Our first full day in Greece

Written by Craig Hill, Group Leader and Teacher

Today was our first full day in Greece! Our Greek guide Mariza met us early at the hotel and pointed out the rich history of the city of Athens. And as we drove from Athens to Greece we learned about the unique geography of the Nation. This tiny county has as much coastline as the United States!

Since I have been teaching New Testament courses for 20 years, I have always wanted to see the excavated city of ancient Corinth. Today was my chance, and it did not disappoint! The modern canal that connects the Aegean Sea to the Adriatic sea demonstrates the thin isthmus that brought merchant ships from all directions. In ancient Corinth there would have been loads of “middle-men” hustling to buy cargo from sailors on one side and transport it to the other side and sell it to sailors on the other side ready to set sail for other parts of the world. This city would have seen sailors coming from and leaving for Rome, Egypt, Israel, Syria, Asia, and northern Greece: it was a hub of commerce, and information.

We saw the excavations of the Agora and the many shop alcoves where merchants like Paul “the tentmaker” (Acts 18:3) would have been able to work, sell their goods, and engage people in conversation during the week after teaching in the synagogue on Saturday. This is the same Agora in the shadow of the Bema seat of Acts 18:12.

Our lunch was served on the roof of a restaurant overlooking the ruins and a view of the spectacular Acroropolis of Corinth. A short ride later we were tasting wine at a local family vineyard. The food on this trip has been outstanding!

Then we were on our way to the Acropolis of Athens and the Parthenon. We read Paul’s sermon from Acts 17 on Mars Hill (the Areopagus) while we were sitting on top. One of the best things about this trip has been being able to read passages from Acts, Revelation, or Paul’s letters while we are standing on the locations where they happened.

Our day finished with a Greek cultural dinner. Great food (along with music and dancing) with great people!

Tomorrow we travel back to Istanbul for our last day.