Paul’s Missionary Journeys:
The Beginner’s Guide
by Ryan Nelson | Jul 6, 2020 | Bible
topics
Paul’s
missionary journeys helped spread the gospel throughout much of the ancient
world. Over the course of his ministry, the Apostle
Paul traveled more than 10,000 miles
and established at least 14 churches.
The Book
of Acts records three
separate missionary journeys that took Paul through Greece, Turkey, Syria, and
numerous regions you won’t find on modern-day maps. Some scholars argue that
Paul also took a fourth missionary journey, since parts of the New Testament
appear to reference travels that may have taken place after the events in Acts.
Paul’s
travels played a crucial role in the formation and development of the early
Christian church. Many of the communities he encountered on these missionary
journeys were the same ones he wrote to in his pastoral epistles.
In
this guide, we’re going to follow Paul’s footsteps as he travelled across the
ancient world, looking at the places he went and the major events that took
place along the way. At times it can be challenging to distinguish between
ancient cities, provinces, and regions (and there are sometimes multiple names
that refer to the same area), so as we go, we’ll make some of those
distinctions more clear.
Paul’s
first missionary journey (Acts 13–14)
Paul’s
first missionary journey began in Antioch. You may notice that maps of the
ancient world often have two cities labelled Antioch. They’re both named after
Antiochus, father of Seleucid I. The Antioch in Acts 13 was the third
largest city in ancient Rome and capital of the province of Syria. Today, it’s
part of southern Turkey. The other Antioch
was part of Pisidia, an ancient region which is also now part of Turkey. Your
Bible likely refers to it as Pisidian Antioch or Antioch of Pisidia.
In
Antioch (the big city in Syria), the Holy Spirit singled out Paul and Barnabas
from the believers worshiping there, and sent them on their first missionary
journey.
Cyprus
Paul’s
first journey took him by boat to the Roman province of Cyprus. Today, Cyprus
is a country known as the Republic of Cyprus. It’s a mediterranean island south
of Syria. Paul and Barnabas arrived in the port city of Salamis, where John
Mark (who was possibly Barnabas’
cousin), helped them share the gospel in Jewish synagogues.
From
Salamis, the group moved across the island to Paphos, where they were met by a
Jewish sorcerer named Bar-Jesus (also known as Elymas the sorcerer). This
sorcerer worked for the governor—Sergius Paulus—who sent for Paul and his
companions because he wanted to hear the word of God. Elymas opposed them and
tried to turn Sergius from the faith, and so Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,
called him a “child of the devil” and struck him blind. Sergius saw what
happened, and believed.
Ironically,
Elymas meant to steer Sergius away from Christ, but he became the very vehicle
God used to draw Sergius toward him.
Pamphylia
From
Paphos, Paul and company set sail for the Roman province of Pamphylia, located
in modern day Turkey. They arrived in the city of Perga, where John Mark left
them and returned to Jerusalem (which, interestingly, was in the opposite
direction from where they just came). We don’t know why John Mark decided to
leave, but this would later create a rift between Paul and Barnabas.
Together,
Paul and Barnabas travelled to Pisidian Antioch, where local synagogue leaders
invited them to speak. Initially, the Jewish people were receptive to the
gospel, but a week later, the entire city gathered to hear Paul and Barnabas,
and the Jewish leaders became jealous. They resisted the message of the gospel,
and so Paul and Barnabas made an important pivot: they began preaching to the Gentiles.
Many
of the Gentiles believed the gospel, and Luke (the traditional author of
Acts) tells us that:
“The
word of the Lord spread through the whole region. But the Jewish leaders
incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city.
They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from
their region.” —Acts 13:49–50
Phrygia
Driven
out of Pamphylia, Paul and Barnabas travelled to Iconium, an eastern city in
the region of Phrygia. Iconium still exists today as the Turkish city of Konya.
Once
again, Paul and Barnabas spoke in the synagogue, where Jews and Greeks alike
accepted the gospel. But the Jews who didn’t accept it stirred up trouble, even
as Paul and Barnabas began performing signs and wonders (Acts 14:3). As support for Paul and Barnabas
grew, so did the opposition they faced, and eventually, they became aware of a
plot to abuse and stone them. So they left.
Lycaonia
Fleeing
the threat in Iconium, Paul and Barnabas left Phrygia altogether and travelled
to Lystra, a city in the province of Lycaonia. Here, Paul healed a man who was
lame.The locals who witnessed this miracle thought Paul and Barnabas were gods
in human form, calling Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes. The priest from the
temple of Zeus brought bulls and wreaths to offer sacrifices to them.
Paul
and Barnabas attempted to redirect their praise to God, but struggled to keep
the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.
