3rd Missionary Trip - Lorin

including Troas before crossing over to Macedonia or not. Some of these northern cities will be visited when
Paul comes back through the region headed for Jerusalem (20:5-15): Troas, Assos, Mitylene). The above map
assumes an overland route from Ephesus to Macedonia, and it may be correct. But such is not certain. The assumption
in the map is that the churches in Smyrna and Pergamum -- two of the seven Revelation churches
-- were included in his journey. The second map of existing Roman roads would confirm this as a logical overland
route northward from Ephesus.
What is more important religiously is that as the apostle visited each of the churches not only in the
northern part of the Asia province but also in Macedonia the heart of his ministry was παρακαλέσας αὐτοὺς λόγῳ
πολλῷ, having encouraged them with many words. 157 For the churches between Ephesus and Troas in Asia, this
most likely would have been the first time to have the apostle pay them a visit. For the churches beginning at
Troas and those in Macedonia -- Philippi, Thessalonica, and Beroea in particular -- this was the second visit after
the initial one on the second missionary journey some three to four years earlier. To be sure Paul’s associates
had been in and out of these Macedonian churches numerous times during this period. But so far as we know,
not the apostle himself. What an exciting time this must have been for both Paul and these congregations.
How long Paul stayed with each of the churches he visited is not spelled out. Most likely it was from
several days to a few weeks at most all of the places. Luke doesn’t give any signals that the earlier opposition
forces in most of these cities, especially in Macedonia, flared up against him during these visits. Paul does imply
in 2 Cor. 7:5 that during the time in Macedonia οὐδεμίαν ἔσχηκεν ἄνεσιν ἡ σὰρξ ἡμῶν ἀλλʼ ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι·
ἔξωθεν μάχαι, ἔσωθεν φόβοι, our bodies had no rest, but in every way we were afflicted -- disputes without and fears
within. Exactly what he meant by this we will explore in greater detail below. But it does signal a challenging period
of ministry. And this came in spite of the open door for ministry at Troas which he mentions in 2 Cor. 2:12.
After completing this ministry in Macedonia Luke says that Paul arrived in Achaia, namely Corinth, where
he spent three months in ministry to the church at Corinth. One of the major objectives for this third missionary
journey was the relief offering. Thus a considerable part of Paul’s time and efforts all through this trip from Ephesus
to Corinth through Macedonia was devoted to raising the funds to be sent back to Jerusalem for assisting
the believers in Judea. Luke doesn’t put this aspect into his story, but from Paul’s correspondence the picture
emerges rather clearly concerning this aspect of his ministry. This factor lies behind the rather long list of individuals
that Luke mentions in 20:4-6 who traveled with Paul when he departed Corinth on his way to Jerusalem.
As will become clear later, during this three month stay in Corinth the letter to the Romans will be composed
with the help of Tertius (Rom. 16:22). Second Corinthians 8-9 hints at a lot of what must have taken place
during these three months. 158 The riff between Paul and the Corinthian church was repaired, the love offering
for Judea from the Corinthian church was collected and agreements on how it would be handled were made.
Beyond that I suspect there were all kinds of theological and moral behavioral problems needing further attention
beyond what had been possible to address in the two letters already sent to the church by Paul. 159
Luke concludes this very brief description with mention of an assassination plot against Paul that forced
a change of plans: γενομένης ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων μέλλοντι ἀνάγεσθαι εἰς τὴν Συρίαν, ἐγένετο
γνώμης τοῦ ὑποστρέφειν διὰ Μακεδονίας, He was about to set sail for Syria when a plot was made against him by the
Jews, and so he decided to return through Macedonia. The attempt to kill Paul came out of the Jewish community, not
from the Gentile residents of Corinth. 160 This had happened to Paul in Corinth on the second missionary journey
157 “If a single occasion in one place were in question, one would say, with a long speech; since work in various areas (μέρη) is
in mind the sense must be much speaking, much preaching.” [C. K. Barrett, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Acts of the
Apostles, International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2004), 946.]
158One would want to remember that the Greek word μῆνα, month, specifies a lunar based month that is different from a month
in our world based one solar calculation. The precise number of days for any set of three months on the lunar calendar would vary somewhat
according to the time of the year and the position of the moon. Essentially this time period would be three full moons.
159The church at Corinth for some unknown reason became one of the most problem filled church in all of Paul’s ministry. From
all indications it took up more of his time and efforts than did any of the many other churches established during his missionary travels.
Sadly the First Letter of Clement, the spiritual leader at the church at Rome, written about 96 AD, nearly half a century after Paul’s work
with the church, reveals a congregation that continued to be plagued with massive problems and issues. Some congregations just seem
to be unable to get on top of their problems. And Corinth, at least in the early decades of its existence, was one such congregation.
Quite fascinatingly to me is why anyone in the modern Christian world would hold up this congregation as any kind of a model
to be copied in modern times, and even more puzzling is why on earth any church today would use the word Corinth in its name.
160One very intriguing scenario for this plot is presented by Bornkamm and quoted approvingly by Barrett:
Bornkamm (4:136) thinks that the Jews, probably on pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover, were travelling on the ship
that Paul was intending to use and that it was for this reason that Paul, changing his plans, decided to travel overland through
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