Paul in Corinth

A few of our pilgrims started the day before dawn hoping to get a glimpse of the lunar eclipse. Unfortunately, the eclipse was not visible, and those who hoped to see it returned to their cabins disappointed. Shortly afterwards, as we began to disembark from the ship, John Norvell happened to look skyward and there was the eclipse in all its glory - another reminder that often you find what you are searching for only after you've given up looking for it.

The skies were gray as we met our guide Irene and driver Bill for our trip to Corinth and Athens. Her prediction of rain prompted a chaotic opening of suitcases and frantic search for rain gear on the quay in an effort to "be prepared." Our first stop - under a beautiful deep blue sky, with barely a cloud to be seen - was at the Corinth canal near the town of Isthmus. The canal is 4 miles long and 70 feet wide and connects the Aegean and Ionian seas. Prior to the canal's construction in the 19th century, ships had to either travel all the way around the Peloponnesian peninsula or they had to be unloaded and the ships and cargo had to be dragged across the isthmus. Because of its narrow width, the canal is no longer used by most commercial vessels.

By far the highlight of our day was our visit to the city of Ancient Corinth. At this archeological site, the remains of the Archaic temple of Apollo was quite striking. It was built in the Doric style in the 6th Century B.C., and was originally supported with monolithic columns, seven of which remain standing. On the northern end of the site, we travelled a road once paved in marble, following in Paul's footsteps to the bema, from which he is believed to have addressed the crowds in Corinth in 52 A.D. At that time, the city's population was numbered at 200,000. We rested here while Pastor Sean read the Acts 18 narrative. This chapter describes Paul preaching to the Corinthians and the negative reaction of some of the Corinthian Jews to his message. At the insistence of these Jews, Paul was brought before the Roman proconsul Gallio,
who refused to judge Paul because the complaints against him were based on violations of Jewish law, not Roman. Paul spent 18 months in Corinth on this visit, preaching the Good News, forging relationships with the followers of The Way, and establishing the churches to which he would write in 1 and 2 Corinthians. Sean exclaimed that being able to stroll along the very same street where Paul once walked was, "one of the great moments of the trip!"

After completing our tour of the archeological site, we spent some time at the site's Museum. It contains artifacts from the site's excavation including, pottery, figurines, tools, marble statues of Roman rulers, floor mosaics, and wall paintings. In the Asklepieion, the sanctuary of the god of healing, those with illnesses sought treatment. Terra-cotta votive offerings representing afflicted body parts, including feet, hands, legs, arms, heads, and others were recovered and displayed in the Museum. After lunch, we continued on to Athens, where we got our first glimpse of the Parthenon.

In evening Bible Study, we discussed several passages from 1 Corinthians. In this letter, Paul, the theologian, encourages the Corinthian church to heal the divisions that have arisen within it by reminding them that as a group they serve as a temple to God. Paul, the poet, uses the metaphor of the human body for the church, with individuals providing their unique talents and perspectives to the greater good of the church as a whole. He also stressed the overarching importance of love, "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13.


Doug and Janet Dunlop