MAP 8. THE LIFE OF CHRIST. Period of the Passion, from the Anointing to the Resurrection.
Although this period embraces only the week from the Anointing by Mary to the Death of Jesus on the cross,its events are so minutely related by the Evangelists as to occupy one-third of the Gospels. If the entire life of Jesus were as fully written out, it would fill nearly 80 volumes as large as the Bible. The events of the Passion-Week took place in and near Jerusalem. The locations on the map are those of tradition only, and are largely conjectural, while the lines of the journeyings are entirely unknown. The map is intended merely as a guide to the student in presenting the order of events, and must not be regarded as fixing the places with any authority. We arrange the events under nine short journeys.
photoNAZARETH.
1, 2, 3.From Bethany to the Temple and Return.These three journeys took place on successive days, and were marked by distinctive events. (1.) The First Journey, on Sunday, was the triumphal entry into the city and the Temple, after which Jesus returned for the night to Bethany. (Matt. 21:1-11.) (2.) The Second Journey, on Monday, was marked by the cleansing of the Temple, when for the second time the Saviour drove out of the Court of the Gentiles those who made it a place of trade. (3.) The Third Journey, on Tuesday, was made memorable by the last teachings of Jesus, to the people and rulers in the Temple, and to the Twelve on the Mount of Olives, looking down upon the city. (Matt. 21-25.) At the close of each of these three days Jesus returned to Bethany, where he remained in seclusion on Wednesday, no event of that day being left on record.
4.From Bethany to the Supper.The traditional place of theCœnaculum, or supper-room, is on Mount Zion, where Jesus came with his disciples on Thursday evening. Here took place the Last Supper, and the farewell conversation of Jesus with his disciples. (John 13-17.)
5.From the Supper to Gethsemane.Near midnight of Thursday, Jesus and his disciples (Judas being absent) left the supper-room, and walked up the Valley of Jehoshaphat to the Garden of Gethsemane. Here Jesus endured the agony, and here he was arrested by the officers of the Jews, led by Judas. (Matt. 26:36-56.)
6.From Gethsemane to the House of Caiaphas.The fettered Jesus was dragged by the crowd, first to the house of Annas (John 18:13-15), for a brief examination, thence to the house of Caiaphas for the formal trial before the Sanhedrim. This place is traditionally located on Mount Zion, near the house of the Last Supper. Here he was condemned by the rulers, and mocked by their servants. (John 18:16-28.)
7.From Caiaphas to Pilate.Jesus was brought before the Roman procurator at hisprætorium, or place of judgment. We are inclined to think that this was the castle built by Herod the Great on Mount Zion; but we give on the map the traditional location at the Tower Antonia, north of the Temple. Here Jesus was examined by Pilate, who vainly sought to deliver him, being convinced of his innocence. (John 18:28-38.)
8.From Pilate to Herod and Return.Wishing to avoid the responsibility of condemning Jesus, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, who was then in the city, probably in the palace of the Asmonean (Maccabean) kings. But Herod only mocked Jesus, and returned him to Pilate. (Luke 23:8-12.)
9.From Pilate to Calvary.At last Pilate gave orders for the crucifixion of Jesus. He was now led forth, bearing his cross, perhaps by the street called Via Dolorosa, "the Sorrowful Way," to the place Golgotha, orCalvary, outside the wall, where three crosses were erected, and the Saviour of the world was crucified. As two locations of Calvary are now given, both are indicated, and a journey from Pilate's castle to each. The route to the northern locality is indicated by dotted lines.
Period of the Passion.
1.Bethany to Temple and Return.Triumphal entry.
2.Bethany to Temple and Return.Cleansing the Temple.
3.Bethany to Temple and Return.Last discourses.
4.Bethany to Supper.Last Supper.
5.Supper to Gethsemane.(1.) Agony. (2.) Arrest.
6.Gethsemane to Caiaphas.(1.) To Annas. (2.) To Caiaphas.
7.Caiaphas to Pilate.
8.Pilate to Herod and Return.
9.Pilate to Calvary.(1.) Crucifixion. (2.) Death. (3.) Burial.
The events of the forty days between the Resurrection and the Ascension of Jesus cannot be arranged as journeys, since his resurrection body moved from place to place by the will of his spirit. The student may therefore consult the Map of Palestine during the ministry of Jesus for the places referred to in the account of this period. Of the ten recorded appearances, five were on the day of the resurrection, the first Easter Sunday.
1.At Jerusalem, on Easter morning, to Mary Magdalene, after the other women had received from the angels the news that he was alive. (John 20:1-18.)
2.At Jerusalem, soon afterward, to the other women, when Jesus greeted them with the words "All hail!" (Matt. 28:1-10.)
3.Near Emmaus, on Easter afternoon, to two disciples, not apostles, to whom he unfolded the Scriptures concerning himself. (Luke 24:13-33.) Various locations have been proposed for Emmaus, of which we preferKulonieyeh, four miles west of Jerusalem.
