Day 3: Ancient city of Philippi

Next up: road trip to Philippi, about 150 km east of Thessaloniki. This was the first place in "Europe" (which was then Macedonia) that Paul and company was sent to speak the Word. We rented a tiny, yellow Hyundai Atos (which, in a pinch, we could have lifted up ourselves to parellel park if we really needed to) lovingly named "Joni" after her famous song "Big Yellow Taxi." Check her out:

Small Yellow Taxi, "Joni"

Ancient Philippi was a "chief city of Macedonia, and a colony" (Acts 16:12). Paul and co. came up through the port city of Neapolis (today, the city of Kavala), which is about 10 km away. The drive up to Philippi was incredibly beautiful: the old city was set in a valley between two mountain ranges, and it sat at the foot of a sizable hill.

Valley at Philippi


View from city center

Much of the city remains were left, dating back to 5th century BC. A theater that was built in the 3rd century BC which held a few thousands spectators was still there. Perhaps most impressively was the Roman agora (forum, or marketplace) that was built a little bit before Paul got there:

Much like in Thessaloniki, this was the main marketplace in the city, and state officials resided there. Again, this was most likely the place where Paul and Silas were taken prior to their imprisonment (Acts 16:19). We read the book of Philippians between the two small columns at the edge of the agora - so awesome.

The famous Roman road Egnatia Via stretched from Constantinople to Rome, a major road for commerce that ran through Philippi towards Thessaloniki and Berea. This kept the city bustling with merchants and travelers:

Egnatia Odos (or Via Egnatia)

One of the best parts of visiting the city was seeing how much the Word was spoken in a place that was very secular. The temple of the Acropolis was sitting at the top of the hill, looming over the entire city. That must have been quite the daunting reminder for Paul every time he spoke the Word, but what boldness he had anyway! Paul's entrance into these cities (Thessaloniki, Philippi, and Berea) was always done in love, but he was faced with cities that already had a set way of thinking and acting, not dissimilar to cities of today. Bottom line: he spoke the truth with boldness and love, and did not seem fazed by the every present opposition, represented by secular images, such as the pagan gods on top of hills and in the marketplaces. A great reminder that we can do the same thing today...

Entrance to the Basilica (3rd Centruy BC). Check out the Acropolis at the top of the hill (very faintly seen)

Finally, but perhaps most notably, we were able to track down one of our (and Jesse's Mom's) favorite passages from the Bible: Acts 16:13. We found the riverside just outside of Philippi "where prayer was wont (known) to be made," and where Paul and company first spoke the Word to a woman named Lydia. We stopped for a few minutes to pray ourselves, take a few pictures, pick up a few stones from the riverbed (we love you Mom!), and accidentally crash a wedding (sorry, My Big Fat Greek Wedding people!) It was awesome to think about how important prayer was to the outreach of God's Word, and the deliverance that followed. To quote Jim Nichols, the "hair-o-meter" was off the charts....a great way to end the day!

By the riverside where prayer was known to be made