the Anatolian moon god Men, whose symbol was the bull's head, and who was thought to grant abundant harvests.

• On nearby Limenia Island in Lake Egirdir is a temple of Artemis, rock tombs and St. Mary's Monastery.

An interesting sidelight: In 16 AD, Pisidian Antioch was the scene of the first recorded "workers strike" when laborers building the aqueduct went on strike against emperor Tiberius. The grievance was resolved without bloodshed.

Paul preaches the Gospel in Pisidian Antioch: It has been suggested that Paul and Barnabas originally aimed for Pisidian Antioch on the recommendation of Sergius Paulus, the newly converted governor of Cyprus, because archaeology has shown that his family had roots in the city. Excavations at the site of Antioch uncovered an inscription referring to "Lucius Sergius Paulus the younger," thought to be the son the the Cyprus governor. Irregardless, the missionaries first took the Gospel message to the Jews of Antioch, as was standard procedure on this and all of Paul's subsequent missionary journeys. On the Sabbath they went to the synagogue. It was customary in synagogues throughout the empire to invite visiting Jews to address the congregation after the main part of the service:

Grade6_8_133.doc Page 41 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 "After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying, 'Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak'" (Acts 13:15).

Paul's audience included both Jews and God-fearers--Gentiles who respected the Jewish religion but who had not fully converted to it (circumcised). First, he gave them a brief history of Israel, from the Exodus, to the entry into the Promised Land, the period of the "judges," then the first kings, Paul followed by David, from whose line God promised to send a Messiah who would bring salvation to the world. Paul then announced that God had fulfilled this promise in Jesus whose coming was foretold by John the Baptist. In the second half of his sermon Paul described the process by which Jesus was condemned and crucified, then resurrected so that all believers, including those in Antioch, could have eternal life. Paul's message (see Acts 13:16-41) had a powerful effect on his audience, and he was invited back for the next Sabbath. Over the following week, word-of-mouth spread so that when the time came, the synagogue was packed. However, the crowd included some orthodox Jews who tried to disprove Paul's claims. After what was undoubtedly a heated debate, Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly:

"We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: 'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth'" (Acts 13:46,47).

The Gentiles in the audience were elated with what they heard, and a congregation was formed. Paul's message also aroused hostility among a number of the Jews, although the reason is not specified. Most likely it was because they resented welcoming the Gentiles into the church as equals to themselves, "God's chosen people." In any case, they incited some of Antioch's influential citizens to have the missionaries expelled from the city. Shaking the dust from their feet--an expression of extreme contempt and a sign of that they would not have any further dealings with them--Paul and Barnabas departed for Iconium. However, as they headed out of town they were elated in the knowledge that the Holy Spirit had worked through them to bring new converts into the body of Christ. This account concludes with the statement, "And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 13:52).

1. Crossing a snow-filled pass along the route to from Perga to Pisidian Antioch

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2. Egridir Lake (Egridir Gölü) in Pisidia, along the route from Perga to Pisidian Antioch. Presumably Paul crossed the Karakeus Mountains in the background on his later journeys.

4. Remains of Roman aqueduct at that brought water from the mountains to the north.

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5. Foundations of the monumental fountain (nymphaeum) that supplied water to most of the city via an aqueduct.

6. Church of St. Paul, built on the remains of the synagogue where Paul gave his first recorded sermon (see Acts 13:16-41).

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7. Remains of the Augustus temple at Pisidian Antioch, at the very highest point of the city, on the east side.

8. 15,000 seat theater.

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9. Inscription found in the vicinity mentioning Sergius Paulus, the governor of Cyprus and Paul's first convert there, who had land holdings in the area of Pisidian Antioch.

10. Remains of the horseshoe-shaped stadium.

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11. Main north-south street of Pisidian Antioch.

Grade6_8_133.doc Page 47 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 Paul's First Missionary Journey Part 6 - Iconium Driven out of Pisidian Antioch, Paul and Barnabas left for the city of Iconium, and they stayed in that city for a long time:

Iconium Iconium was located about 60 miles southeast of Pisidian Antioch. It lay on the western edge of a great high plain of the Anatolian Plateau, at an elevation of about 3,300 feet. It was backed by Bozkr Mountain on the west and enclosed by the interior edges of the central Taurus ranges further south. Iconium has been around a very long time and Çatal Hüyük, 32 miles to the south, is among the world's oldest known inhabited communities, dating back to 7500 BC. Only Jericho in Palestine may be older. Almost 4,000 years ago, Iconium was a Hittite city called 'Kuwanna.' Following the collapse of the Hittite empire, the Phrygians who came from Thrace or Macedonia (both in modern Greece) established a large settlement named 'Kowania' there (about 1200 BC). According to a Phrygian legend of the great flood, Iconium was the first city to rise after the deluge that destroyed humanity. Another legend ascribes its name to the eikon (image, in Greek) of Perseus erected by the citizens in thanks to him for having slain the fearsome Gorgon Medusa , who wore a wig of writhing snakes, and whose gaze turned men to stone. In the 3rd century BC it was ruled by the Seleucid kings of Syria and it became a self-governing city, largely Greek in language, education, and culture. Some of the citizens, however, retained their Phrygian culture. Highways from Syria west to Ephesus and Rome went through Iconium, making it a place of vast trade. With its beautiful plains, made productive by streams from the Pisidian Mountains, it was surrounded by grain fields and fruit orchards. It was famous for its wheat, flax, apricots and plums. An old proverb stated, "See all the world, but see Iconium," for it was considered one of the most beautiful places in the world. Iconium was rarely independent, being subject to Lydia and Persia before it came under the control of the Seleucids in the 3rd century BC. After 278 BC, it came under the sway of the invading Gauls and thereafter the entire central region of Asia Minor became known as Galatia. In 129 BC ceded Galatia to Pontus and in 36 BC Mark Antony returned control of Iconium to the Galatian king Antymas. Upon his death in 25 BC, Iconium, along with Pisidian Antioch, Lystra and Derbe, became part of the Roman province of Galatia

After the time of Paul: In the 2nd century AD, Iconium was raised to the status of a colony by emperor Hadrian and under Claudius it received the honorary name of Claudiconium, a reminder of the strong ties it shared with Rome. In the 4th century AD it became the capital of the province of Lycaonia. After 660 AD the city was victimized for three centuries by Arab raids and it fell into their hands in 708. It was included in the Byzantine Empire until 1097 when the Seljuks gained control of the area. Renamed Konya (a corruption of the ancient name), the city became the capital of the Seljuk Empire. After the decline of the Seljuks Konya was ruled by the Mongols and later by the Turkmen Grade6_8_133.doc Page 48 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 principality of Karaman until it was finally annexed to the Ottoman Empire about 1467. The city declined during the Ottoman period but revived after 1896, largely through the building of the Istanbul-Baghdad railway, which passes through Konya. Until 1923 Konya was the most important city of central Anatolia, overshadowing Ankara (today the capital of the Turkish Republic). Much of the present city was built in the last 10 years. As in ancient times, Konya is in the heart of Turkey's "bread basket." With its orchards, gardens, and monuments, the modern city, with a population of over 500,000, attracts a growing tourist trade.

Walking in Paul's footsteps--Konya/Iconium: Konya is now a large metropolis of brightly painted buildings which is pleasant to drive through. The city hasn't bothered to post distracting street or highway signs. At about 3300 feet elevation, it gets cool, but it also gets clouds of dust in summer and snow blizzards in winter. The old city still survives to the east of the old acropolis, Alâeddin Hill, in the middle of the city. Remains of the old city wall can be seen, although it has been covered for protection. Once reinforced by 108 towers, it was removed at the beginning of the 20th century during efforts to modernize the city. Christian monuments include the church of Amphilochius inside the city and several shrines nearby. Additionally, Konya retains a number of buildings (now used as museums) from the Selçuk period, including the monastery of the charismatic Moslem mystic order known in the West as Whirling Dervishes, so-called for their twirling ritual dance. In the east of the old town stands the green conical roof which covers the tomb of Mevlana (meaning master) Calaleddin Rumi (photo 1), the sect's founder, is Konya's most famous building. Its association with the Dervishes makes it a place of pilgrimage for Muslims. Every year, in the first half of December, a ceremony commemorates the Whirling Dervishes (photo 2). The controlled, trance-like whirling of the white-robed men creates a mystical experience for the viewer. The idea is for the dancers to spin round and round in an attempt at total unity with God. As they twirl, they free themselves from bondage to earthly things. The costumes they wear are symbolic. The black cloaks they shed represent the escape from the tomb and the bonds of the flesh. Their long white robes are their shrouds and their conical hats are their tombstones.

Paul preaches the Gospel in Iconium: When Paul and Barnabas arrived in Iconium they made themselves known to the Jewish community and were invited to speak in the synagogue. Many of the congregation, both Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, were converted to the Gospel. But the unbelieving Jews "stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers" (Acts 14:2). Despite the opposition, the two "spent considerable time (in Iconium)" continuing to preach fearlessly for the Lord, "who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders." It seems the intellectually curious Greeks, ever anxious to hear some new thing, flocked to hear them. However, the conflict between the apostles and their Jewish opponents polarized the people. The anti-Christian party prevailed and, with the permission of the "authorities," a number of Jews and Gentiles plotted to stone the two men. But the apostles got word of the threat against them and decided that it was time to take their message elsewhere, and they moved on, following the Via Sepaste to Lystra:

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Lystra Lystra was located on the eastern part of the high plains of Lycaonia, about 20 miles southwest of Iconium. The name Lystra presumably goes back to prehistoric times and can be attributed to the Lycaonian language, one of the many surviving Bronze Age tongues spoken in the area. In fact, Lycaonian was still spoken in the area until the 6th century AD. The plain around Lystra was fertile and well-watered, with one stream skirting the west side of the mound on which the town was built. However, the site had little strategic value. In 6 BC, emperor Augustus decided to make use of the old but inconspicuous settlement to found a military outpost, and conferred on it the title Julia Felix Gemina Lustra, as attested by coins (photo 3) and inscriptions (photo 4) which later helped archaeologists to identify the lost townsite.

Walking in Paul's footsteps--Lystra: Today Lystra is an unoccupied tell (mound) (photos 5 & 7) about 21 miles southwest of Konya, near modern Hatunsaray. A search of the tell revealed pottery, Roman stones and plenty of other evidence, though most everything else is buried under 2000 years of dirt. According to travel guide a temple to Zeus is preserved there. Also, in the 1800's, a statue dedicated to Zeus and Hermes was found at the site, reminiscent of the city's identification of Paul and Barnabas with the two gods. As a Roman colony, Latin was the official language of Lystra, but the people still spoke the native Lycaonian language which was unintelligible to Paul and Barnabas. A branch of the Via Sebaste ran through Iconium to Lystra and Derbe, then continued to the Cilician Gates, the famed pass through the Taurus Mountains that led to Paul's hometown of Tarsus. It was this road that Paul followed on this missionary journey, also on his second and third. The population of Lystra was mostly uneducated and Gentile, and in the history of Paul's missionary work, it stands out as the first town he visited with no established Jewish community or synagogue. Thus the people were completely ignorant of the Jewish scriptures and unable to grasp the idea of worshiping one God. Lystra was the home of Timothy (though he was known in Iconium as well), a young man who not only accompanied Paul on his second and third missionary journeys but also served as Paul's representative on many crucial missions, especially to Corinth and Philippi. Timothy was probably among those who was converted at the time of Paul's first missionary and Paul felt that no one had more compassion and commitment. So close were Paul and Timothy that both are listed as authors of six of Paul's letters and, as Paul faced death, he asked Timothy to come to be with him. Timothy was also the recipient of two of Paul's letters, and he also served as pastor of the church at Ephesus. At some point Timothy was imprisoned, but he was released.

Paul preaches the Gospel in Lystra: While Paul was preaching at Lystra, probably in the agora or marketplace, a man who had been unable to walk from birth caught his attention. Paul saw that the man had the requisite faith to be healed, so he told him to "stand up." Immediately, "the man jumped up and began to walk." The effect on the onlookers was dramatic. Shouting in their native Lycaonian dialect, they declared that Paul and Barnabas must be gods. The local priest then arrived at the city gates with several bulls and wreaths prepared to take the two "gods" outside the city to the temple of Zeus to offer a ritual sacrifice

Grade6_8_133.doc Page 50 of 66 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The First Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 133 Acts 13-14 to them. Shocked that they were being hailed as pagan Greek gods, Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes as a symbolic show of disgust and rushed into the crowd, shouting, "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you." Their purpose in coming to Lystra, they said, was to proclaim the good news about Jesus Christ, to turn the people from their worthless idols to the "the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them" (Acts 14:15). Despite their impassioned plea, they barely managed to keep the crowd from sacrificing to them. At some point as these events were transpiring, hostile Jews from Pisidian Antioch and Iconium arrived in town and poisoned the Lystrans against the two men. The tactic worked. They stoned Paul and, believing he was dead, dragged him outside the city walls. As some of the Lystran converts gathered around his body, Paul came to his senses (he had only been knocked unconscious), stood up and walked back into the city. At this point Acts does not tell us how the people reacted. Perhaps they wondered if he really was a god. The next day, Paul and Barnabas left for Derbe, but their effort were not completely in vain as indicated by two phrases in Acts: "the disciples had gathered round him" and "they returned to Lystra." The only reason they would risk returning to Lystra on their way back to Antioch was that a community of faith had been formed and it needed strengthening and encouragement.

Barnabas and Paul being taken for gods lies in a Lycaonian legend that once Zeus and Hermes had come to earth in disguise. No one would give them hospitality until at last two old peasants, Philemon and his wife Baucis, took them in. As a result the whole population was wiped out by the gods except Philemon and Baucis, who were made the guardians of a splendid temple and were turned into two great trees when they died. So when Paul healed the crippled man, the people of Lystra were determined not to make the same mistake again. Barnabas must have been a man of noble presence so they took him for Zeus the king of the gods. Hermes was the messenger of the gods and, since Paul was the speaker, they called him Hermes. By recounting this incident, Acts provides us with a valuable incite into Paul's approach to those who were completely heathen and without any Jewish background to which he could appeal. With such people he started from nature to get to the God who was behind it all and who "has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy." Years later, on his second missionary journey, he used the same approach at Athens.

Derbe Derbe was a small Lycaonian town on the extreme boundary of the Roman province of Galatia, about 30 miles southeast of Lystra. Little specific history is known about the town. It was thought to have had a large Jewish population. It must have been somewhat Hellenized (Greek-ized), but like the residents of Lystra, the people of Derbe spoke the native language of Lycaonia. Like Derbe is was part of the Roman province of Galatia at the time of Paul. But later, in the 1st century AD, it belonged temporarily to the kingdom of Antiochus IV of Commagnene, who gave the name Claudio- Derbe in honor of the Roman emperor Claudius. Although Derbe was inhabited from the Iron Age through the Hellenistic and Roman periods, apparently it was entirely abandoned and forgotten in medieval times.

Walking in Paul's footsteps--Derbe:

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Paul passed through the town on his way to Lystra on his second missionary journey. The townsite (photos 7 & 8; also houses, photos 9 & 10) has been identified as a medium-sized mound called Kerti Hüyük at the foot of the extinct volcano Kara Dagi, about 18 miles north of modern Karaman. Gaius, one of Paul's traveling companions on his third missionary journey, was from Derbe (Acts 20:4).

Paul preaches the Gospel in Derbe: Acts is very brief in describing the two apostles' stay in Derbe. It says only that "They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples" (Acts 14:21). At this point they must have decided to return home. But, instead of continuing east on the road from Derbe and crossing the Taurus mountains through the Cilician Gates (an easier and shorter journey), they decided to retrace their steps to Lystra, Iconium and Pisidian Antioch. In spite of the dangers they previously experienced in those cities, they were moved by the Holy Spirit into a second phase, that of mission building. Additionally, they needed to get in the last word, and not let those who would try to thwart the Gospel win. From Pisidian Antioch, Paul and Barnabas returned to Perga.

Paul preaches the Gospel in Perga: Unlike earlier, Paul and Barnabas stopped to proclaim the Gospel in Perga. Again, Acts is very brief in describing their time there:

"After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia, and when they had preached the word in Perga..." (Acts 14:24-25).

After an unspecified time Paul and Barnabas made their way to Perga's port of Attalia.

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1. Mausoleum of Mevlana Calaleddin Rumi, founder of the sect known as the Whirling Dervishes, at Konya

2. Whirling Dervishes at Konya.

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3. Coin from Lystra (note the word "Lustra," the Roman version of the town's name, at the bottom).

4. Inscription on a stone at the site of Lystra (again, note the word "Lustra," in the the fourth line)

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5. Lystra tell viewed from the south.

6. Looking south from the Lystra tell.

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7. Looking toward Derbe site.

8. Site of Derby from the east.

9. Mudbrick house at Derbe site.

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10. Stone and mudbrick house at Derbe site.

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Attalia Attalia (Greek Attaleia, meaning "Jah's due season"), in southern Turkey, was the seaport for Perga, 12 miles to the northeast. The name is derived from king Attalos II Philadelphus of Pergamum, who founded the city on the Pamphylian seacoast around 150 BC. Together with Pergamum's other possessions, it was bequeathed to the Romans by Attalos' successor, Attalus III. However, settlement in the region stretches back to the dawn of humanity as attested to by Paleolithic finds discovered nearby.

Later history: During Byzantine times Attalia was an archdiocese and an important embarkation point for troops going to Palestine during the Crusades. It was captured by the Turkish Selçuq ruler Kay-Khusraw in 1207 and soon became the most important town and port of the region. Although it was first occupied by the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I in 1391, its incorporation into the Ottoman Empire was delayed until the late 15th century because of the disruption caused by the invasion of Timur (Tamerlane). In the agreement of 1917 for the postwar division of the Ottoman Empire among Italy, France, and the United Kingdom, Italy claimed the city and the surrounding area. Italian troops occupied the district in 1919 but were driven out in July 1921 by Turkish nationalist forces.

Walking in Paul's footsteps--Attalia: Today, ancient Attalia is known as Antalya (population 1,000,000) and, as it has been for the last 2,000 years, it is the main port on the southern coast of Turkey. With a subtropical warm climate and an abundance of ancient sites nearby, it is also the chief tourist resort on the Turkish Riviera. The word "turkuaz" was created in the Turkish language to describe the color of the Mediterranean and Aegean seas. This color was adopted into English as "turquoise," and nowhere can you appreciate the intensity of the Mediterranean's blues than at Antalya (photo 1).

Notable monuments in the town include: • "Hadrian Gate," (photo 2) a marble gate with three identical arches, built between two towers in the city walls to commemorate the visit to the city of the emperor Hadrian in 130 AD.

• The 13th century Yivli Minare ("fluted minaret") (photo 3), a former Byzantine church converted into a mosque by the Selçuks. It has become a symbol of modern Antalya.

• Kaleiçi ("around the fortress"), the historic district of Antalya, occupies the summit of a low cliff overlooking the old Roman harbor, now the yacht marina. It is surrounded by fortified walls built by the Greeks and restored during the Roman, Byzantine, and Selçuk periods (photos 4 & 5). The harbor was the city's lifeline from the 2nd century BC until late in the 20th century when a new port was constructed to the west of the city.

• Hidirlik Kulesi, an ancient tower, probably once used as a lighthouse.

• Kesik Minaret ("cut off minaret") a stump of minaret located on the site of a 2nd century AD

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From Attalia, Paul and Barnabas booked passage for the return trip to Antioch in Syria. They must have been eager to share their experiences with the home church, because they chose not to revisit the fledgling congregations on Cyprus. Their entire journey apparently lasted 6 to 9 months, concluding before the storms of winter would have stopped ship travel in the Mediterranean. Back in Antioch, they met with their fellow believers and told them of their journey--the miracles, the escapes, the hardships and the successes, and how God had "opened the door of faith to the Gentiles." Finally, Acts concludes its account of the first missionary journey by telling us that Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch for "a long time" (Acts 14:28).

How many other towns were visited by Paul that are not recorded? How many other stories are not told? How much of Paul's 30 years of ministry was simply ordinary ministry tucked between the healings and riots?

THIS CONCLUDES YOUR WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST. PAUL ON HIS FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY

1. View from Antalya (ancient Attalia) looking west toward the Bey Mountains of the Lycian Peninsula (Note the intense blue of the Mediterranean Sea).

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3. Hadrianüs Kapisi (Hadrian's Gate, also called Üçkaptlar, the Three Gates) at Antalya erected in honor of the visit of the Roman emperor Hadrian in 130 AD.

3. Yivli Minare ("fluted minaret") at Antalya

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4. Kaleiçi, old town Antalya, above the new marina converted from the old Roman harbor.

5. Another view of the marina at Antalya (ancient Attalia) with the well-preserved city walls.

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NAME DATE:

List BCV for each answer.

1. Who were the men that went out to preach on this missionary journey? ______

2. Name the city they started their journey from. ______

3. How did Paul and Barnabas strengthen the church? (Acts 14:22-23) ______

______

______

4. Name the sorcerer they met, tell what happened to him and why. ______

______

______

5. While in Antioch in Pisidia, why did some of the Jews oppose the things taught by Paul? ______

______

6. Why did Paul and Barnabas flee Iconium? ______

______

7. Describe the miracle in Lystra. ______

______

______

8. Who stoned Paul and why? ______

______

9. What type of things did Paul and Barnabas report when the church had gathered together? ______

______

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1. Saul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2-3)

2. Antioch (Acts 13:1)

3. They encouraged them to continue in the faith through the many tribulations they would face and they appointed elders in every church. (Acts 14:22 and 23)

4. Bar-Jesus also known as Elymas. He sought to hear the word of God from Barnabas and Saul, but was really a false prophet. He tried turning the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who is now known as Paul, who was also filled with the Holy Spirit, confronted him and called him the son of the devil, a fraud and told him he would be blind and not see the sun for a while. Immediately he became blind. (Acts 13:6-12)

5. They were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things Paul spoken by Paul and were blaspheming (Acts 13:45)

6. The unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles. The Jews and Gentiles who did not believe the Word made an attempt with their rulers to mistreat Paul and Barnabas and stone them. (Acts 14:2-5)

7. There was a man who was lame from birth and had never walked. This man, while listening to Paul, fixed his gaze upon him and Paul, seeing the man had faith to be made well, told him to “Stand upright on your feet.” The man leaped up and began to walk. The crowd that witnessed this miracle, started claiming Paul and Barnabas were gods. When Paul and Barnabas heard this, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying “Why do you do these things?” They explained that they were just men. (Acts 14:8-20)

8. The Jews from Antioch and Iconium and the crowd for preaching Christ and the resurrection.. (Acts 14:19)

9. All the things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. (Acts 14:27)

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Level of Understanding:

General Characteristics: Energetic, independent, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative, wants to be like his peers, beginning to think abstractly, likes competition, hero worshiper, memorizes easily, attention span up to 20 minutes.

Needs: Firm and loving discipline, involvement in learning activities, challenges to memorize, competition, good examples of Christian lifestyle, one teacher for 10 students.

Understanding: Application of Bible to daily problems, identifying with Bible heroes, challenge to read and investigate areas of interest on own, greater awareness of sin and need for salvation.

Goals:

The student should have an understanding of how the church began and how the gospel was spread. By the end the lesson, they should also be able to point out each city that Paul and Barnabas went to and give a few details about their activities in each of those cities.

Objectives:

1. The student should come to understand that even when the gospel is preached there will be some who do not obey. We are to continue to sow the seed however unprofitable is seems at the time.

Memory Verse:

Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

Suggested Activities

1. Review Bible Facts (contained at the end of this book). Recite these with the students each day.

Available Materials:

Resource Room M109.0 - 3 Maps Church, spread of –general Resource Room AB109.1 – 2 Abeka Paul & Barnabs, First Journey Resource Room M109.1 – 9 Maps Paul & Barnabs, First Journey

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Outline:

I. The First Missionary Journey (Acts 13:1-14:28)

A. Barnabas and Saul Are Sent from Antioch (Acts 13:1-3)

B. Ministry at Cyprus (Acts 13:4-13)

1. Preaching in the Synagogues (Acts 13:4, 5)

2. Controversy with Bar-Jesus (Acts 13:6-13)

C. Ministry at Antioch (Acts 13:14-50)

1. Paul Preaches on First Sabbath (Acts 13:14-43)

2. Paul Preaches on Second Sabbath (Acts 13:44-50)

D. Ministry at Iconium (Acts 13:51-14:5)

E. Ministry at Lystra (Acts 14:6-20)

1. A Lame Man Is Healed (Acts 14:6-10)

2. Paul and Barnabas Are Deified (Acts 14:11-18)

3. Paul Is Stoned (Acts 14:19, 20)

F. Ministry on the Return Trip (Acts 14:21-25)

G. Report on the First Missionary Journey (Acts 14:26-28)

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1. The City

View looking south over the modern city of Konya (population about 900,000). The green trees on the left horizon mark the rise where the heart of the ancient city of Iconium was located. The site has not been excavated. Paul and Barnabas ministered in Iconium for about three months before fleeing for their lives.

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Nymphaeum (water fountain) Looking north. This well–preserved Nymphaeum (water fountain) is located at the north end of the city, at the southern foot of the acropolis, and at the head of the 985 ft. [300 m.] long street (cardo) that ran from here south to the Hellenistic gate.

The Nymphaeum was fed by an aqueduct, and water poured forth from under the reclining headless water god (possibly, Cestrus - also the name of the river to the east of Perge) located in the center of the picture. After this small waterfall from under Cestrus, the sparkling water flowed in the six-foot [2 m.] wide channel - visible in the lower portion of the image - toward the viewer. The water continued to flow in this channel, southward down the 985 ft. [300 m.] long street (cardo) that ran from here to the Hellenistic gate at the southern edge of the city.

The nymphaeum probably dates to the days of Hadrian (A.D. 117–138).

The viewer is reminded that in the book of Revelation (22:1-2) that " . . . the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations."

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Interior of Hellenistic Gate View of the eastern portion of the oval interior of the third century B.C. gate. During the reign of Hadrian, Plancia Magna, ca. A.D. 121, who had spent a considerable portion of her fortune beautifying Perge, placed statues honoring herself, deities, emperors, and the founders of Perge in the niches that are visible in the interior walls of this gate.

Portions of this magnificent set of statuary have been found and are on display in the museum in Antalya.

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Column with Artemis Figure The main street of Perge, the cardo, was flanked on both sides by hundreds of columns.

On this column, the Greek deity Artemis, carrying a bow, arrows, a torch, and a luminous crown, stands out in high relief. The column is crowned with an acanthus leafed Corinthian capital.

During the days of Paul, Artemis was the chief deity of the city, and a great temple to Artemis Pergaea was located here (not yet discovered).

The north–south Cardo, along which this column stands, was close to 985 ft. [300 m.] long — stretching from the nymphaeum in the north to the Hellenistic City Gate on the south side of the city.

