Page 136 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

many believed in Jesus.

Paul preached a famous sermon to the Epicureans and Stoics on Mars Hill while in Athens, and some
believed in Jesus. Paul stayed some time in Corinth and led many to Christ and established a
relationship with Aquila and Priscilla. He ended his journey by passing through Ephesus, bringing many
to Christ, and finally sailed to Caesarea, then traveled over land to his home church, Antioch, Syria. The
journey lasted almost three years.

A Personal Note from Dr. Bjorgen
Several years ago, I traveled to Athens, Greece
and stood on top of a hill near the Parthenon
called Mars Hill (pictured to the left). It is the
exact place where Paul shared the Gospel with
the Greek philosophers of his day. The hill has
several rock formations that look like seats and

One location on the whole hill was flat, where a speaker
could stand and address a crowd. Paul must have stood in
that location described in Acts 17 as he shared the Good
News with these philosophers (You can see the flat area just
to the right of the people standing on the hill).

Directly behind him and below is the Agora (pictures right), where there are the ruins of the ancient shopping
center and site of multiple temples and statues to the Greek gods. It was here that Paul met Aquilla and Pricilla and
worked with them, selling tents in the marketplace. To Paul’s front and left, up the hill was the Parthenon, the site
of five temples to various false gods, including Athena, the goddess of fertility. From that one location, Paul could
see the temples and statues erected to dozens of false gods and idols. One interested him, dedicated to the
“unknown God.” Paul used great wisdom in sharing with them who this “unknown God” was … Jesus Christ, and
many came to be saved. Standing on that exact spot where Paul stood gave me “goose bumps!”

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey – 54 AD – 57 AD
On Paul’s third missionary journey, he returned to the cities he had first visited on his first missionary
journey. During this time, he decided to remain in Ephesus for about three years and concentrated on
establishing an important Christian community there. As Christianity was spreading in Asia Minor, Paul
journeyed to Corinth two times because of the many conflicts with this church. During his second visit
to Corinth, Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans. The church in Jerusalem had fallen into difficult
economic times, and Paul began a quest to take up offerings among all the churches in Macedonia and

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