Lion Statue of Amphipolis
The Lion Statue is a 4th-century BC tomb sculpture near the south gate of the ancient city. The Statue was set up in honor of Laomedon of Mytilene, an important general of Alexander the Great, king of Macedon. Although it is not recorded, Paul was likely to have walked by the Lion Statue on his travels from Philippi to Thessalonica along the Via Egnatia.
Why Did Paul Not Stop?
While it is likely that Paul and his companions spent a night in Amphipolis during their 100-mile journey from Philippi to Thessalonica, there is no record of Paul preaching or teaching in Amphipolis. It is probably because Amphipolis was a smaller outpost city that perhaps didn't have a Jewish presence in the city. Paul's missionary method was to travel to larger cities with a Jewish presence because they would be the easiest to teach about Jesus as the fulfillment of the Jewish scriptures. At some point, a Christian church was established in Amphipolis due to the remains of five churches from the 5th and 6th centuries.
Amphipolis
| A city of Macedonia near the Aegean coast. Amphipolis was located about three miles from the mouth of the Strymon River, on its east bank. The ancient city was atop a terraced hill, with the river to the north, west, and south. It was protected in the east by a wall and guarded the main route from Thrace into Macedonia, and later became an important station on the Egnatian Way (Via Egnatia). Click the map to explore when Paul passed through the city of Amphipolis and the other key locations in the book of Acts. |
