Greece Wrap-Up

This will be a very brief post wrapping up the Greece part of the tour as we are leaving the hotel at 4.30 am tomorrow morning for our flight to Rome. Yesterday we journeyed into the region of Macedonia (not to be mistaken with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) to the cities of Berea and Vergine. In Acts 17, before Paul visits Athens, we are told that he was in Berea in Macedonia. There is a Jewish quarter in Berea that at one time would have been a well populated Ghetto. The synagogue still stands and is pictured in these photos, however it is not currently in use.

Following Berea, we journeyed to Vergine. Vergine does not have particular biblical reference but is a place that had a rather spectacular archaeological discovery in relatively recent history: the uncovering of some royal tombs. Unfortunately no photographs may be taken here, so we do not have a lot to show. However, this you tube video gives an idea of what we saw: Click Here. The tomb is believed to be the tomb of King Phillip II, the father of Alexander the Great. The grandeur of his burial is said to be unsurpassed by other royalty of his day.



We concluded out study tour for the day by arriving in Thessalonica (or Thessaloniki in Greek). Paul writes two letters in the New Testament to Thessalonica and in the Acts of the Apostles, we get a window into his ministry here. Again Acts 17, verses 1-9, account for Paul and Silas' visit to Thessalonica. We are told that there were Jews living in this city and that Paul went to the Synagogue on three Sabbaths in a row to reason from the scriptures. Some were pesuaded, the text says, as were many Greeks and not a few of the leading women (v4). However there were many who were not pursuaded and violent hands were laid on Jason, who had received Paul and Silas in his home.

Today, Thessaloniki remains a cosmopolitan and multicultural city. Our tour guide told us that the best and the cheapest food can be found here. That evening, we joined some others of our group for a drink in the main square of town which was a very cool place with couches and subdued lighting. In the end, Steph, Heather and I were the "stayers" who rolled back into our hotel room quite late, but thoroughly pleased with ourselves.

The following day (today), we journeyed to Philippi which is about a 2.5 hour drive from Thessaloniki. Again, Philippi has its own book in the New Testament, and an extended section in the Acts of the Apostles. From Paul's letter to the Philippians, we see Paul joyful and full of praise for the Church there. In Acts 16, we see that the first convert is Lydia, seemingly a wealthy widow (a seller of purple cloth). James offered us many convicning archaeological and sociological proofs for the production of purple cloths by people of Thyiatira (where Lydia was from) and also premises in Roman law for a woman being able to run a business if she was a widow with three or more children.

We see in Philippi (Filipos in Greek) that there was not Synagogue there. Paul goes out fo town to find some people praying and speaks to them there. There Lydia is converted, baptised and welcomes Paul and the Church to meet in her home. Paul is later seized and put in prison at Philippi but is miraculously saved and in the process the gentile Jailer and his family are saved.

There is so much more to say about Philippi but I will have to save it for my assessment, beacuse I need to get to bed. However, enjoy the pictures! A highlight for me today was going to the traditional site where Paul met Lydia and the other women praying by a river outside the city gates.



6 July 2012