Jews
came from Antioch and Iconium and continued what they’d started. They riled up
the crowds and convinced them to stone Paul. Believing he was dead, they
dragged him outside the city. When the disciples gathered around him, Paul got
up and went back inside the city.
Then
Paul and Barnabas went to Derbe, another city in Lycaonia. There, they “won a
large number of disciples” (Acts 14:21).
The
return to Antioch
After
a time in Derbes, Paul and Barnabas went back the way they came, working their
way through Lystra, Iconium, Pisidian Antioch, and Perga. In each city, they
encouraged the believers there and strengthened their faith, as they would
continue doing on their future missionary journeys. They did, however, stop in
a new Pamphylian city on the way: Attalia. Acts only mentions it in passing,
but presumably, they established a community of believers there as well.
From
there, they skipped a return voyage to the island of Cyprus and went straight
back to Antioch (the big one), where they told the church what happened on
their journey.
Paul’s
second missionary journey (Acts 16:23–20:38)
Paul’s
second missionary journey established many of the churches he would later write
to in his pastoral epistles. Interestingly, this may have happened in part
because of a “sharp disagreement” he had with Barnabas. Paul’s original plan
was to essentially have a rerun of their first trip, strengthening the
communities they’d formed in each city and telling them what the Council of
Jerusalem had ruled in regards to Gentile believers.
But
Barnabas wanted to take John Mark—who had left them shortly into their previous
journey. Paul was so opposed to the idea that they parted ways, initiating two
separate missionary journeys. Barnabas took John Mark and went with the
original plan, making their way back to the island of Cyprus. Paul took a man
named Silas and travelled through the provinces of Syria and Cilicia.
Lycaonia
The
first cities that Acts mentions by name on Paul’s second journey are Derbe and
Lystra. At this time, Paul and Silas picked up a new companion: Timothy.
The
locals spoke highly of Timothy, and Paul wanted to bring him along even though
he was half Greek, which meant local Jews would have a harder time accepting
their message. Out of concern for these local Jews, Paul circumcised
Timothy—even though, ironically, one of the things they were coming to tell
Christians was that Gentiles didn’t have to be circumcised. (See Acts 16:3–4.)
Phrygia
Acts
doesn’t specify where in Phrygia Paul and his companions stopped, but since
he’d established a church in Iconium on the first trip, that community would’ve
been on his mind (even though last time he was there, people had plotted to
stone him). Interestingly, Acts notes that Paul and his companions journeyed
here after they were “kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the
province of Asia” (Acts 16:6).
Galatia
Just
north of Phrygia was the province of Galatia. Acts makes no mention of what
happened here, but this is the province Paul wrote to in his letter
to the Galatians.
Interestingly, part of the purpose of Paul’s second trip was to share the news
from the Council of Jerusalem regarding the Law
of Moses and whether
or not Gentiles (or Christians in general) should be expected to follow it. The
council decided the Torah didn’t apply to Gentile believers (though they did
hang on to a few rules). But by the time
Paul wrote the Book of Galatians, Christians there were feeling pressure to
obey the law (particularly in regards to circumcision) in order to be saved.
Asia
From
Galatia, Paul’s group traveled west, until they reached the border of Mysia—a
western region in the province of Asia, which is now part of Turkey. They
intended to head north to the region of Bithynia, “but the spirit of Jesus
would not allow them to” (Acts 16:7). So they passed by Mysia and headed
to the city of Troas. Here, Paul had a vision of a man in Macedonia, begging
him to “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Paul took this vision as a sign
that God was calling them to Macedonia, which was across the Aegean Sea.
Fun
fact: Acts 16:10 is the first time the author of Acts (traditionally Luke
the Physician)
inserts themself into the narrative: “After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia,
concluding that God had called us to preach
the gospel to them” (emphasis added). It’s possible that Troas is where Luke
first joined the journey.
Macedonia
From
Troas, Paul and his companions sailed across the Aegean Sea, making a pitstop
on the island of Samothrace before landing in Neapolis and then traveling to
Philippi. In Philippi, they spoke with women outside the city gate. One of them
was a wealthy cloth dealer named Lydia. After her household was baptised, she
persuaded Paul’s group to stay with her for a while.
Later,
Paul, Silas, and the others were confronted by a spirit-possessed slave woman
who could predict the future. She followed them for many days, shouting, “These
men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved”
(Acts 16:17). Paul became so annoyed that he
cast out the spirit. Her owners were furious, because they had been profiting
off of her fortune telling. So they turned the local magistrates against them,
claiming Paul and Silas were stirring up trouble and trying to get Roman
citizens to believe and do illegal things.
