Neapolis Philippi Amphipolis Apollonia

We drove northeast along the new (ish) Highway Egnatia towards Philippi. Along the way, we passed by ancient Apollonia, an ancient town along the historical Via Egnatia in Macedonia. It was about midway between Thessaloniki and Amphipolis, which Paul had passed.

Again, there were questions about Luke’s historicity. However, in the summer of 2000, a farmer in Central Macedonia unearthed a solid-gold wreath while digging a trench. This accidental discovery led archaeologists to the long-lost ancient city of Apollonia of Mygdonia. Excavations revealed fortification walls, towers, pottery kilns, graves, and statues, including a possible Nike of Samothrace. This confirmed the site’s significance as a major Macedonian hub founded by Philip II around 432 BCE. Once a key stop along the Via Egnatia and mentioned by classical historians, Apollonia had vanished from maps until this serendipitous find revived its legacy.

We then passed by ancient Amphipolis and arrived at Neapolis, the beautiful port city on the Aegean Sea. The modern-day city of Kavala is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos. Here, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke stepped off a ship onto European soil.
Inland, a few hundred metres away, is a church marking where the docks were in the 1st century.

20km inland, we arrived at the incredible ruins of Philippi. We sang Happy Birthday to Steve C in the arena and explored the partially excavated city. The Via Egnatia enters the city through the gates and exits the other side, across the river where the huge pavers remain to this day.

The highlight was to see the Agora (Acts 16:19) and the white Fortuna statue stood at the end, the location of the council. Just up the hill in the upper city was the prison, visible to everyone in the public agora. This is where the Christian prisoners were held, and on this particular evening after an extraordinary day all would have heard the extraordinary sound of hymn singing.
Everyone in the city would have known all the happenings, leading to the establishment of the first ecclesia in Europe.

After lunch, we visited the river. Ten Jewish men were needed to form a synagogue, so the few present in Philippi met by the river. Lydia was the first to be baptised. In this beautiful, cool, and shady place, we could imagine the atmosphere on a Sabbath, with believers sharing time together.もっと詳しく