4.At Jerusalem, on the afternoon of the same day, to Simon Peter. (Luke 24:34.) No account of this appearance, more than the mention of the fact, has been preserved.
5.At Jerusalem, on Easter evening, to the ten disciples, Thomas being absent. (John 20:19-25.)
6.At Jerusalem, a week after the resurrection, to the eleven apostles, when Thomas received a tender rebuke for the slowness of his faith. (John 20:26-29.) Perhaps these last two appearances were at the place of the Supper, on Mount Zion.
7.Near the Sea of Galilee, to seven apostles, when Peter received a new commission. (John 21:1-23.)
8.On a Mountain in Galilee, perhapsKurûn Hattin, the place of the Sermon on the Mount. Here were gathered 500 disciples, and the final commands of Christ were given. (Matt. 28:16-20; 1 Cor. 15:6.)
9.At Jerusalem(?). To James, the Lord's brother. Only a mention of this appearance is left on record. (1 Cor. 15:7.)
10.Near Bethany.Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the eleven apostles, gave them his last charges, and ascended to heaven, from whence he has promised to come once more to earth. (Acts 1:9-12.)
photosTHE VIA DOLOROSA.
Period of the Resurrection.The Ten Appearances of the Risen Christ:
1.Jerusalem.Mary Magdalene.2.Jerusalem.Other women.3.Emmaus.Two disciples.4.Jerusalem.Peter.5.Jerusalem.Ten apostles.6.Jerusalem.Eleven apostles.7.Sea of Galilee.Seven apostles.8.Mountain in Galilee.Five hundred disciples.9.Jerusalem(?).James.10.Bethany.Apostles. [Ascension.]
OUTLINE FOR TEACHING AND REVIEW.
1. Let each period be given as a separate lesson.
2. Draw the map for the period on the blackboard, and show each place named in the period.
3. Let each scholar also draw the map, and locate the places upon it.
4. Draw the lines of the journeys in the period in colored chalk, naming the places and events of the journeys, and writing only initials or catch-syllables.
5. Review carefully and thoroughly each period, each journey under it, and each event of the journey.
6. Erase the map, and call upon the scholars to draw its different parts in turn; one the outlines, another the places, a third the journeys, a fourth the events, etc.
7. Review with each lesson the leading points in all the previous lessons, until the whole series is thoroughly understood and remembered.
map: EARLY APOSTOLIC HISTORY.
photoDAMASCUS.
Duringthe seven years following the ascension of the Saviour, the Christian church was entirely Jewish in its membership, and, so far as we can learn, limited to the city of Jerusalem and the surrounding villages. There was at that time no thought of the gospel for the Gentiles, and the conception of the apostles was that the only door into the church lay through the profession of Judaism and the rite of circumcision. Probably the first to attain to wider views of the gospel was Stephen, and the persecution in which he became the first martyr arose from the tendency of his teachings toward extending among the Gentiles the privileges of the new kingdom. This state of affairs was suddenly ended by the death of Stephen, and the scattering of the church at Jerusalem. The more liberally inclined of its members, when driven abroad, were led to preach the gospel, first to Samaritans; then to believers in the Jewish faith who had not yet submitted to circumcision, and hence were called "Proselytes of the Gate"; and at last to the general Gentile world. The period from the death of Stephen, A.D. 37, to the first missionary journey of the Apostle Paul, A.D. 45, may, therefore, be regarded as an age of transition from Jewish to Gentile Christianity.
This period requires us to notice two provinces, Palestine and Syria. Palestine appears at this time under several forms of government in frequent succession. During the public life of Christ, Judæa and Samaria were under the direct rule of Rome, governed by a procurator, while Galilee and Peræa belonged to Herod Antipas, and the region north and east of the Sea of Galilee, anciently called Bashan, was held by Herod Philip, both of these having the title oftetrarch, "ruler of a fourth part." In A.D. 37 Herod Agrippa received Philip's tetrarchy, and in 41 he was made king of all Palestine. ("Herod the king," Acts 12.) In A.D. 44 he died, and his dominions were divided. Judæa, Samaria, Galilee and Peræa again became a procuratorship, under a succession of Roman rulers, until the final destruction of the Jewish state, A.D. 70. The principality of Bashan was given to Herod Agrippa II. in A.D. 53, and held by him until A.D. 70. Syria, the great region north of Palestine, extending from Damascus to Antioch, was, during this time, a province of the Roman empire, governed by a prefect.