The
authorities had Paul and Silas severely flogged and thrown in prison. Late at
night, while they were worshiping, an earthquake shook the foundations of the
prison, opened the doors, and freed the prisoners from their chains. When the
jailer awoke and saw the doors open, he prepared to kill himself. But Paul
stopped him and assured him everyone was still in the prison.
After
listening to Paul and Silas share the gospel, the jailer believed in Jesus and
had his whole household baptized.
The
next morning, the magistrates ordered Paul and Silas released. Paul revealed
that they were Roman citizens, who had just been beaten and imprisoned without
trial, and the authorities became afraid. Paul and Silas returned to Lydia’s
house, and then left the city of Troas.
After
passing through the Macedonian cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia, they arrived
in Thessalonica. Since Thessalonica had a synagogue, Paul turned to his usual
method—preaching the gospel on the Sabbath. Over the course of three weeks, he
achieved the usual result—many Jews and Greeks alike embraced the gospel . . .
and those who didn’t were outraged by it.
At
night, the Thessalonian believers sent Paul and his companions away to the
nearby city of Berea.
The
Bereans listened eagerly to the gospel and carefully examined the Scriptures to
see if they supported Paul’s claims. Many Jews and Greeks became believers, but
some agitators from Thessalonica heard Paul was in Berea, and they stirred up
the crowds. Silas and Timothy stayed in Berea, while Paul was escorted out of
Macedonia to Athens.
Achaia
In
the first century, Athens was in the region of Achaia, just south of Macedonia.
Today, it’s the capital of Greece, and the largest city in the country.
Paul
was essentially waiting around for Silas, Timothy, and the others to rejoin
him. But while he waited, he noticed that Athens was full of idols. He debated
with philosophers in both the synagogue and marketplace. Some Athenians were
open to his ideas, and they were eager to discuss them. One idol in particular
caught his eye—it had an inscription that read: “to an unknown god.” He seized
on this as an opportunity to tell them about the “unknown God” who died and
rose so that all might have eternal life.
Paul’s
message in Athens incorporated observations about what he saw around him as
well as quotes from famous Greek philosophers to point back to the gospel.
After establishing a group of believers in Athens, Paul headed west to the city
of Corinth.
In
Corinth, Paul stayed and worked with a couple of Jewish tentmakers named
Priscilla and Aquila. Every Sabbath, he preached to Jews and Greeks in the
synagogue. Silas and Timothy rejoined Paul here, and Paul began focusing his
energy on testifying about Jesus to the Jews.
When
the Jews opposed his message, Paul devoted himself to reaching Gentiles, and he
left the synagogue. As more Greeks embraced the gospel, the Corinthian Jews
brought Paul before the governor, who basically told them to take a hike and
refused to help.
Paul
stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, and he left with Priscilla and Aquila.
The
return journey
Before
setting off for Syria, Paul stopped for a vow-fulfilling haircut in the port
city of Cenchreae, which was just a hop, skip, and a jump from Corinth. With
his companions, he sailed across the Aegean Sea to Ephesus, where he dropped of
Priscilla and Aquila, and promised to come back if he could. After a short stay
in Ephesus, Paul set sail for Caesarea, which was across the Mediterranean and
far to the southeast. From there, he made the trek south to Jerusalem.
Paul’s second missionary journey
ended in Jerusalem.
Paul’s
third missionary journey (Acts 18:23–20:38)
When
you read Acts, there’s no transition from Paul’s second missionary journey to
his third. His arrival in Jerusalem almost immediately began his next trip. But
while his second journey ends in Jerusalem, the beginning of his third journey
is actually in Antioch, which is about 300 miles north.
Phrygia
and Galatia
From
Antioch, Paul once again worked his way west, passing “from place to place
throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples”
(Acts 18:23). This included Derbe, Lystra, and
Iconium.
Asia
Paul
traveled west to Ephesus, the capital of the province of Asia, where he’d left
Priscilla and Aquila on his previous journey. Since he’d last visited, a man
named Apollos had been preaching part of the
gospel, but he didn’t know about the Holy Spirit. So when Paul arrived, he
taught the Ephesians about the difference between water baptism and the baptism
of the Spirit.
For
three months, Paul preached in the synagogues. When people started criticizing
Christianity, he left and began holding discussions in a lecture hall.
This
went on for two years, and all the while, God used Paul to perform miracles.
Even things Paul had touched—handkerchiefs and aprons—healed the sick and drove
out evil spirits.
Some
Jews thought invoking Paul’s name would let them drive out demons. Seven sons
of a chief priest named Sceva said to an evil spirit, “In the name of the Jesus
whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out” (Acts 19:13). The spirit replied that it knew
Jesus and Paul, but not them, and then it pulverized all seven of them.
As
word spread about what happened, people began to revere the name of Jesus.
Local sorcerors came to repent, and they burnt scrolls that would have been
worth more than 130 years’ worth of wages (Acts 19:19).
