Corinth.
The city of Corinth has long been a part of my imagination, as a backdrop for Paul's missionary visits there, as the recipients of the two Biblical letters, and even, in the mid-'70s, as the referent to Ricardo Montalban's enthusiasm for the Chrysler Cordoba's luxuriant leather. On Wednesday of this week, these outlines were filled in by the colour, smells, and sounds of the Ancient City.
Corinth today is two cities, about 10 km apart. Modern Corinth, a small city of 30,000, sits at the south-east end of the Gulf of Corinth, beside the Corinthian Canal (built in the late 1800s). The enclosed picture is taken from just below the main bridge, from the vantage point of the bungee-jumping platform. (You'll have to guess whether we jumped or not.)
Before getting to the meat of today's post, a comment. Beside this human-made canal, which truly is a marvel, are two large marble plaques paying tribute to the men who oversaw the work over 100 years ago. Funny though, this canal is a 75' wide by 10 kilometer cut through dirt and rock. Compared to the Gulf of Corinth and Saronic Gulf at either end, it is a drop in the ocean, literally. However, those bodies of water and their accompanying and more beautiful shores are not accompanied by large plaques paying tribute to the God who oversaw their making. Which is so like God and our relationship with him. The mountains and the trees and the seas ARE the plaque giving glorious tribute to God, says Psalm 19. When we see the overwhelming beauty of these things, as we are this week, our impulse of appreciation goes to him. I found this to be true in the 500 km drive from Thessaloniki to Corinth, as we dipped down to sea-side ports and soared up to mountainous roadways, that so many of my thoughts were prayers, thankful to the God who created ALL of it -- and me!
Now, to Ancient Corinth, or ArcheCorinthos as it is known here. Ancient Corinth is a tiny little town at the base of the AcroCorinth.
I thought of the challenge in Paul's Corinth of the disparity of wealth among Christians and how that played out over the communion meal. This disparity became visible in the luxury of marble and large homes on the one hand and small hovels on the other.
I though of the 'problem' of what to do with the meat sacrificed to idols as we viewed the many statues in the museum. I will never read, nor preach, the Corinthian letters the same.
After our tour of the ruins, we stopped at a 'taverna' for lunch. They had wireless internet access and fantastic hospitality, not to mention good food. As we sat outdoors at the taverna, we could look up the small street and see endless shops, hawking their wares so that the busloads of tourists could leave their money behind.
Instead of statuary, we are taking home memories and pictures, including this last one of the 'Erastus stone'. Erastus was the Corinthian city treasurer and second highest official in town. He was also a convert and friend of Paul's, mentioned in Romans 16:23. This stone, which Erastus laid at his own expense, is only one of two stones ever found which include the names of persons from the Bible. It is direct archeological supporting evidence of the historicity of Paul's letters, for whomever needs such things to bolster the authenticity of the Bible. For me, it serves as a reminder that Paul wasn't simply creating a legacy but actually connecting with real people in real cities with the very real message of salvation through Christ.
The city of Corinth has long been a part of my imagination, as a backdrop for Paul's missionary visits there, as the recipients of the two Biblical letters, and even, in the mid-'70s, as the referent to Ricardo Montalban's enthusiasm for the Chrysler Cordoba's luxuriant leather. On Wednesday of this week, these outlines were filled in by the colour, smells, and sounds of the Ancient City.
Corinth today is two cities, about 10 km apart. Modern Corinth, a small city of 30,000, sits at the south-east end of the Gulf of Corinth, beside the Corinthian Canal (built in the late 1800s). The enclosed picture is taken from just below the main bridge, from the vantage point of the bungee-jumping platform. (You'll have to guess whether we jumped or not.)
Now, to Ancient Corinth, or ArcheCorinthos as it is known here. Ancient Corinth is a tiny little town at the base of the AcroCorinth.
The currently inhabited town of a few thousand people surrounds the ruins of Biblical and Classical Corinth. These ruins are illuminating in many ways. Walking through them, with the busloads of tourists from around the globe, one gets a sense of life in the town Paul spent some time in and came to love so dearly, writing at least four letters to, two of which are in the Bible. We walked the ancient agora, saw the public baths, got a sense of the roadways, and viewed many of the impressive statuaries in tribute to whom many of the Corinthians viewed as gods.
I though of the 'problem' of what to do with the meat sacrificed to idols as we viewed the many statues in the museum. I will never read, nor preach, the Corinthian letters the same.
After our tour of the ruins, we stopped at a 'taverna' for lunch. They had wireless internet access and fantastic hospitality, not to mention good food. As we sat outdoors at the taverna, we could look up the small street and see endless shops, hawking their wares so that the busloads of tourists could leave their money behind.
Instead of statuary, we are taking home memories and pictures, including this last one of the 'Erastus stone'. Erastus was the Corinthian city treasurer and second highest official in town. He was also a convert and friend of Paul's, mentioned in Romans 16:23. This stone, which Erastus laid at his own expense, is only one of two stones ever found which include the names of persons from the Bible. It is direct archeological supporting evidence of the historicity of Paul's letters, for whomever needs such things to bolster the authenticity of the Bible. For me, it serves as a reminder that Paul wasn't simply creating a legacy but actually connecting with real people in real cities with the very real message of salvation through Christ.
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