Acts 16:12 refers to the little village of Philippi, Greece, a city of the first portion of the district of Macedonia. New Testament translators sometimes use the terms “living city” or “leading city” in Acts 16.12. However, Philippi was not a living city, or a leading city. It was small like a village, but a city of the first portion of the district of Macedonia.
Acts 16:12 So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a city of the first portion of the district of Macedonia, a city or village with special privileges.
This is the New Testament village of Philippi. A little bit further, we will see part of it excavated.
The Apostle Paul arrived here in 50-51 AD. The Apostle Paul saw the ruins in poor shape 100 years before Marcus Aurelius. Greece does not have cathedrals and pilgrimage spots covering the ruins. We have the actual thing. Greece is free of later buildings being built on top of ruins, which maintains and preserves authenticity.
To explore Philippi, Greece we start with the most important part of Philippi – the town square, the center of the village.
See the main road of the ancient city, a part of the residential area with a side road which connected with the Via Ignatia, two city blocks divided by the city road and in the road the sewer system.
We can see the theater and the acropolis.
Back in the time of monarchy, the palace sanctuary had been the most important place in the city. The palace sanctuary was the residence of the king-priest, and therefore, the center of religion and administration,
Religious activities occurred up at the acropolis and in the administration.
After monarchy was abolished a change occurred, religious activities occurred in the agora (another words for town square) and the agora became the most important place in the city. Crowds gathered in the town square for both political and religious reasons and sometimes the gatherings lasted a long time – which brought about the first appearance of commercial activity into the agora.
Eventually the town square became an economic and financial center, but the agora cannot be characterized by economic activity. The significance of the commercial, financial significance of the agora lags far behind the administrative and religious significance of activities in the agora. Far behind.
Yes definitely, there was commercial activity in the town square/agora, but it was not the most important activity of the town square.
The first town square in history, in Athens, began alongside Athenian democracy at the end of 6 BC. The town square was called ἀγορά, agora. The New Testament uses the Greek term, ἀγορά/agora. Later the Romans called the same place forum.
The Agora that you see here was built by Octavian Augustus and Mark Antony right after the battle of Philippi which took place here 42 BC.
Still today, many cities are built around a town square as the center of the city. A modern-day town square is surrounded by administrative court, and municipality buildings with a religious center, a cathedral, in the center of the city.
Paul and Silas, of the New Testament, were arrested and dragged to the agora.
The Apostle Paul and Silas were arrested in Philippi and then they were dragged. (Acts 16:19) To where? What was the agora? Was it a town square or was it a marketplace. Some New Testament translations suggest that Paul and Silas were dragged to the Greek marketplace. But, were they dragged to the supermarket to be judged? No, that does not make sense. The Greeks have never used their shops to judge people. Paul was dragged in the town square, not the marketplace.
So, please, please be careful with the translation of the term agora. The New Testament agora of Paul and Silas’s time was the town square, not a marketplace.
From the term agoraphobia, we do not find a description of the fear of buying and selling things.
Agoraphobia is the fear of being in an open-air place among crowds. If you find in the New Testament book of Acts, that your Bible translation of the word ἀγορά is translated as “marketplace” you should think about replacing it with the original word ἀγορά/agora, meaning town square or later in history, the forum.
The shape of the town square is small and rectangular. It has two short sides there and two long sides. Now, this long side here is neighboring Via Ignatia, the main road of the city, an incredibly famous, particularly important road for all the region. On this long side here, we have two water fountains, and, in the middle, we have an incredibly special place, a little platform, the bema. Costas is going to describe that next.
