I was beyond excited and anxious to experience our first ancient city ruins in the country of Greece. That was exactly why we planned the trip! Go and see the places where Paul traveled. And can I just say? The beautiful city of Philippi did not disappoint. It was amazing!

 

It was an extremely hot summer day in Philippi, as all summer days in Greece are in August. The sun reflected off the marble stone that adorned the city. So a hat, sunglasses, comfortable shoes, and a water bottle were a must! I was glad that I had all of the above. Our guide carried an umbrella for her own personal shade. Not a bad idea, but of course, we had not packed one.

 

We were surprised that basically, we had the whole place to ourselves to explore, which was highly unusual for typical tourist spots. But no complaints. It was absolutely AMAZING! It was so nice not to have to weave our way through the crowds. We were able to take our time to look and wander around as much as we wanted. And that’s exactly what we did.

 

The first incredible sight that we came to was the Amphitheater of Philippi, which sat just on the very edge of the city. It was HUGE! It was beautiful! It was perfect! I was awestruck by the first sight of it! It was one of the moments when you think, “This is so awesome! I can’t believe that I’m here!”

 

The Amphitheater would be a perfect venue for a large gathering, such as a church service or a Bible teaching opportunity. Talk about memorable, but it was just the three of us. (my husband, me, and the guide) Not really enough to be considered a large gathering, but just right for us, nonetheless.

 

I absolutely LOVED the theater. And I absolutely LOVED walking up the steps. There is just something about when I see a long set of steps, especially ancient stone steps, that I want to climb to the top. They just call out to me! Anyone else? So, that’s what I did. Luckily, I made my way up without tripping or falling. I found an open seat on one of the benches, a hard stone slab. Of course, finding a seat was easy since no one else was around. We had the place to ourselves, which would not always be the case. It would have been a very popular place to go.

 

As I sat there, I tried to envision all the different events and activities that could have taken place there during Bible days. It seemed as if the Amphitheater had so many stories to tell and was yearning to be given the chance. If only it could speak, it would have much to say. It had surely seen and experienced many unbelievable things over the years. Since so much was left unspoken, I felt it necessary to come up with my own story. The crazy thought in my head went to something fun, something exciting, an event that would have drawn a full stadium of people. Perhaps, I thought, the theater had just emptied of a large crowd and was finally able to take a quiet breath from a long, exhausting day. Maybe a concert. A loud and rowdy concert for sure.  A concert given by one of the largest draws and hottest singing groups around, a group that just arrived in town. Maybe a Praise & Worship team. Maybe the name of the group was “2 Singing Apostles in Jail“. I bet they could really draw a crowd and make a lasting impression!

 

Built in the 4th century BC, the Amphitheater was very active during the time of Paul. And actually, something that is so interesting is the fact that it is still used today to host events. How awesome is that?

 

During Paul’s day, it was used to hold town meetings, host festivals, perform Greek tragedies/comedies, and yes, this particular Amphitheater hosted many gladiator fights, if you were wondering. Not exactly something that I personally would have attended, but even so, that didn’t stop me from imagining how things might have played out. I could imagine all the yelling, shouting, and screaming that would have rang out across the hillside during those ancient times during events such as that. (And those loud screams would have been just coming from me when I found out that they didn’t have popcorn and Dr. Pepper at the concession stand! “Nooooooo!”)

 

The Bible does not tell us for sure that Paul ever went to the Amphitheater, but he probably did. It was used as a public gathering, so it would make sense that he was there at some point. (Probably not on stage for a concert, though) We do know from Acts 16 that Paul did go to the Agora, the city market, as he would have continued his walk along the Via Egnatia. The road runs right through the middle of the city. We could still see and feel the deep indentations in the stone slabs from the many travels of chariot wheels that journeyed down the road. Running alongside the road were large water pools made for the horses to stop and get a drink. There were even water systems and sewer systems in the city. Who knew they were so advanced in plumbing?

 

The city was typical for that day, with lots of large, beautiful marble columns, multiple temples of pagan worship, lots of street markets, bathhouses, and many small homes inside the city. Many clay pots were excavated and were sitting near the houses. It was easy to envision Paul doing his thing, speaking, preaching, and debating with city officials around the large marble steps of the city entrance. A perfect place for Paul to hold such gatherings. A place that would attract a large crowd of curious listeners. 

 

Just like other cities in Greece, high above the city on a hill was a large Acropolis with a perfect view. It stood strong and tall as it overlooked the whole surrounding area of the city, aware of each coming and going. Philippi was also greatly protected with a stone city wall that completely surrounded it for additional safety and marked the city limits, defining its border.