12 Days
Specific Tour
30 people
English
Download Brochure and Application
There are few experiences more enriching to an understanding of the Bible and more formative for spiritual insight than visiting the places where the Christian faith took root in the ancient world. On this tour we will visit some of the most significant places where important events of Biblical, Church, and world history happened. We will take time to dwell on the historical, cultural, and spiritual meaning of these places and events.
We will get a sense of what it was like for Paul to journey through the land. We will begin to experience what a challenge it must have been to become a Christian in a pagan world filled with gods and the symbols of Roman power. We will marvel at the theaters, temples, and other structures of Greco-Roman culture. We will pause in awe of Byzantine churches and monasteries. We will walk where Paul did—following the ancient paths through cities, countrysides, orchards, and fields—in Philippi, Amphipolis, Thessaloniki, Beroea, Corinth, Cenchrea, and Athens. It will be a visually
stunning and spiritually uplifting trip.
We will also have fun! As we walk, we will get a taste of the Greek culture. During the evenings we will relax and enjoy the Greek hospitality. We will take time for personal reflection and for worship and discussion together. We will need time for our hearts to catch up with what we hear, see, and feel as we follow along The Way of Saint Paul!
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Your leader, Prof. Mark Vitalis Hoffman, has been developing this tour for the past 5 years. His research has confirmed or identified likely routes that Paul and other ancient travelers went. (Cf. Atlas of the Biblical World, which Hoffman co-authored.) He has hiked and traveled all the routes to establish places that are safe to go and paths that evoke the memory of what it might have been like 2000 years ago. Note that we will not be using an in-country guide so you will miss some of the commentary and insights such a guide could offer. Hoffman will supply a guidebook with background information on the places we visit and will provide as much guidance as you want on the bus or at the sites. In general, though, this trip is geared more for pilgrims and
explorers rather than simply tourists.
Friday 2 April (Day 1)
Early afternoon departure from Dulles, overnight on plane
Saturday 3 April (Day 2)
Early morning arrival in Istanbul; transfer for flight to Thessaloniki; morning arrival in Thessaloniki. (NOTE: If you arrange your own airline accommodations, you need to be in Thessaloniki by 8:45am in order to join the tour.) The tour begins with a walk in Thessaloniki including traditional sites associated with Paul (the Spring of St. Paul; Vlatadon Monastery where Paul was said to have preached) as well as the Roman agora, the Byzantine Churches of St. Demetrios and St. Sophia, the Arch of Galerius, the White Tower, and more. (Sites are designated as UNESCO heritage sites; Acts 17.1-9; ~3.5 miles) We continue on to Neapolis (modern Kavala) following the ancient Via Egnatia, stopping as Paul did at Apollonia. (Acts 17.1) Paul was directed to Neapolis by the vision of “the Macedonian man” (Acts 16.6-11) We will take a walking tour of Kavala noting the harbor where Paul landed and the memorial to Paul (~1.2 miles). Dinner and overnight at Kavala Esperia Hotel near the harbor.
Sunday 4 April (Day 3)
After breakfast at the hotel, we begin the walk to Philippi (a UNESCO heritage site) following the Via Egnatia, just as Paul did, and in places, walking on the very stones he did! As we head for the pass, we will stop at St. Silas Monastery as well as pausing for the many fantastic views. Arriving in Philippi, you will have Via Egnatia from Neapolis to Philippi. All photos ©MGVHoffman time to tour this amazing site (including the traditional prison of Paul and Silas) before we continue on to the Lydia Baptistry site. (Acts 16.11-40) Here we will have the opportunity to reaffirm our baptisms. (~12 miles) The bus will pick us up and bring us back to the hotel in Kavala for dinner and overnight.
Monday 5 April (Day 4)
Breakfast at the hotel and drive to Amphipolis still following the Via Egnatia. After a visit to the museum there, we will tour the site, entering the northern gate where Paul probably entered and exiting at the southern gate Paul likely would have taken as he continued to Thessaloniki. (~2.1 miles) We will make a brief stop at Pella, notable as the birthplace of Alexander the Great and continue on to Beroea (modern Veria) where Paul went after being chased out of Thessaloniki. (Acts 17.10-13) Our walking tour begins at the gate where Paul entered the city. We will take some time to peruse the fascinating funerary monument inscriptions at the Archaeological Museum, stop at the striking Old Metropolitan Church, pass the old Jewish synagogue, and continue to the Paul Bema memorial. The tour ends at the Byzantine Museum. (~2 miles) We go to Hotel Aiges Melathron in Veria for dinner and overnight.