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2. Main Street (Cardo) Photo Comments View looking south towards the Hellenistic City Gate. This main street of Perge, the cardo, was close to 985 ft. [300 m.] long. It ran from the nymphaeum on the north side of the city to the Hellenistic City Gate on the south side — the two towers of which are visible at the far end of the street. On both sides of the street note the standing columns. Outside of them, were covered walkways and numerous shops. The sixty-five foot [20 m.] wide street is itself divided into two lanes by a six-foot [2 m.] channel (in the center of the image proceeding away from the viewer). Fresh water flowed though this channel along the whole length of the street — from the nymphaeum to the Hellenistic Gate. The barriers inside of this large channel (visible) must have created visual and audible "rapids-effect." This street arrangement is very unique, although faint traces of a similar street arrangement are said to have been found at Pisidian Antioch. For a modern example of such a watercourse (in Izmir) Click Here. It is interesting that in the book of Revelation (22:1–2) the "New Jerusalem" is described as having ". . . a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street." At Perge, the water, instead of coming from the throne of God, it comes from under a representation of "Cestrus" at the nymphaeum

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II. Barnabas

Barnabas Acts 4:36-37; 11:19-30; 13:1-51; 14:8-20; 15:36-41, Numbers 35:1-5 There were many leaders in the early church, but few were as humble and influential as Barnabas. His name was Joseph, but the apostles gave him the name "Barnabas" (BAR nuh bus) which means Son of Encouragement. It was an appropriate name because he was an encouragement to all who knew him. There were thousands of Jews in Jerusalem who were converted on the day of Pentecost and the days following. They had not come prepared for an extended stay in the city, and yet many of them stayed on to hear the apostles' preaching. Their money was used up, and they became poor and in need. Some people who had property, sold it and gave the money to the apostles so they could feed the multitude of needy people. One of those who sold a field was Barnabas from the island of Cyprus. He was a Levite. According to the distribution of land when the Israelites entered Canaan, the Levites were given cities and pastureland around the cities for their cattle. The pastures extended 3,000 feet (over half a mile) in all four directions from each Levite city. Barnabas sold a field he owned and brought the proceeds to the apostles.

Grade6_8_134.doc Page 8 of 14 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Barnabas & Saul are Sent to Preach Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 134 Acts 13: 1-51 Peter, since the Lord had given him the "keys" to the kingdom, was the one who first preached to the Gentiles. Yet it was Paul, whom the Lord chose to be his special preacher to the Gentile nation. When he was a new convert, Paul went to Jerusalem and tried to contact the believers there, but they were afraid of him. What if he was just pretending to be a believer in Christ? What if he was really just trying to find them and arrest them? Barnabas saw what was happening. He himself had the trust and respect of the believers, and he thought Paul was sincere. If he introduced Paul to the apostles in Jerusalem, the others would accept him. That's what he did. Barnabas told them how Paul had been converted and how he was now preaching about Jesus. The church accepted him, and he was able to stay in Jerusalem. Then evil men began to try to kill Paul and the brothers sent him to Tarsus. Later Barnabas would go to Tarsus looking for Paul again. He found him and brought him to the city of Antioch and the two of them preached in the city for a whole year. The Spirit sent Paul and Barnabas to Cyprus to preach. There they met a false prophet named Bar-Jesus or Elymas (EE luh mus). He was an attendant to the proconsul, the government official. He opposed their preaching, and Paul called him a child of the devil and told him that he was going to be blind for a while. Immediately he became blind and started looking for someone to lead him around. The proconsul was amazed and believed the teachings of Paul and Barnabas. The Holy Spirit directed the work of Paul and Barnabas , and they traveled to many cities preaching the good news about Jesus. In the city of Lystra (LIS truh) Paul worked a miracle in which a lame man was able to walk again. The heathen people of that city thought they were gods and prepared to offer sacrifices to them, but Paul and Barnabas rushed out shouting that they too, were human and were trying to get them to worship the true God. Barnabas was not one of the twelve apostles, but in this instance he is called an apostle, because he was sent by the Holy Spirit on a special mission. John Mark, his cousin, traveled with Barnabas and Paul to some of the cities, but he deserted them in one city and failed to continue the journey with them. This incident would later cause a problem because Barnabas wanted to again take John Mark with them, but Paul refused to take him. There was sharp disagreement over the matter. Paul was reluctant to take a chance on John Mark, but Barnabas, always ready to encourage, wanted to give his relative a second chance. They settled it by parting ways. Barnabas took John Mark with him to the island of Cyprus, and Paul took another preacher, Silas (SIGH lus) with him through Syria. They agreed on this compromise and God's work continued.

Grade6_8_134.doc Page 9 of 14 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Barnabas & Saul are Sent to Preach Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 134 Acts 13: 1-51 There is an indication that Paul and Barnabas worked together again, and in his letter to the Colossians which was written from prison, Paul mentions the fact that John Mark is with him, and he tells them that if John Mark comes to the church, they are to welcome him. Barnabas was truly the Son of Encouragement who always looked for the best in people, and his faith in them was rewarded.

Grade6_8_134.doc Page 10 of 14 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Barnabas & Saul are Sent to Preach Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 134 Acts 13: 1-51 Name ______Date ______

Acts 4:36-37; 11:19-30; 13:1-51; 14:8-20; 15:36-41, Numbers 35:1-5 1. The name Barnabas means ______of ______. His name was ______before he became known as Barnabas. 2. Barnabas sold a ______and gave the money to the ______to be used in feeding the poor. 3. The one who first preached to the Gentiles was ______, but ______was chosen to be a special preacher to the Gentile nation. 4. The believers in Jerusalem were afraid of ______because they didn't know if he had really changed and become a ______. 5. Barnabas and Paul preached in ______for a year. 6. In Cyprus they met the false prophet, ______and when Paul called him a child of the ______the man became blind. 7. In Lystra the ______people thought they were gods and started to offer a ______to them. 8. Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement over ______because ______wanted to take him on the trip and ______didn't want to take him. 9. On the next trip Barnabas and ______went to Cyprus and Paul and ______went to Syria together. 10. What did you learn from this story about how to settle disputes? ______Word Bank - Some words will be used more than once. sacrifice devil Encouragement field Elymus Paul Joseph John Antioch Mark Son apostles believer Peter heathen Barnabas Silas

Grade6_8_134.doc Page 11 of 14 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Barnabas & Saul are Sent to Preach Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 134 Acts 13: 1-51

NAME DATE:

List BCV for each answer.

1. What was the work the Lord called Barnabas and Saul to do? ______

______

2. What is fasting? ______

______

3. Who sent Barnabas and Saul to Seleucia and from there to Cyprus? ______

4. Where did Barnabas and Saul preach when they reached Salamis? ______

5. Who was their helper? ______

6. What was Bar-Jesus’ occupation? ______

7. What did Bar-Jesus, whose name is translated Elymas, want the proconsul to do according to verse 8? ______

______

8. What happened to Elymas when Paul, also known as Saul, fixed his gaze upon him? ______

______

9. Where did John go once Paul and his companions reached Perga? ______

10. Leaving Perga, Paul and his companions went to Antioch. To which Antioch is this referring? ______

11. Who was the “uplifted arm” that Paul spoke of? ______

12. Paul was preaching the message of ______according to vs. 26, and ______

______according to vs. 32.

13. Some of the Jews might have thought David was the savior. After reading vs. 34 – 37, give a brief explanation as to why

David was not the savior the prophets of the Old Testament were speaking of. ______

______

14. About how many people assembled the next Sabbath to hear the word of the Lord? ______

15. According to vs. 45 the Jews were filled with a. the Holy Spirit, b. belief in the word of the Lord, or c. jealousy.______

______

Grade6_8_134.doc Page 12 of 14 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Barnabas & Saul are Sent to Preach Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 134 Acts 13: 1-51 16. After reading vs. 26 – 29, how did the Jews in vs. 46 “judge themselves to be unworthy”? ______

______

17. In your own words, describe what Paul and Barnabas did in vs. 51. ______

Grade6_8_134.doc Page 13 of 14 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Barnabas & Saul are Sent to Preach Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 134 Acts 13: 1-51 Answers

1. To preach Christ to the Jews and Gentiles (Acts 13:2)

2. In the case of Saul and Barnabas, going without food and drink for an appointed amount of time.

3. The Holy Spirit (Acts 13:4)

4. In the synagogues of the Jews (Acts 13:5)

5. John (Acts 13:5)

6. A magician (Acts 13:6)

7. To turn away from the faith (Acts 13:8)

8. He became blind for a while (Acts 13:11)

9. To Jerusalem (Acts 13:13)

10. Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14)

11. Moses (Acts 13:17)

12. Salvation (Acts 13:26 and the good news of the promise made to the fathers (Acts 13:32)

13. Christ was to die, be raised on the third day and not undergo decay. David died and was laid among his fathers and underwent decay. (Acts 13:34-347)

14. Nearly the whole city. (Acts 13:44)

15. C. Jealousy

16. Because they did not recognize Christ nor the teachings about Him from the prophets and, after finding no sound reason, put Him to death by asking Pilate that He be crucified.

17. To “shake off the dust” was a gesture of complete break of fellowship.

Grade6_8_134.doc Page 14 of 14 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul and Barnabas Complete Their Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 135 Acts 13:51,-52, 14:1-28

Level of Understanding:

General Characteristics: Energetic, independent, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative, wants to be like his peers, beginning to think abstractly, likes competition, hero worshiper, memorizes easily, attention span up to 20 minutes.

Needs: Firm and loving discipline, involvement in learning activities, challenges to memorize, competition, good examples of Christian lifestyle, one teacher for 10 students.

Understanding: Application of Bible to daily problems, identifying with Bible heroes, challenge to read and investigate areas of interest on own, greater awareness of sin and need for salvation.

Goals:

The student should understand that elders were appointed in every church, not one person or organization in charge of many local congregations. They should be able to point out various places on the map that Paul and Barnabas visited.

Objectives:

1. Point out that in every instance, Paul and Barnabas preached to the Jews at the synagogue on the Sabbath. 2. Give a description of an apostle and discuss whether or not they exist today. 3. Discuss how the word apostle was used in the scriptures (Acts 9:15 “apostle of Christ”, Acts 13:1-3 “apostle of the church”).

Memory Verse:

Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

Suggested Activities

1. Review Bible Facts (contained at the end of this book). Recite these with the students each day.

Available Materials:

Resource Room M109.0 - 3 Maps Church, spread of –general Resource Room AB109.1 – 2 Abeka Paul & Barnabas, First Journey Resource Room M109.1 – 9 Maps Paul & Barnabas, First Journey

Grade6_8_135.doc Page 1 of 6 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul and Barnabas Complete Their Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 135 Acts 13:51,-52, 14:1-28

Outline:

I. Ministry at Iconium (Acts 13:51 – 14:5)

II. Ministry at Lystra (Acts 14:6-20)

A. A Lame Man is Healed (Acts 14:6-10)

B. Paul and Barnabas are Deified (Acts 14:11-18)

C. Paul is Stoned (Acts 14:19, 20)

III. Ministry on the Return Trip (Acts 14:21-25) Report on the First Missionary Journey (Acts 14:26-28)

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IV. Paul's First Journey

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V. Lystra Acts 14:8-23 At Lystra, Paul healed a man with crippled feet. People thought Paul and Barnabas were the gods Zeus and Hermes. They brought oxen and garlands to offer a sacrifice, but Paul prevented it. Later, people turned against Paul. They stoned him and dragged him out of the city.

Context: Sacrifices of oxen were common in Greek religious practice. Shown here is a sacrificial procession from an Asian sculpture. Zeus was the supreme god among the Greeks. Hermes was the messenger of the gods. Since Paul did the talking, the people identified Paul with Hermes and Barnabas with the more distant figure of Zeus. On Paul's second journey he returned to Lystra where he met Timothy, who became a valued associate.

Grade6_8_135.doc Page 4 of 6 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul and Barnabas Complete Their Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 135 Acts 13:51,-52, 14:1-28

NAME DATE:

List BCV for each answer.

1. Find at least one other scripture (Book, chapter, verse) that uses the phrase “shake/shook the dust off their feet”. ______

______

2. With what were the disciples filled with? ______

______

3. According to Acts 14:1, who believed the word of the Lord? ______

4. “The Jews who ______stirred up the minds of the ______and

______them against the brethren.”

5. To where did Paul and Barnabas flee in and why? ______

______

6. What did the lame man have that made him well? ______

7. When the crowd saw what Paul had done in vs. 10, what did they liken him unto? ______

8. In Acts 14:14 both Paul and Barnabas are called “apostles”. Read Acts 9:15 and Acts 13:1-3. What type of apostle was

Paul?______(an apostle of Christ)

What type of apostle was Barnabas? ______(an apostle of the Church)

9. How did Paul and Barnabas describe the gods the people had been worshipping in verse 15? ______

10. How did Paul and Barnabas describe the true God? ______

______

11. In verse 19, the Jews thought Paul was ______.

12. What was appointed in every church? ______

13. According to verse 27, God had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. How might He open doors for people today? ___

______

______

Grade6_8_135.doc Page 5 of 6 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul and Barnabas Complete Their Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 135 Acts 13:51,-52, 14:1-28 Answers

1. Luke 9:5, Luke 10:11, Mark 6:11, Matthew 10:14

2. With joy and the Holy Spirit. Acts 13:52

3. A large number of people, both Greek and Jew.

4. “The Jews who disbelieved stirred up the minds of the Gentiles and embittered them against the brethren.” 14:2

5. The fled to Lycaonia, Lystra and Derbe and the surrounding region because an attempt was made by both the Gentiles and the Jews with their rulers to mistreat and to stone them. Acts 14:5-6

6. Faith (Acts 14:9)

7. The gods (Zeus, Hermes) Acts 14:11-12

8. Paul was an apostle of Christ (Acts 9:15) and Barnabas was an apostle of the church (Acts 13:1-3)

9. Vain (Acts 14:15)

10. The God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. (Acts 14:15)

11. Dead.

12. Elders (Acts 14:23)

Grade6_8_135.doc Page 6 of 6 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The Controversy about Circumcision Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 136 Acts 15: 1-35

Level of Understanding:

General Characteristics: Energetic, independent, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative, wants to be like his peers, beginning to think abstractly, likes competition, hero worshiper, memorizes easily, attention span up to 20 minutes.

Needs: Firm and loving discipline, involvement in learning activities, challenges to memorize, competition, good examples of Christian lifestyle, one teacher for 10 students.

Understanding: Application of Bible to daily problems, identifying with Bible heroes, challenge to read and investigate areas of interest on own, greater awareness of sin and need for salvation.

Goals:

The student should understand that elders were appointed in every church, not one person or organization in charge of many local congregations. They should be able to point out various places on the map that Paul and Barnabas visited.

Objectives:

1. Point out that in every instance, Paul and Barnabas preached to the Jews at the synagogue on the Sabbath. 2. Give a description of an apostle and discuss whether or not they exist today. 3. Discuss how the word apostle was used in the scriptures (Acts 9:15 “apostle of Christ”, Acts 13:1-3 “apostle of the church”).

Memory Verse:

Romans 1:16 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

Suggested Activities

1. Review Bible Facts (contained at the end of this book). Recite these with the students each day.

Available Materials:

Grade6_8_136.doc Page 1 of 7 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The Controversy about Circumcision Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 136 Acts 15: 1-35

Outline:

I. The Jerusalem Council

A. Debate over Gentiles Keeping the Law (1-5)

B. Peter Preaches Salvation Through Grace (6-11)

C. Paul and Barnabas Testify (12)

D. James Proves Gentiles Are Free From the Law (13-21)

E. The Council Sends an Official Letter (22-29)

F. Report to Antioch(30-35)

Grade6_8_136.doc Page 2 of 7 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The Controversy about Circumcision Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 136 Acts 15: 1-35

Grade6_8_136.doc Page 3 of 7 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The Controversy about Circumcision Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 136 Acts 15: 1-35

Grade6_8_136.doc Page 4 of 7 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The Controversy about Circumcision Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 136 Acts 15: 1-35

Grade6_8_136.doc Page 5 of 7 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The Controversy about Circumcision Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 136 Acts 15: 1-35

NAME DATE:

List BCV for each answer.

1. Some men had come from Judea, teaching the brethren that they could not be saved unless ______

______

2. When Paul and Barnabas had great debate over this question, what did the brethren determine to do?______

______

______

3. Some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, said what about the Law of Moses? ______

______

4. After the debate, who gave the judgment about keeping the Law of Moses? ______

5. According to the judgment, were the Gentiles supposed to keep the Law? ______What did Peter say about the

Gentiles keeping the law in verse 10?______

______

______

6. What were the Gentiles told to abstain from? ______

______

______

7. How was the church at Antioch notified of the decision? ______

______

______

Grade6_8_136.doc Page 6 of 7 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: The Controversy about Circumcision Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 136 Acts 15: 1-35 Answers

1. Unless you are circumcised you cannot be saved. Acts 15:1

2. The brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. Acts 15:2

3. "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses." Acts 15:5

4. James. Acts 15:13,19

5. No. Acts 15:7. "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” Acts 15:10

6. Things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. Acts 15:20

7. “Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas-- Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, and they sent this letter by them, "The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings.” Acts 15:22-23

Grade6_8_136.doc Page 7 of 7 Revised: 3/16/08

SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey, Lydia and the Jailer Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 137 Acts 15: 36 - 16: 40

Level of Understanding:

General Characteristics: Energetic, independent, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative, wants to be like his peers, beginning to think abstractly, likes competition, hero worshiper, memorizes easily, attention span up to 20 minutes.

Needs: Firm and loving discipline, involvement in learning activities, challenges to memorize, competition, good examples of Christian lifestyle, one teacher for 10 students.

Understanding: Application of Bible to daily problems, identifying with Bible heroes, challenge to read and investigate areas of interest on own, greater awareness of sin and need for salvation.

Goals:

The student should understand that elders were appointed in every church, not one person or organization in charge of many local congregations. They should be able to point out various places on the map that Paul and Barnabas visited.

Objectives:

1. Discuss the difference between a personal disagreement and a scriptural disagreement as found in Acts 15:36-40 between Paul and Barnabas. 2. Discuss that the disagreement between the two men actually meant the gospel was spread farther.

Memory Verse:

1 Peter 3:15 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentles and reverence;”

Suggested Activities

1. Review Bible Facts (contained at the end of this book). Recite these with the students each day.

Available Materials:

Resource Room M109.12 8 Maps Paul and Silas, Second Journey

See next two lessons for maps and pictures of towns/cities

Grade6_8_137.doc Page 1 of 13 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey, Lydia and the Jailer Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 137 Acts 15: 36 - 16: 40

Outline:

I. The Second Missionary Journey (Acts 15:36-18:22)

A. Contention over John Mark (Acts 15:36-41)

B. Derbe and Lystra: Timothy Is Circumcised (Acts 16:1-5)

C. Troas: Macedonian Call (Acts 16:6-10)

D. Philippi: Extensive Ministry (Acts 16:11-40)

1. Lydia Is Converted (Acts 16:11-15)

2. A Spirit of Divination Is Cast Out (Acts 16:16-24)

3. Philippian Jailer Is Converted (Acts 16:25-34)

4. Paul Is Released from Prison (Acts 16:35-40)

Grade6_8_137.doc Page 2 of 13 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey, Lydia and the Jailer Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 137 Acts 15: 36 - 16: 40

Lydia

Lydia Acts 16:1-15 Paul and Silas took a young preacher named Timothy with them on their travels. Timothy's mother was a Jewish woman who was a believer in Jesus, and his father was a Greek. As they traveled, the Holy Spirit would guide them and tell them where to go next. One night while they were in Troas (TRO az), Paul had a vision. A man from Macedonia (mass uh DOAN ee uh) was begging him to come over to Macedonia to help them. The Spirit was guiding them again. Immediately they got ready and left. It was a long trip by ship from Troas to Macedonia. They arrived at Philippi, which was a Roman colony and one of the largest cities in Macedonia. They stayed several days. Then they heard that a group of people met by the river to worship on the Sabbath day, so they went outside the city gate to the meeting place. They sat down and began to speak to the women who were gathered there to pray. One of them was a woman named Lydia who was from the city of Thyatira (thigh uh TIRE uh), which was in a district east of Macedonia. She was a dealer who sold purple cloth.

Grade6_8_137.doc Page 3 of 13 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey, Lydia and the Jailer Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 137 Acts 15: 36 - 16: 40 Purple cloth was very expensive. The reason it was so costly was that it was difficult to make. The dye for the cloth came from a shellfish. The juice was white while it was in the veins of the fish, but when it was exposed to the sun, the liquid changed into bright purple and red colors. It took a lot of work to catch enough shellfish to dye even one garment. The beautiful cloth was mainly used by members of the royal families and Roman senators who were required to have a purple band around the edge of their togas, or robes. As Paul preached, the Lord opened the heart of Lydia to receive the message about Jesus. She believed his words and responded to the teaching. She and the members of her household were baptized. We don't know if she was married, or single, or a widow. She probably had people working for her in her business since she was a merchant. She told the men if they considered her a believer in the Lord, she would like for them to come and stay at her house. Evidently she had plenty of room to accomodate the four of them; Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke was also with them. She continued to urge them and they accepted her invitation and stayed at her house. Lydia's heart was like the good soil in the parable of the sower. When she heard the word of God, she received it with joy and obeyed the words of the apostle.

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The Philippian Jailer

The Philippian Jailer Acts 16:16-40 Paul again visited the place of worship by the riverside. This time he saw a slave girl whose body had been taken over by a demon, an evil spirit. She was able to tell people what was going to happen in the future. Her owners saw they could make some money by having her tell people what was going to happen to them. They were glad the poor girl was possessed by a demon. As she followed Paul and the others around, the demon in her recognized who they were and shouted, "These men are servants of the Most High God who are telling you the way to be saved." This went on day after day. Paul felt sorry for the girl and turned around, and in the name of Jesus commanded the spirit to come out of her. (Jesus had told them earlier, when he was teaching them, that they would be able to cast out devils.) Immediately the evil spirit left her, and she was in her right mind, but she could no longer foretell the future. Her masters could not use her anymore to gain money for them. You can imagine their anger at Paul, who had ruined their fortune telling business.

Grade6_8_137.doc Page 5 of 13 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey, Lydia and the Jailer Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 137 Acts 15: 36 - 16: 40 They grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities, accusing them of causing an uproar and teaching against their way of life. Then the crowd was stirred up and became angry, and the magistrates (MAJ ih strates), or judges ordered them to be stripped of their clothing and beaten. They were unmercifully flogged and then, weak and bleeding, they were thrown into an inner cell of the prison and their feet were put in stocks. Their legs were spread wide apart and their feet put through holes in the wooden device which was used for torture as well as for securing the prisoners. Then a jailer was commanded to guard them. If he failed to keep them in the prison, he would be killed. He had a great responsibility. Did Paul and Silas moan and complain about being beaten and put in prison? No, the Bible says that about midnight they were praying and singing hymns to God. There were other prisoners in the cell listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, and the prison shook. The doors opened and the chains came off all the prisoners, but nobody tried to escape. However, when the jailer woke up and saw the doors opened, he started to take his own life because he knew he would be killed if his prisoners had escaped. Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" The jailer was so frightened he was trembling. He called for some lights so he could look inside the cell. He fell down at the feet of Paul and Silas. He said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They told him to believe in Jesus, and they preached about the Lord to the jailer and the people of his household. That same hour he took the two men and washed the wounds they had received in the beatings. He knew he had been wrong, and he wanted to do right. Immediately the jailer and his family were baptized. He brought Paul and Silas to his house and fed them. The whole family was so happy! They were now believers in God. The next day officers were sent to the jail to tell them to release Paul and Silas. When the judges learned that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. It had been against the law for them to beat and imprison the men. They thought they could just quietly take care of it. But Paul thought differently. "No!" he said, "Let them come themselves and lead us from the prison." The judges went to the prison and apologized. They led the men out and begged them to leave the city. Paul and Silas went back to Lydia's house and met with the believers there. Then t hey left to go preach elsewhere.

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Grade6_8_137.doc Page 8 of 13 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey, Lydia and the Jailer Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 137 Acts 15: 36 - 16: 40 Name ______Date ______Lydia Acts 16:1-15 1. Paul took with him a young preacher named ______whose mother was a ______believer and whose father was a ______. 2. Two other men with them on the trip were ______and ______. 3. In a vision Paul saw a man from ______who begged Paul to come and help them. 4. The men went by ship from the city of ______to the city of ______. 5. On the Sabbath day they went to the ______where they found some women who had met to ______. 6. Lydia was a seller of ______. 7. After Paul preached to them ______and her ______were baptized. 8. How did Lydia show hospitality to the missionaries? ______.

Macedonia Lydia Jewish Troas Silas pray cloth river Timothy Greek Luke Philippi household purple

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The Philippian Jailer Acts 16:16-40 1. Paul cast a ______out of a slave girl. Her ______became very angry because they could no longer use her to make money for them. 2. Because of this incident, Paul and Silas were ______and taken before the ______. 3. As punishment they were ______and put in ______. 4. At midnight they were ______and singing ______. 5. An ______caused the prison doors to open and the ______fell off the prisoners. 6. What was the jailer's question and what was Paul's answer? ______7. After Paul preached about the Lord to them, the jailer and his whole family were ______. 8. The judges became afraid because ______9. When Paul and Silas left the prison they went to ______house. 10. Why didn't the prisoners didn't leave when the doors were opened? ______

Use the words in the box to help you with spelling.

arrested prison believe chains masters citizens demon magistrates beaten earthquake baptized Lydia's praying Roman hymns saved

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NAME DATE:

List BCV for each answer.

1. Why were Paul and Barnabas planning to visit the brethren in every city they had previously preached? ______

2. Who did Barnabas want to take along on the trip? ______

3. How did Paul feel about taking Mark with them? ______

4. Do Christians always have to agree over personal issues, such as the color of the carpet in the building or how many

lights fixtures should be in the auditorium? (No BCV for this answer) ______

5. Should Christians always agree over scriptural doctrine, such as the necessity of baptism for salvation? ______

Discuss your answers of questions number 5 and 6 with your parents and Bible class teacher.

6. Who did Paul take with him? ______and where did they go? ______

7. Where did Barnabas and Mark go? ______

8. Was Timothy a man of good reputation? ______

9. Why did Paul and his companions not go into Asia to speak the word of God? ______

10. What did the man in Paul’s vision want him to do? ______

11. Who opened Lydia’s heart? ______

12. Was Lydia saved when the Lord opened her heart? (No BCV) ______. If not, when was Lydia saved? Read

vs. 13 and 14 to find your answer. ______

13. What was wrong with the girl that Paul and his companions met as they were traveling to the place of worship? ______

14. Why did the girl’s masters seize Paul and Silas? ______

15. What were Paul and Silas accused of? ______

Grade6_8_137.doc Page 11 of 13 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey, Lydia and the Jailer Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 137 Acts 15: 36 - 16: 40 16. What did the crowd and the chief magistrates do to Paul and Silas? ______

17. Were Paul and Silas complaining about being unjustly accused and thrown into prison? ______

If not, what were they doing? ______

18. Circle the Correct Answers. There was a great A. storm, B. angel, C. earthquake and immediately all the

doors were opened and A. Paul’s, B. Silas’, C. everyone’s chains were unfastened. BCV ______

19. When the jailer awoke and saw the prison doors were opened what did he do? ______

20. Why didn’t the jailer follow through with his plan in vs. 27? ______

21. When the jailer asked Paul and Silas “sirs, what must I do to be saved?” what did they tell him? ______

22. If, as stated in vs. 31, the jailer believed in the Lord Jesus, did his belief alone save him? (Why or why not) ______

Discuss this question and your answer with your parents and your Bible class teacher.

