Chenchrae, Isthmus, Diolkos & Corinth
Safely arrived in Greece this morning. We managed to find our rental car and drive south from Athens and over the isthmus canal to the Peloponnese and the Corinth area without incident.
Our first stop was the ancient port of Cenchrae on the eastern (Aegean) side of the Isthmus. Archeological work here has confirmed this was an active port beginning late 6th/early 5th century BC. In the 1st century AD the port had temples dedicated to numerous Greek and Roman gods including Apollo, Isis, Poseidon, Pan and Aphrodite. At the Isthmian museum there are remains of glass mosaics that depict the port as it would have looked in Paul’s day - a busy commercial port with visitors from every part of the Mediterranean world and Asia Minor/Syria. The Isthmian games were held here every other year. Between shipping crews and visitors to the games, it was a perfect setting for tent makers such as Pricilla, Aquilla and Paul to earn their living while growing the Christian community in Corinth. When Paul left Corinth with Pricilla and Aquilla (2nd missionary journey) to sail to Ephesus, he left from Cenchrae (Acts 18:18). During Paul’s 3rd missionary journey, it seems he entrusted Phoebe of Cenchrae to deliver his letter to the Christians in Rome, a letter he wrote while in Corinth. He called Phoebe a sister in Christ and a great supporter of himself and others in their efforts to spread the good news of Jesus resurrection (Rom 16:1).
Today there is a narrow canal cut through the isthmus. Roman emperors tried to accomplish this, but it was impossible until the invention of dynamite. Instead, the Romans and Greeks built the Diolkos across the isthmus. The Diollkos was a wide paved road with deep grooves for moving shiploads of goods from the Aegean Sea at Cenchrae four miles to the Ionian Sea on the west side of the Isthmus. They could even haul an entire ship if it wasn’t too big, saving a dangerous sailing around the Southern tip of the Peloponnese.
The harbor at that western side near Corinth was the Lechaion harbor. The Lechaion Way was a paved wide road that ran from the harbor right into the heart of Corinth. The ruins at this harbor today are from a 5th century Christian basilica. Little can be seen at the water.
The remains at Corinth show clearly a central forum/agora surrounded by shops and public buildings. The Bema seat remains in place in the forum - where Paul was persecuted by the local Jewish community and made to stand before the proconsole Gallio (Acts 18:12-17). Remains of temples are everywhere. At least 5 early Christian basilicas from later periods have ruins in this area. The Lechaion Way is an impressive road through ancient Corinth. Near the theater, there is an inscription in the paving stone stating that funds for the pavement were given by Erastus of Corinth which may well be the same Erastus mentioned in 2 Timothy 4:20.
High above the ancient city of Corinth looms the rocky Acrocorinth. This high place was used for worship of Aphrodite. While not mentioned in scripture, this would have been a huge pagan influence on the people of Corinth which Paul was clearly addressing when urging the Corinth Christians to stay true to their new found faith. In crusader times, castles were built on the rock.
