Christos anesti!!
Huge day today - learned so much and so very grateful!
(These are just my notes from driving from Thessaloniki to Philippi; I haven’t yet had a chance to recap the sites themselves but they were AWESOME 👏🏼 - such a great day!!)
Philippi - commander is Philip, came to help but took it over and named it after himself in the plural; prosperous city - on trade route, (44bc Julius Caesar assassinated; Brutus & Cassius (average ability & exp) 80k infantry, 70k cavalry & went to Philippi and waited for Marc Antony (*talented & experienced) & Octavian (No talent or experience 🤪) 110k infantry, 13k cavalry; clashes and ended in a tie, Cassius suicide, Brutus diverted river, 20 days after - MA/O won, Brutus suicide; MA met & got cleopatra (originally Greek), got lazy in times of peace, meanwhile, in Rome, Octavian is building a case against MA, decade later, MA & Octavian battled, O won, MA & Cleo suicide, 30BC, O sent army to Philippi, a few years later changed name to Augustus and so did city name; until 46ad Philippi was last Roman post in this part of the world
Thessaloniki- from 1500-1600 AD, had largest Jewish population in the world / 90% destroyed in holocaust; created by Philip, father of Alexander the Great, chosen to be the capital of the province when Rome took over, free city within the empire- elect officials, minted own coins; lost rights after uprisings, then eventually, emperor Claudius comes into power and gives some rights back
Greece- smallest country in Europe, size of Alabama, 11m, 80% mountains, longest coastline, 2000-6000 islands; largest city is Athens 5m, 1.8 Thessaloniki, 300k Patmos - city where Andrew & luke is executed (check); 1949 after civil war, most went to cities or left the country (not many to US due to gov policies)
Macedonia - leader is Alexander (protector of man), 300bc, tool in the hands of god to shape the world; why the NT is written in common Greek
Romans- defeated Macedonians, split kingdom into four - Philippi, Thessaloniki, Pella, pellagria. Couldn’t own land in another district. No right to get married. 20 years later Macedonia fought back, Romans ultimately won, brought larger force
Via egnatia- 750km total length, used until late 1800s, currently being rediscovered and follows the same route as modern roads, Roman’s constructed the best network of roads, named after first leader here, paved, curved, guardrails, 2 lanes separated by raised stone in middle, on the left due to held reins with right and whip with the left hand so wanted to have whip on the outside of the lane; until napoleon changed it; every 45-60 km there would be a stopping point (distance could be done in one day), food & fodder available, still cities on those stops today; Army’s got precedent, width of road determined by them - 6 abreast; Roman’s patrolled roads; this is God’s providence for the gospel to spread
Pictures won’t load tonight so head over to my Instagram stories to check them out — @courtneylee2020Thanks for following along. Today’s report will definitely need a part two!