23. According to vs. 37 – 38, why would Paul and Silas not just “leave in peace”? ______

24. Why were the policemen and chief magistrates afraid? ______

25. Where did Paul and Silas go when they left the city and what did they do? ______

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Answers 1. Check on them to see how they were doing 15:36. Strengthening the churches 16:1

2. John Mark 15:37

3. Paul did not want to take him because he had deserted them in Pamphylia 15:38

4. No

5. Yes, Mt. 7:21-23; Gal 1:6-9; Deut 4:2; Rev 22:18-19

6. Silas 15:40, Syria and Cilicia 16:1

7. Cyprus 15:39

8. Yes, 16:2

9. Spirit of Jesus Directed them not to 16:7

10. To come to Macedonia to help them 16:9

11. The Lord 16:14

12. No, When she was baptized.

13. Had a Spirit of Divination 16:16

14. There hope of profit was gone after Paul drove the Spirit out. 16:19

15. Throwing the city into confusion and proclaiming customs that were not lawful to accept 16:20-21

16. Tore their robes off of them and beat them with rods 16:22. Threw them into prison 16:23

17. No, praying and singing hymns of praise to God 16:25

18. C, C 16:26

19. Drew his sword and was going to kill himself 16:27

20. Paul cried out and told him not to harm himself 16:28

21. Believe in the Lord Jesus and You will be saved 16:31

22. No, he had to be baptized Mark 16:16, Acts 16:33

23. They were Romans and had been beaten in public without a trial.

24. Because Paul and Silas were Romans. 16:38

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SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 138 Acts 17:1-34

Level of Understanding:

General Characteristics: Energetic, independent, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative, wants to be like his peers, beginning to think abstractly, likes competition, hero worshiper, memorizes easily, attention span up to 20 minutes.

Needs: Firm and loving discipline, involvement in learning activities, challenges to memorize, competition, good examples of Christian lifestyle, one teacher for 10 students.

Understanding: Application of Bible to daily problems, identifying with Bible heroes, challenge to read and investigate areas of interest on own, greater awareness of sin and need for salvation.

Goals:

The student should understand that elders were appointed in every church, not one person or organization in charge of many local congregations. They should be able to point out various places on the map that Paul and Barnabas visited.

Objectives:

1. Go over 1 Corinthians 1:23 and explain why some of the Jews didn’t believe Paul and Silas.

Memory Verse:

1 Corinthians 1:23 “but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness”

Suggested Activities

1. Review Bible Facts (contained at the end of this book). Recite these with the students each day.

Available Materials:

Resource Room M109.12 8 Maps Paul and Silas, Second Journey

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Outline:

I. The Second Journey Continued (Acts 17:1-34)

A. Thessalonica: “Upset the World” (Acts 17:1-9)

B. Berea: Many Receive the Word (Acts 17:10-15)

C. Athens: Paul’s Sermon on Mars’ Hill (Acts 17:16-34)

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Paul's Second Journey

Paul's second journey took him to western Asia Minor and Greece. Departing from Antioch, Paul traveled westward through the regions of Cilicia, Phrygia, and Galatia in what today is the country of Turkey. After arriving at Troas on the west coast of Asia Minor, he ventured still further westward, bringing the gospel to Europe.

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Philippi

Acts

16:12-40 Paul followed the Egnatian way from Neapolis to Philippi, which was a Roman colony and a leading city in Macedonia . There he remained for some time.

Context: Philippi was a Roman colony that was located on the Egnatian Way, which was the primary road across Macedonia. A cosmopolitan city, Philippi blended Greek and Latin traditions.

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Thessalonica

Acts

17:1-9 At Thessalonic a a number of people came to faith. But opponents of the new Christian community created a disturbance and attacked the house of Jason, who was arrested and held briefly before being released. Afterward, Paul left the city.

Context: Thessalonica was a major port city in Macedonia, in what today is Greece. The harbor is pictured above. According to Acts and 1 Thessalonians there was hostility against the Christian community at Thessalonica. Although Acts 17:3-4 says that some Thessalonian Jews came to Christian faith, 1 Thess 1:9-10 indicates that most Thessalonian Christians previously held Greco-Roman religious beliefs.

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Athens Acts 17:16- 34 Athens was known for its temples honoring many deities. Paul brought the gospel to the public places of Athens. His preachin g met with mixed results. Some were curious, others were skeptical. Context: Athens was a renowned center for Greek culture. The city's golden era was the 5th century B.C., when it was the center of an empire. Sea trade from the Mediterranean world brought wealth to the city. Temples and other public buildings gave the city an air of grandeur. Philosophy flourished in the city. In Roman times, Athens lost political importance, but continued to manifest the ideals of Greek culture.

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Corinth

Acts

18:1-18

Paul traveled from Athens to Corinth where he stayed with Aquila and Priscilla. At Corinth, Paul made his living by making tents.

At Corinth, Paul wrote a letter known as 1 Thessalonian s to the Christians at Thessalonica.

Context: Corinth was located on the isthmus that connects northern and southern Greece. Because the isthmus is narrow, ships traveling from east to west would often transfer their cargo by land through Corinth in order to resume their journey on the other side. The tents made by Paul and Aquila would have been used by merchants and others who needed shelter when traveling.

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Commerative Area View of the area in Verria which commemorates Paul’s preaching in Berea.

Memorial to Paul in Berea A modern mosaic of the apostle Paul, and the risen Christ above him (outstretched arms) constructed at Verrea.

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Paul Preaching in Berea A modern mosaic representing Paul preaching to the residents of Berea (Acts 17:10–15)

.

Call of Paul to Europe Photo Comments A view of the large mosaic representing the vision that Paul had in Alexandria Troas, calling him to cross the Aegean Sea into Europe (Acts16:8–11).

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Apostle Paul View of the central modern mosaic of the apostle Paul. The mosaic is very recent. The three steps below the mosaic are thought by some to be the place from which Paul preached, but some scholars have suggested that they date to about A.D. 1961! In any case, the spot does preserve the memory of Paul’s ministry in Berea.

Prison View of the traditional site of the prison where Paul and Silas were kept (Acts 16:22–40). This crypt is located near the northwest corner of the forum on the north side of both the Via Egnatia and the modern road. The

Grade6_8_138.doc Page 10 of 18 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 138 Acts 17:1-34 tradition as to this being Paul’s prison goes back to the fifth century A.D.

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1. Theater View looking down into the orchestra area of the theater. The theater was originally constructed in the fifth century B.C. and was remodeled many times. Today it is used for musical and theatrical performances.

Forum (Agora 2) View looking northwest at the excavations of the Forum/Agora. The arched structures are part of the lower (underground) portion of the form. The columns are located on the upper (open air) portion of the forum. A similar style forum has been found at Smyrna.

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White Tower Photo Comments View looking east at the "White Tower." The White Tower is one of the most prominent landmarks in Thessaloniki. It was built by the Turks around A.D. 1430. It was part of the southeastern fortifications of the city. After a bloody massacre there in 1826 it was called the "Bloody Tower," but then it was whitewashed – and thus today is called the "White Tower" – even though the whitewash has long disappeared. It is 115 ft. [35 m.] high.

Kavala (Neapolis) View looking southeast, down on the city (population 60,000) of Kavala (ancient Neapolis). The harbor of the city is visible on the right, south side of the image.

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Citadel View looking east, down on to the citadel of Kavala. The visible walls date to the time of the Ottoman ruler Suleiman the Magnificent (early sixteenth century). The modern harbor is visible in the lower right portion of the image.

Via Egnatia in Philippi View looking west at a portion of the Via Egnatia that actually passed through the city of Philippi — in the area just north of the forum.

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Areopagus (Mars Hill) View looking down (west northwest) on the hill of the Areopagus from the acropolis of Athens. The barren rock hill in the center of the image is the “Areopagus.”

In Acts 17:16–34, Paul stood before the council of the Areopagus to describe the “philosophy” that he was teaching – this was the major “sermon” recorded by the writer of Acts on Paul’s second journey (17:22–31).

In Paul’s day, the council of the Areopagus had evidently reconstituted itself and served as the governing body of Athens. Although throughout its history it met in a variety of locations, there is in fact some evidence that it may have met at this place.

“Areopagus” means “the hill of Ares” (Latin “Mars”). “Ares” (Latin “Mars”) was the Greek god of war and a lover of Aphrodite. It is said that he had to stand trial for murder in Athens on the hill that is named after him!

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NAME DATE:

List BCV for each answer.

1. Where did Paul go, as was his custom, once he reached Thessalonica? ______

______

2. What message was Paul preaching to the Jews? ______

______

______

3. A. All, B. some, C. none of the Jews became believers. BCV ______

4. The mob was seeking to do what according to verse 5? ______

______

5. The mob was accusing Jason of what in verses 6-7? ______

______

6. Why did the mob release Jason and the other Christians? ______

______

7. What type of Jews did Paul and Silas find in Berea and how were they different than those in Thessalonica? ______

______

8. When the Jews of Thessalonica found out Paul had been preaching the word of God in Berea, what did they do? ______

______

9. True or False. Paul, Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. BCV ______

10. Were the majority of people of Athens worshippers of the true and living God? ______

11. What was Paul preaching to the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers? ______

12. Did the Athenians want to hear the message Paul was preaching? ______

13. In verse 24, Paul said “The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not

dwell in temples made with hands”. Who made this same statement in Acts 7:48? ______

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15. According to verse 27, we are to do what? ______

16. Paul told them that all people of everywhere should do what? ______

17. Of whom was Paul speaking in verse 31? ______

Grade6_8_138.doc Page 17 of 18 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 138 Acts 17:1-34 Answers

1. The synagogue of the Jews. 17:1

2. Explaining and giving evidence that Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead. 17:3

3. B. Some of the Jews became believers. 17:4

4. Seeking to bring them out to the people. Acts 17:5

5. Jason was accused of associating with Paul and his companions and acting contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus. 17:6-7

6. Because they received a pledge (money). 17:9

7. More noble-minded. They received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. 17:11

8. They came to Berea, agitating and stirring up the crowds. 17:13

9. False. Only Silas and Timothy remained. 17:14

10. No. They were a city full of idols. 17:17

11. Jesus and the resurrection. 17:18

12. Yes. 17:19

13. Stephen.

14. God.

15. Seek God.

16. Repent. 17:30

17. Christ.

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Level of Understanding:

General Characteristics: Energetic, independent, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative, wants to be like his peers, beginning to think abstractly, likes competition, hero worshiper, memorizes easily, attention span up to 20 minutes.

Needs: Firm and loving discipline, involvement in learning activities, challenges to memorize, competition, good examples of Christian lifestyle, one teacher for 10 students.

Understanding: Application of Bible to daily problems, identifying with Bible heroes, challenge to read and investigate areas of interest on own, greater awareness of sin and need for salvation.

Goals:

The student should understand that elders were appointed in every church, not one person or organization in charge of many local congregations. They should be able to point out various places on the map that Paul and Barnabas visited.

Objectives:

1. Go over 1 Corinthians 1:23 and explain why some of the Jews didn’t believe Paul and Silas.

Memory Verse:

1 Corinthians 1:23 “but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness”

Suggested Activities

1. Review Bible Facts (contained at the end of this book). Recite these with the students each day.

Available Materials:

Resource Room M109.12 8 Maps Paul and Silas, Second Journey

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Outline:

I. Paul’s Second Journey Continued (Acts 18:1-22)

A. Corinth: One-and-a-half Years of Ministry (Acts 18:1-17)

1. Paul Works with Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:1-3)

2. Jews Reject Paul (Acts 18:4-6)

3. Crispus, the Gentile, is Converted (Acts 18:7-11)

4. Gallio Will Not Try Paul (Acts 18:12-17)

5. Return Trip to Antioch (Acts 18:22)

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The account of Paul's Second Missionary Journey begins in Acts 15:36.

When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch in Syria (photo 1) at the conclusion of their first missionary journey, they gathered the church together to report on how God had "opened the door of faith to the Gentiles" throughout Galatia. Meanwhile, some of the Jewish Christian began insisting that Gentile believers must be circumcised in accordance with Jewish law in order to become part of the church. This controversy was settled by a church council in Jerusalem where it was agreed that the new Gentile converts be excused from being circumcised, while suggesting that they abstain from eating the meat of animals killed in pagan sacrifices, from sexual immorality and from eating the meat and blood of strangled animals. A letter outlining the decision was sent to Antioch with Paul, Barnabas, and two Christians from Jerusalem, Judas Barsabbas and Silas. Bolstered by the council's decision, Paul proposed a second missionary journey to Barnabas to strengthen the churches they established on their first journey, and pass on the decision of the Jerusalem council. But an argument between them over giving John Mark a second chance ended with them splitting up. Barnabas took John Mark with him on a separate mission to Cyprus, while Paul chose a new partner, Silas, who had helped deliver the decision from the Jerusalem council. The net result: two missionary expeditions instead of one. Paul's purpose at the start of his second missionary journey was to strengthen the churches he established in Galatia during his first missionary journey and preach the gospel in the province of Asia. With that in mind, Paul and Silas left Antioch in Syria and started overland northward, probably first to Paul's hometown of Tarsus and then across the Taurus Mountains (photo 2) through the famed Cilician Gates (photo 3). In previous centuries Hittite, Assyrian, Persian, Greek and Roman armies had marched through this narrow pass (barely 65' wide) on their way to conquest. Now it was just two men on their way to a more lasting conquest. Once on the high Anatolian plateau (roughly 3,300 feet above sea-level), Paul and Silas turned westward to revisit Derbe (photo 4) and Lystra (photo 5) and the other cities where Paul, with Barnabas, had previously established congregations. At Lystra, where Paul had nearly been stoned to death on his first mission, a young man named Timothy was asked to accompany them as a co-worker. After stopping in Iconium (photo 6) and Pisidian Antioch (photo 7), the three intended to go into the Roman province of Asia--roughly the western third of what we now call Turkey. Instead, the Holy Spirit redirected their efforts and they found themselves heading for Alexandria Troas in northwest Asia Minor, ten miles southwest of ancient Troy (of Homer's Iliad fame). At Troas, Paul had a vision which set the course for his missionary efforts over the remaining years of his life...

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1. Modern Antakya, Turkey (ancient Antioch on the Orontes in Syria), pasted up against the mountains at the northwest corner of the Mediterranean Sea.

2. The Taurus Mountain range, rising over 13,000 feet, to the north of Tarsus, Paul's hometown.

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3. The narrowest part of the famed Cilician Gates, the pass through the Taurus used by the armies of conquerors ranging from Xerxes to Alexander the Great.

4. Looking toward the site of ancient Derbe, in what was in Paul's time, the Roman province of Galatia.

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5. Looking toward the mound of ancient Lystra, also in Galatia.

6. Mausoleum of Mevlana Calaleddin Rumi, founder of the sect known as the Whirling Dervishes, at Konya (ancient Iconium; hometown of Timothy).

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7. Looking toward the site of Pisidian Antioch. The aqueduct that supplied water to the city can just be seen atop the ridge running from left to right through the center of the photo.

Grade6_8_139.doc Page 7 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 Paul's Second Missionary Journey Part 2 - Troas to Philippi At Troas (more properly Alexandria Troas), Paul had a vision which set the course for his missionary efforts over the remaining years of his life:

"During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them" (Acts 16: 9-10).

Alexandria Troas According to Greek historian Strabo (c. 63 BC - c.21 AD), the original settlement on the site was called Sigia; this was probably founded early in the archaic period by Aeolian Greeks from Tenedos, for this stretch of the coast was known as the Tenedean Pieria. A new and far larger city was founded on the same site about 310 BC by Antigonus I Monopthalmos, a general of Alexander the Great and ruler of one of the successor kingdoms established after Alexander's death in 323 BC. Antigonia forced the inhabitants of surrounding villages to relocate to his new city, which he named Antigonia after himself. After the defeat and death of Antigonus and his son Demetrius at the battle of Ipsus in 302 BC, Lysimachus, another of Alexander's generals, changed the name of the city to Alexandria, one of fifteen cities named after their ex-boss by his generals who took over parts his empire. Because of the proximity of the fabled city of Troy (15 miles to the north), travelers called the city Alexandria Troas to distingish it from the others with the same name, most notably the Ptolemaic capital of Egypt. During the Hellenistic era Alexandria Troas became the wealthiest and most populous city in the Troad, for its strategic position near the entrance to the Hellespont made it a convenient place to transfer goods passing between the northern Aegean and the interior of Asia Minor. Its artificial harbor provided shelter from the prevailing north winds. Some ships sailing from Alexandria Troas crossed the Mediterranean to Neapolis (modern Kavala, Greece), the starting point of the Via Egnatia, the main land route west to Rome. During the reign of Augustus a colony of Roman merchants was established within the city. At this time the Province of Asia was administered from Alexandria Troas by Herodes Atticus, whose magnificent odeum on the Acropolis of Athens still bears his name. The principal extant monuments in Alexandria Troas were erected by him during his term of office there.

After the time of Paul: In the 4th century AD the city was thriving to such an extent that Emperor Constantine initially decided to make it the new captial of his empire. But he changed his mind and chose Byzantium (now Istanbul, formerly Consatntinople) instead. Afterward, the fortunes of Alexandria Troas declined. Even after the Ottomans overran Constaninople, they began referring to Alexandia Troas as Eski Istanbul (Old Istanbul), and indication of its importance. The Ottomans scavaged the city of its marble and other remains and shipping them to Istanbul for the construction of the famous Blue Mosque. Even two centuries ago the ruins remained fairly impressive, but today the high walls, towers and temples have vanished.

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Walking in Paul's footsteps--Alexandria Troas: At the time of Paul, Alexandria Troas was a Roman colony, independent of provincial administration, with a governmental organization modeled after that of Rome. It was an important seaport for connections between Macedonia and Greece on the one hand and Asia Minor on the other. At some point a church was started here, because Paul stopped to preach here on this third missionary journey. Today the extensive, but rather overgrown site of the ancient city occupies a lonely area 50 miles south of Çanakkale. The remains of the 1,000 acre city , dating mainly from the Roman period, include the baths of Herodes Atticus (photo 1), the city wall (6 miles in circumference) and aqueduct.

At Toas Paul, Silas and Timothy were joined by Luke, the author of Acts, who began recording the journey in the first person (note the word "us" in the passage cited above). Together, the foursome sailed northwestward for the island of Samothrace...

Samothrace/Samothracia ("a sign of rags") Samothrace is a mountainous island (photo 2) in the northeastern Aegean Sea, about 25 miles off the southern coast of Asia Minor, with peaks rising over 5,000 feet. It was a convenient place to for boats to anchor rather than risk sailing at nightl According to Homer, Poseidon watched the fighting at Troy from its highest peak, Mt. Fengári (5,380'). As implied by its name, Samothrace ("Thracian Samos") was originally populated by Thracians, who founded a sanctuary of the "great gods" there. About 300 BC, the first Greeks arrived and from then on the cult grew and developed. Under Roman control, beginning in 168 BC, the cult of the mother goddess Kybele, which originated in Asia Minor, became associated with that of the great gods*. Only with the spread of Christianity in the 5th century AD did the cult come to an end. *Our knowledge of the cult of the "great gods" remains imperfect, owing to the secrecy maintained by its practitioners. A central place was occupied by the Thracian mother goddess, two divinities of the underworld, a vegetation god and others, who were revered as protectors of nature, and later as patrons of sailors.

After spending the night at Samothrace, the missionaries sailed for the port city of Neapolis...

Neapolis (Greek "new city") In Paul's day Neapolis was the port city for Philippi, 9 miles to the north. It sat on a neck of land between two bays, each of which served as a harbor. The city waa founded in the 6th century BC by settlers from the island of Paros, but the area has been inhabited since Neolithic times (3,000 BC). It became Roman in 168 BC and served as a base for Julius Caesar's assassins, Brutus and Cassius, before their defeat at nearby Philippi. Neapolis knew great prosperity thanks to its strategic location-- its proximity to the gold mines in the nearby Pangaion hills and its position on the Via Egnatia, the important east-west Roman highway through Macedonia.

After the time of Paul: Much later, in commemoration of St. Paul's visit, Neapolis was renamed Christoupolis ("city of Christ") Today the site of ancient Neapolis is occupied by modern Kavala (photo 3) a name derived

Grade6_8_139.doc Page 9 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 from the Latin caballo meaning "horse." One of the most attractive of Greece's large cities (population 56,000), its buildings rise like the tiers of an amphitheater up the slopes of Mt. Simvolo, overlooking the picturesque harbor. Kavala's most prominent features are a 16th century castle (photo 4) and the Kamares aqueduct, built in Roman-style on the old acropolis during the reign of the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent (1520-66). Both are lighted at night, providing a beautiful focus for a stroll along the waterfront.

From Neapolis, the missionaries followed the Roman highway known as the Via Egnatia nine miles north to Philippi. There, they established the first church on European soil.

1. Part of the ruins of the baths of Herodes Atticus at the site of Alexandria Troas, near ancient Troy. Note the Aegean Sea beyond.

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2. Mountainous island of Samothrace from the south--as Paul would have seen it on his voyage from Alexandria Troas to Neapolis.

3. Harbor at modern Kavala, Greece, on the site of ancient Neapolis

4. 16th century castle at Kavala, lighted at night.

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Paul's Second Missionary Journey (Part 3 - Philippi, the first church is established on European soil) After landing at Neapolis, Paul, Silas, Timothy and Luke headed for the important city of Philippi, which lay nine miles inland across a steep mountain ridge. As they came to the top of this rise they could see the city lying at the foot of its acropolis and intercepting the Via Egantia, the main Roman highway running east-west from Asia to Europe:

Philippi (from Greek philippos, from philos "friend" and hippos "horse," meaning "lover of horses") In the 368 BC, settlers from the island of Thasos founded a town there called Krenedes, after the springs (krenai) in the vicinity. Unable to protect their settlement, they requested the help of Philip II (359-336 BC) of Macedon (the father of Alexander the Great). He assisted them, but then seized the town because he needed the rich gold deposits in the nearby Pangaion hills to finance his battles to control Greece. He enlarged and fortified the town and renamed it after himself. But Philippi was of little importance until the establishment of the Via Egnatia (Egnatian Way), as it guarded the narrow gap through which the great east-west highway of the Roman Empire had to pass. In 42 BC the plain outside Philippi was the scene of a momentous battle that decided the fate of the Roman Empire. After assassinating Julius Caesar, Brutus and Cassius fled east and were forced to confront the pursuing armies of Octavian and Antony. After the loss of a large part of their forces in two successive battles, and with defeat imminent, first Cassius, then Brutus killed himself. Octavian later defeated Antony and Cleopatra in a sea battle at Actium, Greece in 31 BC, and went on to become the first emperor, renamed Augustus. Afterward, Philippi was refounded by Octavian with retired army veterans who were given land in the area so that the frontier city would have a military presence. Thereafter Philippi grew from small settlement to a city of dignity and privilege with the title Colonia Augusta Julia Philippinsis which gave the Philippians Roman citizenship, exempting them from taxes. They prided themselves on being Romans (Acts 16:21), dressed like Romans and often spoke Latin (numerous inscriptions in Latin are found around the site). No doubt this was the background for Paul's reference in Philippians 3:20:

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ."

Walking in the footsteps of Paul--Philippi:

The excavations of ancient Philippi lie on both sides of the modern highway which follows the line of the old Via Egnatia. Generally the remains seen today are Roman or early Christian.

• On the south side of the modern highway is the city's large rectangular agora (photos 1 & 2) (230' by 485'), dating from the time of Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD). The agora (Greek "to gather") was a public square where goods were sold; also where trials and assemblies were held (in its original context, agora meant "I address the public;" eventually it came to indicate the marketplace also). After the time of Paul it must have been built over and to some extent following the plan of the older agora. There were colonnades on three sides. The paving stones of the Via Egnatia can be seen alongside the concrete embankment of the modern road (photo 3). You can easily imagine Paul and Silas walking here with Lydia and her family In the center of the agora's north side was a

Grade6_8_139.doc Page 12 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 bema ("court," NIV; "judgment-seat," ASV and KJV) which served as a place for public debate (as at Corinth). At the northeast and northwest corners were two large temples, while at the east end there was a library (photos 4). • Among the principal remains at the site are several impressive, though ruined, churches. The most conspicuous, designated "Basilica B," (photo 5) is on the south side of the agora. It was built in the 6th century by an architect from Constantinople who modeled it after the great church of St. Sophia in his home city. While attempting to add its dome, the eastern wall collapsed, so that the sanctuary was never dedicated. The west end, still standing in 837 AD, fell leaving only the narthex to be converted into a small church in the 10th century. The extensive remains include its massive corner piers and some pillars topped by capitals with interesting acanthus-leaf decoration. Southwest of the basilica are the well preserved public latrines, with fifty of its original marble seats still intact. To the west of the church are ruins of the Roman baths. • Immediately east of the agora are the remains of an octagonal church inscribed in a square. It was built on the site of the first Christian church at Philippi and, according to a mosaic inscription on its floor, it was dedicated to St. Paul. It had an inner colonnade of 20 columns on seven sides with a marble iconostasis (altar screen) on the eighth. On the north side was cross-shaped baptistery (photo 6). The church was approached from the Via Egnatia by a great gate. • North of the agora, across the modern highway and up a flight of steps, are the ruins of another church, "Basilica A," probably destroyed by an earthquake soon after its construction, then used as a quarry. Its north walls, with remains of its frescoes, still stand to a considerable height. • Against the east the east slope of the acropolis is the ancient theater (photo 7). It dates back to the founding of Philippi, but it has been remodeled a number of times. It had seating for about 5,000 people, and it was built by Philip II around the middle of 4th century BC; One of the oldest edifices in Philippi, it was certainly in its prime at the time of Paul's visit. • Now, as then, Philippi was dominated by its acropolis (photo 8). At its summit are three massive medieval towers built on the ruins of the Macedonian walls. The climb is recommended for the view of the agora and the surrounding plain. On the ascent are the ruins of a sanctuary to Egyptian deities--Isis, Serapis, Harpocrates. • Philippi was protected by a six-mile long circuit of walls starting from the summit of the acropolis and descending the steep slope on the south side to encompass a large part of the area at the base of the hill. The earliest part dates to the time of Philip II; the latest to Justinian I (527-565 AD).

Paul preaches the Gospel in Philippi: At Philippi, Paul did not follow his usual pattern of first going to the Jewish synagogue. Philippi had no synagogue, and it is assumed the Jewish population was small. Also, there are no Old Testament quotes in Philippians. For whatever reason, the Jews and "God-fearers" (those who honored the Jewish beliefs but were not full converts, i.e., circumcised) of Philippi chose to meet outside the city near the river. One of the more memorable incidents of Paul's second missionary journey took place outside the Philippi city walls:

Grade6_8_139.doc Page 13 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 "On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us" (Acts 16:13-15).

Today, the baptism of Lydia from Thyatira (in Turkey; one of the Seven Cities of Revelation), the first baptism on European soil, is commemorated on the banks of the Gangites river (photo 9), beyond the Krenides Gate and about 3/4 mile west of the ancient city center. Here, there is a small chapel, the Baptistery of the Lydians, and a ground-level baptistery near the the riverbank. I especially recall the sound of rushing water and the pink rose bushes sprinkled around the area. Our visit here was made more memorable when a member of my tour group, Kongo Kimura, from Hilo, Hawaii, chose to be baptized here. Luke recorded another significant incident at Philippi: One day, as the missionaries were heading for the riverside sanctuary, a strange confrontation brought them to the attention of the whole city:

"Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned round and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her. When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place (see photos 1 and 4, again) to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice." The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!" The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved-you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family."

