Athens and Corinth: Following Paul's Journey Through Biblical Greece

Athens and Corinth are the two most visited biblical sites in southern Greece, and together they form the spiritual core of any Footsteps of Paul pilgrimage. Athens is where Paul addressed the philosophers of the Areopagus; Corinth is where he lived, worked, and wrote for 18 months. This guide walks through what to see at each site, how much time to allow, and what your group should know before arriving.

Key points:

• Athens is where Paul delivered his sermon on Mars Hill (Acts 17:22–34), addressing the philosophers of the city with the altar "To An Unknown God."
• Corinth is where Paul lived for 18 months (Acts 18:1–18), making tents with Priscilla and Aquila and writing 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
• Both sites are working archaeological parks with extensive ruins from Paul's era, including the Bema (judgment seat) in Corinth where Paul stood before Gallio.
• Plan a full day in Athens and a half-day in Corinth; they are 80 km (1.5 hours) apart by coach.

What did Paul do in Athens?

Paul arrived in Athens after fleeing Thessaloniki and Berea (Acts 17:16). Luke tells us that "his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols." Athens was the intellectual capital of the ancient world — home to the Stoic and Epicurean schools of philosophy. Paul was invited to speak at the Areopagus, a council that met on a rocky outcrop below the Acropolis.

His sermon (Acts 17:22–34) is one of the most sophisticated pieces of cross-cultural communication in the New Testament. Rather than quoting Jewish scripture — which his Greek audience wouldn't know — Paul quoted their own poets (Epimenides and Aratus), identified the altar "To An Unknown God," and proclaimed the resurrection of Jesus. Some mocked him, some believed, and one convert named Dionysius joined the church.

What should you see in Athens on a biblical tour?

A biblical tour of Athens focuses on three areas:

• The Acropolis — the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Propylaea. While not directly biblical, the Acropolis was the religious center Paul saw when he was "provoked" by the city's idols. Walking up the Panathenaic Way gives you the same approach ancient visitors used.
• The Areopagus (Mars Hill) — a small marble outcrop just below the Acropolis entrance. A plaque at the base contains Paul's sermon in Greek. Most groups spend 20–30 minutes here for a teaching session and photos. Wear shoes with grip — the marble is extremely slippery.
• The Ancient Agora — the marketplace where Paul would have walked and talked with Athenians. The site includes the Stoa of Attalos (now a museum) and the Temple of Hephaestus. This is where daily life happened in Paul's time.

Allow 3–4 hours for the Acropolis and Mars Hill combined, and 1–2 hours for the Ancient Agora. The new Acropolis Museum (at the base of the site) is worth an additional 90 minutes if your schedule allows.

What did Paul do in Corinth?

Corinth was a major Roman city — wealthy, cosmopolitan, and infamous for immorality. Paul arrived from Athens around AD 50 and met Priscilla and Aquila, Jewish Christians expelled from Rome by Emperor Claudius. He stayed for 18 months, working as a tentmaker and preaching in the synagogue (Acts 18:1–18).

During this time Paul wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians — the earliest New Testament documents. He also appeared before the proconsul Gallio at the Bema (judgment seat), who dismissed the charges against him. The Gallio inscription, discovered in 1905 at Delphi, dates Gallio's proconsulship to AD 51–52, giving us the most precise date in Paul's career.

What should you see at ancient Corinth?

The archaeological site of ancient Corinth (about 80 km from Athens) is one of the best-preserved Roman cities in Greece. Key stops for a Christian group:

• The Bema (judgment seat) — a raised stone platform in the center of the forum where Paul stood before Gallio. This is one of the most emotionally powerful moments on a Paul tour — you can stand where Paul stood.
• The Temple of Apollo — seven standing Doric columns from the 6th century BC, predating Paul but visible during his time.
• The Ancient Agora and shops — where Paul likely worked as a tentmaker. The ruins of the shop buildings are visible along the Lechaion Road.
• The Erastus Inscription — a paving inscription mentioning Erastus, the city's commissioner of public works, who may be the Erastus mentioned in Romans 16:23.
• The Corinth Museum — houses artifacts from the Roman period, including items from Paul's era.

Allow 2–3 hours at the site. The nearby Acrocorinth (the acropolis of Corinth) has the ruins of the Temple of Aphrodite, whose cult Paul's letters to the Corinthians were partly responding to, but it requires a steep hike and most groups skip it.

How far apart are Athens and Corinth?

Athens and Corinth are about 80 km (50 miles) apart — roughly 1.5 hours by coach. Most tours base in Athens and make a day trip to Corinth, combining it with a stop at the Corinth Canal (a 19th-century engineering marvel cut through the isthmus) and sometimes Cenchreae, the port from which Paul sailed to Ephesus (Acts 18:18).

What is the Acrocorinth and why does it matter?

The Acrocorinth is the mountain fortress above ancient Corinth. In Paul's time it housed the Temple of Aphrodite, which employed a thousand temple slaves in ritual prostitution. This practice is likely what Paul was addressing when he wrote to the Corinthians about sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6). The site is a steep 45-minute hike from the ancient city and offers panoramic views of the Corinthian Gulf.

Athens and Corinth together give your group the full picture of Paul's intellectual engagement with Greek philosophy and his practical ministry in a Roman city. Plan a full day for each, and your pilgrims will never read Acts 17–18 the same way again.