On the third day, we boarded a bus and drove to Ancient Corinth, where the Apostle Paul spent at least a year and a half. He joined Aquila and Priscilla, who were also tentmakers. Emperor Claudius had banned them and all other Jews from Rome, so they fled to Corinth.
In its time, Corinth was a prominent trading port for goods going east and west. Consequently, Corinth buzzed with the wide assortment of folks, many sailors happy to have their feet back on the ground. Paul took note of the various cultures, ethnic groups, and religions represented in this mass of people coming and going.
Our local guide gave us a tour of the Corinthian Museum, which displayed many curious artifacts. We sat under the shade of a large tree as our tour guide, Linford, gave us the biblical background and scriptures of Paul’s time in Corinth.
We were then free to roam the ruins under a beautiful blue sky. It was clear that Corinth was booming when Paul lived there in the first century.
After a light lunch in a family-owned cafe outside the gates of Corinth, Linford led us down a hill towards the Gulf of Corinth. He had a couple surprises for us. We walked across an ancient Roman road into the ruins of an old theater, where the sailors, merchants, and residents were entertained.
The first surprise was that this theater could be flooded to allow for seafaring-themed performances with which the sailors in the audience could connect. The second surprise was an etching on a large stone that bordered the road just outside the theater.
The engraving honored Erastus, the city’s director of public works. Paul mentioned Erastus in Romans 16:23, giving unequivocal evidence that Paul was indeed in Corinth.
Please click on the photos to enlarge them.
Before leaving the area, the bus took us to the Acrocorinth, a fortification on the mountain beyond Old Corinth. We had a beautiful view of the sea below. On the way to Cornith, we had stopped at the Cornith Canal, a four-mile-long channel cut through solid rock designed to shorten the route for sailing boats.
Tomorrow: On to the islands.
© Bruce Stambaugh 2023
Roadkill Crossing 
Nice! Keep enjoying your travels and sharing them!
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