Cowbright: April 15, 2024 Ancient Corinth

April 15, 2024 Ancient Corinth

Trip itinerary: We disembark the cruise this morning and travel west with a rest stop and photos at the Corinth Canal. Next, we visit ancient Corinth, the city that inspired many of Paul's most familiar letters and is a highlight for the New Testament scholar. See the Archaeological Museum, the Market Place, the Bema, and the Temples. To enjoy a devotional in the midst of the ruins of the church of Corinth and see the pillars, steps, and public worship place where Paul preached will enhance your understanding and love for the Bible. The ruins of this important cultural center are fascinating as we walk along the stone path that the Apostle Paul walked. The engineering skill and intellect of these people are evident in the water systems that still flow from ancient to modern day. Our guide will be sure to show you the room dedicated to the medical care of that period. We travel onto the top of the nearby Acropolis where our guide will speak on the worship practices and point out the bird’s eye view of what was a bustling city of around 800,000 during Paul’s stay. Another important stop is a visit to Diolkos where we view the paved track way which enabled boats to be moved overland across the Isthmus of Corinth and served as a life-line for Corinth. This shortcut allowed ancient vessels to avoid the long and dangerous circumnavigation of the Peloponnese Peninsula.

Ronnie's FaceBook post:

After visiting the islands of Crete and Santorini, the 12 of us disembarked the cruise ship at Laurium, and rode a mini bus to the Canal of Corinth. We walked to take a photo of the canal that permits shipping to pass easily in and out of the gulf of Corinth. Before the modern canal, ships in ancient times were unloaded and pulled across the narrow isthmus.

ships were carried on carts across land before canal was built

archeological find confirming Erastus of Corinth (Roman's 16:23)

As a major seaport, the large number of sailors and laborers made Corinth a place of extreme sensuality. Moreover, the Temple of Aphrodite was on a nearby mountain (see painting below). Worship of Aphrodite involved uniting with the Temple prostitutes sexually who were slaves (girls, boys, women and men) dedicated to Temple prostitution. Think of it as modern day human trafficking, but where is was condoned and acceptable. That's the environment that Paul worked to change. In reading Acts 18, he made progress in establishing a church there. Thank the Lord, we have the letters he wrote to them.

drawing -Temple of Aphrodite (hill) Temple of Apollo (foreground)

Temple of Apollo

layout of Ancient Corinth

Jan's notes: We climbed up until we reached the actual Bema (place of judgment) where Paul was released by Gallio. Acts 18:12-16 "While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of Corinth made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment. “This man,” they charged, “is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law.”

Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to them, “If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law—settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things.”So he drove them off.

It was really cool to be sitting in the very place this happened. We sat down on rocks while Pastor Craig shared a very meaningful devotion there.

the Bema Seat where Paul stood before Gallio

BHMA (BEMA)

We also did a walk through of the beautiful Archaeological Museum nearby. Our guide (Sophia) is a Greek believer and she is an historian of Greek history and culture, mythology and of course the Bible. She explained many of the findings in the museum that really brought the history alive. I'll post a few photos from the museum.