Across the modern highway from the agora and just west of the aforementioned "Basilica A" is a small crypt (photo 10) designated as the "Prison of Paul." However, a guidebook sold at the site states that this so-called "prison of Paul" was, in reality, a double water cistern converted into a place of worship. The Grade6_8_139.doc Page 14 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 tradition that Paul and Silas were imprisoned there dates from the 5th century. There is no proof that they were held there. The next day the city magistrates sent some of their men to the jailer to have Paul and Silas released. But Paul became outraged that he and Silas, who were Roman citizens, had been beaten and imprisoned without a trial. Rather than leave quietly, as the officials wanted, Paul demanded an escort out of the city. He was not being difficult. It was important for him to be seen leaving with dignity so as to ensure the future of the new church members they would leave behind. But before they left, they visited Lydia's house to encourage the new believers. Of all the churches he established, Paul had a special bond with the Philippians, and no church supported him with more genuine love, prayers and gifts, as the opening to Paul's later letter to them shows: "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now" (Philippians 1:3-5). The next target city for Paul, Silas and Timothy was Thessalonica, 100 miles to the west, along the Via Egnatia. (The "we/us" references in Acts stop temporarily here, therefore it is assumed that Luke remained in Philippi to assist the Christians there.)

1. Part of the large rectangular agora at Philippi.

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2. Shops and storage jars at the agora in Philippi.

3. Paving stones of the Via Egnatia in the agora at Philippi (in the upper right corner is the concrete embankment of the modern highway).

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4. Another view of the agora (the rectangular doorframe in the upper part of the photo, right of center, marks the site of the library.

5. Ruins of the unfinished "Basilica B" at the south side of the agora at Philippi.

6. Cross-shaped baptistery in the octagonal church at the east end of the agora dedicated to St. Paul.

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7. Theater at Philippi, built against the east slope of the acropolis.

8. Acropolis of Philippi with remains of the bath house in the foreground.

9. The Gangetis River, west of the city walls of Philippi. The traditional "place of prayer" where Paul baptized Lydia from Thyatira.

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10. Traditional prison of Paul.

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Paul's Second Missionary Journey (Part 4 - From Philippi to Thessalonica) From Philippi, Paul, Silas and Timothy traveled west along the Via Egnatia, passing through Amphipolis and Appolonia on their way to Thessalonica, the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia:

Via Egnatia Named for its builder, Gnaios Egnatios, the Roman proconsul of Macedonia, the Via Egnatia (photo 1) ran 493 miles from Dyrrhachium (modern Durres, Albania), on the Adriatic Sea, to Byzantium (modern Istanbul). Thus, Thessalonia had easy access to both land and sea routes leading to Asia, Syria and beyond. It is this road that Paul followed west from Neapolis to Philippi, then Thessalonica.

Amphipolis Amphipolis was located about 32 miles west of Philippi and 3 miles from the Aegean Sea on the Via Egnatia. Its name, meaning "around the city" (from amphi, "around," and polis, "city") , is derived from the fact that Strymon (Strimón) River flowed around it (photo 2). Originally a Thracian town called Ennea Hodoi ("Nine Roads"), it was colonized by Athens in 437 BC. A Spartan named Brasidas seized it in 424 BC and defeated the Athenian Cleon, who tried to recapture it in 422 BC. It was officially returned to Athens in 421 BC but actually remained independent, despite Athenian attempts to regain control. Philip II of Macedonia occupied it in 357 BC, and it remained under Macedonian control until 168 BC, when Rome made it a free city and the prosperous capital of the first district of Macedonia. A strategic transportation center, it controlled the route from northern Greece to the Hellespont to the east, including the western approach to the timber, gold, and silver of Mount Pangaion in Thrace. Excavations have revealed traces of the ancient walls, a gymnasium (photo 3) and a Roman aqueduct. Outside the ancient city, immediately west of the bridge over the Srymon River, is a 4th century burial monument (photo 4) known as the "Lion of Amphipolis." The site of the ancient city is now occupied by the modern Greek town of Amfípoli.

Apollonia (photo 5) A maritime city of Macedonia located 38 miles east of Thessaloniki on the Via Egnatia; its name means "belonging to Apollo." Apparently Paul did not preach here or in Amphipolis because neither had a significant Jewish population.

On his arrival in Thessalonica, Paul, Silas and Timothy "as usual" made his way to the synagogue.

Thessalonica Thessalonica was a port city about 100 miles west of Philippi and 190 miles northwest of Athens. The city was founded about 315 BC by King Cassander of Macedon, who named it after his wife Thessalonikeia, a half-sister of Alexander the Great. Little is known about her except that she was born under favorable circumstances her father Philip II's conquest of Thessaly Her name means "victory Grade6_8_139.doc Page 20 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 (niki or nica) in Thessaly." The city continued to develop until Rome defeated Perseus, the last Macedonian king, in 168 BC. Rome divided the former kingdom into four independent "free" districts, then, in 146 BC, established it as a province with Thessalonica as its capital. At the time of Paul it had a population of about 200,000, making it the largest city in Macedonia. Thessalonica was located in a natural amphitheater on the slopes of the Kortiates Mountains at the head of the Thermaic Gulf, with a view (when not obscured by a prevailing haze) of fabled Mt. Olympus across the bay. It was an important trade and communication center at the junction of the Via Egnatia and the road north to the Danube.

Walking in the footsteps of Paul--Thessalonica: Paul first came to Thessalonica in 50-51 AD during his second missionary journey, and there established the second Christian community in Europe (after Philippi). As in all Greek/Roman cities this new church was up against various cults, including ones to the Egyptian deities Serapis and Isis. Zeus was honored, as were Asclepius, Aphrodite. Dionysus and Demeter. There was also evidence of a cult to a number of gods collectively called Cabiri who were thought to promote fertility and protect sailors, especially important in a port city like Thessalonica. Their importance is evidenced by coins from the first century AD which depict the Cabiri as the city's tutelary deities. Unlike Philippi, most of the ancient city still lies under the modern city, now called Thessaloniki, popularly called Saloniki. Consequently there are few ruins to help pilgrims envision what the city was like at the time of Paul. Among those that can be seen is:

• Agora (photo 6) - Located in the center of town is the agora,* about 70 by 110 yards, which dates about 100 to 300 AD. The remains of shops (photo 7) can be seen today, but only about one-fourth has been excavated; the rest is under the surrounding buildings. A third century odeum (small covered theater) (photo 8) is preserved on the east side. It is also possible that a second agora was located close to the harbor, and that the Jews, who came to Thessalonica possibly less than a decade after the city's foundation, located their synagogue in the vicinity. During the 1st cent. BC, a large Jewish community formed near the port, therefore this may have been the synagogue where Paul taught. As attested by a marble inscription, the city also had a Samaritan synagogue.

*Greek equivalent of the Roman "forum;" derived from the Greek ageiro, "to gather"

• City walls and acropolis - The upper part of the city was built on the cliffs of the quarry where the stone for building the walls came. Originally built shortly after 315 BC, the walls (photo 9) were a total of 5 miles in length, from 10' to 15' thick and 33" to 39" high. In the 4th century AD, they were extensively strengthen by emperor Constantine. Later they were reinforced by the Byzantines and, in the final phase (14th and 15th centuries), towers were added by the Turks. Until the second half of the 19th century they completely surrounded the town. Today only about 2 1/2 miles remain; the sections nearest the waterfront were pulled down by Turkish authorities in the 1869.

Grade6_8_139.doc Page 21 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 Paul made a another visit to Thessalonica in 56 AD. Both of Paul's letters to the Thessalonians were written from Corinth: 1 Thessalonians, in 52 AD, and 2 Thessalonians, perhaps about 6 months later, in 51 - 52 AD.

After the time of Paul: With a population of over a half-million people, Thessaloniki popularly, Saloniki) is the most populous city in Greece after Athens. It serves as capital of the region of Macedonia and the province of Salonika. The second largest port in Greece after Piraeus (near Athens), it has an impressive waterfront, backed by wide and well-planned streets. The city's industries produce textiles, soap, carpets, tobacco products and ships. Exports include agricultural products and hides as well as manganese and chrome ores.

Landmarks dating after the time of Paul: • White Tower (115' high) - Built in 1530 on older foundations and was once part of the city walls during the Turkish rule. One sultan executed his rebellious bodyguard here in 1826 and locals began calling it the "Bloody Tower." The sultan took umbrage and painted it white It is no longer painted white and it provides a beautiful focus for a evening walk along the waterfront (photos 10 &11).

• Basilica of Agia Sofia - Originally built in the 8th century AD, its name means "Holy Wisdom," two attributes of Christ. A mosaic inside the dome depicts the Ascension. The capitals of the interior columns are believed to be from the original church.

• St. Demetrios Church (photos 12 & 13) - Originally built shortly after 463 AD and rebuilt in the 7th century and again in 1948, it is the largest church in Greece. Located north of the ancient agora, it was built over the place where a young Roman soldier named Demetrios (now the city's patron saint) was imprisoned, tortured and burned by the Romans in 305 AD for preaching the Gospel. The oldest part of the church, the crypt below the altar, was once the Roman baths near the agora. The remains of the Roman road can be seen in the crypt.

• Triumphal Arch of Galerius (photo 14) - In the 4th century AD, Thessalonika was one of the four capitals of the Roman Empire and served as the seat of the Emperor Galerius (d. 311 AD), who was absolutely opposed to Christianity. During the great persecution of 303-311, he issued several edicts authorizing the deaths of Christians and the destruction of Christian property. The reliefs on the piers depict the emperor's military campaigns.

• Rotunda - A colonnaded street once ran north to the Rotunda (photo 14, again) which was originally built as a mausoleum for Gallerius' remains. It was never used as such. Ironically it later became a church (St. George's). The damaged minaret to the west is a relic of the time when it was converted into a mosque.

Paul preaches the Gospel in Thessalonica: (The account of Paul's visit is found in Acts 17:1-10) While in Thessalonica, Paul supported himself, as usual, by making tents ("Surely you remember, brothers, our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we

Grade6_8_139.doc Page 22 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 preached the gospel of God to you" 1 Thess. 9:2.) For three Sabbaths, Paul discussed the Gospel with the Jews in their synagogue to show them that Jesus' death and resurrection fulfilled the scriptures. Some of the Jews were convinced by his arguments, as were many God-fearing Greeks and "not a few prominent women" of the city. But other Jews, resenting Paul's success, "rounded up some bad characters from the market-place, formed a mob and started a riot in the city." Then they went to the house of Jason, where the disciples were staying, planning to drag them before the city officials. Unable to find Paul and his group, the instigators seized Jason* and some other Christians and brought them before the city magistrates, "shouting: 'These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.'"

Sound familiar? This last charge ("another king, one called Jesus") sounds very much like the one made against Jesus before Pontius Pilate.

Alarmed by this, the magistrates made Jason and the others post bond before setting them free. After dark, "the brothers" sent the missionaries away to Berea, 45 miles to the west-southwest.

*Jason is the Greek version of the Semitic names Joshua or Jesus. Incidentally, he would would later join Paul in Corinth (see Romans 16:1).

1. Remains of the Via Egnatia paralleling the modern highway between Philippi and Thessaloniki.

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2. The river Strymon winding around the acropolis (right) of the ancient Athenian colony of Amphipolis.

3. Excavations of gymnasium at Amphipolis.

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4. "Lion of Amphipolis;" a 4th century BC burial monument near the Strymon River. Paul would have passed it as he traveled the Via Egnatia through Amphipolis.

5. Lake near the site of ancient Apollonia.

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6. Excavations of the Roman agora in the center of modern Saloniki.

7. Shop remains in the agora of Thessalonica

8. 3rd century AD odeum (small theater, once covered by a wooden roof) in the agora at Thessalonica.

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9. Part of the ancient walls of Thessalonica.

10. Walking along the waterfront of Salonici, with the landmark "White Tower" ahead.

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11. "White Tower," lighted at night, along the Thessaloniki waterfront (once part of the city walls).

12. St. Demetrios Church, the largest church in Greece, commemorating Tessaloniki's patron saint, located near the ancient agora.

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13. Interior of St. Demetrios Church.

14. Triumphal arch of the Emperor Galerius (left) and the round Rotunda (right), originally built as a mausoleum for Gallerius. It was never used as such. Ironically it later became a church (and a mosque, as indicated by the damaged minaret).

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Paul's Second Missionary Journey (Part 5 - From Thessalonica to Athens) After Paul and Silas were forced to leave Thessalonica (photo 1), "in the dead of night" they headed 57 miles west-southwest to Berea (Timothy is not mentioned; possibly he stayed in Thessalonica or went back to Philippi and later rejoined Paul and Silas in Berea):

Following in the footsteps of Paul--from Thessalonica to Berea: Fifty miles southwest of Saloniki, modern-day pilgrims pass through the village of Vergina, where the Macedonian kings established their first capital. Here, in a vaulted tomb, a golden sarcophagus was found which is thought contain the bones of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. Excavations in this area, conducted for over a century, have also uncovered a palace, pagan temples and other finds, but the unplundered royal tombs were discovered only in 1977. King Philip of Macedon (359 - 336 BC) took his barbaric little country of peasants without a seaport, created a powerful military force and brought Greece into a single confederacy in 338 BC. Before Philip, Greece was not a nation but a geographic area of tribes and city states. At the height of his power, Philip was assassinated by one of his bodyguards during the wedding of his daughter. So, in 336 BC, at the age of 20, Alexander, specially educated by his father, was crowned King of Macedonia to fulfill Philip's dream of conquering Persia and the unification of the known world into a single Hellenistic empire.

Berea or Beroea (modern Veria): First recorded in 500 BC, Berea belonged to the kingdom of Macedon and, in 168 BC, it became part of the Roman province of Macedonia. The modern village (photo 1) is pleasantly situated on the slope of the Bermios range in the valley of the Haliacmon River. It has a number of churches, the most notable of which are Ayios Christos, Ayia Fotini and Ayios Kyrikos. Also here is the foundation of an ancient Jewish synagogue where mosaics have been placed in honor of Paul's Second Missionary Journey (photo 2). (All the Jews in Berea were murdered when they were shipped them off to concentration camps by the Nazis during the German occupation of Greece during World War II). Elsewhere in the town are other remains, including a gate, parts of the ancient walls and a section of the Roman road.

Paul preaches the Gospel in Berea: At Berea, Paul found a synagogue more sympathetic to his ideas, presumably because it included some upper-class Greek converts (God-fearers), both male and female. "Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men" (Acts 17:12). The names of at least one of his converts is known: Sopater, son of Pyrrhus, who accompanied Paul to Jerusalem seven years later. But the harmony that Acts depicts did not last. When the hostile Thessalonian Jews heard that Paul was preaching in Berea, they followed him and stirred up the people against him. While Silas and Timothy stayed behind, Paul was quickly escorted out of town. Paul and his escort then traveled south to Athens, presumably by boat, and the escort returned to Berea to instruct Silas and Timothy to rejoin Paul as soon as possible.

Grade6_8_139.doc Page 30 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 At Athens, while waiting for Silas and Timothy to join him, Paul had the chance to tour one of the great cities of the ancient world:

Athens Athens was named for the goddess Athena. It lies on a small plain extending southward to the Saronic Gulf, a branch of the Aegean Sea. The city center is 7 miles from the coast and and forms a single metropolitan area with the port of Piraeus. Athens is surrounded by mountains: Aigaleos to the west, Parnes to the north, Pentelikon to the northeast, and Hymettus to the east. Most are of limestone or marble, from which the ancient buildings of the city were constructed. There is evidence of human occupation at the site before 3000 BC In the 6th century BC the city was the scene of the world's first attempt at democratic government. In 86 BC, the Roman general Sulla burned the city's arsenals and shipyards, and leveled its walls when the city attempted to break away from Rome. After the sea battle near Actium, Greek in 31 BC, in which Athens sided with Mark Antony, emperor Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD) punished Athens by taking away its right to grant citizenship and mint coins. It was further decided that the proconsul would administer the province from Corinth. By the time of Paul, Athens was considered a university town and seat of intellectualism. Although fallen from its former greatness of the 5th century BC, when it was renowned for its philosophers, artists, artists, playwrights and statesmen, it was still the most famous intellectual center of the Roman Empire. It was famous for its temples, statues and monuments, but it had lost its position as a political and commercial power to Corinth.

Following in the footsteps of Paul--Athens: Modern Athens is a city of over 4,000,000

• Acropolis (photo 4) (from Greek akron, "edge" or "summit," and polis, "city") - The site where Athens itself began, it is located in the center of the city on a 512' high hill. From the Acropolis, one can see virtually all of Athens, except for its furthest urban sprawl. Beyond lie the protective mountain ranges of Parnes, Hymettos, and Pentelikon, famous today as in antiquity for fine marble and honey. It is easy to see why this abrupt steep-sided rock was chosen as the first citadel of ancient Athens; it is a superb natural defensive site. Once fortified, it was virtually impregnable, although defenders were hampered by the lack of water. Still, the Acropolis was a fitting home for the virgin warrior goddess, Athena. Many of the temples built there were shrines to Athena.

• Athena Nike Temple (Victorious Athena) (427-424 BC) - A little Ionic temple the right of the monumental entrance.

• Tower of Agrippa (c. 178 BC) that bore a succession of statues, including a chariot carrying Antony and Cleopatra then, later, of Marcus Agrippa in 27 BC

• Propylaea (photo 5) - Monumental entrance to the Acropolis; To reach the Acropolis, Paul, like all visitors today, ascended a monumental staircase on the west side. It had been built by the emperor Claudius less than ten years before Paul's arrival. The Propylaea sits on a wedge-shaped rock whose irregularities governed of the building itself. The terrain may have defeated the project, which was never completed. In essence, the propylaea has a central hall flanked by two wings one of which contained a picture gallery with many pictures by the legendary artist

Grade6_8_139.doc Page 31 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 Polygnotos depicting both legendary and historical figures.

• Temple of Athena Parthenos (virgin); familiarly known as the Parthenon (photo 6) - Dedicated in 438 BC, the Parthenon is 238' long, 111' wide, and 65' high, with 8 Doric columns on its short sides and 17 on its long sides. There is scarcely a straight line in the entire building. The architects realized that straight lines can create clumsy optical illusions: verticals bend, horizontals sag. To compensate for such tricks of the eye, each column bows at the center (known in Greek as "entasis") and each horizontal rises gradually in the middle. Every column slants inward slightly to give the impression of soaring height (if the axes of each column were extended upward, they would meet a mile overhead). It took ten years to construct and fifteen to sculpt the decoration. In its prime, the Parthenon was decorated with great bronze rosettes and painted in red and blue. The natural honey-hue of the Parthenon marble was hidden in antiquity. Visitors will have to decide whether they are disappointed, or relieved, not to have seen the Parthenon and its neighboring temples bedecked with color. Its main function was to house a 40' high statue of Athena, constructed of gold, ivory and precious gems. Most of the damage seen today is the result of an attempt by the Venetians to seize the Acropolis back from the Turks in 1687. The Turks used the Parthenon as a powder magazine and the Venetian commander lobbed an artillery shell through the roof and blew it apart.

• Erechtheum (photo 7) (built between 421 and 406 BC) and located to the north of the Parthenon; Dedicated to the goddess Athena Polis (Athena of the City) and the god Poseidon Erechtheus, the ancient patron of the city. (Erechtheus was a mythical hero later identified with Poseidon). Tradition says it was built on the very spot where Athena and Poseidon had their contest for possession of Athens. It is famous for the six Maidens (their proper name) holding up the roof of the porch on the south side of the temple with their heads. They are more popularly called "Caryatids" after the beautiful women of Karyai on the Peloponnese Peninsula. Those seen today are copies. Five of the originals are kept in the Acropolis museum; one was taken (stolen, the Greeks claim) to the British Museum in London. This porch had no entrance; it was intended only to balance the building. Within the temple was an ancient wooden idol and an olive wood statue of Athena Polis. Like the great statue of Athena in the Parthenon, this statue also received a new robe at the time of the Panathenaic festival.

• Just east of the Parthenon was the Temple of Augustus, attesting to the widespread emperor worship in New Testament times.

• Odeum of Herodes Atticus (160-174 AD) - One of the two theaters located on the south slope of the Acropolis.

• Theater of Dionysus - Also located on the south slope of the Acropolis and dedicated to Dionysus, the god of wine, fertility, and revelry. The birthplace of Greek drama.

• Agora (photo 8) - The Athens agora began as a large public area on either side of the sacred way leading from the western city gate to the Acropolis. Later it functioned primarily as the center of commercial life; markets were held here, and it was the site of transactions of all kinds. In later times the agora also became a religious center with temples, altars, commemorative statues. In the hillside south of the agora there were springs that were piped down into sheltered draw basins (fountain houses). Along the western side a nondescript group of rooms housed the Athenian council before the construction of a theater like assembly hall (bouleuterion) and the

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• Library of Hadrian - Next to the Roman Agora.

Two more modern monuments seen in Athens: • Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - Erected 1928 to commemorate all Greek war dead; located in front of the Old Palace, now the seat of Greece's Parliament.

• Lycabettus Hill - Named for the packs of wolves (lyki) that once roamed over its slopes, it rises almost 500' above city, and is topped by the whitewashed 19th century chapel of St. George.

Paul preaches the Gospel in Athens: (The account of Paul's stay in Athens is found in Acts 17:16-34; 18:1)

The episode in Athens address an important question: How do you tell the Gospel message to those who are ignorant of God, the Bible, the Messiah and the resurrection? With Jews in their synagogues Paul shared a common background, but when speaking in the Athens Agora or meeting with the city council he had to face the problem of communicating to a people who were neither Jews nor God-fearers, but pagans. Yet he found a common ground which enabled him to make contact-our common humanity and our common world-both gifts of a benevolent Creator.

As Paul passed the time in Athens waiting for Silas and Timothy, he toured the city, but he became "greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols." According to the Greek writer Plutarch (c.46- c.120 AD), there were twenty-thousands statues of gods in Athens, and a Roman satirist named Juvenal (c.60-130 AD) stated that it was easier to find a god in the city then a man. It is little wonder that Paul was bothered by what he saw. He spent some of his time there debating with the Athenian Jews and God-fearers in the city's synagogue. He also headed for the agora (photo 9), or marketplace, to talk with anyone who would listen. Apparently there were many willing to do so because Acts adds that "all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas" (Acts 17:21). Among the audience were a group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers who " began to dispute with him." The Epicureans, named for their founder, Epicurus, believed the gods were too remote to influence the world, and that death utterly ended all existence. They stressed that taking the gods out of the picture opened the way to intellectual pleasure as the ultimate goal in life (new age atheists?). The Stoics were named for the stoa, or roofed colonnade in the agora, where Zeno, their founder, taught. They believed that God existed in everything and that people should live in accord with nature, recognizing their own self-sufficiency and independence. Restraint from all emotion, they stated, brought true happiness and wisdom. They refused to show joy or sorrow (like Spock on Star Trek). These philosophers initially scorned Paul, calling him a "babbler" (Greek spermologos), literally a bird that picks up seeds, implying that he went around collecting intellectual tidbits. Some even thought that when he spoke of "Jesus and the resurrection" ("anastasis") he was referring to a pair of new deities. Yet they invited him to appear before the Aeropagus to explain his doctrine. The Aeropagus was the city's governing council. At one time the council governed a city-state and met at a gray, rocky outcrop, 377' high, west of the Acropolis called the Aeropagus (photo 10), from which it Grade6_8_139.doc Page 33 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 took its name. The Romans knew Ares, the Greek god of thunder and war, as Mars, and today the Aeropagus is more familiarly known as Mars Hill. By the time of Paul the Aeropagus retained jurisdiction only over educational and religious matters, including the introduction of foreign divinities, and met in Royal Portico at the northwest corner of the Agora (marketplace). Paul complied with their request. Standing before the entire council he told the Athenians that as he strolled around the city he had seen their altar with the inscription "TO AN UNKNOWN GOD" (see the blue box below). He used this as a starting point for his sermon, stating that the God he spoke of "does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else" (Acts 17:24-25). He also spoke about the resurrection of the dead, and some of them sneered and could not contain their laughter. Although several schools of philosophy believed in the immortality of the soul, the Greeks regarded the idea of "bodily" resurrection as completely ludicrous. But some of those in attendance wanted to hear more at a later time. A few were convinced, including "Dionysus, a member of the Aeropagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others." After this meeting, Paul left Athens via the Sacred Way and traveled westward along the Saronic Gulf to Corinth...

"To an Unknown God" -- Has an altar with this inscription ever been found in Athens? A biography of Apollonius, a traveler from Tyana who came to Athens not long after Paul, contains a remark to the effect that it was wise "to speak well of all the gods, especially at Athens, where altars are set up in honor even of unknown gods." Although none of these altars have been found, in 1909, a mutilated stone (below) was discovered at site of Pergamum (in western Turkey) with the inscription: "To unknown gods, Capito, Torch-bearer."

Furthermore, a somewhat similar altar, dating about 100 BC) stands on the Palatine Hill in Rome. Its inscription begins, "Sacred to a god or goddess..." The Greeks feared offending any god by failing to give it attention; so they felt they could cover any omissions by honoring an "unknown god." A second century AD geographer named Pausanias, in his Description of Greece, relates that he saw "altars of the gods named Unknown, and of heroes" along the road from the harbor to Athens. Six hundred years before Paul's time a terrible plague hit the city. A Cretan poet Epimenides came forward with a plan A flock of black and white sheep were let loose Grade6_8_139.doc Page 34 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 throughout the city from the the Aeropagus. Wherever each lay down it was sacrificed to the nearest god. If a sheep lay down where there was no shrine, it was sacrificed to the the "unknown god."

1. Remains of the Via Egnatia, the Roman highway used by Paul in his travels through Macedonia.

2. Modern village of Veria at the site of ancient Berea.

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3. Mosaic commemorating the visit of Paul to Berea at modern Veria.

4. Athens Acropolis (left to right, on the summit): Porpylaea, Erechtheum, Parthenon; on the slope below is the Odeum of Herodes Atticus.

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5. Staircase ascending to the propylaea (monumental entrance) to the Acropolis.

6. Temple of Athena Parthenos, more familiarly known as the Parthenon, on the Athens Acropolis.

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7. Erechtheum, with "Caryatids" porch, the main worship center of the Acropolis.

8. Roman agora with the "Tower of the Winds" (right).

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9. East entrance to the Roman agora at Athens.

10. Aeropagus, ("Hill of Ares" or "Mars Hill"), the original meeting place of the Athens city council.

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Paul's Second Missionary Journey (Part 6 - Paul comes to Corinth from Athens)

Following his limited success at Athens, Paul traveled to Corinth, in the province of Acheae, hoping for better response to his message. In a distance of forty miles he moved from the intellectual center of Greece to its most splendid commercial center.

This was the first of Paul's three visits to the Corinth, and he remained at least 18 months (spring of 50 - fall 51 AD)--his first extended stay in one city. To support his missionary activities, he again worked as a tent maker. Undoubtedly he chose Corinth because of its central location and because of its large Jewish community. During his stay he wrote both his first and second letters to the Thessalonians.

Paul's second visit, in the summer of 54 AD, was brief and unhappy. While Acts has no direct record of it, in 2 Cor. 12:14 he stated: "Now I am ready to visit you for the third time." It follows that if there was a third visit, there must have been a second! His third stay, during the winter of 55-56 AD, was for three months during which time he wrote his letter to the Romans.