Tuesday 6 April (Day 5)
Acts 17.14 reports that when Paul was chased out of Beroea, friends escorted him to the coast and then on to Athens. Almost certainly this means that Paul headed east from Beroea and passed
through Aigai (a UNESCO heritage site; modern Vergina) to get to Methoni or Pydna on the Aegean Sea. Aigai is famous as the site of one of the palaces of Philipp II (father of Alexander the Great) and the theater where he was assassinated and Alexander assumed power. At Aigai we will visit the Polycentric Museum with its incredible archaeological displays, then to the ‘immersive’ experience of the Museum of the Royal Tombs, and then on to the theater and Palace. From Aigai we will then hike the beautiful countryside with its fields, orchards, and forests along Paul’s likely path, including a stop at the Church of St. Demetrius. The bus will pick us up at the Church of St Nicholas in Neokastro and return us to our hotel in Veria for dinner and overnight. (~9 miles)
Wednesday 7 April (Day 6)
This day will be more leisurely as we travel to Kalambaka and Kastraki via Methoni on the Aegean coast. Kalambaka and Kastraki are towns at the foot of the Meteora Monasteries, another UNESCO heritage site. On the way we will stop at an icon workshop to learn how icons are written and their significance. You will have time to wander around Kastraki before dinner and overnight at the Grand Meteora Hotel. This is one of the spa resort hotels we will be staying at, so you may wish to take advantage of the luxuries the hotel offers! Church of St. Demetrius near Aigai (Vergina)
Thursday 8 April (Day 7)
Today we visit the Byzantine Meteora Monasteries! Unlike other tours, however, we will start at the Grand Meteora Monastery and then walk to the other ones and end up back down in Kalambaka. The path itself between the monasteries isn’t overly strenuous (~ 3 miles with amazing views along the way). The challenge is all the steps up to each monastery. We will visit two or three monasteries, one of which will be Holy Trinity (of James Bond fame) which offers the best space for reflection time. The bus will pick us up and drive us to a brief stop at Thermopylae, site of the battle between the Spartans and Persians in 480BCE. From there we continue on to Delphi, the most famous oracle site in the ancient world. After touring the museum and the archaeological site (~2.5 miles), we will go down to the Europa Beach hotel on the Gulf of Corinth for dinner and overnight.
Friday 9 April (Day 8)
The bus will bring us back up to Delphi where we will begin hiking the ancient path down to Kirra. For many ancient travelers to Delphi coming for the oracle or for the Pythian Games, the easiest way to get there was to sail to the harbor at Kirra and then take this pilgrim path (~7 miles) up to the site. The walk features stunning views and passage through ancient ruins and a veritable sea of Amphissa olive trees. (Did Paul ever walk here? Perhaps. If he returned to Beroea on his second or third visit to Corinth, he could have gone directly south to Kirra and then taken a ship to Lechaion. In any case, Paul certainly would have known about Delphi.) Following lunch, we continue on to Corinth, a place Paul visited three times and spent several years. (Acts 18.1-17) We will start at Corinth’s Lechaion Harbor and walk part way, at least passing by the Asklepion and the Spring of Aphrodite, to the main archaeological site. For dinner and overnight, we will be at the Alkyon Resort on the Gulf of Corinth, another fine spa resort hotel with many amenities.
St. Stephanos Monastery at Meteora View from Delphi to Kirra and Gulf of Corinth – We walk from here, across the spur extending into the valley and to the Gulf of Corinth in the distance. The valley is a ‘sea’ of olive trees.
Saturday 10 April (Day 9)
At the end of his first time in Corinth, Acts 18.18 reports that Paul went to Corinth’s other harbor, Cenchrea, on the Aegean Sea in order to sail back to Jerusalem. We will trace Paul’s steps as we walk through the countryside from Corinth to Cenchrea. (~7.5 miles) Passing by Isthmia–one of the four sites of the ancient Panhellenic games with Olympia, Delphi, and Nemea—we return by bus to Corinth for an exploration of the Acrocorinth. (~1.9 miles) The Temple of Aphrodite is at the top of the site, but it is more impressive for the fortifications that date back to
the classical period. We return to the Alkyon Resort for dinner and overnight.
Sunday 11 April (Day 10)
Leaving for Athens, we cross the Corinth Canal and stop at Eleusis, site of the Eleusinian Mysteries. The sanctuary was the destination of the annual procession along the Sacred Way from Athens by initiates (mystai) into the cult. Based on the myth of Demeter and Persephone, it was the most prestigious mystery religion in antiquity and provided an ecstatic experience of life after death. (~1 mile to tour the site) On to Athens! As part of our visit to the Parthenon, we will walk the Peripatos around the Acropolis before stopping at the Areopagus, site of Paul’s famous speech recorded in Acts 17.16-34. Passing by the Roman Forum and Hadrian’s Library, we will visit the agora and then follow the Panathenaic Way (used by the mystai heading to Eleusis) to Kerameikos and the start of the Sacred Way. (~5 miles) Dinner and overnight at the Stanley Hotel with its rooftop bar and heated swimming pool and a 360 degree view of Athens. Stunning!
Monday 12 April (Day 11)
You will have a free day in Athens! There is so much to see and do, and it’s all up to you. If you’re the museum sort, Hoffman recommends the National Archaeological Museum, the Byzantine and Christian Museum, or the Acropolis Museum. (Entrance fees not included in tour price.) If you’re up for more hiking, consider going up the Philopappos Hill with excellent views and a stop at the Pynx where the ancient Athenian ekklesia met to deliberate. Or maybe you just want to wander and get lost for a bit browsing, shopping, and eating in Plaka and Monostiraki. Or maybe go watch the impressive changing of the guard at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier near Syntagma Square. Or there is the Olympic Stadium or … The only problem will be choosing what you most want to do! Return to the Stanley Hotel for the overnight.
Tuesday 13 April (Day 12)
We have an early morning departure from the hotel to get to the Athens airport for the flight to Istanbul. There is an almost 4-hour layover in Istanbul (lots to see in this huge airport!) before taking an afternoon flight to Dulles. With the time Change, we arrive at Dulles on Tuesday evening, returning with memories and insights to last a lifetime!
