Philippi is one of the great cities of the ancient Greek world. Philippi
has had its share of fame. It was built along the ancient Roman trade route
called the Via Egnatia, which stretched from Rome to Constantinople. Remains of this
route can still be found in the northern Greek region of Macedonia.
Philippi
also entertained great names of history like Mark Antony, Octavian, Brutus and
Cassius as they faced off in the marshlands west of Ancient Philippi in the
“Battle of Philippi”. This city was known as being the gateway to Europe and it
is not surprising that Philippi played a large role in changing the direction
of the Roman Republic.
Philippi
is also interesting from a Christian perspective. Here you can follow in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul as Christianity was first spread to
Europe through Philippi.
The
hills around Philippi contained a high concentration of gold and silver according to the Greek historian
Strabo. The original settlement, Krenides (Crenides), was a colony of powerful
Thassos, the island state to the south. Due to the abundance of fresh water
springs in the area, it was named Krenides (many springs). Because of its
location on the mainland, it was subject to Thracian raids and was constantly
under threat.
In
356 BC, the colonists in Krenides, invited the powerful Macedonian king Philip
II to help them in defending themselves from the northern invaders. The
opportunity of gaining gold helped him to make his decision.
Philip took control of the city, enlarged its size and fortifications and named
it after himself – Philippi.
Philip
then managed to increase the output of the local goldmines to produce 1000
talents a year. At 2011 values, Philip’s annual income would have been about
1.6 billion dollars. He quickly amassed a fortune that bought him an
army, which eventually enabled his son Alexander the Great to conquer the
world.
By
168 BC, the Roman machine was on the march. They conquered Macedonia and kept
Philippi as one of its principal cities. A large part of Rome’s success
was their great infrastructure. They built paved roads across the empire.
Philippi was to benefit from this as the Via Egnatia came through the city in
the 2nd century
BC. This road opened up the east-west route from Asia Minor to Rome.
The
Roman Empire took a turn as the Emperor Julius Caesar was assassinated on March
15, 44 BC in Rome by two Senators, Brutus and Cassius. These two fled to raise
an army in an attempt to conquer Rome. From the other side, Mark Antony raised
an army and marched east. On October 23, 42 BC, the two Roman armies met
on the plains just west of Philippi and clashed in what was to be known as the
“Battle of Philippi”. The outcome of this battle marked the end of the Roman
Republic.
About
the year 50 AD, a new era was about to dawn on this city. Christianity had been
spreading rapidly across the Middle East, down to Africa, and up through Asia
Minor. One of Christianity’s foremost missionaries, Apostle Paul, was in Troas
(formerly Troy)– just across the water from Neapolis (present day Kavala). At night, Paul received a
vision telling him to “step over into Macedonia and help us”.
Paul
along with Luke and Silas got on a boat and made the trip, passing the island
of Samothrace and then on to Neapolis. Taking the Via Egnatia, Paul and
his companions travelled the 15 kilometers further to Philippi. It was Philippi
that had the claim of being the first European city to hear the message of
Christianity.
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