The events of this period gather around seven cities. 1.Jerusalem.This place has been already described. (Seepage 73.) 2.Samaria(Acts 8:5-25), the field of Philip's early ministry, was the ancient capital of the Ten Tribes (seepage 87), located 30 miles north of Jerusalem, and 6 miles northwest of Shechem. It had been rebuilt by Herod the Great, and named Sebaste, in honor of Augustus. It is now a village calledSebastiyeh. 3.Cæsarea(Acts 10:1), the place where the Gentile Cornelius became a disciple, was the Roman capital of Palestine, and the residence of the procurators. It was called Cæsarea Stratonis, to distinguish it from Cæsarea Philippi, under Mount Hermon; and was located on the sea-coast, 47 miles northwest of Jerusalem; and is now a desolate, uninhabited ruin, calledKaisarieyeh. 4.Joppa, where Dorcas was raised to life, and Peter received a vision (Acts 9:36-43; 10:11), is one of the most ancient towns in the world, in all ages the principal seaport of Palestine. It lies 30 miles south of Cæsarea, and 35 miles northwest of Jerusalem; and is now a flourishing city calledYafa, orJaffa. 5.Damascus, the place where Saul was converted (Acts 9:1-25), is an ancient and famous city of Syria, 133 miles northeast of Jerusalem, beautifully situated in a plain at the foot of the Anti-Lebanon mountains. Recently it had a population of 150,000, but is rapidly decaying from the diversion of the Eastern trade through the Suez Canal. Its modern name isel Shams. 6.Antioch, seat of the first missionary church (Acts 11:19-30), was the metropolis of northern Syria, situated on theriver Orontes, 16½ miles from the Mediterranean, and 300 miles north of Jerusalem, in a deep pass between the Taurus and Lebanon ranges of mountains. It is now a mean village of 6,000 people, calledAntakia. 7.Tarsus, the home of the apostle Paul, was the capital of Cilicia, in Asia Minor, and one of the leading cities of the Roman world. It was 12 miles from the Mediterranean, the same distance from Mount Taurus, and about 80 miles northwest of Antioch, across an arm of the sea. It is now a place of 30,000 inhabitants, calledTersous.
map
The most important events of this period may be arranged under five journeys, which are indicated upon the map.
I.Philip's Journey.(Acts 8:5-40.) Philip, one of the "seven" (Acts 6:3-5), was compelled to leave Jerusalem in the persecution that arose on account of Stephen. He went first to Samaria, the city known by the Greeks as Sebaste, nowSebastiyeh, 6 miles northwest of Shechem, or Sychar, and there began to preach the gospel. This was a step outside of narrow Judaism, as the Samaritans were considered at least semi-Gentile by the Jews. After planting a church here, he was sent by the Spirit southward "unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert" (Acts 8:26); that is, by the less frequented road. There he met a nobleman from Ethiopia (the kingdom of Meroë, in Nubia), whom he instructed in the gospel, and baptized as a believer. Suddenly caught away by the Spirit, Philip next appeared at Azotus, the ancient Ashdod, nowAsdud. He followed the line of the coast northward, preaching in the cities of the maritime plain. These cities were mostly inhabited by heathen, though in all of them there were many Jews. We find in the after-history the results of his preaching, in churches at Joppa, at Lydda, and at Cæsarea, where he made his home for 20 years, and was met by the apostle Paul, who, long before, as Saul the persecutor, had driven him from Jerusalem. Philip's journey is indicated by a line of red color on the small map.
II.Saul's Journey.(Acts 9:1-30.) The destroyer of the Jerusalem church now began a journey for persecution, which was ended in his own flight, as a Christian, from persecutors. 1. He went to Damascus, expecting to bind others, but was himself bound by the cords of the gospel, and preached the truth he had sought to destroy. 2. From Damascus, as a disciple, he went into Arabia, a name which may refer to almost any region from the Euphrates to the Indian Ocean, but probably here indicating the desert lands on the border of Syria, and not necessarily distant from Damascus, to which he returned after a stay of from one to three years. (Gal. 1:17.) 3. Escaping from Damascus by being let down over the wall in a basket, he returned to Jerusalem, where he was introduced to the church by Barnabas, and received by the apostles Peter and James. 4. After a fortnight's visit at Jerusalem, he left the city by divine direction in a vision (Acts 22:17-21), and, aided by the disciples, descended to the seaport of Cæsarea, where in after years he was destined to spend two years in imprisonment. 5. From Cæsarea he sailed to his birthplace, Tarsus, in Cilicia, where he spent several years in retirement, preparing for the great work which was to open before him. This journey is shown by a red line on the large map.
map
III.Peter's Journey.(Acts 9:32-11:18.) This was the journey in which the door of faith was finally opened to the Gentiles. During the "rest" which the churches enjoyed after Saul's conversion, and while the Jewish leaders were too busy with the alarming state of their relations with Rome to disturb the disciples, Peter went forth to visit the churches. 1. He came down to Lydda, nowLudd, on the border of the Shefelah, and restored to health Æneas, a paralytic. (Acts 9:32, 33.) 2. From Lydda he was summoned to Joppa, the principal seaport of Palestine, where Tabitha, or Dorcas, "the gazelle," had died. She was restored to the weepingchurch, and Peter remained in Joppa "many days." (Acts 9:43.) 3. He was called to Cæsarea by the Roman centurion, Cornelius, who, under Peter's ministry, accepted Christ, received the endowment of the Holy Spirit, and was baptized into the church by the apostle, without reference to Jewish requirements (Acts 10); thus marking an era in the history of the church. 4. Peter returned to Jerusalem, and there met the complaints of the Judaistic element in the church, by showing that God's hand had led in the conversion of Cornelius and the reception of Gentiles into the church. (Acts 11:1-18.) This journey is indicated by a red line on the small map, lower right-hand corner.