Around
this time, a local silversmith named Demetrius realized that the future of his
business (making idols) was jeopardized by the gospel. The demand for idols was
going down all across the province of Asia, but especially in Ephesus, where he
lived. So Demetrius gathered all the craftsmen and workers whose businesses
were impacted, and stirred the entire city into an uproar. They seized two of
Paul’s companions and brought them into a theater.
Paul
wanted to address the crowd, but the disciples didn’t let him. Instead, a city
clerk told everyone that unless they were going to bring formal charges against
the men in a legal assembly, they were in danger of being charged with rioting.
Macedonia
and Greece
After
things settled down in Ephesus, Paul headed across the Aegean Sea to Macedonia.
He traveled throughout the region, encouraging believers, and eventually
arrived in Greece, where he stayed for three months. He intended to sail back
to Syria (where his journey started), but some people plotted against him, so
he took another lap through Macedonia instead.
Along
the way, disciples joined Paul from many of the communities he’d ministered to.
He had companions from Berea, Thessalonica, Derbe, and the province of Asia.
These followers went ahead of Paul to Troas, in Asia. Paul stayed briefly in
Philippi, then joined them.
Asia
Paul
stayed in Troas for seven days. The night before he left, he stayed up late
talking in a room upstairs. A young man sat in a window, drifted off to sleep,
and fell to his death. Paul threw his arms around the man and declared that he
was alive, and he was. Then Paul went back upstairs and continued talking until
daylight.
Paul
walked from Troas to Assos, which was just to the south, and then sailed for
the nearby city of Mitylene. Eager to reach Jerusalem before Pentecost, Paul
sailed past Ephesus and stopped in Miletus. There, he met with the leaders of
the Ephesian church and essentially told them that he had taught them
everything they needed to know, that he would not see them again, and that they
needed to be on guard against false teachers. This is when Paul also famously
quoted Jesus, sharing words that aren’t recorded in any of the gospels: “It is
more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
And
then he set sail.
The
return journey
Paul
and his companions stopped briefly in Kos, Rhodes, and Patara before heading
across the Mediterranean Sea to Phoenicia (the coastal region south of ancient
Syria, which is now part of Syria). They arrived in Tyre, where “through the
Spirit” (Acts 21:4), the local disciples urged Paul not
to go to Jerusalem. He ignored them.
From
Tyre, the voyage continued to the port city of Ptolemais, and then Caesarea,
where the group stayed with Philip the evangelist (not to be confused
with Philip the apostle). Here, a prophet warned Paul that
he would be bound by the Jews in Jerusalem and handed over to the Gentiles.
Still,
he pressed on to Jerusalem, and by the end of Acts, the Jewish leaders had
handed him over to Roman rulers.
Paul’s
fourth missionary journey
Acts
explicitly records three distinct missionary journeys. But some scholars and
even ancient Christian writers have claimed that there was also a fourth
missionary journey which was only hinted at in the Bible.
Side
note: Some
people argue that his trip from Caesarea to Jerusalem was a fourth journey. But
Jerusalem was where he had planned to end his third
journey. He even skipped a stop in Ephesus to try and reach Jerusalem before
Pentecost. So it’s a little odd to label the trip from Caesarea to Jerusalem as
a completely separate missionary journey. Others suggest that his trip to prison was also a missionary journey, but that
wasn’t a journey he chose to go on or one that he had any control over, so that
usually doesn’t get counted, either.
The
argument for a fourth journey is primarily based on clues from Paul’s letters.
He occasionally refers to events and visits that may not be accounted for in
Acts or the epistles.
For
example, Paul suggested he would travel to Spain (Romans 15:24), but he provides no record of this
journey in his letters. However, early church fathers claimed Paul did, in
fact, travel to Spain.
In
his letter to the Corinthians, first-century church father Clement
of Rome said Paul
“had gone to the extremity of the west,” which at the time presumably meant
Spain. Fourth-century church father John of Chrysostom said, “For after he had
been in Rome, he returned to Spain, but whether he came thence again into these
parts, we know not.” And Cyril of Jerusalem (also from the fourth century)
wrote that Paul “carried the earnestness of his preaching as far as Spain.”
In
2 Timothy 4, Paul makes an ambiguous reference to “my first defense” and claims
he was “delivered from the lion’s mouth” (2 Timothy 4:16-17). Some have interpreted this as a
reference to his first defense before Emperor Nero, which he was heading for at
the end of Acts.
Paul’s letters make other references
to events not recorded in Acts, but since there is so much overlap in the
locations mentioned, and Paul spent multiple years in some
of these places on his three recorded journeys, it’s difficult to say whether
or not this fourth journey ever actually happened.
