The jailer became one of the first Christians in Europe (Acts 16: 12-40). It is said that when their jailer awoke, he prepared to kill himself, thinking all the prisoners had escaped and knowing that he would be severely punished, but Paul stopped him, convincing him that all the prisoners were still there.
Paul and Silas were arrested and beaten while in Philippi, but an earthquake caused their prison to be opened. Our first stop this morning is Kavala known anciently as Neapolis, where Paul landed on his first voyage to Europe, as we make our way to nearby Philippi, where Paul, accompanied by Silas, Luke and Timothy, first preached on European soil to sow the seeds of Christianity. We remained in the city some days…” (Acts 16:12-18). “And from there to Phillip, which is the leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman Colony. We will enjoy dinner and an overnight stay in Thessalonika. We’ll visit Aristotelous Square (a main square in the city’s heart serving as site of music concerts, rallies, cafés and the Olympion Theater where the Thessaloniki’s International Film Festival is held), the Monastery of Vlattadon, and statue of Alexander the Great. Our tour will also include the Roman Market, theatre and baths, the Chain Tower and Citadel, and many beautiful Byzantine churches. Today in Thessaloniki, celebrated as “the most blessed of cities” and a treasure trove of architecture because of its position at the center of all historical developments in the Balkans, we’ll see the ramparts of the city, the Triumphal Arch of Galerius (built in 298-299 to celebrate the victory over the Persians) and the Rotunda (oldest of Thessaloniki’s churches, and some claim that it is the oldest Christian church in the world although there are a number of other claimants to that title it is certainly the most important surviving example of a church from the early Christian period of the Greek-speaking part of the Roman Empire) along the Via Egnatia, an ancient road of the Roman Empire. Demetrius (Hagios Demetrios) constructed on the site of an ancient Roman bath. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians will come alive in our minds and hearts as visit the places where he lived and preached including the ancient Agora, and the Church of St. Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ (Acts 17:1-3). Now… they came to Thessalonica… And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board the aircraft. We leave the US on an overnight flight to Greece. Tour Itinerary Day 1: Departure from the USAĮnclose in your soul Greece (or something equal) and you shall feel every kind of grandeur (Dionysios Solomos Note to “Free Besieged”).