IV.Barnabas' Journey.(Acts 11:19-30.) After the death of Stephen, certain disciples, driven from Jerusalem, traveled along the coast past Tyre and Sidon, as far as Antioch, and at the latter place began preaching the gospel, at first to the Jews only, but after a while to the Gentiles also. As a result, a church arose at Antioch (on the Orontes, near its mouth, nowAntakia), the first where Jews and Gentiles became one, the first to receive the name Christian, and the first to send out missionaries to the heathen world. When the news of this work came to Jerusalem, there was some alarm lest it might cause a division in the church. Barnabas was dispatched by the apostles to visit Antioch. He came, gave the work his hearty indorsement, and remained to direct it. Soon feeling the need of a co-worker, he went to Tarsus, a short voyage across the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean. Here he found Saul, and thenceforward the two were united in labors for many years, until parted forever by an unhappy difference. This journey of Barnabas is shown on the map by a broken red line.
V.Barnabas and Saul's Journey.(Acts 11:26-30; 12:25.) 1. Starting from Tarsus the two gospel workers sailed across the narrow sea to Seleucia, the seaport, and thence journeyed up the river Orontes to Antioch. Here they labored together for a year, and aided in establishing a church, which became one of the most important in the early age of Christianity. 2. Learning by revelation of coming famine, the church at Antioch prepared a contribution for the poorer disciples in Judæa, and sent it by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. 3. About the time of the death of Herod Agrippa, the two evangelists returned, from their charitable errand, to Antioch, where they remained until the next great event, the first missionary journey.
OUTLINE FOR TEACHING AND REVIEW.
Let the teacher draw on the blackboard the outline of the map, including the borders of the Mediterranean Sea, and the two provinces of Palestine and Syria. Then locate the seven important places. 1.Jerusalem.2.Samaria.3.Cæsarea.4.Joppa.5.Damascus.6.Antioch.7.Tarsus.Next draw the five lines representing the journeys, relating the events connected with them. If the journeys can be given in chalk of different colors, it will make them more distinct.
I.Philip's Journey.Jerusalem, Samaria, Azotus, Lydda, Joppa, Cæsarea.
II.Saul's Journey.Jerusalem, Damascus, Arabia, Damascus, Jerusalem, Cæsarea, Tarsus.
III.Peter's Journey.Jerusalem, Lydda, Joppa, Cæsarea, Jerusalem.
IV.Barnabas' Journey.Jerusalem, Antioch, Tarsus.
V.Barnabas and Saul's Journey.Tarsus, Antioch, Jerusalem, Antioch.
photoMOUNT ZION.
map: PAUL'S FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY.
ANTIOCH IN SYRIA.
Duringthe twenty years between A.D. 45 and 65, of which the events of church history are recorded in Acts 13-28, the most important personage is the apostle Paul. While the work of the original Twelve is scarcely referred to, the journeys of the last apostle are related with considerable detail. The probable reason for this is, that Paul was the leader in the great movement by which the church of Christ was broadened from an inconsiderable Jewish sect, scarcely known out of Jerusalem, to a religion for all the world. This distinction from the other apostles is considered of so much importance that he is called, almost universally, by the descriptive title he gave himself—the Apostle of the Gentiles. The localities and events of this period are represented upon four maps, three of Paul's Missionary Journeys, and the last of his Voyage to Rome.
As the first missionary journey was mainly in Asia Minor, a brief description of that peninsula is necessary. It embraces about 156,000 square miles, or about two-thirds the size of Texas, and was located between the Black, Ægean, and Mediterranean Seas on the north, west and south, and bounded on the east by the provinces of Armenia, Mesopotamia and Syria. The provinces which it contained at the New Testament epoch may be variously stated, since in their political, racial and geographical relations they were different. The map of the Roman Empire, onpage 98, gives them according to their political arrangement, which united two or more under one government, and gave to some new names. Thus there were four districts united under the nameAsia, which in the New Testament never denotes the whole continent, nor yet the whole peninsula, but the seaboard provinces of Caria, Lydia, Mysia, and the interior land of Phrygia. So, too, Bithynia and Pontus formed one government, Lycaonia was included in Galatia, and Lycia and Pisidia in Pamphylia. We can best arrange these provinces of Asia Minor, according to territorial relations, in four groups. 1. The three northern provinces, on the Black Sea: Pontus, Paphlagonia, Bithynia. 2. The three western provinces, on the Ægean Sea: Mysia, Lydia, Caria. 3. The three southern provinces, on the Mediterranean Sea: Lycia, Pamphylia, Cilicia. 4. The five interior provinces: on the north, Galatia; on the east, Cappadocia; on the south, Lycaonia and Pisidia; and on the west, Phrygia. All of these fourteen provinces, except four, are named in the New Testament.