In response to reports that the Corinthian church was being ravaged by factions, scandals, doubts and resentments against Paul himself, he wrote four letters, of which two have survived. The first preceded our First Corinthians. About 54 AD, he wrote his second letter (our First Corinthians) while working at Ephesus during his third missionary journey. His third letter was also written from Ephesus. Paul then wrote a fourth letter (our Second Corinthians) while in Macedonia (no later than 55 AD). One of the ideas central to his preaching is found in 1st Corinthians, that those who become Christians agree to set aside differences of gender, ethnic background, and class, and join together into one community:

"The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink" (1 Cor. 12:12-13).

Corinth (of uncertain derivation, means "satiated.") Corinth stood on the narrow isthmus connecting the Greek mainland with the Peloponnesus, the near- island at the southern end of the Greek peninsula. The city site was about 40 miles west of Athens on an elevated plain at the foot of the imposing Acrocorinth, a rocky hill (photo 1) rising 1,886 feet above sea level. Stone tools and pottery attest to settlement in the area before 3,000 BC, but the history of the city really began in the 1st millennium BC with its settlement by the Dorian Greeks. In the 8th and 7th centuries BC, the city, then known as Ephyra ("guard" or "lookout"), founded colonies at Corfu and Syracuse. Under the tyrants Cypselus (about 657-629 BC) and his son Periander (about 629- 585 BC) it reached great power and prosperity, dominating extensive trade routes. But with the rise of Athens, Corinth fell into decline. It was allied with Sparta in the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC) and with Athens in the Corinthian War (395-386 BC). As a member of the Achaean League, it came into conflict with Rome. In 146 BE it was captured, burned and sacked by the Roman consul Mummius, who killed the men and sold the women and children into slavery For a century it lay in ruins until about 100

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The Corinth of Paul's time: When Paul came to Corinth about 50 AD, the city was relatively young, having been refounded as a Roman colony in 44 BC by Julius Caesar. The emperor repopulated his new city mostly with freed slaves (libertini) from Greece, Egypt, Syria and Judea. In his honor it was called Colonia Laus Julia Corinthiensis, and it rose quickly to became, along with Alexandria, Rome, Antioch and Ephesus, one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire, famous for its luxury, architecture and ceramics. While Athens was the intellectual center of Greece, Corinth was the undisputed commercial center. Under Augustus, Corinth was made capital of Achaea and seat of its proconsul (Acts 18:12). CLICK HERE FOR A DRAWING OF CORINTH AT THE TIME OF PAUL. According to one historian, Corinth had a population of 760,000, including 460,000 slaves. Except where protected by the Acrocorinth, which served as the city's acropolis, it was surrounded by a 6 mile wall. All trade from the north of Greece to Sparta and the Peloponnesus passed through Corinth, as did the greater part of east-west traffic. Ships from Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt docked at the port of Cenchraea (photo 2) (see Romans 16:1 & Acts 18:18) on the Saronic Gulf to the east, while those from Italy, Sicily and Spain stopped at Lechaion on the Corinthian Gulf to the north. Upon docking at either port, small ships were placed on rollers and pulled across the isthmus on a four-mile long marble slip-way (diokolos) (photo 3). The cargoes of larger ships were carried across to ships waiting in the opposite port. Otherwise ships had to travel an extra 200 miles around the extreme southern tip of Greece known as Cape Malea (now Cape Matapan). Rounding Cape Malea was as dangerous as rounding Cape Horn in later times. The Greeks had two sayings-"Let him who sails round Malea forget his home," and, "Let him who sails round Malea first make his will." In 66 AD, Nero began cutting a canal through the isthmus utilizing 6,000 Jews recently captured by general Vespasian (later emperor) in the Jewish War. But he abandoned it when when Egyptian scientists told him the sea would "flood and obliterate the island of Aegina." Today, that distance is crossed by the 75' wide Corinth Canal, completed between 1882 and 1893. Because of its proximity to major ports to the east and west, many sailors merchants, adventurers and retired army veterans resided in Corinth. It was a place of energy, wealth and noise. It also had a reputation as a corrupt and wicked city. The verb 'Korinthiazesthai' ('to Corinth') in popular Greek meant to fornicate, and 'Corinthian girl' was synonymous for a prostitute. Paul's letters to the Corinthians address several questions of marriage and sexual morality. Shortly after Paul left Corinth, one of the church members became involved in a sex scandal. With this in mind, read 1 Corinthians 6:9,10:

"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."

Corinth derived much wealth from its many pagan temples and shrines where homage was paid to foreign as well as civic deities like Isis, Serapis, Astarte, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Heracles, Athena and Poseidon. It had a famous temple dedicated to Aesklepius, the god of healing where patients left terra cotta replicas of body parts with the hope that their ailments would be healed. The most significant pagan cult in Corinth however was to Aphrodite whose temple was located atop the Acrocorinth It had more

Grade6_8_139.doc Page 41 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 than 1000 temple prostitutes dedicated to the goddess. In the evening they would descend the acropolis to ply there trade on the city streets. According to historian Strabo, it was because of them that the city was "crowded with people and grew rich." It is little wonder that Paul had so much to say in his first letter to the Corinthians about the sacredness of the body:

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

Being near the town of Isthmia (3.7 miles east), where Olympic-style games were held every two years, the Corinthians enjoyed the athletic contests and the wealth brought by visitors. The games were probably held the year after Paul arrived and he used them to emphasize the need for self-control to win a lasting prize:

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last for ever" (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).

After the time of Paul: After the time of Paul, Hadrian beautified Corinth with public works. Much later, in 1212, the Franks took control, holding on until 1395 when the Byzantines gained the advantage, only to sell the city to the Knights of Rhodes five years later. Corinth, with most of the Peloponnese, fell to the Turks in 1458, then it became the property of the Knights of Malta in 1612. It passed to the Venetians in 1687 and was recaptured by the Turks in 1715. They were ousted in 1822. In 1858 the ancient city was destroyed by an earthquake and the survivors chose to rebuild on a new site 3 1/2 miles to the northeast. In 1928, it too was destroyed by earthquake, but it was also rebuilt. The modern town, called Korinthos, has an estimated population of 28,903.

Touring the ancient city: Luckily, the modern city of Korinthos was not built on the ancient site and there is much to see from the time of Paul:

• Temple of Octavia (1st century) (photo 4) - Dedicated to the sister of Emperor Augustus, it was built on a small platform on the ruins of a 3rd century temple; All that remains is a set of three Corinthian columns.

• Agora (from Greek ageiro, "to gather") (photo 5) - The center of city life and the place where all the business and most of the political activities were conducted. A line of shops divided the rectangular agora into unequal southern and northern sections. After the re-establishment of the city in 44 BC, the Roman colonists may have located the agora at a different site from the one occupied by the earlier Greek city. After the refounding the inscriptions are predominantly in Latin rather than Greek. Here, among the offices of the city magistrates and the shops where goods and foodstuffs were sold, we can imagine Paul beginning to talk about of Jesus.

• "Bema" ("court " NIV; "judgment seat " ASV and KJV) (photo 6) An elevated platform at the

Grade6_8_139.doc Page 42 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 center of the line of shops dividing the agora, it stood at a point highly visible to the crowds gathered there. Originally covered with white and blue marble, it had benches on the back and part way on the sides. Along the rear of the platform rose an elaborate superstructure of some sort of which there are only fragmentary remains. The entire complex was open to the sky. It served as a public speaker's platform and a judgment seat for magistrates. It was possibly here that Paul was brought before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia, by the Jews of Corinth (Acts 18:12-17).

• Perine Fountain (photo 7) - For centuries, pilgrims worshiped at these sacred springs. The fountain was situated east of the Lechaion road and the townspeople went through the six arched openings to reach the water basins (water still flows through them). After a period of neglect between 146 BC and 44 BC, the fountain was developed and renovated during a series of seven Roman periods. In the courtyard is a rectangular basin supplied with water from chambers 2 and 4. It was constructed in the middle of the courtyard during the 4th Roman Period and was called a "Hypaithros Krene." It was accessed by stairways on its northeast and northwest corners. During the 5th Roman Period a rectangular concrete platform was constructed at the south end of the Hypaithros Krene.

• Temple of Apollo (photo 8) - Built in 600 BC, it somehow survived the destruction of the city by Rome in 146 BC. It measured 174' by 69'. Seven of the original thirty-eight columns still stand. Each was 24' high and 6' in diameter and, unlike many in Greece, were carved from single blocks of local limestone instead of being built with drums. Plaster made with marble dust was used to give them a marble-like appearance.

• Lechaion Road (photo 9) - or cardo maximus, Corinth's main north north-south street leading from the agora to the northern port city of Lechaion on the Corinthian Gulf. Staircases on either end make it obvious the road was not meant for vehicles. It entered the agora through a monumental entrance (propylaea). In 1898, a block of white marble (photo 10) was found near the propylaea which once formed the lintel over a doorway. It had a broken Greek inscription, dating between 100 BC and 200 AD, that read [Syna]goge Hebr[aion] "Synagogue of the Hebrews." It may have marked the entrance to the synagogue where Paul taught, or a later building on the same site. The poorly cut letters indicate it was not a wealthy synagogue, in accord the Paul's characterization of the Corinthian Christians in 1 Corinthians 1:26. The synagogue was probably located on the east side of the street. As indicated by the remains of house walls, this was mainly a residential area. Consequently the house of "Titus Justus" (Acts 18:7) could have easily been "next door."

• Fountain of Glauke (photo 11) - A water reservoir where women of the town came to fill water jars. Its four cisterns were carved from the same limestone ridge where the Temple of Apollo stands and may have been built at the same time. It is in the form of a large cube measuring roughly 49 feet by 45 feet and 24 feet high. The fountain may have been destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC but elements of it were repaired and restored when the new city was built in 44 BC.

• Odeum (photo 12) - A small covered theater or hall used for public performances, it also served as a meeting place for civic affairs. It consisted of a seating area (cavea), an orchestra, a stage building (scanae frons), two corridors (parodoi) and an open court. It was constructed in the last third of the 1st century AD and was rebuilt twice afterward.

• Theater (photo 13) - Located just north of the odeum.

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• "Erastus" inscription (photo 14) - In his letter to the Romans, most likely written from Corinth, Paul passed on massages from his companions to the Christians in Rome. Among those sending messages was one "Erastus, who is the city's director of public works...send(s his) greetings." (Romans 16:23) In 1929 archaeologists excavating in Corinth in a paved square just east of the city's theater discovered a broken inscription dating to the second half of the 1st century AD, reading: "ERASTVS PRO AEDILIT[AT]E S P STRAVIT" ("Erastus, in return for his aedileship, laid [this pavement] at his own expense"). An "aedile" is either a city engineer or chief of public works, and there is every reason to believe that the Erastus in this inscription is the same person Paul referred to in his letter.

Paul preaches the Gospel in Corinth: (The account of Paul's first stay in Corinth is found in Acts 18:1-17) According to Acts, when Paul first came to Corinth, he met "a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla." The couple had recently come there because the emperor Claudius had ordered all the Jews expelled from Rome. Like Paul, they were tent makers, or rather makers of tent-cloth makers (Greek skenopoios, leather workers), and Paul moved in with them so they could work together. This allowed him to go to the synagogue every Sabbath to preach to the local Jews and God-fearers. His work also provided him an opportunity to preach among his fellow tradespeople. Clubs or guilds were among the social units at this time, and leather workers, like Paul, Aquila and Priscilla, would have belonged to such an association, which served the double function of providing business contacts and fellowship. In Greek the words club, association, assembly and church are all the same (ekklesia). Certainly, the church at Corinth included many tradespeople who worked with Paul during his stay. Unlike Athens, where Paul attempted to speak his message to the elite intellectual class, at Corinth he turned to the working-class, the dock workers, the sailors, the innkeepers. For the first time a special target group for the new doctrine was addressed, those who were poor in every respect, those who were exploited, those on whose backs the prosperity of the ruling class was built. During this time, Timothy and Silas arrived from Macedonia with a gift, probably money subsidy, which allowed Paul to preach full-time. A number of Jews took offense at his words and, on one occasion, they shouted insults at him. In response, Paul "shook out his clothes" in front of them, a gesture to show he was breaking relations with them. He then said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." Henceforth, he stopped going to the synagogue, and went "next door to the house of Titius Justus" to set-up an alternate teaching center. However, he did attain success with the Jews for, as Acts tell us, the president of the synagogue, Crispus, and his household, along with many Corinthians, were baptized. At one point in his stay, Paul may have become discouraged. Acts records that one night he had a vision from God telling him to keep preaching fearlessly and that "no-one (was) going to attack and harm" him because of the great number of believers in the city. The situation changed, however, when a new Roman proconsul named Gallio was appointed to govern Achaea. In a "united attack" the Jews brought Paul before Gallio at the "court" in the agora (see photo 6) where they accused him of "persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law," that is Grade6_8_139.doc Page 44 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 the Jewish law. But Gallio dismissed the charge, telling them to settle the matter themselves. Then he ordered the area cleared. Immediately, Acts says, "they all turned on Sosthenes," the new synagogue president, and beat him. It is not clear from Acts why Sosthenes was punished or even who the "they" were. Whether it was the Jews themselves or someone else with anti-Semitic feelings is not known. After reporting this incident, Acts states that "Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time." During his eighteen months in Corinth, Paul worried particularly about the new Christians in Thessalonica. But when Timothy returned from a pastoral visit there with news about their faith and growth, Paul wrote them a commendation letter which also answered several questions concerning the second coming of Christ. This is the letter we call First Thessalonians, and it is the earliest writing in the New Testament, even earlier than the four Gospels.

1. Acrocorinth, the acropolis of ancient Corinth, with the cardo maximus, the city's main north-south road leading from the port of Lechaion to the agora (marketplace).

2. Ruins at the site of Corinth's eastern port of Cenchrea, with its bay on the Saronic Gulf seen in the background.

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3. "Diokolos" (alongside the modern Corinth Canal), the four-mile long paved slipway on which smaller ships were pulled across the narrow isthmus between the ports of Lechiaon and Cenchrea.

4. Platform of a temple near the entrance to the archaeological site thought to have been dedicated to Octavia, the sister of Emperor Augustus.

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5. Looking toward the west end of the agora from the top of the "bema" (NIV "court"). In the foreground is part of the central row of shops that divided the agora into unequal northern and southern areas.

6. "Court" (NIV) or "Bema" (per a small sign at the site), the judgment seat/public speakers platform in the agora where Paul stood before the Roman proconsul Lucius Junius Gallio. The Acrocorinth is seen in the distance.

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7. Perine Fountain where pilgrims accessed the water of a sacred spring.

8. Remaining seven columns of the temple of Apollo. In the foreground are the remains of the shops and temples at the west end of the agora.

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9. Looking south along the Lechaion road toward the Acrocorinth. A typical visitor would have approached the city from the harbor along this road. The end of the street can be seen in front of the trees and a staircase here makes it obvious the road was not meant for vehicles. The synagogue, the house of Crispius (the synagogue president) and the meat market (see Cor. 10:25) were all located along this road. On the right are the remains of a basilica built along the west side of the road.

10. Broken marble inscription, originally part of the lintel over the doorway of Corinth's synagogue, with the partial Greek inscription: "GOGE HEBR," meaning "Synagogue of the Hebrews."

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11. Fountain of Glauke; beyond are the remaining columns of the temple of Apollo.

12. Odeum, a small theater, once covered by a roof, northwest of the agora.

13. Remains of Corinth's large theater, just north of the odeum.

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14. Inscription with the name "Erastus" mentioned in Romans 16:23, found in a paved square east of the theater. Note the word "ERASTVS" at the start of the first line.

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Paul's Second Missionary Journey (Part 7 - From Corinth back to Antioch) Almost three years had elapsed on this second missionary journey and it was time for Paul to return to Antioch. Accompanied by his friends and coworkers, Aquila and Priscilla, he set sail from Cenchreae (photo 1), Corinth's eastern port for Ephesus. In a letter written from Ephesus to the Corinthians, Paul exults: "a great and effectual opportunity has opened to me, but there are many adversaries" (1 Cor 16:9). After a short stay he left Aquila and Priscilla and perhaps Timothy to continue his work. They were joined by a Jew named Apollos who spoke boldly in the synagogue: "He vigorously refuted the Jews in a public debate, proving from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ" (Acts 18:24-28). Paul promised to return to Ephesus (photo 2) "if it is God's will," then he sailed on to Caesarea in Palestine before heading back to Antioch in Syria. YOU HAVE COMPLETED TRACKING PAUL'S SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY

1. Ruins at Corinth's eastern port of Cenchraea with its bay on the Saronic Gulf seen in the background. Here, Paul boarded a ship for Ephesus, before returning to Antioch via Caesarea.

2. The Great Theater at Ephesus, scene of the riot in Acts 19. This is only one of many remains that can be seen at this fabulous archaeological site in western Turkey.

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NAME DATE:

List BCV for each answer.

1. Where did Paul go after he left Athens? ______

2. Why had Aquila and Priscilla left Italy? ______

______

3. What was Paul’s trade (occupation)? ______

4. Why did Paul stay with Aquila and Priscilla? ______

5. As was Paul’s custom, where was he preaching and when? ______

______

6. Who came down and joined Paul from Macedonia? ______

7. How did the Jews react to Paul’s preaching? ______

8. What was Paul’s reaction to the Jews? ______

______

9. Who was Crispus? ______

10. When the Lord came to Paul in a vision, what was His message? ______

______

______

11. How long was Paul in Corinth preaching and teaching the word of God? ______

12. What was the charge brought by the Jews against Paul? ______

______

13. In your own words, what was Gallio’s answer to the Jews? ______

______

______

______

Grade6_8_139.doc Page 53 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 14. What did the Jews do to Sosthenes? ______

______

______

15. Who left Corinth with Paul? ______

16. Why did Paul have his hair cut? ______

17. The Jews in Ephesus wanted Paul to stay longer, perhaps to teach them. What was Paul’s response? ______

______

18. When Paul landed at Caesarea, what did he do? ______

______

Grade6_8_139.doc Page 54 of 55 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Second Journey Continued Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 139 Acts 18:1-22 Answers

1. Corinth. Acts 18:1

2. Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. 18:2

3. Tent-maker. 18:3

4. Paul stayed because they were of the same trade. 18:3

5. In the synagogue every Sabbath. 18:4

6. Silas and Timothy. 18:5

7. The Jews resisted what Paul was teaching and blasphemed. 18:6

8. He shook out his garments. 18:6

9. Crispus was the leader of the synagogue. 18:8

10. To no longer be afraid, but to go on speaking, for God was with him and no man would attack him in order to harm him, for God had many people in the city. 18:9-10.

11. One year and six months. 18:11

12. That he was persuading men to worship God contrary to the law. 18:13

13. - If Paul had committed a wrong or a vicious crime, it would have been reasonable for the Jews to bring Paul before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia, but since this was a question over words and names and the Jews on law, they would have to deal with it themselves and he refused to be a judge against Paul. 18:14-15

14. The Jews began beating him in front of the judgment seat. 18:17

15. Priscilla and Aquila. 18:18

16. He was keeping a vow. 18:18

17. He said he would return again if God wills. 18:21

18. He went up and greeted the church and went down to Antioch. 18:22

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SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16

Level of Understanding:

General Characteristics: Energetic, independent, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative, wants to be like his peers, beginning to think abstractly, likes competition, hero worshiper, memorizes easily, attention span up to 20 minutes.

Needs: Firm and loving discipline, involvement in learning activities, challenges to memorize, competition, good examples of Christian lifestyle, one teacher for 10 students.

Understanding: Application of Bible to daily problems, identifying with Bible heroes, challenge to read and investigate areas of interest on own, greater awareness of sin and need for salvation.

Goals:

The student should understand that elders were appointed in every church, not one person or organization in charge of many local congregations. They should be able to point out various places on the map that Paul and Barnabas visited.

Objectives:

1. Go over 1 Corinthians 1:23 and explain why some of the Jews didn’t believe Paul and Silas.

Memory Verse:

1 Corinthians 1:23 “but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness”

Suggested Activities

1. Review Bible Facts (contained at the end of this book). Recite these with the students each day.

Available Materials:

Resource Room M109.26 8 Maps Paul’s Third Journey Resource Room AG113.2 Various Games and Activities are available Bible Overview

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Outline:

I. Paul’s Third Journey (Acts 18:23-21:16)

A. Galatia and Phrygia: Strengthening the Disciples (Acts 18:23)

B. Ephesus: The Three Years of Ministry (Acts 18:24-19:41)

1. Apollos Teaches Effectively (Acts 18:24-28)

2. Disciples of John Receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7)

3. Paul Teaches in Tyrannus’s School (Acts 19:8-10)

4. Miracles Are Performed at Ephesus (Acts 19:11-20)

5. Timothy and Erastus Are Sent to Macedonia (Acts 19:21, 22)

6. Demetrius Causes Uproar at Ephesus (Acts 19:23-41)

C. Macedonia: Three Months of Ministry (Acts 20:1-5)

D. Troas: Eutychus Falls from Loft (Acts 20:6-12)

E. Miletus: Paul Bids Farewell to Ephesian Elders (Acts 20:13-18)

F. Tyre: Paul Is Warned About Jerusalem (Acts 21-6)

G. Caesarea: Agabus’s Prediction (Acts 21:7-16)

Grade6_8_140.doc Page 2 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 Paul's Third Missionary Journey (Part 1 - From Antioch, through Galatia, to Ephesus)

The account of Paul's Third Missionary Journey begins in Acts 18:23

After resting several months in Antioch in Syria, Paul took the road northwestward through the Cilician Gates for a third visit to the churches in Galatia--Derbe, Lystra, Iconium and Pisidian Antioch--on the high Antatolian Plateau of Asia Minor, an indication of how important they were to Paul. During his second missionary journey, the Holy Spirit redirected Paul from his intended destination, the province of Bithynia, and instead took him to Alexandria Troas on the Dardenelles, from where he sailed to Macedonia. However, this time Paul headed west into the province of Asia and the great city of Ephesus, following one of two routes from Pisidian Antioch: the shorter but steeper way went through the Cayster River Valley and was preferred by travelers on foot; the alternative was the longer but more level route on which the heavier traffic moved. It crossed a 600-foot pass to the south of Ephesus and then followed the Meander and Lycus River Valleys eastward via Laodicea (the modern railroad route):

Ephesus (Roman form of the name), Ephesos (pre-Greek), or Efes; located on the outskirts of the modern Turkish town of Selçuk, about 5 miles inland from the Aegean Sea. The ruins are spread over the slopes of two hills--Mount Pion (Penayir Dagi) and Mount Koressos (Bülbul Dagi)--and the valley between them, where the harbor, now silted up, once carried its bustling trade.

Historical setting: Ephesus was located about 47 miles south of Smyrna (modern Izmir) and about 3 miles inland from the Aegean Sea in the Roman province of Asia (today western Turkey). The earliest inhabitants of Ephesus, the Leleges and Carians, built their settlement at the the mouth of the Cayster River, inland from the Aegean Sea. Around 1000 BC, they were driven out by Ionian Greek settlers. The new inhabitants assimilated the native religion of Anatolia (the ancient name for Turkey), the worship of Kybele, which they identified with their own goddess, Artemis (Roman Diana). But this Artemis bore no resemblance to the merry virgin huntress of the Greek pantheon. She was a dark-skinned fertility goddess endowed with a hundred breasts. In the mid-6th century BC King Croesus of Lydia conquered Ephesus and forced the inhabitants to build a new city farther inland, closer to the location of modern Selçuk. A magnificent temple was constructed in honor of Artemis on the original shrine of Kybele. The Artemision, as it was known, was built of white, red, blue and yellow marble of the finest quality. Gold was reputedly used between the joints of the marble blocks instead of mortar. Multitudes of priests and priestesses (temple prostitutes) were connected with temple rituals. In 546 BC Ephesus, along with the rest of Anatolia was invaded by the Persians. The city maintained friendly relations with Persia for about 50 years. In 478 BC the Persian king, Xerxes, returning from his failure in Greece, paid homage to the goddess Artemis, although he had sacked other Greek shrines, and even left his children for safety in Ephesus. After 454 Ephesus appears as a regular tributary of Athens Ephesus participated in a general revolt

Grade6_8_140.doc Page 3 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 of 412 BC against Athens, siding with Sparta in the Second Peloponnesian War, and remained an effective ally of Sparta down to the end of the war. Threatened by Persia, Ephesus served in 396 as the headquarters of King Agesilaus of Sparta. In 394 the Ephesians deserted to the anti-Spartan maritime league, but by 387 the city was again in Spartan hands and was handed by Antalcidas to Persia. In 356 BC, disaster struck when the Artemision was destroyed by a fire started by a lunatic named Erostratus who wanted to be famous. Alexander the Great, who was reportedly born the same day as the fire, took over the area in 334 BC. According to legend, Artemis, a protectress of women in childbirth, had left for Macedonia on the day of the fire to help deliver Alexander. When he came to Ephesus in 333 BC, the temple was still under construction and he offered to finance its completion if the city would credit him as the builder. The city fathers didn't want Alexander's name carved on the temple and diplomatically refused his offer, stating: "It is not fitting that one god should build a temple for another god." The rebuilt temple (picture 1), completed in 250 BC on the site of the first temple, was ranked as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World--four times larger than the Parthenon at Athens. It was 425 feet long, and 220 feet wide, with 127 columns, each 60 feet high, in double rows. (In comparison,the Parthenon, was 230 feet long, 100 feet wide and had 58 columns.) The building is thought to have been the first completely constructed with marble and it had 36 columns whose lower portions were carved with figures in high-relief. The temple featured many works of art including four bronze statues of Amazon women and it was thought to house the very image of Artemis "which fell from heaven," possibly a meteorite, or an image so old that only a heavenly origin could be attributed for it (see Acts 19:35). The temple was a source of great civic pride. There were Artemision festivals, not only in Ephesus, but in all the other towns of Lycia and Phrygia (i.e., Perga and Sardis). One month of each year was devoted to her worship and Artemis missionaries spread her cult throughout Asia Minor. The Artemis temple was therefore, amongst other things, big business. One of the city's chief industries was the sale of idols to pilgrim worshipers from all parts of the world, bringing enormous profit. They were supposed to charm away evil spirits and protect the devotee from danger. Another major source of income was the sale of scrolls on mystical arts, magic, charms, and incantations. Known as "Ephesian Letters," they were said to contain remedies for illness and infertility, and ensure success in any undertaking. Upon the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC, one of his generals, Lysimachus, took control of Ephesus. But the gradual silting up of the harbor necessitated his moving the city to a new location and, in 286 BC, he began construction of a new fortified city in honor of his wife, Arsinoeia, in the valley between Mounts Pion and Koressos (the site of today's ruins). Apart from the walls he only completed a theater, stadium, agora (marketplace) and harbor. On his death the construction was abandoned and the city came under rule of the king of Pergamum. Though situated three miles from the sea, the channel of the Cayster River, on which the city stood, was navigable as far up as the city, although attention was required to keep it free from silt. As early as the 2nd century BC, king Attalus Philadelphus of Pergamum built a breakwater to keep the harbor from filling in. Unfortunately it had the opposite effect and made the harbor shallower. In 133 BC Ephesus was handed over to the Romans and it became part the Roman Province of Asia. Under the Romans, Ephesus thrived, reaching the pinnacle of its greatness and the Artemision continued to attract pilgrims from all over the Graeco Roman world The Romans constructed many

Grade6_8_140.doc Page 4 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 public buildings, and gates, baths and temples were donated by the rich. The canny city leaders were able to curry the favor of the emperors by dedicating temples and other monuments to them. In 29 BC, a temple was erected to the goddess Roma and the deified Julius Caesar. From then on the cult of emperor worship was promoted there. In return the emperors honored and beautified the city. Under them, Ephesus became the governmental center of the province of Asia, replacing Pergamum. By imperial edict it was made the gateway to the province of Asia. Stamped on coins found in the ruins of Ephesus are the titles, "First of all the greatest," and "The first and greatest metropolis of Asia." The city's beautiful location, together with the fertile soil and excellent climate, made it a very desirable place to live. Several important Roman highways met at Ephesus. Because of its location on the most direct sea and land route to the eastern provinces, Ephesus had few equals anywhere in the world. However, despite the efforts of no fewer than two of the emperors, the harbor continued to silt up. Unexpectedly, Nero's plan almost worked; the masterful Hadrian's scheme was doomed from the start. Meanwhile the Christian church began to win converts. Through the efforts of Paul, Timothy, Apollos, Aquila, Priscilla and many others whose names we'll never know, Ephesus was destined to become one of the most important centers of Christianity. However, the transformation was not as immediate as implied in Acts. The bizarre cult of Artemis flourished for another two and a half centuries.

