Acts 17:13 states that Paul’s initial ministry came to an end in Berea when some Jews from Thessalonica arrived and began “agitating and stirring up the crowds.” As a result, “the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there” (14). Paul and his guides or protectors would have left via Berea’s southern Opsikian Gate. The Greek text (πορεύεσθαι ἕως ἐπὶ τὴν θάλασσαν) indicates only that Paul was taken “as far as the sea [coast].” While Miller (Itineraria Romana, 573) and others have postulated an inland road that went directly south towards Larissa and on towards Achaea, the geography of the region would have made that route extremely difficult. Luke’s description makes it clear that Paul was taken instead by a road that went eastwards along the southern side of the Loudian marsh to the coast.
Since much of the area to the northeast was still marsh in antiquity, the road back to the coast would have followed the higher ground. After heading southeast for nearly 6 km and crossing the Haliacmon River, this road led (after another 5 km) to ancient Aigai (modern Vergina/Bergina), an important center during the classical Macedonian period and site of a palace and a large number of royal tombs including that of Phillip II. The ancient road probably turned south to pass through this important city before turning east and passing out the eastern gate and crossing the plain toward the modern village of Palatitsia. There it turned northeast (following the geography) and ran another 6 km through the current village of Neokastro. Continuing across the plain to the foot of the current mount Agios Athansios, it may well have taken the slightly elevated road around the west side of the hill and then turned east around the north end of the hilly outcrop with the Haliacmon River just to the north. Here the modern village of Kipseli has been identified as the probable site of ancient Aloros. Hatzopoulos comments that “Aigeai…and Aloros, one of its oldest coastal cities, dominated the east-west road, which led along the Pierian foothills from the coast of the Thermaic Gulf….”1
From there the ancient road would have turned SW and, a km later, passed just to the East of the so-called King’s Mound (probably another Macedonian tomb that may have been sited along the primative road). 2 RM past Aloros, the road would have crossed through Aigina, then Methoni, and continued on to Pydna, the main port city in this area at the time of Paul. This would have been about 20 km from Aloros and a total of c. 33 RM/49 km from Berea.
After arriving at the coast, what next? Luke says simply: “Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.” Did Paul continue from Pydna via land or sea? Both routes have some scholarly adherents. Eckhard Schnabel at first suggested he took a ship from Pydna to Athens, then later argued for a land journey.2 Since the text does not make this clear, we will provide information on both the most likely land and sea routes.
Created by GLT 01-14-2026
Last updated JTS 01-22-2026
- Chatzopoulos, Miltiadēs V. Macedonian Institutions Under the Kings I: A Historic and Epigraphic Study. Vol. 22 of ΜΕΛΕΤΗΜΑΤΑ. Athens: Κέντρον Ελληνικής και Ρωμαϊκής Αρχαιότητος, Εθνικόν Ίδρυμα Ερευνών, 1996, p. 119. ↩︎
- Schnabel, Eckhard J. Early Christian Mission. Vol. 2. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press Academic, 2004, p. 1169; and later Schnabel, Eckhard J. “Paul’s Missionary Work in the Provinces of Asia and Illyricum.” Essay. In Lexham Geographic Commentary on Acts through Revelation, 385–97. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019, p. 340. ↩︎