1.The Provinces on the Black Sea.(1.)Pontus(Acts 2:9; 18:2; 1 Pet. 1:1) was the northeastern province, between Paphlagonia and Armenia, and having Cappadocia on the south; now represented byTrebizondin the Turkish empire. Some of its Jewish inhabitants were present in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost; Aquila, a helper of Paul, was a native of this region; and its Christian Jews were among those addressed in Peter's first Epistle. (2.)Paphlagonia, not mentioned in the New Testament, lay between Pontus and Bithynia, and north of Galatia. (3.)Bithynia(Acts 16:7; 1 Pet. 1:1) was the northwestern province, having the Propontis (now called theSea of Marmora) on the west, and Mysia and Phrygia on the south, from which it was separated by Mount Olympus. Though the region is only incidentally named in the New Testament, two of its cities, Nicæa and Nicomedia, were prominent in the history of the Greek church.
2.The Provinces on the Ægean Sea.These are all included under the name Asia, by which the western portion of the peninsula was known to the Romans.(1.)Mysia(Acts 16:7, 8) was separated from Europe by the Hellespont and the Propontis, and had Bithynia on the north, Phrygia on the east, and Mysia on the west. It contained Troas, on the ruins of ancient Troy, whence Paul could dimly see the hills of Europe on the west, and where the vision of "the man of Macedonia" led to the voyage for the evangelization of Europe. (2.)Lydia, once the centre of the great empire of Crœsus, extended along the Ægean Sea from Mysia to Caria, and eastward to Phrygia. Its principal city was Ephesus, the metropolis of Asia Minor, and one of Paul's most important fields of labor; and Sardis, Thyatira and Philadelphia were also large places and seats of churches addressed in the Apocalypse. (3.)Cariawas the southwestern province, not named in the New Testament, though its cities, Cnidus and Miletus, are referred to; the latter as the place where Paul parted from the Ephesian elders. (Acts 20:15.)
mapMAP GIVING COMPARATIVE SIZE OF ASIA MINOR AND TEXAS, U. S.MAP GIVING COMPARATIVE SIZE OF ASIA MINOR AND TEXAS, U. S.
3.The Provinces on the Mediterranean.(1.)Lycia(Acts 27:5) lay south of Mount Taurus, and opposite to the island of Rhodes. Two of its cities, Patara and Myra, were visited by the apostle Paul. (Acts 21:1; 27:5.) (2.)Pamphylia(Acts 13:13) was a small province between Lycia and Cilicia, and also between Mount Taurus and the sea. Its capital, Perga, was the first city in Asia Minor visited by Paul on his first missionary journey. On his return, he preached in its seaport, Attalia. (Acts 13:13; 14:24, 25.) (3.)Cilicia(Acts 6:9) is a long and narrow province, also lying between Mount Taurus and the sea, and separated from Syria by the Syrian Gates, a pass in the mountains. Its capital, Tarsus, was one of the leading cities of the Roman empire, and the birthplace of Paul.
4.The Provinces in the Interior.(1.) On the north wasGalatia, a land of uncertain and varying boundaries, but located between Bithynia, Cappadocia, Lycaonia and Phrygia. It received its name from a race of Gauls, who conquered it about 300 B.C., was twice visited by Paul, and its Christian population was addressed in the Epistle to the Galatians. (Acts 16:6; 18:23; Gal. 1:2.) (2.)Cappadocialay on the southeast of Galatia, and south of Pontus. It was the largest province in Asia Minor. Some of its people were in Jerusalem at the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 2:9); and its churches were among those addressed in 1 Peter. (3.)Lycaonia(Acts 14:1-23) was not a political division, but a district in southern Galatia. It was west of Cappadocia and east of Phrygia, and separated by the Taurus range from Cilicia. Its principal places were Iconium, Derbe and Lystra, in all of which Paul preached the gospel and suffered persecution. (4.)Pisidiawas politically connected with Pamphylia, but lay north of the Taurus, between Lycaonia and Phrygia. Its principal city was Antioch (to be distinguished from Antioch in Syria), twice, at least, visited by the apostle Paul. (Acts 13:14; 14:21.) (5.)Phrygiavaried greatly at different periods, and in Paul's time had no separate existence as a province. In the earlier days, when Galatia was a part of it, it was said to touch in some way every other land in Asia Minor. In its southern section lay the three cities of Laodicea, Hierapolis and Colosse, all named in Paul's letters.