The decline of Ephesus In 262 AD, the Goths sacked both the city and the world famous Temple of Artemis, and neither ever recovered its former splendor. In the 4th century AD, the Roman emperor Constantine rebuilt much of the city, but he refused to restore the temple. He had become a Christian and had little interest in fostering the old pagan beliefs. Despite his efforts, Ephesus declined in importance as a crossroads of trade. In 431 AD Ephesus was the site of the third ecumenical church council at which Nestorius was banished for teaching that Jesus was only an exalted person, not the son of God, and the phrase "Mother of God" (Theotokos) was applied to Mary. In this matter, here is a commentary from the book "Paul, the Mind of the Apostle" by A.N. Wilson:

"When the region eventually adopted Christianity, it is unsurprising that the cult of the goddess (Artemis) transferred to that of Christ's Mother. The temple eunuchs (priests of Artemis), now turned Christian celibates, had no shortage of folk-tales with which to interest the credulous-stories of St. John or Luke escorting the Blessed Virgin from Jerusalem to this city in Asia Minor. Even as late as the 19th century, it was possible to discover, thanks to the visions of a German nun, the very house in the rugged mountains outside Ephesus where Mary had lived before her Glorius Assumption."

A few years later, according to legend, the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus (a group of 3rd-century Christian martyrs) were miraculously raised from the dead. They too became the object of a famous cult. In the 6th century AD, the emperor Justinian built the basilica of St. John (You will see the ruins of this structure in the next segment of this tour). By the early Middle Ages the city was no longer useful as a port and fell into decline In the end

Grade6_8_140.doc Page 5 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 the city was left sitting isolated and many of the inhabitants left the swampy lowland to live in the surrounding hills, using the ruins of the temple of Artemis as a source of building materials for houses. Many of the temple's fine sculptures were pounded into powder to make lime for wall plaster. By the 9th century AD Ephesus was an inland city. With the loss of its waterway and the trade it brought, the city lost its commercial value. Its population declined so that by the time it was captured by the Selçuk Turks in 1090 it was a small village.The story is told that in 1100 AD, Crusaders stopped at site of the once great city and found only a muddy little village. In ancient texts they had read of a large seaport with many ships docked in its bay. The sea was three miles away, the village was located in a swamp and there were no ships. They accosted a nearby man: "Sir, is this the city of Ephesus?" "It was once called that; now it is named Ayasuluk." "Where is your harbor? Where are the trading ships? And where is the magnificent Greek temple that we have read about? "Temple? What temple? he replied, greatly confused. "We have no temple here." Some 800 years after its destruction, the great Temple of Artemis, once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, had been forgotten by the residents of the town that had once boasted of it with such pride. Even the site of the temple remained unknown until 1869. After a period of revival in the 14th century, Ephesus was completely abandoned. The nearest town, north of the archaeological site, is Selçuk.

Walking in Paul's footsteps--Ephesus: At the time of Paul, Ephesus had a population of around 250,000, ranking it with Rome in Italy, Corinth in Greece, Antioch in Syria and Alexandria in Egypt as one of the foremost cities of the Roman Empire. Even after thousands of years, this white marble city continues to attract visitors from every corner of the world and is on the itinerary of almost every tourist visiting Turkey. What they see are remains which were buried under layers of silt, uncovered and rebuilt by archeologists from different countries over some 125 years. No modern city was built over the site and the central area has been restored. Visitors can freely wander the great marble streets, the marketplaces, the temples, the town hall, and the great theater where plays were performed and where the city silversmiths rioted against Paul. No one who visits Ephesus will ever forget it. At most sites it takes a great amount of imagination to fill in the gaps between ruins; here, only your eyes are needed to appreciate its former beauty and grandeur.

First, we enter the main archaeological site from the east and walk along one of city's main east- west thoroughfares. Archaeologists called it Curetes Street (photo 2) for the Curetes (pronounced "crates"), an order of priests who dealt with religious and state affairs. It is also known as the Sacred Way from the procession that passed along it on the annual feast-day of Artemis. On the left side to the street is the State Agora, a large open area surrounded by several structures, including:

• Odeum - A 1,500 seat theater (photo 3) built in the 2nd century AD by wealthy Ephesians P Vedius Antonius and his wife Flavia Papiana This was the scene of concerts; also the

Grade6_8_140.doc Page 6 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 meeting place for members of the city council. The lack of drainage indicates it was once covered by a wooden roof.

• Prythaneion or Town Hall (photo 4) (begun 1st century BC) - Begun 1st cent BC), it was the center for managing the city's religious and ceremonial functions. Architecturally, it was built like a private home, and contained an assembly hall, administrative rooms, the state archives and a dining hall in which officials and foreign visitors were welcomed. In front of the assembly hall was a Doric courtyard. A perpetual flame, representing the well-being of the city, was kept burning here at a shrine to Hera Boulaia, goddess of the hearth. The city's elite families were responsible for maintaining the flame. They also performed daily sacrifices to the different gods and goddesses and covered all the expenses. Three statues of Artemis were found here, two of which are now displayed in the Ephesus Museum (photo 5). Apparently they were deliberately buried to protect them from Christians bent on destroying pagan idols.

• Temple of Domitian (the emperor at the time Revelation was written) (photo 6) - During the Roman period, the Ephesians erected many buildings and temples, and dedicated them to emperors in order to secure good relations and the support of Rome. The Domitian Temple is one of them. The two pillars seen here were once part of a three-story platform that supported a small temple dedicated to the worship of the emperors Vespasian (69-79 AD) and his successors (and sons) Titus (79-81 AD) and Domitian (81-96 AD). Upon its completion, Ephesus was called "the protector of the Roman emperor's temple," a great honor for the city. A special category of the priesthood, the "Arkhierus," cared for the temple. They belonged to a rich and influential class of the city and they were expected to finance all maintenance costs. In return, they retained positions of influence in the city's commercial dealings. Originally there were 13 columns on each side and 8 on the front and back. The second level featured sculptures of gods and goddesses, two of which are seen here. It symbolized the deities of the empire supporting and protecting the emperors who were worshiped in the temple above. In the substructure of the building, parts of a huge 25- foot-high were excavated. Sculpted of wood and stone, only the stone parts, the head and arm, have survived, and they are now in the Ephesus Museum (photo 7). Originally it was thought to represent Domitian and it is the reason that the building was named for him. But according to more recent research the statue is actually that of the emperor Titus (Titus Flavius Vespasianus), Domitian's brother and predecessor. During his reign, Titus spent great sums on games and monuments, including the Colosseum, and he dispensed generous aid to the victims of the famous eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD and the plague and fire in Rome in 80 AD. The Domitian/Titus temple it is believed to be the first erected in Ephesus to the cult of emperors.

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1. Artist's conception of the Artemision, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

2. Along Curetes Street looking west. This section was restricted to pedestrians only. It was once part of the Sacred Way leading to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

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3. Remains of small covered theater (odeum) for public performances; also the meeting place of the Ephesus city council.

4. Town Hall (Prythaneion) where members of the city's wealthy families performed ceremonial and religious functions.

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5. Statue of Artemis Ephesia, dating to reign of Hadrian, flanked by headless figures of two fawns symbolizing her role as mistress of animals. It was found with a similar Artemis statue in the Town Hall on Curetes Street. Apparently they had been buried to keep them from being destroyed by Christians. The many breasts or eggs on her chest symbolize her great fertility (now in the Ephesus Museum).

6. Site of the "Temple of Domitian" built for the worship of the deified emperors Vespasian and his two sons Titus and Domitian. It was located on the west side of the State Agora.

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7. Large marble head and arm of a statue that once stood in the "Domitian" temple. The museum states incorrectly that it represented the emperor Domitian. According to an article in the May/June 1993 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, it depicts Domitian's brother Titus who destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. Titus was named emperor to succeed his father, Vespasian, in 79 AD. Upon his death in 81 AD, he was deified by the Roman senate. He was succeeded by his brother Domitian who, some sources state, was the emperor at the time John recorded his Revelation on the island of Patmos.

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Continuing west along Curetes Street from the State Agora, you see these restored monuments:

• Trajan Fountain (photo 1), originally two stories-high, it was built around 102-104 AD by an Ephesian in memory of the emperor Trajan (98-117 AD). In front of the building was a pool with water cascading from beneath a colossal statue of Trajan, which is still in its original place, but only the pedestal and one foot remain. The building flanked the pool on three sides and its facade was highly ornate with Corinthian columns on the upper story and Composite columns on the lower. Statues of other emperors, gods and heroes stood in niches.

• Temple of Hadrian (photo 2), the second of the temples in the city, after that to Titus, dedicated to a Roman emperor. It was built in 138 AD by a citizen, P. Quintilius. Bronze statues of four emperors--Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius and Chlorus--once stood on the square pedestals in front. The keystone of the arch has a relief of Tyche, the goddess of fortune. In the lunette over the entrance to the cella, there is another relief of a semi-nude girl, probably of Medusa. The interior featured scenes depicting the legendary foundation of Ephesus by King Androklos, son of the king of Athens, including: Androclus killing a wild boar; Hercules rescuing Theseus, a mythological hero and the first true King of Athens, who was chained to a bench as a punishment by Hades for trying to kidnap Persephone from the underworld; Amazons, Dionysus and his entourage; Emperor Theodosius I, an enemy of paganism, and an assembly of gods including Athena and Artemis.

• Looking west along Curetes Street (photo 3) toward the facade of the Library of Celsus. (Mt. Koressos is out of the photo to the left; Mount Pion is out of the photo to the right.)

• "Houses on the Slope" (photo 4) - On the south (left) side of Curetes Street, running between the civic agora and the commercial agora, a group of condominiums crowded together on a series of ascending terraces on the slope of Mt. Koressos have been excavated. They were owned by some of the city's upper-middle class-citizens. Originally built in the 1st century AD, they were inhabited until the 7th century AD. The apartment block is fronted by a colonnade sheltering stores and taverns. Passageways between the shops lead from the street up to the entrances of the homes. Usually, they had two or more stories with about 12 rooms. The common feature of the homes was a small central courtyard surrounded by columns to let in fresh air and light. They were decorated with beautiful frescoes and mosaics and had luxurious bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchens. Ceramic pipes connected each to the city's main water pipeline. The thickness of the pipe was adjusted according to the need of each house--an early style water meter. The houses also featured a central heating system consisting of ceramic pipes hidden in the walls. Perhaps Priscilla and Aquila, two leaders of Ephesus' budding Christian community, held home-church meetings in one of the houses being excavated here.

• Baths of Scholastica (no photo) - Part of a large complex on the north side of Curetes Street. Originally built in the beginning of the 2nd century AD, it was renovated during the rule of the emperor Theodosius (4th century AD) by a wealthy Christian woman named Scholastica, using material robbed from the sanctuary of Hera Boulaia (see "Prythaneion or Town Hall" in Ephesus

Grade6_8_140.doc Page 12 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 part 1).These baths included eating places, dressing rooms, hot and cold baths, massage and anointing chambers, a public lavatory and even a large Private House decorated with mosaics and frescoes. Though it has not been proven, some archeologists are of the opinion that this was a brothel with two floors, the upper floor being for ladies and the ground floor for visitors.

• Library of Celsus (photo 5) - One of the most spectacular buildings in Ephesus, it was built in 110 AD by the proconsul of Asia Gaius Julius Aquila as a memorial to his father Julius Celsus Polemeanus. Aquila was granted permission for his father to be buried in a marble grave in a burial chamber in the library. Celsus's sarcophagus lay inside the building, under the middle apse. The three entrances are flanked by four niches with statues representing the virtues of Celsus, Sophia (Wisdom), Areté (Valor), Ennoia (Thought) and Epistémé (Knowledge). The semicircular niche on the main floor facing the central entrance probably contained a statue of Athena. Although no traces have been found, it is thought that there was an auditorium for lectures or presentations between the library and the Marble Road leading to the great theater. The library held an estimated 12,000 hand-written scrolls, which were given to readers by library officials. The building was burned in the 3rd century AD. According to one source, the "Hall of Tyrannus," where Paul had daily discussions (Acts 19:9), was mentioned in a 1st century inscription as located just east of the library site. Nothing remains of this structure today.

Curetes Street ends at the plaza in front of the Library of Celsus; From there, another street, Marble Way, leads north to the Great Theater of Ephesus:

• Etched into one of the paving stones along Marble Way is a footprint (photo 6) indicating the presence of a brothel nearby

• Great Theater (photo 7) - Gouged out of the hillside at the end of the Marble Way (as if you can miss it!), it was originally built between 332-63 BC and enlarged under Claudius (41-54 AD, about the time Paul was in the city), and again by Nero (54-68 AD). It had seating for 24,500 spectators divided into three tiers of 22 rows each. This was the scene of the riot in Acts 19.

From the theater, a wide street called Arcadian Way led west (photo 8) to the harbor, now completely silted up from the flow of sediments carried by the Cayser River:

• Arcadian Way was named for emperor Arcadius (395-408 AD) during whose reign it was rebuilt in its present form. Covered double colonnades ran along both sides, and there were monumental gates at both ends, but they were totally destroyed. Its paving stones still show graffiti--Christian cruciform designs. During the Roman era the road was lighted by 100 lamps, making Ephesus one of the first ancient cities, along with Rome and Antioch, known to have had street lighting.

• On the left side (south) of Arcadian Way was the city's Commercial Agora (photo 9), the city's largest marketplace-trade center. This large open market area was known as the "Square Agora" (from Greek "to gather") because its sides measured 360 feet long. It was surrounded on all sides by colonnades with two aisles behind which were shops about 40 feet deep It was the center of

Grade6_8_140.doc Page 13 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 the commercial world in Ephesus. In addition to the marketing of goods there was also a slave market of beautiful girls brought from different places by sea. A water-clock and a sundial stood in the center. It is quite possible that Paul worked here with Priscilla and her husband Aquila, his friends and co-workers in Corinth, in their tent-making business. Here you try to picture Priscilla, clad in a white toga, shopping for the evening meal, while Aquila and Paul vigorously debated about Jesus with some of the city's leading men. • On the opposite side of Arcadian Way (north) from the commercial agora was a massive bath- gymnasium complex (no photo) dedicated to emperor Domitian. It covered the entire area between the theater and the harbor. It consisted of the Theater Gymnasium, Verulanus Square, the Harbor Gymnasium and the Public Baths. Every two years it was the site of Ephesus' own Olympic games. • Church of the Virgin Mary (no photo) - Situated north of the bath-gymnasium complex, near the harbor, this church was the most important Christian shrine in Ephesus. It was built inside an elongated basilica-style building 100 feet wide by 860 feet long, divided by two rows of columns into a nave and two side aisles, with semi-circular apses at each of its narrow ends. It is thought that this building was originally the corn-and-money exchange of the thriving city, as well as the meeting place of the courts of justice. In the 4th century AD, the growing Christian community erected a church in the western half of the abandoned building. A few centuries later two more churches were built within the western half, one behind the other, while the eastern half was the seat of the bishop and the clergy. It was here that two ecumenical councils were held, in 431 AD and 449 AD.

• Temple of Artemis site - In 263 AD the Temple of Artemis was plundered by the Goths. During the reign of Diocletian (285-305 AD) it was partially restored on a smaller scale. It remained in use until 395 when emperor Theodocius ordered the closure of all pagan shrines. In 401 AD it was destroyed by a mob led by the Patriarch of Constantinople who saw the act as a final triumph of Christianity over paganism. Like all pagan shrines the site became a quarry for columns and marble for building churches. Today the temple site is marked by foundation outlines, scattered marble blocks and a single restored column (photo 10). Excavation of the Artemsion site: In 1869 archaeologist J.T. Wood, working at Ephesus for the British Museum, uncovered a corner of the Artemision. His excavation exposed to view not only the scanty remains of the latest edifice (built after 350 BC) but the platform below it of an earlier temple of identical size and plan subsequently found to be that of the 6th century BC temple built by Croesus. The sculptured fragments of both temples were sent to the British Museum. In 1904 D.G. Hogarth, heading another mission, examined the earlier platform and found beneath its center the remains of three older structures. In its earliest known phase the temple was apparently a small platform of green schist, containing a sealed deposit of primitive coins and other objects dating from about 600 BC.

Our last stop is the ruins of the Basilica of St. John on Ayasuluk Hill above modern Seljuk., northwest of the ancient city. This was the location of Ephesus in its later years:

• The original church was built in the 4th century AD to mark the location of the tomb of St. John the Evangelist. The present basilica (photo 11), with a cruciform plan, was built in the 6th century AD by Emperor Justinian The nave was covered by six domes (The name 'Ayasuluk' is Grade6_8_140.doc Page 14 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 derived from Ayios Theologos, thought to mean 'Holy Breath' or 'Aya Soluk' in Turkish, because, according to tradition, when St. John presumably ascended to heaven the earth on his grave kept moving as if stirred by his breathing.) The dust rising from the grave was believed to have curative powers and was gathered by the multitudes of pilgrims who came to the church in the Middle Ages.

Ephesus was one of the earliest Christian centers. The Gospel first came to the city at the time of Paul's second missionary journey. It is commonly believed the Apostle John moved to Ephesus just before or after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD and lived the last years of his life here. According to legend John brought Mary the mother of Jesus to Ephesus, and she too spent her final years in a small house on Mount Koressos, south of the city center.

Paul preaches the Gospel in Ephesus: (The account of Paul's stay in Ephesus is found in Acts 19:1-20:1)

As promised on his second missionary journey, Paul returned to Ephesus, this time for an extended stay. His old co-workers in Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla, along with a learned and eloquent Jewish convert named Apollos, had already been carrying on a missionary effort there. Like Corinth, Ephesus was a wealthy commercial center, yet it was also home to a wild assortment of pagan priests, exorcists, magicians, sacred prostitutes and charlatans. The pride of Ephesus was the great marble Temple of Artemis, one of the fabled Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and it played host to hordes of pagan pilgrims from all over the known world. Plus, the city prided itself on being a center for the cult of emperor worship. Rich, pampered and pagan to the core, Ephesus must have appeared as the ultimate challenge to Paul. In a letter written from Ephesus to the Corinthians, Paul exulted: "a great and effectual opportunity has opened to me, but there are many adversaries" (1 Cor. 16:9). If Paul could win Ephesus for Christ, doors would be opened everywhere. Such was the case, for during his stay, churches were established in all the important cities of the Roman province of Asia, including Colossae, Hierapolis, Laodicea, Pergamum, Philadelphia, Sardis, Smyna and Thyatira. Over his first three months Ephesus, Paul taught in the synagogue, until opposition forced him to move to the "hall of Tyrannus," where he held daily sessions for another two years (in Acts 20:31 we are given a round figure of three years, from 54 to 57 AD, for his total time there). Tyrannus means "tyrant" and wet don't know if his students or his mother gave him the name. He seems to have been a philosopher or teacher who rented out his hall to Paul for a nominal fee. Paul taught there during the hottest part of the day, from 11 am to 4 pm, when Tryrannus' own students had presumably left to take a nap. This allowed Paul to earn a living making tent cloth in the morning hours. Paul's mission in Ephesus was so successful that many of the believers who had been practicing black magic burned their books of incantations and charms in a public bonfire. These books, known as "Ephesian Writings," had an estimated value of $10,000, indicating how deeply the region was stirred by the Gospel. The success of the Christians also alarmed the city's merchants who did a brisk business selling commemorate images to pilgrims. One of the merchants, a silversmith named Demetrius, called a meeting of his men, together with others employed in related trades. He addressed them as follows:

"Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade Grade6_8_140.doc Page 15 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."

As they listened, their anger boiled and they began shouting, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" A crowd gathered and soon the city was filled with confusions. Everyone rushed into the city's 24,500 seat theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions. Paul wanted to help his friends but some of his other friends, no less than the Roman provincial officials, begged him not to risk his life. With a full-dress riot brewing the Ephesian Jews prompted one of their number, Alexander, to stand up in the orchestra and make it clear to the crowd that Paul did not represent the Jewish community. Someone yelled that he was a Jew and bedlam broke out. The mob started shouting repeatedly for two hours, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians, Great is Artemis of the Ephesians..." At last a "city clerk" (Greek "grammateus") arrived and quieted the crowd. The man, who was likely the city's acting chief official, rather than a public servant as implied by Acts, told them that if they had any complaints, they could be dealt with in a correct and legal manner before the courts or proconsuls. He concluded his speech with, "As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's events." In other words, he reminded them that Ephesus was a Roman colony and that if they didn't halt this illicit behavior, the Roman proconsul, or even the emperor himself, might decide to punish the entire city. With that, the crowds dispersed, probably too tired and too hoarse to continue.

Originally built between 332-63 BC and enlarged under Claudius (41-54 AD, about the time Paul was in the city), and again by Nero (54-68 AD), the theater had seating for 24,500 spectators divided into three tiers of 22 rows each. Nearly 2000 years later, the acoustics are excellent; from the stage you can easily hear snippets of French and Italian conversations from other tour groups. To test them further, we dropped a coin on the orchestra pavement and it was heard perfectly near the upper row of seats. Some of the group began singing "Amazing Grace," and it too was heard clearly. The present quickly fades as you recall Acts 19 which recounts the time when an angry mob rioted because they began to feel the impact of Christian evangelism on their livelihoods. Sitting here, you can almost hear their chant echoing from the ruins: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians... Great is Artemis of the Ephesians...Great is Artemis of the Ephesians..."

According to Acts, Paul left Ephesus soon after the riot. Luke writes as if he had a relatively peaceful time there until he ran afoul of the silversmiths guild. The evidence of his letters speaks otherwise. The Corinthian letters, written at this time from Ephesus, reflect turmoil, conflict and confusion over any number of issues. In 1 Corinthians 15:32 he said, "I fought wild beasts in Ephesus." During his over two-year stay in Ephesus, he had to send Timothy on several missions to Macedonia to deal with disciplinary issues. There are also indications that Paul was imprisoned in Ephesus, possibly because of the theater riot and that upon his release, he set out for Macedonia and Greece to deal with some of these problems personally..

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1. Trajan Fountain dedicated to the emperor Trajan. (The slope of Mt. Pion is behind.)

2. Temple of Hadrian, the second in Ephesus dedicated to a deified emperor. Note the square pedestals in front that once held statues of four other emperors.

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3. Looking west along Curetes Street toward the Library of Celcus. On the left are the so- called "Houses on the Slope," a cluster of ritzy town homes. From the plaza in front of the library, another road (Marble Way) leads north (right in the photo) to the Great Theater.

4. Interior of the one of the "Houses on the Slope" that once belonged to a wealthy citizen of the city.

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5. Library of Celsus at the junction of Curetes Street and Marble Way. The gate just visible to the right led to the Commercial Agora, the city marketplace.

6. Footprint etched in a paving stone along Marble Way advertising a brothel near the library.

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7. Sitting in the Great Theater, looking west, with Arcadian Way leading to the now silted-up harbor (the light area at the base of the distant peak).

8. Walking west along Arcadian Way toward the former harbor area.

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9. Commercial agora (marketplace) of Ephesus, a large square area surrounded on all sides by colonnades and shops, located near the harbor. The facade of the Library of Celsus is seen in the background. It was reconstructed in Corinthian style in the 3rd century AD.

10. The site of the Temple of Artemis as it appears today. All that remains is a single restored column in a field littered with marble remnants. Modern Selcuk and Ayasuluk Hill are in the background.

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11. Part of the ruins of the Church of St. John on Ayasuluk Hill, the later site of Ephesus.

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After Paul took leave of the believers in Ephesus, he set out for Macedonia and Greece. Acts is very brief in describing this part of his journey: "He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece." In fact, Paul covered a lot of territory over this leg and it took him several months to complete his work.

From Ephesus, Paul probably took the land route northward to preach at the important city of Alexandria Troas, where, on his second missionary journey, he had his vision appealing for him to come to Macedonia. Possibly at this time or earlier a church was started there, because later on this journey, he returned and spoke at length to the believers before heading for Jerusalem. From Alexandria Troas, Paul retraced a major leg of his second missionary journey, sailing to Neapolis, then going by land to Philippi (photo 1), Thessalonica (photo 2), Berea, Athens (photo 3) and Corinth. This, his 'sorrowful' visit, would be his third to Corinth (photo 4) and he stayed three months, during the winter of 57-58 AD, when ships did not regularly sail. Paul probably wrote Romans at this time and it also gave him a chance to see if the problems--the sexual laxity, the divisions among the Christians (some of whom said they were for Apollos, some for Cephas, some for Paul, some for Christ)-- addressed in his two letters (the ones later called 1st and 2nd Corinthians) had been resolved. It was also during this time that he heard of another famine in Palestine and that the church in Jerusalem needed help. Everywhere he stopped, he took up a collection for the needy Christians in Judea. Now it was time for him to take it to Jerusalem. A sea voyage would have been quicker, but he learned of a plot by the Jews to kill him. Corinth's eastern port of Cenchrea would have been a good place for Paul's enemies to detect him as he boarded a ship; also, the money he was carrying would have been a temptation for theft as well. Instead, he decided to retrace his steps back through Macedonia. Thus, Paul went back through Athens, Berea, Thessalonica and Philippi. According to Acts 20:4, "he was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia." These men were probably delegates appointed to accompany Paul and his collection. They were returning to their homes in Turkey and sailed ahead from Neapolis (Philippi's port) to Alexandria Troas to wait for Paul. Also, Luke may have rejoined Paul at Philippi, as the "we/us" passages in Acts resume in 20:5. He would remain at his side from this point on. At Philippi, in the spring of 58 AD, Paul and Luke (and others?) remained for the five day Passover observation (in the "days of unleavened bread"). Then they too sailed to Alexandria Troas to rendezvous with the others:

Alexandria Troas The city was originally founded in the 4th century BC by Antigonus I Monopthalmos, one of the generals of Alexander the Great. He named it Antigonia after himself, and filled it with citizens from nearby in villages. Later the city was conquered by another of Alexander's generals, who renamed it after his ex-boss. The site lies 10 miles southwest of fabled Troy, made famous in Homer's Iliad as one of the site of the Trojan War.

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After the time of Paul: In the 4th century AD Alexandria Troas was thriving to such an extent that Emperor Constantine initially decided to make it the new capital of his empire. But he changed his mind and chose Byzantium (now Istanbul, formerly Constantinople) instead. Afterward, the fortunes of the city declined. Even after the Ottomans overran Constantinople, they began referring to Alexandria Troas as Eski Istanbul (Old Istanbul), and indication of its importance. The Ottomans scavenged the city of its marble and other remains and shipping everything off to Istanbul for the construction of the famous Blue Mosque. Two centuries ago the ruins remained fairly impressive, but today the high walls, towers and temples have vanished.

