Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 67:2 (NA 2016)
Article: The Route Of Paul’s Second Journey In Asia Minor In The Steps Of Robert Jewett And Beyond
Author: Glen L. Thompson

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The Route Of Paul’s Second Journey In Asia Minor
In The Steps Of Robert Jewett And Beyond

Glen L. Thompson

and

Mark Wilson

([email protected] and [email protected])

Summary

Robert Jewett, in his 1997 article on Paul’s second journey, explored the geographical dimensions of Paul’s travel in north-west Asia Minor as described in Acts 16:6–8.1 His focus was to investigate thoroughly the road ‘down to Troas’ mentioned in verse 8. This study will not only renew that investigation from Dorylaeum where Jewett began it,2 but will also look at the earlier stages of the journey that began at Antioch on the Orontes. In so doing, it will examine the textual and material evidence that provides knowledge of the region’s road system. Regarding this route, Johnson observes: ‘Although endless scholarly discussion has been devoted to determining the precise route Paul took … it is in fact unsolvable.’3 Despite such a pessimistic perspective, hodological research in north-west Asia Minor in recent decades has provided fresh data to aid in evaluating alternative proposals for Paul’s

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route. To this end, milestones and inscriptions will be noted especially. Relevant finds from archaeological excavations in the area of the journey will also be mentioned. Lastly, we will review publications since 1997 that have interacted with Jewett’s important study and then suggest other alternatives to his thesis.4 The authors wish to thank Professor Jewett for his innovative work on this subject. His model of doing on-site investigation has inspired us to take up this study, which owes much to his pioneering spirit and example.

1. Introduction

Tomasch describes geography as ‘the writing of the world’, hence it becomes ‘the reciprocal interaction of two associated processes — the textualization of territories and the territorialization of texts…. Through these processes land is re-presented as territory, and works are surveyed, explored, located, and bounded; they become as it were, texts.’5 Tomasch’s words have been a motivation to attempt systematically to localise the routes related to Paul’s journeys in Asia Minor and to elucidate them as geographical ‘tex...