1. Paul and Barnabas, with John Mark as their assistant, set forth upon the first missionary journey fromAntioch, the metropolis of Syria (Acts 13:1), already described onpage 107.
2. They descended the mountains toSeleucia(Acts 13:4), the seaport of Antioch, 16 miles from the city, named from its founder, Seleucus Nicator, B.C. 280. It is now a small village known asel Kalusi, having among its ruins an ancient gateway, still standing, through which Paul and Barnabas may have passed.
3. Setting sail, they crossed over the arm of the Mediterranean to the island ofCyprus(Acts 13:4-13), the early home of Barnabas, 60 miles west of Syria, and 40 miles south of Asia Minor; of irregular shape, 140 miles long and 50 wide; then thickly inhabited, and governed by a Roman proconsul, now under the rule of Great Britain.
4. Their first stopping place was atSalamis(Acts 13:5), on its eastern shore, on the river Pediæsus, where they found a Jewish synagogue. The city is now desolate, and its unoccupied site is known asOld Famagousta.
5. They crossed the island from east to west, preaching on their way, and came toPaphos(Acts 13:6), the capital, and residence of the proconsul. This city contained a famous shrine of Venus, to whose worship, with all its immoralities, its people were devoted. There was an old and a new city, of which the former wasthe one visited by Paul and Barnabas. It is now calledBaffa.
6. Sailing in a northwesterly direction a distance of 170 miles, they reached Asia Minor, in the province of Pamphylia. Passing by Attalia for the present, they ascended the river Cestrus, and landed atPerga(Acts 13:13), 7½ miles from the sea. This was a Greek city, devoted to the worship of Diana: now in ruins, and calledEski Kalessi. Here their young assistant, Mark, left the two missionaries to prosecute the hardest part of the journey without his help.
7. Their next field of labor wasAntioch in Pisidia, a city east of Ephesus, and northwest of Tarsus, now known asYalobatch. Here Paul preached in the synagogue a discourse reported more at length than any other in his ministry, and here a church was founded. (Acts 13:14-52.)
8. Driven out of Antioch by the persecution of the Jews, they went on 60 miles eastward toIconium, a large city, still in existence asKonieh, and in the Middle Ages the capital of a powerful Mohammedan kingdom. This region, in the apostle's time, was independent of the Roman empire. (Acts 14:1-5.)
9. Again compelled to endure persecution, they traveled toLystra, a heathen city in the district of Lycaonia, where a miracle wrought by Paul led the superstitious people to offer worship to the two apostles as the gods Jupiter and Mercury (in Greek, Zeus and Hermes). There is reason to suppose that Lystra was at the place now known asBin bir Kilisseh, "the thousand and one churches," a mass of ruins in theKara Dagh, or Black Mountain.
MAP OF THE ISLAND OF CYPRUS.
10. Paul having been stoned at Lystra, the apostles went on toDerbe, 20 miles distant, but in the same province, where they were suffered to labor in peace. It is supposed to be represented by the modern village ofDivle. This marked the furthest place reached by the evangelists. They were now quite near the pass in Mount Taurus, known as the Cilician Gates, and could easily have reached Tarsus, and thence taken a short voyage home.
mapREVIEW CHART OF PAUL'S FIRST JOURNEY.
11. But they preferred to return by the same route, perilous as the journey was from the enmities excited by their preaching; and revisited Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, confirming the churches which they had planted, and establishing new ones in other neighboring places in Pisidia and Pamphylia, as inAttalia, a seaport on the river Katarrhaktes, 16 miles from Perga, now known asAdalia, where they took ship once more, and thence sailed over the Cilician section of the Mediterranean, north of Cyprus, to Antioch in Syria, where they were gladly received by the church which had sent them forth.
OUTLINE FOR TEACHING AND REVIEW.
1. Draw on the blackboard the subjoined Review Chart of Asia Minor, and let the class also draw the same on slates or paper, in a rough sketch. Then insert the provinces, and drill the class upon their names, reviewing from the beginning after each group is given.
Black Sea.Pontus, Paphlagonia, Bithynia.
Ægean Sea.Mysia, Lydia, Caria.
Mediterranean Sea.Lycia, Pamphylia, Cilicia.
Interior.Galatia, Cappadocia, Lycaonia, Pisidia, Phrygia.
2. Draw in colored chalk the line representingPaul's travel, calling attention to the places and events; and frequently review the list, as a new name is presented. (1.) Antioch in Syria. (2.) Seleucia. (3.) Island of Cyprus. (4.) Salamis. (5.) Paphos. (6.) Perga. (7.) Antioch in Pisidia. (8.) Iconium. (9.) Lystra. (10.) Derbe. (11.) Return, and Attalia.