Walking in Paul's footsteps--Alexandria Troas: At the time of Paul, Alexandria Troas was a Roman colony, independent of provincial administration, with a governmental organization modeled after that of Rome. It was an important seaport for connections between Macedonia and Greece on the one hand and Asia Minor on the other. At some point, maybe after Paul's second missionary journey or on his third, a church was started there. Today the extensive, but rather overgrown site of the ancient city occupies a lonely area 50 miles south of Çanakkale. The remains (photo 5), dating mainly from the Roman period, include the theater, city wall (6 miles in circumference) and aqueduct.

Paul preaches the Gospel in Alexandria Troas: The voyage from Neapolis took 5 days; it only took 2 days going the opposite direction. Paul remained in Alexandria Troas for seven days to commemorate the Lord's Supper with the believers there. Paul had much to say to them and, because he intended to leave the next day, he launched into a marathon sermon:

"On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!" Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted" (Acts 20:5-12).

Possibly because he wanted to spend as much time as possible with the Christians in Alexandria Troas, Paul arranged to go on foot across the peninsula (photo 6) from Alexandria Troas to Assos, about 20 miles, while his companions went by ship, a journey of around 40 miles. Thus Paul was not far behind...

Assos Assos was originally founded around 900 BC by Aeolian colonists from the nearby island of Lesbos, just to the south. The city had its golden age in the 4th century BC when it was ruled by Hermias, a pupil of the famed philosopher Plato at Athens He summoned Plato's star pupil Aristotle as a

Grade6_8_140.doc Page 24 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 philosopher-in-residence to help run the city in line with Plato's ideals. Aristotle lived there for three years working on the new sciences of biology and botany; also here he married his wife Pythius, the adopted daughter of the local ruler. In 334 BC, Aristotle's pupil, Alexander the Great, crossed the Dardanelles and captured Assos on his way to conquering half the known world. Later, it came under the rule of the kings of Pergamum. Assos was ideally located on the terraces of a steep volcanic cone (photo 7) rising 780 feet. About a half mile from the sea, it was protected by its natural defenses and a two mile long, 46 foot-high wall (photo 8) dating to the 4th century BC. Located near an agricultural region, the city was famous for the quality of its wheat. To reach the site of Assos, go south on the main highway from ancient Troy to the seaside village of Ayvacik, where there is a turnoff for Behramkale (another 21.5 miles further on) which now occupies the Assos site. Archaeological explorations have uncovered a Temple to Athena (6th century BC) (photo 9) high on the acropolis overlooking the harbor, the ancient agora or marketplace, the remains of a theater, a gymnasium, baths and some Greek and Roman tombs.

At Assos' harbor (photo 11), Paul met up with the ship carrying Luke and the others, and together they sailed to Mitylene on the island of Lesbos...

1. Acropolis at Philippi, with remains of the bathhouse in the foreground.

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2. Along the waterfront of the modern city of Thessaloniki (popularly called Saloniki), Greece.

3. The famed Acropolis at Athens, with the Parthenon (upper right).

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4. Acrocorinth, the acropolis of ancient Corinth, with the Lechiaon road in the foreground.

5. Ruins at the site of the ancient port city of Alexandria Troas, where Paul stopped on both his second and third missionary journeys.

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6. Ancient paved road running along the west side of the city of Assos--Paul could have walked this route, as did Aristotle, who lived in Assos for three years.

7. Overall view of the acropolis of Assos.

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8. City walls of Assos that once ran 3 miles around the town--amongst the best preserved in the Aegean.

9. Doric columns of the temple of Athena on the acropolis at Assos; already 500 years old when Paul visited the city.

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10. From Assos, looking south toward the large island of Lesbos, the next stop on Paul's journey.

11. Modern waterfront at the ancient harbor of Assos--where Paul rejoined his companions for the voyage to the island of Lesbos.

Grade6_8_140.doc Page 30 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 Paul's Third Missionary Journey (Part 4 - From Assos to Miletus) After spending the night at Mitylene, on the island of Lesbos, Paul decided to sail past Ephesus "avoid spending time in Asia because he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem...by the Passover." Instead, the missionaries sailed to the island of Kios, and there they spent the night off shore. On the third day, they crossed the the mouth of the bay leading to Ephesus and came to the island of Samos. (Acts records no incidents or preaching stopovers at any of these places.)

Mitylene ("mutilated") The town of Mitylene (photo 1) is located on Lesbos, the third largest of the Greek islands, just 9 miles miles off the Turkish coast. Lesbos is an island of great scenic beauty. Excavations have uncovered evidence of settlement around 2700 BC. Mitylene, the island's chief city, was founded by Aeolian Greeks about 1000 BC. The ancient town site is now occupied by modern Mytilini. Above the ancient north harbor are the remains of the 3rd century BC theater which gave the Roman general Pompey the idea of building the first stone theater in Rome. The ancient acropolis, which was probably visible to Paul, contained a sanctuary of Demeter (7th-6th century BC). It is now occupied by the massive Gattaelusi castle.

Kios ("snowy;" KJV Chios; modern Chios) Kios is a rugged island in the Aegean Sea (photo 2) between Samos and Lesbos. It is separated from the Turkish mainland by a 5 mile wide straight and most of it is occupied by craggy limestone hills, reaching a high point in Mt. Pellinaion (4,157' above sea level). The island has impressive cliffs, particularly on the east side. according to Greek mythology it was named for Chios, the son of Poseidon or Oceanus, and it is also considered to be the birthplace of Homer. Excavation has shown that the island was first inhabited around 4000 BC and In the 8th century BC it was one of the wealthiest and most important members of the Ionian League of cities, and in the 6th century BC it was conquered by the Persians. Although Chios formed a loose confederation with the other Ionian city- states and islands, it was conquered by the Persians in the second half of the 6th century BC. A revolt by Chios and the other Ionian states brought Athens into direct conflict with the Persians. After the Greek-Persian Wars, Chios joined the Athenian League, but soon grew restive under Athenian ambitions. Athens punished the rebellious Chiots in 412 BC, and Chios moved back into alliance with Athens until regaining independence in 354 BC. Soon, however, the Macedonian Greeks under Alexander and then the Romans exerted power over virtually all of the Mediterranean, including Chios.Under the Romans, the island maintained its independence. The island's principle town and port, Chios or Chora, lies half way down the east coast. Its prosperity depends on agriculture and shipping; about one-third of the Greek merchant fleet is based on Chios.

Samos ("height") A small island, only 27 miles long, Samos is located about a mile off the Turkish coast (photo 3). About 487 BC the Greeks defeated the Persian fleet in the straight between the island and the mainland. In ancient times the island of Samos was famous as the site of one the world's most important sanctuaries and cultural centers, the Heraion (photo 4), with its massive temple to the Greek goddess Hera (Roman Juno).

Grade6_8_140.doc Page 31 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 After leaving Samos the ship sailed for Miletus, a major city about 95 miles south of Smyrna (modern Izmir) and 35 miles from Ephesus)...

Miletus ("pure white fine wool") Meletus was a port city at the mouth of the Meander River, 35 miles south of Ephesus, on the west coast of Asia Minor. The city was thought to have been founded by settlers from Crete, where there was a city of the same name. It had four harbors (photos 5 & 6) and three agoras (marketplaces) and flourished between 324 BC and 325 AD. The city achieved maritime greatness by establishing eighty trading colonies, some afar afield as Egypt and the Black Sea. It was also famous as the birthplace of Greek philosophy. Thales, the "father of Western philosophy," lived in Miletus, as did Anaximander, the father of astronomy, and Hecateus, the world's first travel writer. Another famous citizen was Hippodamus, who introduced the grid system for laying out cities (used at Miletus). The Milesians were also anti-feminists. Historian Heodotus recorded that they had a law forbidding wives from sitting at tables with their husbands, or even addressing them by name. The city's main export was wool, which is said to have been marketed in every corner of the ancient world. The city was destroyed by the Persians in 495 BC and rebuilt by 479 BC. Its inhabitants opposed the advance of Alexander the Great (334 BC), only to be crushed again. When the Romans gained control in 130 BC, the city was rebuilt, but it never regained it former maritime and economic greatness. By the time of Paul's visit, the city was living on past glories.

After the time of Paul: Eventually the city's harbors were silted up by the Meander River, pushing the coastline five miles away. The city gradually declined and was abandoned.

Walking in the footsteps of Paul--Miletus: The remains now isolated in an alluvial plain bear witness the this once great economic, cultural and political center. The site, near the modern city of Söke, is among the most interesting in Turkey and it includes:

• Theater (photo 7), with seating for 25,000, it sat on a peninsula between two of the city's harbors.

• Delphinion - The city's principal shrine, it was dedicated to Apollo Delphinios, protector of ships and harbors.

• Market Gate (photo 8) - Once led into the southern agora (the largest known Greek marketplace). It is now on display at the Pergamum museum in Berlin, Germany.

• Baths of Faustina - (photo 9) To the west of the southern agora, they were named for Empress Faustine, the wife of Antionius Pius in whose reign (c. 150) they were built.

• Gymnasium (photo 10) dating about 150 BC

• Stoa (roofed colonnade) along the ceremonial road (photo 11), built by Claudius (41-54 BC)..

Paul speaks to the Ephesian elders at Miletus:

Grade6_8_140.doc Page 32 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 Miletus was the destination of the ship Paul was on. To go to Ephesus, 35 miles to the north, he would have had to change ships. Paul was trying to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost, fifty days from the Passover, which he had just celebrated in Philippi. It had taken him over two weeks to get this far, leaving him around a month to complete his journey. If he had gone to Ephesus, he would have had to greet various families and friends, and if trouble should arise, like the riot of a year ago, he would have lost more time. He could not risk the side trip, so he requested that the Ephesian elders come meet with him at Miletus for some final instructions. It would have taken messengers one day to travel to Ephesus with Paul's invitation, and another day for the return trip to Miletus. Meanwhile, Paul would have had time to speak with the believers in Miletus. When the Ephesian elders arrived, Paul spoke of his premonitions that it would be his last time in that area:

"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again."

Paul then left them with final instructions and a warning about what to expect in the future:

"Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard!"

When he had said this, he knelt down and prayed with them.

"They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship. After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea..."

After tearful goodbyes at Miletus, Paul and his comapnions boarded a ship for the final leg of their journey to Palestine...

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1. Citadel at Mitilin (ancient Mitylene) on the island of Lesbos.

2. Off the coast of the island of Chios (ancient Kios), looking toward Mt. Pellinaion-- possibly the view seen by Paul.

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4. From the lower terrace of the Heraion, the sanctuary to the Greek goddess Hera, looking toward the Argive plain on the island of Samos.

5. Remains at the harbor area of Miletus.

6. Harbor gate at Miletus.

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7. Theater with seating for 25,000. It was originally built in the 4th century BC, and enlarged in the 2 century AD. It once fronted one of the city's harbors (now silted up). The pair of pillars in the lower seating level once supported a canopy over the Imperial box.

8. Market Gate that once led into the southern agora at Miletus, reconstructed at the Pergamum museum in Berlin.

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9. Remains of the Baths of Faustina at Miletus.

10. Hellenistic gymnasium at Miletus.

11. Remains of the Ionic stoa along the ceremonial road at Miletus.

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Cos ("a public prison;" KJV, Coos; modern Kos) (Not to be confused with the island of "Chios," where Paul stopped earlier on his way to Miletus) The island of Cos is located in the Aegean Sea, just 3 miles off the southwest Turkish coast (photos 1 & 2). The nearest major city of antiquity was Halicarnassus (Bodrum). Cos was celebrated for its fertility and especially for its abundance of wine and corn. It was also famous for the oldest cult site of the healing god Asclepius and for its medical school where the famed physician Hippocrates (5th century BC) once.practiced. The remains of this ancient hospital complex, or Asclepium (3rd century BC) (photos 3 & 4), are located 2 1/2 miles southwest of the island's chief town of Kos. Also near Cos are the remains of a temple to the god Dionysus, a gymnasium, stadium, odeum (small covered theater), Hellenistic and Roman theater (photo 5) and a reconstructed 3rd century AD Roman villa.

The next day they set sail southward from Cos to the island of Rhodes:

Rhodes ("roses;" actually hibiscus) The fourth largest of the Greek islands, Rhodes is located off the southwest coat of Asia Minor in the Mediterranean Sea. Although settled as early as the Neolithic era, it only developed with the arrival of the Dorian Greeks. In the 5th century BC Rhodes became a member of the Confederacy of Delos.

Walking in Paul's footsteps--Rhodes: The town of Rhodes, on the northern tip of the island, has been the capital since its founding in 408 BC. The streets of the ancient city still follow a rectangular grid in accordance with the plan devised by Hippodamos of Miletus. Disloyalty to Roman rule brought stiff economic sanctions against the city, throwing it into economic decline. When Paul stopped over at Rhodes on his way to Tyre, it was only a minor provincial city. Its importance was gone except as a resort for pleasure and learning. Rhodes city (photo 6) was noted for its giant statue of the sun-god Helios, the "Colossus of Rhodes," one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, completed in 290 BC (and felled by an earthquake in 225 BC, over two centuries before Paul arrived there). In 1309, the city was occupied by the Knights of St. John (Hospitalers) who developed it into a powerful stronghold. In the 15th century, they defended it against Egyptian and Turkish attacks. They occupied the northern part of the Old Town Rhodes and there are many reminders of their stay, including narrow cobblestone streets (photo 7) and lanes, walls, towers, moat and inns of the various nations in the Order of St. John. But in 1522 the Knights were compelled to surrender the island to the Ottoman sultan Suleiman the Magnificent. From1523-1912, no Christian was allowed to live in the city, which is still surrounded by a magnificent 2 1/2 mile long circuit of walls built in the 15th and 16th centuries. In 1912, after almost 400 years of Turkish rule, the island was occupied by Italy. After the Second World War, it was returned to Greece. Paul's stopover on the island is commemorated by "St Paul'sGate" one of the entrances to Old Town Grade6_8_140.doc Page 38 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 Rhodes (photo 8). Also, near the town of Lindos, on the island's west side, is so-called "St. Paul's Bay" (photo 9).

1. Harbor at Cos with the Castle of the Knights of St. John (Hospitalers), who established their headquarters on the island in the 14th century.

2. View toward the Turkish coast, just 3 miles away, from the Asclepium on the island of Cos.

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3. Remains of the Asclepium on the island of Cos.

5. Grounds of the Asclepium on the island of Kos.

6. Roman theater near the town of Cos, on the island of Cos.

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6. At sunrise approaching Rhodes City, with its 15th/16th century fortifications, on the northern tip of the island of Rhodes.

7. Cobblestone "Street of the Knights" (Odos Ippoton) in Rhodes City.

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8. St. Paul's Gate at Rhodes City. It actually dates well after the time of the apostle.

9. St. Paul's Bay on the island of Rhodes

Grade6_8_140.doc Page 42 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 Paul's Third Missionary Journey (Part 6 -From Rhodes to Tyre) From Rhodes, still heading east, Paul sailed to Patara on the southern coast of the province of Lycia...

Patara ("scattering, cursing") Patara (photos 1 & 2), on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor, immediately east of the island of Rhodes, served as a popular port for ships traveling eastward during the early autumn months when favorable winds made travel to Egypt and the Phoenician coast easier. The harbor sat near the outlet of the Xanthus River and it was the main shipping point for Xanthus (7 miles north), the chief city of the region of Lycia in antiquity. The city probably dates from the 5th century BC, but it doesn't appear in historical records until it surrendered to Alexander the Great in 333 BC. In ancient times Patara was celebrated for its oracle of Apollo who, according to legend, wintered there after spending his summers on the Greek island of Delos. Apollo's oracle there was considered by some to be better than that at famed Delphi. Ancient historian Herodotus records that the oracle spoke through dreams experienced by priestesses. Later it was a Roman city, and most of the ruins seen there today date from this period.

After the time of Paul: The provincial capital during Vespasian's reign, Patara also housed the archives of the Lycian League. It was a metropolis in the Early Christian period, and was later celebrated as the birthplace of Saint Nicholas, the fourth-century bishop of Myra. The harbor resupplied medieval pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land, but when it silted up the town's fortunes dwindled and it was soon forgotten.

Exploring the ancient site: • First is the imposing arch of Mettius Modestus (photo 3), governor of the Roman province of Lycia-Pamphylia about 100 AD. The empty niches on the arch once held busts of Modestus and his family. • Between the arch and the theater, near the east edge of the harbor mouth, are baths built during the reign of Emperor Vespasian (r. 69-79 AD), a Byzantine basilica, a colonnaded street, and a council house. • On the western edge of the harbor are a granary, lighthouse, and a temple tomb. The ancient harbor is now a reed-filled quagmire closed off from the sea by sand dunes. Recent excavations have uncovered a residential area; and two Hellenistic temples. Restoration efforts are focused on the Roman baths, Byzantine basilica, and ancient main street.

Archaeological discoveries at the sites of Xanthus, Patara and nearby Myra and Kas have revealed distinctive Lycian rock tombs carved in the cliffs (photo 4).

At Patara, Paul changed ships, from one that hugged the shore of Asia Minor, to one going directly to the ancient Phoenician port of Tyre. The journey took, perhaps, two to three days, and along the way he passed to the south of the island of Cyprus where he, accompanied by Barnabas, stopped on his first missionary journey. At Tyre Paul remained for one week... Grade6_8_140.doc Page 43 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16

Tyre ("a rock") Tyre was the principal seaport on the Phoenician coast (photo 5), about 40 miles south of Sidon and 45 miles north of Acre (Acco). According to Herodotus, Tyre was founded about 2700 BC. Like Sidon, Tyre was in reality two cities. One lay on an island, the other on the mainland, and each section had its own harbor. Its Hebrew name, Tzor, signifies a rock, as in flint, which was used as a knife. The city took an active part in the maritime trade with Egypt which led to the Egyptian attempts to control the Phoenician coast. When the Philistines plundered Sidon about 1200 BC, many of its inhabitants fled to Tyre. Afterward, Tyre became the principal Phoenician port. The city's most coveted export was the costly scarlet-purple dye, called 'Tyrian,' made from the local murex shell. Legend says the deities Melqart and Astarte were walking along the beach when their dog picked up a shell that stained its mouth crimson. Astarte told Melqart she would love him forever if he would make her a dress of that color. In response he built the dyeworks. The Tyrians jealously guarded the processes used to extract and blend their dyes. Some of these trade secrets still lie buried in the ruins of ancient Tyre. The city first appears in the Bible in Joshua 19:29 where it is referred to as a "fortified city" in reference to the boundaries of the tribe of Asher. Joshua, however, was unable to conquer the surrounding territory. But it is most famous as the city from which King Hiram sent cedar wood and workmen to David for the building of his palace, and subsequently supplied Solomon with materials and workmen for construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. During his reign Hiram linked the mainland with the island by an artificial causeway and built a temple to Melqart (Herakles or Hercules) and Astarte (Ashtoreth in the Bible). In the 9th century BC, Tyre founded Carthage in Libya, on the north Africn coast. Early in the 6th century BC, king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon laid siege to the walled city for 13 years. Tyre stood firm, but it is probable that at this time the residents abandoned the mainland city for the safety of the island. In 332 BC Alexander the Great set out to conquer this strategic coastal base in his war with the Persians. Unable to storm the city, he blockaded Tyre for 7 months. Again Tyre held on. But Alexander used the debris of the abandoned mainland city to build a causeway, then used his siege engines to batter and finally breach the city walls. It is said that Alexander was so enraged at the Tyrians' defense that he destroyed half the city. The towns' 30,000 residents were massacred or sold into slavery. Despite these heavy losses, the city recovered under Seleucid patronage. In 64 BC, Tyre (and the whole of ancient Syria) fell under Roman rule. Herod the Great rebuilt the city's main temple which would have been standing when Paul stopped over in Tyre, also earlier when Jesus came to the vicinity of Tyre and healed the demon-possessed daughter of a Canaanite woman (see Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-31). The Romans built a great many important monuments in the city, all dating from the 2nd century to the 6th century AD. They include:

• Monumental arch (photos 6 & 7), which stands astride a Roman road that led into the ancient city. Alongside the road are the remains of the aqueduct that assured the city its water supply.

• Hippodrome (photo 8), one of the largest ever found. It had seating for 20,000 spectators who gathered to watch the death-defying sport of chariot racing (as in the movie "Ben Hur"). Each end of the course was marked by still existing stone turning posts (metae). Charioteers had to make this circuit seven times Rounding the metae at top speed was the most dangerous part of

Grade6_8_140.doc Page 44 of 53 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 140 Acts 18:23-21:16 the race and often produced spectacular spills. The ruins of these and other structures (photo 9-11) can be explored in three excavation areas.

After the time of Paul: At the time of the Crusades it was still a flourishing city when it surrendered to the Christians in 1144. It continued more than a century and a half in the hands of the Crusaders, but was deserted by its inhabitants in 1291 upon the conquest of Acre (Ptolemais) by the sultan of Egypt and Damascus. This was the turning-point in the history of Tyre, which never Christianity figures in the history of Tyre. During the Byzantine era, the Archbishop of Tyre was the Primate of all the bishops of Phoenicia. At this time the town witnessed a second golden age as can be seen from the remains of its buildings and the inscriptions in the necropolis ("city of the dead;" a cemetery). Taken by the Arab Muslim armies in 634, the city offered no resistance and continued to prosper under its new rulers, exporting sugar as well as objects made of pearl and glass. With the decline of the Abbasid caliphate, Tyre acquired some independence under the dynasty of the Banu 'Aqil, vassals of the Egyptian Fatimids. This was a time when Tyre was adorned with fountains and its bazaars were full of all kinds of merchandise, including carpets and jewelry of gold and silver. Thanks to Tyre's strong fortifications it was able to resist the onslaught of the Crusaders until 1124. After about 180 years of Crusader rule, the Mamelukes re-took the city in 1291, then passed it on to the Ottomans at the start of the 16th century. With the end of World War I, Tyre was integrated into the new nation of Lebanon, and is now known as Sour (photo 12).

This was Paul's first visit to Phoenicia, but already a Christian congregation was thriving in Tyre. He stayed with his fellow believers for seven days, and they, through the Spirit, urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem for fear of what would happen to him. But Paul dismissed the warning because he wanted to take money collected from the Asian and European churches to the Holy City. Luke continues his account:

"But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. After saying good-bye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home. We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais..."

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1. Modern resort village of Kalkan, just east of the site of Patara.

2. Harbor near the site of ancient Patara, with bougainvillea.

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3. Arch of Mettius Modestus at Patara, dating about 100 AD.

4. Distinctive Lycian rock tombs.

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5. Lebanon coastline from Tyre.

6. Triumphal arch on the principal road leading into Roman Tyre. The road was lined by colonnades and an aqueduct ran along the south side.

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7. Another view of the Roman arch at Tyre.

8. Remaining seating section of the ancient hippodrome which once accommodated 20,000 spectators for chariot racing.

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9. Ruins of the Crusader church at Tyre.

10. Roman baths located on the island part of ancient Tyre.

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11. Colonnades along street of ancient Tyre, south of the modern city center.

12. Buildings of modern Sour (Tyre) along Mediterranean seacoast.

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NAME DATE:

List BCV for each answer.

1. When Paul left Caesarea, where did he go? ______

______

2. Give some brief information about Apollos? ______

______

3. Apollos was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, but was acquainted with what? ______

______

4. Who taught Apollos the way of God? ______

______

5. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, how did the brethren respond? ______

______

6. With what did Apollos powerfully refute the Jews? ______

______

7. Who had baptized the disciples that Paul found in Ephesus? ______

8. Paul said John’s baptism was of what? ______

9. John had been telling the people to believe in whom? ______

10. When the disciples of John’s baptism heard Paul’s message, what did the do? ______

______

11. When Paul laid his hands on the disciple, what happened? ______

______

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1. Antioch. 18:22

2. He was an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, might in the Scriptures. 18:24

3. The baptism of John. 18:25

4. Priscilla and Aquila. 18:26

5. The encouraged him. 18:27

6. With the Scriptures. 18:28

7. John. 19:4

8. Repentance. John was telling the people to believe in Him who was coming. 19:4

9. Jesus Christ. 19:4

10. They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 19:5

11. The Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. 19:6

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SUBJECT: Riot in Ephesus Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 141 Acts 19:23 –19:41

Level of Understanding:

General Characteristics: Energetic, independent, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative, wants to be like his peers, beginning to think abstractly, likes competition, hero worshiper, memorizes easily, attention span up to 20 minutes.

Needs: Firm and loving discipline, involvement in learning activities, challenges to memorize, competition, good examples of Christian lifestyle, one teacher for 10 students.

Understanding: Application of Bible to daily problems, identifying with Bible heroes, challenge to read and investigate areas of interest on own, greater awareness of sin and need for salvation.

Goals:

The student should understand that elders were appointed in every church, not one person or organization in charge of many local congregations. They should be able to point out various places on the map that Paul and Barnabas visited.

Objectives:

1. Go over 1 Corinthians 1:23 and explain why some of the Jews didn’t believe Paul and Silas.

Memory Verse:

Acts 19:20 “So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.”

Suggested Activities

1. Review Bible Facts (contained at the end of this book). Recite these with the students each day.

Available Materials:

Resource Room M109.26 8 Maps Paul’s Third Journey Resource Room AG113.2 Various Games and Activities are available Bible Overview

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Outline:

I. Riot in Ephesus (Acts 19:23-20:3)

A. Demetrius the Silversmith Calls a Meeting (Acts 19:23-27)

B. The Tradesmen Become Enraged (Acts 19:28)

C. Gaius and Aristarchus are Seized (Acts 19:29)

D. Confusion in the Assembly (Acts 19:30-34)

E. The Town Clerks Quiets the Crowd (Acts 19:35-37)

F. Demetrius is Told to Go Through the Courts (Acts 19:38)

G. The Clerk Dismisses the Assembly (Acts 19:39-41)

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Paul's Third Journey

Paul's Third Journey involves a long ministry at Ephesus as well as travels to cities in Macedonia and Greece. This phase of his ministry would eventually lead back to Jerusalem where he would be arrested. Following his arrest, he would spend over two years in jail at Caesarea.

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Ephesus

Acts

18:24-28 Paul's companions from Corinth, Aquila and Priscilla, were in Ephesus. Before Paul joined them in Ephesus they met a Jewish Christian named Apollos, whom they instructed further in the faith.

Context: Ephesus was a major port city on the western coast of Asia Minor. As a center for seaborne trade and the hub of the region’s road system, Ephesus was a thriving urban community. The Romans made Ephesus an administrative center for the province of Asia. Renowned religious shrines, a spacious theater, stadium, and elegant public buildings gave Ephesus an integral place in the cultural life of the entire region.

Ephesus: Aegean Coast

Ephesus was located where the Aegean Sea washes the shores of Asia Minor. The island of Samos can be seen in the far distance. Sheltered by coastal hills, the city's harbor attracted ships from many parts of the Roman Empire.

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Ephesus: Artemis

Artemis was the principal goddess of Ephesus. Although Artemis was worshiped at many places, her sanctuary at Ephesus was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Its huge columns enclosed a sacred space in which a statue of the goddess stood. Pilgrims came from throughout the region to worship at the shrine, contributing to the revenue of the city (Acts 19:23-27,35).

