Greece Day 5::Corinth

We got up early and loaded the bus on Friday to head to Corinth and Nafplio for our "tourist" day. As we rode one of the former missionaries shared the history of the area with us and I was riveted, but a few others just wanted to sleep. :) So I went and sat up front with him to get the scoop on all the wars and such. I'm a history nut, remember? Our first stop was the Corinth Canal. Before the canal existed ships were rolled over land on logs, winterized and repaired before reentering the sea. This is where Paul, Aquila and Priscilla would have set up their tent making business because the sailors had to sleep somewhere! So they bought tents and would wait for the ship to set sail once again. Nowadays ships just cruise right on through this beautiful canal.


After this short stop we headed into Ancient Corinth. We were given a self guided Bible study tour booklet and walked the city stopping in different sections to read Scripture that directly referenced or correlated with things we were seeing right then. Talk about an amazing time! Here are some of the highlights:

Temple of Apollo
Acro Corinth, the Temple of Aphrodite

Bema Seat, where Paul was taken before the Proconsul
Jennifer and I in front of the Bema Seat, right behind us is the whipping post

The runner starter blocks for the Corinth Olympics
Fountain of Pierene

It was such a special moment to stand in the middle of Ancient Corinth and realize that Paul stood there; I closed my eyes and imagined it as it must have looked in days gone by, bustling with shopkeepers, locals and dignitaries. This is where the Corinthian church was born! This experience has deeply affected how I read 1 and 2 Corinthians.

Next stop: the beautiful city of Nafplio!