The map presents the field of the apostle Paul's labor during four of the most active years of his life, according to Alford's chronology, from A.D. 50 to 54. To this period belong two journeys: a journey from Antioch to Jerusalem and return, and the second missionary journey, through Asia Minor, Macedonia and Greece.
map: PAUL'S SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY.
The journey to Jerusalem, not indicated upon themap, was Paul's third visit to that city after his conversion. His first visit was in A.D. 40, when Barnabas introduced him to Peter and James (Acts 9:26-30); his second was in A.D. 45, when with Barnabas he brought the gifts of the church at Antioch (Acts 11:30); his third was in A.D. 50, when, again accompanied by Barnabas, he attended the council in Jerusalem, called to establish the principle upon which Gentiles were to be received into the Christian church. (Acts 15:1-30.)
THE ACROPOLIS AT ATHENS. (AREOPAGUS ON THE LEFT.)
The second missionary journey began with an unfortunate disagreement between Paul and Barnabas, which resulted in their separation, Barnabas going to the island of Cyprus, and Paul to the mainland. (Acts 15:36-40.) The apostle chose as his companion Silas, or Silvanus, and was afterward joined by Timothy, and Luke, the author of the third Gospel and the Acts. We may subdivide this journey into three sections, as follows:
I. The Stations in Asia, seven in number.
II. The Stations in Europe, eight in number.
III. The Stations of the Return, four in number.
I.The Asiatic Stations.These are mostly the names of provinces in Asia Minor already described in connection with a previous map.
1. Starting from Antioch, Paul first traveled throughSyria, visiting the churches. (Acts 15:41.) This tour was probably through northern Syria only, in the region around Antioch; and the general direction was toward Asia Minor, which he probably entered through the Syrian Gates, now the Beilan Pass in Mount Amanus. No cities are named in this region as visited by the apostle; but the principal places were Issus and Alexandria, both of which lay along the route of his journey.
2. The next province visited wasCilicia(Acts 15:41), the land of Paul's birth. As everywhere he made the chief cities his stations of labor, we may suppose that he passed through Mopsuestia and Adana, on his way to Tarsus, the metropolis of the province. From Tarsus he journeyed westward toward Mount Taurus, the northern boundary of the province, and crossed the range through the Cilician Gates, from which he emerged upon the great Lycaonian plain.
3. We read of a station atDerbe, where he had planted a church on the first journey, and which was now strengthened by his second visit. (Acts 16:1.)
4. Next, atLystra, where in other days he had been first worshiped and then stoned. Here he found a church, the result of his early labors, and was joined by his life-long companion, Timothy. (Acts 16:1-4.)
5. We read of Paul and Silas as having next "gone throughoutPhrygia." Probably this refers to a tour among the churches at Iconium and Antioch in Pisidia, the fields of former labors. There is no indication in the Acts or Epistles that he preached in any new places in this district.
6. From Antioch he turned northward and entered for the first time the province ofGalatia. (Acts 16:6.) But W. M. Ramsay has shown that Lycaonia itself was only a district in the political province of Galatia, and that the Galatian journey (and also the Galatian epistle) may refer to the region of Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium, not to the entire province. In that case the dotted red line on the map may indicate Paul's journey, and the line through Pessinus, Ancyra, and Tavium should be omitted.
These conclusions are not, as yet, generally accepted.
7. Paul's desire was to preach the word throughout the Roman proconsular province of Asia, which comprised Phrygia, and the maritime districts of Mysia, Lydia and Caria. But divine influences closed up his path, both in this direction and northward toward Bithynia; so he journeyed westward across Phrygia and Mysia, and at last reached the shore of the Ægean Sea atTroas. (Acts 16:6-8.) This was the site of ancient Troy, the scene of Homer's Iliad, and has been the place of great discoveries in modern times. There was a city near the ancient site in Paul's time; and it is probable that in it he founded a church, for there he was joined by Luke, the historian of the Acts and author of the third Gospel, and in a later journey met "the disciples" of the place. (Acts 20:7.) Here the vision of the "man of Macedonia" summoned Paul from Asia to Europe (Acts 16:9, 10), and opened a new chapter in the history of Christianity.
II.The European Stations.All the places named as visited by the apostle in this journey were includedin the two provinces of Macedonia and Greece, of which the Roman name was Achaia.
map: PLAN OF ATHENS.
Macedoniawas the province north of Greece, and famous in history from its conquering kings, Philip, and his greater son, Alexander. Its boundaries were: on the north, the Hæmus or Balkan Mountains; on the east, Thrace and the Ægean Sea; on the south, Achaia (Greece); on the west, the Pindus Mountains, separating it from Epirus and Illyricum. It consists of two great plains, watered respectively by the Axius, near Thessalonica, and the Strymon, near Apollonia. Between these two rivers projects a peninsula, having three points, like a hand of three fingers, across the palm of which, in Paul's time, ran the great Roman road known as the Ignatian Way. It was divided by the Romans into four districts, of which the capitals were Amphipolis, Thessalonica (the residence of the provincial proconsul), Pella (the birthplace of Alexander the Great), and Pelagonia. Of these, Amphipolis had become less important than the rival city of Philippi, in the same district.
