Paul's Letters
to Thessaloniki
Arch of Galerius
Dionysos Mosaic
Slave Relief
(for Philippians)
  Other Sites
in Thessaloniki
Alexander Statue
Asklepius Bust
 Most High God Dedication
Osiris Sculpture
Papyrus Finds

The content on this website is maintained by Robert Myallis, pastor at Zion's Lutheran Church, of Jonestown, PA. 

The photos were taken by Emily Myallis, a diaconal minister in the ELCA who also serves at Zion's Lutheran. 

This website and travel to Greece was made possible by a grant from the Fund for Theological Education, which provides grants to assist the education and formation of Christian  leaders from numerous denominations.

Bible quotes are taken from the New Revised Standard Version, unless cites otherwise.

The above photo of Greece comes from NASA; The icon of Saint Paul comes from George Mitrevski's website. 

 

 

Alexander Statue

This statue is of Alexander the Great. After his father consolidated most of Greece into one kingdom by about 338 BC, Alexander conquered the Persian empire (modern Iran, Pakistan), the middle east (Turkey, Israel, Syria, and Iraq), and Egypt, all by the time he was 33. In short, Alexander conquered most of what people assumed to be the civilized world!

How is this statue of Alexander the Great significant for understanding the world of Paul?

Alexander the Great's conquest spread Greek influence, trade and ideas all over the world. It made Greek the "English" of its day; everyone educated spoke it, so much so that the Jews translated the Hebrew Bible into Greek (the Septuagint).  This meant that when Paul and other early Christian apostles began to teach about God, they had the Scriptures available in a language that nearly everyone could understand.

It also opened up Greeks to outside influence as well. One can see the strong influence of Egyptian religion in Thessaoloniki.

source:
info on Philipp II: http://faq.macedonia.org/history/11.2.html