Amphipolis
Summary
A Macedonian city through which Paul and Silas passed on their second missionary journey, traveling from Philippi to Thessalonica.
☩Location and History
Amphipolis was situated on the left bank of the river Strymon, almost encircled by the river (hence its name, meaning "city on both sides"), about three miles from the Strymonic Gulf. It lay on the Via Egnatia, 33 Roman miles (about 32 miles) southwest of Philippi. The city's strategic position, commanding the entrance to a mountain pass into the Macedonian plains, along with its proximity to forests and gold mines, made it commercially and militarily important.
☩Paul's Journey
Paul and Silas passed through Amphipolis on their way from Philippi to Thessalonica, evidently staying overnight before continuing to Apollonia. They did not establish a church there, perhaps because there were few if any Jews in the city. The travelers hastened on to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue that could serve as a starting point for Christian outreach.
Related Verses1 mention
Acts· 1 verse
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Amphipolis," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Hastings (ed.), "Amphipolis," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Amphipolis," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).