Achaiawas the Roman name of the little land of Greece, whose fame has filled all history. In the later period of its independence, its ruling state had been Achaia, which gave its name to the entire province when annexed to the Roman empire. In the apostolic age, Corinth was its metropolis and political capital, though Athens still retained its fame as a centre of art and literature.
The apostle Paul and his companions sailed across the Ægean Sea from Troas, in a northwesterly direction, passing the storied isles of Tenedos and Imbros; anchored for the first night off Samothracia, "the Thracian Samos," a rocky island near the coast of Thrace; and the next day passed northward of Thasos, and anchored in the harbor of Neapolis, on the border of Thrace. They did not remain at the seaport, but pressed inland to the larger city, which was to be memorable as the first foothold of the gospel in Europe. In the European part of the second missionary journey we notice eight places visited by the apostle.
1.Philippi(Acts 16:12-40). This was an ancient town, enlarged and renamed by Philip, the father of Alexander the Great. Near it was fought the great battle between Augustus and Antony on one side, and Brutus and Cassius on the other, in which the hope of a Roman republic perished, and the empire was ushered in. It had been made acolony; that is, a branch of Rome itself, and enjoyed certain privileges of self-government, so that its magistrates bore Roman titles, as noticed by Luke. Here Lydia, the first convert in Europe, was baptized, and a church was planted; Paul and Silas were scourged and imprisoned, and set free by divine power; the jailer was brought to Christ; and the officials of the city were made to tremble at having inflicted violence upon citizens of Rome.
2.Amphipoliswas 33 miles southwest of Philippi, and 3 miles from the Ægean Sea. It was a town of ancient fame; but, in Paul's time, decayed in population; and, having no synagogue or Jewish population, was not yet made a field of his labors. After a delay of only a day, he journeyed on still further westward. (Acts 17:1.)
3.Apolloniawas 30 miles from Amphipolis, and an important city; but for some reason Paul did not choose to labor in its vicinity, and remained there but a day. (Acts 17:1.)
4.Thessalonica(Acts 17:1-9) was the capital of the entire province, and 40 miles from the preceding station. It was named after a sister of Alexander the Great, and had many historic associations. An arch is still standing, and was doubtless seen by the apostle, which commemorated the victory at Philippi. There was a large Jewish population, and a synagogue, in which Paul preached for three sabbaths. He succeeded in founding a church, mostly of Gentiles, to which he soon after wrote his two earliest epistles, First and Second Thessalonians. But the Jews excited a riot, and the apostles were compelled to leave the city by night. Thessalonica, now calledSaloniki, is still the second city of European Turkey, and contains 80,000 inhabitants.
5.Berea(Acts 17:10-13) was a small city, chosen by the apostle on account of its retired situation. It lay on the eastern side of Mount Olympus. Its people were generous in hearing the truth, and candid in examination of its claims; so that many of them believed, and "the Bereans" have furnished a name for earnest students of the Bible in all lands. The place is now calledVerria, and has a population of about 6,000.
6.Athens(Acts 17:15-34) was one of the most famous cities of the world. It was situated 5 miles northeast of the Saronic Gulf, between the two little streams Cephissus and Ilissus, and connected by long walls with its two seaports, the Piræus and the Phaleric Gulf, where probably Paul landed. Around it stand mountains noted in history, and within its walls rise four important hills: the Acropolis, surmounted by the Parthenon, the most perfect specimen of Greek architecture; the Areopagus, northwest of the Acropolis, where Paul delivered his memorable discourse; the Pnyx, still further west; and, on the south, the Museum. In Paul's time Athens was no longer the political capital, but was still the literary centre, not only of Greece, but of the civilized world. Paul's discourse before its philosophers was not attended with immediate results, as no church appears to have been founded; but, four centuries afterward, the Parthenon became a Christian church, and the Athenians were among the most bitter foes of image worship. After many changes of fortune—at times being without inhabitants—Athens is now the growing capital of the kingdom of modern Greece, and the seat of a university.
7.Corinth(Acts 18:1-18), the next station of the apostle, was 40 miles west of Athens, on the isthmus between Hellas and Peloponnesus, which is here 10 miles wide. In Paul's time it was the commercial and political metropolis of Greece, being the residence of the Roman proconsul. It was, however, a most wicked city, and a by-word for corruption and licentiousness. Paul preached in Corinth for a year and a half, working meanwhile at his trade as a tent-maker, and during his stay wrote the two Epistles to the Thessalonians. After leaving, he wrote to the Corinthian Christians two of his longest Epistles, First and Second Corinthians. The site of the city is now desolate, except for a small and wretched village, namedGortho.