Artemis and her brother Apollo were said to be the children of Zeus and Leto. Artemis is often described as a virgin huntress, fearless in opposing her adversaries. At Ephesus, she seems to have been a mother goddess, a provider of fertility, and overseer of childbirth.

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Ephesus: City Hall

City Hall, which was called the prytaneion in Greek, was Ephesus’ administrative center. Like many Greco-Roman cities, Ephesus entrusted most civic affairs to a council of leading citizens. A smaller group of these citizens actually handled the day- to-day operation of the cities. The offices of these administrators were located in the area of the city pictured above. A temple to Julius Caesar and the goddess Roma were part of this complex.

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Ephesus: Temple A temple to Roman emperors stood near the city's center. Dedicated in A.D. 89-90, during the reign of Domitian, the temple was to honor emperors from the Flavian family: Vespasian, Titus, Domitian, and perhaps Domitian’s wife. A row of columns graced each side of the temple and an altar stood in front. Statues of traditional deities adorned the structure. Inside was a colossal statute of an emperor, probably Domitian. This temple was used for the worship of the Flavian emperors throughout the province of Asia. Domitian was publicly condemned after his death in A.D. 96 because of his brutal attempts to suppress all perceived opponents. Nevertheless, the imperial temple at Ephesus continued to promote the worship of other emperors in his family.

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Ephesus: Judaism Ephesus had a significant Jewish population and at least one synagogue where the Jewish Law could be read and people could gather for prayer (Acts 19:8). Some in the Jewish community apparently were Roman citizens, but they were exempted from serving in the Roman army because their tradition closely regulated the kinds of food that they ate, and prevented them from bearing arms or marching on the Sabbath (Josephus, Antiquities 14.225-230).

Ephesus: Christianity A Christian community was probably formed in Ephesus the 50s A.D., almost half a century before Revelation was written. Among the community’s founders were Aquila and Priscilla, who had been tentmakers with the apostle Paul at Corinth, and a gifted speaker named Apollos. Paul himself worked in Ephesus for over two years (Acts 19:10) and wrote some of his letters from there (1 Cor 16:8). Local followers of John the Baptist responded well to his message, while many in the synagogue opposed him, and townspeople confused Paul’s healing ministry with magic (Acts 19:8-20). Severe resistance came from devotees of the goddess Artemis, who staged a demonstration against the Christians (Acts 19:23-41).

The message to Ephesus in Rev 2:1-7 indicates that the Christian community remained strong in the mid-90s A.D. The message commends them for their strong stand against false teachings, but warns them about their loss of love. Two decades after Revelation was written, the Christians at Ephesus showed support for Ignatius of Antioch, who was being taken to Rome for execution. As Christianity spread, Ephesus continued to be a leading center of the faith.

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NAME DATE:

List BCV for each answer.

1. What was Demetrius’ trade? ______

2. What was Demetrius’ chief complaint against Paul? ______

______

3. How did the workmen react after Demetrius finished speaking to them? ______

______

4. The outraged crying of the workmen created a riot in the city. What do you think the word “riot” means? ______

______

5. How many of Paul’s companions did the mob take into the theatre? ______

6. What were their names? ______

7. Did Paul go into the theatre? Why or Why not? ______

______

8. Did the crowd inside the theatre understand the reason for the uproar or riot? ______

9. What did the town clerk say to calm the mob? ______

______

Grade6_8_141.doc Page 13 of 15 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Riot in Ephesus Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 141 Acts 19:23 –19:41 10. What did the town clerk say Demetrius and the craftsmen should do if they had a complaint against any man? ______

______

11. Who persuaded the mob to break up or disassemble? ______

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Answers

1. He was a silversmith. Acts 19:24

2. The chief complaint was that Paul’s preaching would not only cause them to lose money; it would also cause the temple of Artemis or temple of Diana to fall into disrepute. Acts 19:27

3. The became enraged and began crying out “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Acts 29:28

4. An uproar; an angry mob.

5. 2 Acts 19:29

6. Gaius and Aristarchus Acts 19:29

7. No. Paul wanted to go into the theatre but the disciples that were with him would not let him. Acts 19:30

8. No according to verse 32.

9. To stay calm and do nothing rash. Acts 19:35 & 36

10. To take it up legally in the courts. Acts 19:38 & 39

11. The town clerk. Acts 19:41

Riot Without Reason:

1. Draw

2. Artemis, Gaius and Aristarchus, The disciples.

3. Alexander, 2, Great Is Artemis of the Ephesians.

4. City Clerk – One who settled the riot., Ephesus – Guardian of Aremis’ temple, Artemis – Image that fell from Heaven, Demetrius – Silversmith.

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SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Concluded Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 142 Acts 20:1-21:15

Level of Understanding:

General Characteristics: Energetic, independent, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative, wants to be like his peers, beginning to think abstractly, likes competition, hero worshiper, memorizes easily, attention span up to 20 minutes.

Needs: Firm and loving discipline, involvement in learning activities, challenges to memorize, competition, good examples of Christian lifestyle, one teacher for 10 students.

Understanding: Application of Bible to daily problems, identifying with Bible heroes, challenge to read and investigate areas of interest on own, greater awareness of sin and need for salvation.

Goals:

By the end of this lesson, the students should understand how committed Paul was to the gospel of the Lord.

Objectives:

1. Discuss with the students Paul’s commitment to the Lord.

Memory Verse:

Acts 20:27 “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.”

Suggested Activities

1. Review Bible Facts (contained at the end of this book). Recite these with the students each day.

Available Materials:

Resource Room M109.26 8 Maps Paul’s Third Journey Resource Room AG113.2 Various Games and Activities are available Bible Overview

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Outline:

I. Macedonia: Three Months of Ministry (Acts 20:1-5)

II. Troas: Eutychus Falls from Loft (Acts 20:6-12)

III. Miletus: Paul Bids Farewell to Ephesian Elders (Acts 20:13-38)

IV. Tyre: Paul Is Warned About Jerusalem (Acts 21:1-6)

Caesarea: Agabus’s Prediction (Acts 21:7-16)

Grade6_8_142.doc Page 2 of 15 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Third Journey Concluded Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 142 Acts 20:1-21:15 Paul's Third Missionary Journey (Part 7 - From Tyre to Jerusalem) From Tyre, Paul went south, one day's journey, to Ptolemais, north of and across the bay from Mt. Carmel...

Ptolemais ("warlike;" modern Acco) Ptolemais has a long history documented by Near Eastern records going back to about 2000 BC. Then it was called Acre, and it commanded the only natural harbor on the Mediterranean coast and guarded access to the Plain of Sharon leading into the center of the country. It was conquered many times, but it plays only a small role in the biblical narrative. The city was assigned to the tribe of Asher, but they could not conquer it. It remained an important Phoenician city until captured by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. Under Ptolemy II Philadelphus (238-246 BC), Acre became a semi-independent state and was renamed Ptolemais.

After the time of Paul: During the First Jewish Revolt of 66-70 AD, the city was the main Roman campaign base and its 2000 Jews were massacred. In 636 the port was taken by the Arabs and its name was changed back to Acre. In 1104, the Crusaders successfully laid siege to the city and renamed it St. Jean (John) d'Acre. However, in 1187, they lost it to Saladin and it remained in Muslim hands until retaken by the Third Crusade in 1191. A golden age then began for Acre. The city continued to be a great trading town, and shops and warehouses thrived on every corner. But through foreign influences (from the Italian trading cities like Venice, Pisa and Genoa who set up businesses in Acre) the local government crumbled. By 1291, when Acre was captured by the Mamelukes, the city had been the capital of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem for a century. Subsequently it fell into decline, until the later part of the 18th century when the Ottomans restored the walls. In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte laid siege to Acre, but he failed miserably and was force to retreat back to Paris. In 1922, Acre became part of the British mandate of Palestine, and in 1948, part of Israel. Now called Acco (Akko), the city is located 15 miles north of Haifa, and it has an estimated population of 45,000, two thirds of which is Jewish. The other third, including the population inside the Old City--which juts out into the sea--is Arab. It is still surrounded by the sea on three sides and the city's broad walls, rebuilt to defend it against Napoleon, still loom impenetrable (photo 1). Once visited by the likes of St. Francis of Assisi, Marco Polo and thousands of pilgrims to Jerusalem, the harbor (photo 2) was the last major outpost of the Crusaders. When the Arabs defeated the Crusaders in 1291, they were determined to make the seacoast unusable. In the case of Acco, they buried its important buildings and harbor facilities in dirt and rubbish. Today, only about 10 percent of the 12th to 13th century Crusader city has been excavated. It lies about 20 feet below the modern city and the entrance is just opposite the mosque of Ahmed Pasha, the 18th century governor of Acco. The most impressive part is the castle of the Order of St. John (the Hospitalers), built against the northern walls of the city. One of the castle rooms is a great vaulted Gothic hall (photo 3), identified as the knight's dining hall. It leads to a network of underground tunnels dug by the Hospitalers so they could go back and forth in safety between their castle and hospital.

At Ptolemais, the missionaries were "greeted (by) the brothers," and they stayed with them for a day. Then it was on to Caesarea where Paul spent many days at the home of the same Philip who, earlier, had opened up a mission field among the Samaritans...

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Caesarea Caesarea Maritima, 34 miles north of Joppa (now part of modern Tel Aviv), was originally a small Phoenician port called Straton's Tower. Between 22 and 10 BC it was rebuilt by Herod the Great, who renamed it for his benefactor, the Emperor Tiberius. Caesarea became the major port of his kingdom, replacing Acre. In 6 AD, it became the seat of the Roman governor of Judea and it played an important part in early church history. The Roman governors, including Pontius Pilate, resided there, and in the Book of Acts the work of Philip, Peter, and Paul at Caesarea is described. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, Caesarea became the most important city in Palestine; by the 6th century its population may have reached 100,000. Both Eusebius and Origen worked at Caesarea. The city's subsequent decline was hastened when the Persians and the Arabs sacked it early in the 7th century. Last occupied during the period of the Crusades, it was abandoned after its destruction by the Mamelukes in 1265. Excavations between 1950 and 1961 revealed the main features of the city as described by the 1st-century historian Josephus, and restored the extensive fortifications built by the Crusaders. Investigations by underwater archaeologists in the 1980s confirmed Josephus's description of the harbor (photo 4) with its two massive breakwaters. A theater (photo 5) and aqueduct (photo 6) from Herod's time are still standing today, and Herod's harbor palace, where Paul was tried before the Roman governors Festus and Felix, has been partially restored. The site also includes some well-preserved Crusader era structures (photo 7).

After a number of days in the house of Philip, a prophet named Agabus came to him and performed a symbolic act. He took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with, warning: "The Holy Spirit says, `In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'" Everyone took the dire warning seriously and pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. But as he did earlier, Paul dismissed the warning:

"Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus."

Finally, Paul arrived in Jerusalem (photos 8-10) with his collection of money for the needy from the churches of Asia and Europe. He gave an account of his work to the church leaders and they were thrilled that so many Gentiles had been brought to faith. And there his third missionary journey ended. YOU HAVE COMPLETED TRACKING PAUL'S THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY

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1. Acre and its sea wall.

2. Modern harbor at Acco.

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3. The dining hall of the Order of St. John (Knights Hospitalers).

4. Pillar sections strewn around the Herodian harbor at Caesarea.

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5. Restored Herodian Theater just outside the southern wall of Caesarea.

6. High level aqueduct north of Caesarea, one of two that supplied water to the city at the time of Paul.

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7. Interior of the eastern gate of the Crusader city at Caesarea.

8. Artist's rendition of Jerusalem in the first century AD.

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9. Excavations of the street along the west side of the Temple mount in Jerusalem. Paul would probably have walked here at various times while in the Holy City. The large stones fell on the street from above at the time the city's destruction in 70 AD.

10. The Dome of the Rock, the third most sacred site in Islam, now dominates the Temple Mount in modern Jerusalem.

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Acts 18:23 - 21:17 Paul's 3rd Missionary Journey

Across 4 The prophet who foretold Paul's capture. (Acts 21:10) 5 What the city clerk did to the crowd. (Acts 19:35) 6 The Spirit did what to Paul? (Acts 20:22) 7 Paul found some disciples who had this, but only through John. (Acts 19:3) 9 What did Paul put around Eutychus? (Acts 20:10)

Down 1 What did Paul's friends send him, begging him not to venture into the theater? (Acts 19:31) 2 Paul started this third missionary trip from this city. (Acts 18:23) 3 These and aprons that Paul touched were taken to the sick. (Acts 19:12) 4 What was the name of the Ephesian's idol? (Acts 19:34) 8 Paul stayed in this province while Timothy and Erastus moved on. (Acts 19:22)

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Across 4 The prophet who foretold Paul's capture. (Acts 21:10) 5 What the city clerk did to the crowd. (Acts 19:35) 6 The Spirit did what to Paul? (Acts 20:22) 7 Paul found some disciples who had this, but only through John. (Acts 19:3) 9 What did Paul put around Eutychus? (Acts 20:10)

Down 1 What did Paul's friends send him, begging him not to venture into the theater? (Acts 19:31) 2 Paul started this third missionary trip from this city. (Acts 18:23) 3 These and aprons that Paul touched were taken to the sick. (Acts 19:12) 4 What was the name of the Ephesian's idol? (Acts 19:34) 8 Paul stayed in this province while Timothy and Erastus moved on. (Acts 19:22)

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NAME DATE:

List BCV for each answer.

1. After Paul had gone through the districts of Macedonia, he came to which city? ______

2. Why did Paul decide to return through Macedonia when setting sail for Syria? ______

______

3. Who all had accompanied Paul? ______

______

4. Why were the disciples gathered together on the first day of the week? ______

5. Paul preached until what time? ______

6. Why did Eutychus fall from the 3rd floor window? ______

7. What did Paul do for Eutychus? ______

8. Why was Paul hurrying to Jerusalem? ______

9. Once in Ephesus, whom did Paul call together? ______

10. What did the Holy Spirit tell Paul in every city was awaiting him? ______

______

11. According to Acts 20:24, what was Paul’s main goal? ______

______

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______

13. What did Paul warn the brethren to be on guard for? ______

______

14. Paul assured the brethren that all the silver, gold and clothing had been used for what? ______

______

15. Why were the brethren weeping? ______

______

16. Where did Paul and those accompanying him stay and visit with the disciples for seven days? ______

17. The Holy Spirit through the disciples kept telling Paul not to go where? ______

18. Paul and his companions entered the house of Philip who was “one of the seven”. What does this mean? (See Acts 6:1-7 for your answer) ______

______

19. What did the prophet, Agabus, tell Paul? ______

______

20. Paul said he was ready for what? ______

______

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1. Greece Acts 20:2

2. Because he learned of a plot formed against him by the Jews. 20:3

3. Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timothy, Tychicus and Trophimus

4. To break bread

5. Midnight

6. He fell asleep.

7. He performed a miracle and brought him back to life

8. To be there on the day of Pentecost

9. The elders of the church

10. Bonds and afflictions

11. To finish his course and the ministry which he received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.

12. Declaring to them the whole purpose of God.

13. False teachers and preachers

14. They had been used to minister to Paul’s needs and the needs of his companions in the spread of the gospel.

15. Because they would see Paul’s face no more.

16. Tyre

17. Jerusalem

18. Philip was one of the seven chosen in Acts 6:1-7 to care for the widows.

19. He took Paul’s belt and bound his hands and feet and said “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”

20. To be bound or even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

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SUBJECT: Paul’s Fifth Visit to Jerusalem Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 143 Acts 21:15 – 23:9

Level of Understanding:

General Characteristics: Energetic, independent, inquisitive, talkative, imaginative, wants to be like his peers, beginning to think abstractly, likes competition, hero worshiper, memorizes easily, attention span up to 20 minutes.

Needs: Firm and loving discipline, involvement in learning activities, challenges to memorize, competition, good examples of Christian lifestyle, one teacher for 10 students.

Understanding: Application of Bible to daily problems, identifying with Bible heroes, challenge to read and investigate areas of interest on own, greater awareness of sin and need for salvation.

Goals:

By the end of this lesson, the students should understand how committed Paul was to the gospel of the Lord.

Objectives:

Discuss with the students what the Sadducees believed versus what the Pharisees believed. Discuss with the students the fact that the Jews had no reason to hold Paul.

Memory Verse:

Acts 20:27 “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.”

Suggested Activities

1. Review Bible Facts (contained at the end of this book). Recite these with the students each day.

Available Materials:

Resource Room M109.26 8 Maps Paul’s Third Journey Resource Room AG113.2 Various Games and Activities are available Bible Overview

Grade6_8_143.doc Page 1 of 21 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Fifth Visit to Jerusalem Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 143 Acts 21:15 – 23:9

Outline:

I. Paul Witnesses in Jerusalem (Acts 21:17-23:9)

A. Paul Conforms to Jewish Customs (Acts 21:17-26)

B. Paul’s Arrest (Acts 21:27-39)

C. Paul’s Defense Before the Crowd (Acts 21:40-22:23)

D. Paul’s Defense Before the Centurion (Acts 22:24-29)

E. Paul’s Defense Before the Sanhedrin (Acts 22:30-23:11)

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View to Holy Sepulcher

Rooftops in December

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View of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.

The Temple Mount (Haram es Sharif) from the air. The Jewish temple stood here before being destroyed by Titus in 70 AD.

Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The church stands on the site of the crucifixion.

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Jerusalem old city street scene 1.

Donkey at Damascus Gate. Donkeys are still used in the old city due to the narrow streets.

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Herod's Gate The first name was given to the gate by pilgrims, who erroneously believed that it led to Herod's palace. It is also known in Arabic as the Flower Gate

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Zion Gate The western gate of the Old City, named after Mount Zion. In Arabic it is known as "the Prophet David's Gate", because one passes through King David's tomb on Mount Zion

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Damascus Gate The most massive and ornate of all of Jerusalem's gates. The road running off it leads to Shechem (Nablus) and then to Damascus

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Golden Gate The Mercy (Golden) Gate (Bab el Rahmeh) appears in the legends of all three religions. An early Jewish tradition holds that it is through that gate that the Messiah will enter jerusalem. According to Christian tradition, Jesus made made his last entry to Jerusalem through the Mercy Gate. The Muslims refer to it as the Gate of Mercy and believe it to be the gate referred to in the Koran, through which the just will pass on the Day of Judgment

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PAUL'S JOURNEY FROM JERUSALEM TO ROME The Apostle Paul arrives in Jerusalem together with some of the disciples from Caesarea. He is lodged "with one of the early disciples, Mnason from Cyprus." The next day Paul goes to see James, and all the elders of the Jerusalem church are also present. Paul tells them "in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry." After hearing it they praise God and say to him: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the Law." These words indicate that it was the orthodox Jews of that time who had were better qualified than others to comprehend Jesus' Messiahship. And this is the way it is today, too. However, Paul had to remember that rumours were being spread about him that he teaches Jews to abandon Moses and forbids circumcision. Therefore he should take four men who "have made a vow." Now their Nazirite time had expired and therefore as a sign of this they had to have their hair cut and offer a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord.99 Paul "purified himself" with them, paid for their offering and took them into the Temple, so that people could conclude that Paul too lived according to the Law. And the elders assured them a second time that "as for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat from which the blood has not been drained and from sexual immorality." Thus they held fast to the previously issued minimum basic requirements regulating Jewish proselytization. (Acts 21:15-25). From this there begins something like a chain reaction, in which are fulfilled the words Paul had once received: "I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." Paul's journey took him from Jerusalem to Caesarea and to Rome. This included two periods of imprisonment of two years (Acts 24:27 and 28:30), several of Paul's long speeches of defence which shed light on his autobiography, an excellent detailed description of contemporary seafaring and diligent letter-writing. When one reads these chapters carefully (21:15 - 28:31), one always notices that Luke "has carefully investigated everything from the beginning" and now it is presented "in order", so that we should know how "reliable" these facts are (Luke 1:1-4). From this final phase of Paul's life we shall set out only the main stages and such observations as illuminate his portrait.

In Jerusalem there were also by chance some Jews "from Asia". They knew Paul. But when they had seen "Trophimus from Ephesus" with him in the city, they thought that Paul had taken him into the so- called "court of Israel" in the Temple. This was not allowed under penalty of death.100 A warning was written on nine gates leading to the area both in Greek and in Latin. The Romans accepted this prohibition. Therefore uproar ensued. Paul was dragged out of the sanctuary and its gates were closed. When the military commander saw from the adjacent high Antonia fortress that there was a riot in the Temple area, he took soldiers and centurions with him. They entered the Temple area from the narrow stairway leading from the fortress. When they saw the soldiers, the noisy mob stopped beating Paul. So he was bound "with two chains." And the soldiers had to "carry" him to safety due to the violence of the people. But Paul appealed in Greek to his civil rights and asked to be allowed to speak to the crowd. And when he used "Hebrew," which was known only by learned Jews, there was "profound silence." So Paul delivered a long speech of testimony (22:1-21). It reached its climax with a description of his visit to Jerusalem after his conversion. At that time, while praying in the Temple, he fell into a "trance", "saw" Jesus and received the command: "Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles." Paul's strong consciousness of being called was partly based on these mystical and ecstatic experiences. In 2 Cor. Grade6_8_143.doc Page 10 of 21 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Fifth Visit to Jerusalem Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 143 Acts 21:15 – 23:9 12:2-4 he tells that "fourteen years ago" he had been caught up in a trance "to the third heaven" and "to paradise," and there he heard "inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell." In the Second Temple period scholars spoke of either two or three heavens. The "third heaven" was the so- called "heaven of heavens" (Ps.68:34) and nearest to God. Later they began to speak of seven heavens and analyze their character.101 By Paradise was understood the nearness of God and the intermediate state between death and the resurrection. Once again uproar ensued. So the commander of the garrison ordered Paul to be "flogged and questioned." But when he hears that he has had Roman citizenship "from birth," he is afraid. And in order to resolve the matter, the next day he takes Paul before the Great Council. Again Paul has the opportunity to witness to his faith (23:1-11). The high priest Ananias orders "those standing near Paul to strike him." Then he says boldly, "You whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the Law, yet you yourself violate the Law by commanding that I be struck!" Bystanders say, "You dare to insult God's high priest?" But Paul did not realize his high position. Ananias or Hananiah held office in the years 47-58 A.D. The historian Josephus tells many times of his arbitrariness and brutality. Similarly, the Talmud tells that he was a glutton and drunkard and stole Temple tithes and funds for his own use.102 When Paul realizes that his judges are Sadducees and Pharisees, he says that he is being judged "because of the resurrection." This gets the Pharisees to take Paul's side. They even admit: "We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" When the dispute becomes more heated, the commander fears that Paul will be torn to bits. Therefore he orders the soldiers to come down and snatch him from their hands. So Paul is taken into the barracks. And the following night the Lord stands by Paul and says: "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome." Now Paul becomes the target of a conspiracy. Almost fifty men take an oath that they will not eat nor drink before they have killed Paul. Therefore they ask the chief priests and elders to invite Paul to the Great Council to get "more accurate information about his case." He would be assassinated before he gets there. But Paul's nephew hears of the ambush. He goes to the commander of the garrison. And Luke tells beautifully how the commander "took him by the hand, drew him aside and asked, 'What is it you want to tell me?'"

So Paul is given an escort to Caesarea of "two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen" (23:23) so that he reached governor Felix unharmed. Emperor Claudius had appointed this Antonius Felix governor of Judea (52-59 A.D.). The commander of the garrison, Claudius Lucias, gave an accompanying letter, a copy of which Luke may have had (23:26-30). Paul is taken under cover of night first to Antipatris. From there the journey continues to Herod's fortress in Caesarea. Five days later high priest Ananias with the lawyer Tertullus arrive to accuse Paul before Felix. In this interesting and stylish speech Paul is called "a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world" and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes (24:1-8).

Paul's reply to governor Felix is a kind of sincere confession of faith. He says, "I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets and I have the same hope in God as these men that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man."

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Acts 21:17-23:11 Paul in Jerusalem

When did the Lord tell Paul to leave Jerusalem? (Acts 22:18) The commander ordered Paul to be flogged and ______. (Acts 22:24) What about the light blinded Paul on the road to Damascus? (Acts 22:11) The Jewish sect that did not believe in the resurrection. (Acts 23:8) Who was the Ephesian who came to Jerusalem with Paul? (Acts 21:29) The Apostles decided the gentiles should abstain from food sacrificed to ______. (Acts 21:25) What did the rioters stop when they saw the Commander? (Acts 21:32) Who's death did Paul witness? (Acts 22:20) What Jewish leader trained Paul? (Acts 22:3) What did the people fling into the air because they were mad? (Acts 22:23) What believers did the apostles write a decision to? (Acts 21:25)

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Acts 18:23 - 21:17 Paul's 3rd Missionary Journey

Across 4 The prophet who foretold Paul's capture. (Acts 21:10) 5 What the city clerk did to the crowd. (Acts 19:35) 6 The Spirit did what to Paul? (Acts 20:22) 7 Paul found some disciples who had this, but only through John. (Acts 19:3) 9 What did Paul put around Eutychus? (Acts 20:10)

Down 1 What did Paul's friends send him, begging him not to venture into the theater? (Acts 19:31) 2 Paul started this third missionary trip from this city. (Acts 18:23) 3 These and aprons that Paul touched were taken to the sick. (Acts 19:12) 4 What was the name of the Ephesian's idol? (Acts 19:34) 8 Paul stayed in this province while Timothy and Erastus moved on. (Acts 19:22)

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Grade6_8_143.doc Page 18 of 21 Revised: 3/16/08 SUBJECT: Paul’s Fifth Visit to Jerusalem Sixth - Eighth Grade Lesson # 143 Acts 21:15 – 23:9 Answers Acts 18:23 - 21:17 Paul's 3rd Missionary Journey

Across 4 The prophet who foretold Paul's capture. (Acts 21:10) 5 What the city clerk did to the crowd. (Acts 19:35) 6 The Spirit did what to Paul? (Acts 20:22) 7 Paul found some disciples who had this, but only through John. (Acts 19:3) 9 What did Paul put around Eutychus? (Acts 20:10)

Down 1 What did Paul's friends send him, begging him not to venture into the theater? (Acts 19:31) 2 Paul started this third missionary trip from this city. (Acts 18:23) 3 These and aprons that Paul touched were taken to the sick. (Acts 19:12) 4 What was the name of the Ephesian's idol? (Acts 19:34) 8 Paul stayed in this province while Timothy and Erastus moved on. (Acts 19:22)

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NAME DATE:

List BCV for each answer.

1. “Some of the disciples from ______also came with us, taking us to ______

of Cyprus, a ______of long standing with whom we were to ______.” NASB

2. “And the following day ______went in with us to James, and all the ______were present. After

he had greeted them, he began to ______one by one the things which ______had done

among the ______through his ______.” NASB

3. “take them and ______yourself along with them, and pay their ______so that they may

______their heads; and all will ______there is nothing to the things which they have been

told about you, but that you yourself also ______, keeping the

______.” NASB

4. “Then ______took the men, and the next day, ______himself along with them, went

into the ______giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the ______

was offered for each one of them.” NASB

5. “crying out, “______of ______, come to our aid! This is the man who ______to all

men everywhere ______our people and the ______and this place; and besides he has even

brought ______into the temple and has ______this ______place.” NASB

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1. “Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge.” Acts 21:16

2. “And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.” Acts 21:18

3. “take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law.” Acts 21:24

4. Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.” Acts 21:26

5. crying out, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Gentiles into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” Acts 21:28

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