Amphipolis Acts 17:1
St. Paul passed by the supply-city of Amphipolis on his second
journey on his way to
Thessalonica from Philippi. Some scholars
suggest that St. Paul lodged overnight there, as part of a three-stage journey from Philippi to Thessalonica, but the text is
not specific on this point. There is no record of his preaching
there, and little tradition of a community of believers from the
apostolic ministry. It is likely the city was not evangelized until
a generation after St. Paul, but nevertheless became an important
Byzantine Christian site
Amphipolis was already one of the most important cities in ancient
Macedonia. One ancient historian reported it was founded by the
Athenian General Hagnon, son of Nicias, in about 436
BCE near a
village called Ennea Hodoi. Thucydides also (History, 4:102) claims
that Hagnon gave the city its name because "It was surrounded by the
river Strymon which nearly encircled it." Amphipolis may be
translated a city pressed on all sides. It grew as an important
trading center with Thrace and the village of Ennea probably became
its port - though renamed Eion.
In the following century the city became independent but was soon
taken up by Philip of Macedon as he expanded his power grip on
Macedonia before moving south to control all of Greece in the fourth
century BCE. After the battle of Pydna (168 BCE) the Romans took
possession of the city,
and made it the capital of Macedonia prima,
the first of the four administrative districts of the Roman
Macedonian Province. The four districts were later broken up, as the
system was deemed over organized and inefficient.
Under Roman rule during the time of St. Paul, it was a largely
independent city and emerged as the home of the Roman governor of
all Macedonia. It was located on the important Egnatian roadway some
53 km. southwest of Philippi (between Philippi and Thessalonica).
That road connected the Adriatic passage to Italy to the Hellespont
and Asia.
Though not among the first of the cities in the region to receive
the Christian message, the city became the seat of the Bishop during
the Byzantine times. This fact is attested in both the literature of
the period before 692 CE and the archaeological evidence of four
Christian basilicas found at the site. The proximity to the Pangean
mines meant that Amphipolis became a trading center for silver and
gold, but also had access to fine wool trades. The land itself was
rich and produced oil and wine and wood.
PLACE
REFERENCE
Amphipolis
Acts 17:1
Apollonia
Acts 17:1
Athens
Acts 17:15-16, 22; 18:1; 1 Thessalonians 3:1
Berea
Acts 17:10, 13: 20:4
Cenchrea
Acts 18:18, Romans 16:1
Coos (Kos)
Acts 21:1
Corinth
Acts 18:1; 19:1; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1, 23; 2 Timothy
4:20
Cyprus
Acts 4:38; 11:19,20; 13:4; 15:39; 21:3,16; 27:4
Neapolis (Kavala) Acts 16:11
Patmos
Rev 1:9
Philippi Matthew 16:13; Mark 8:27; Acts 16:12, 22;
20:6; Philippians 1-4; 1 Thessalonians 2:2
Rhodes
Act 21:1
Thessalonica Acts
17:1. 11. 13; 27:2; Philippians 4:16: 1 and 2 Thessalonians; 2
Timothy 4:10