(f/) The student of the Apostolic Age is more nearly concerned with the routes in the eastern provinces. In the province of Syria and neighbour- ing districts there were several well-marked routes. Taking Jerusalem as a centre, we may indicate several roads. There was the road ' going down from Jerusalem to Gaza ' ( Ac 8-*) in a south-westerly direction. It passed over ground which in apostolic times was very sparsely populated (Ac 8-^). It was doubtless by a branch road going oil' to the right that Philip found his way to Azotus (Ashdod) (Ac S*'). The eunuch of the Candace would con- tinue his way to Gaza, and then by the coast-road into Egypt, thence southwards to Abyssinia. Philip proceeded from Azotus through Joppa and Antipatris to Csesarea (Ac 8*) on the coast. The part between Cssarea and Antijiatris was the same as th.at gone over by St. Paul on several occasions (Ac 9™ 18- 21^ 23^^; cf. lo^""), passing through Lydda, where St. Peter had been in the early days also (Ac 9). The shortest route from Jerusalem to Damascus was to cross the Jordan and go via Gerasa. From Damascus there was a road passing through Cssarea Paneas to Tyre, and another to Sidon.
(c) The land-journeys of St. Paul in the peninsula of Asia Minor have been finally fixed by the re- searches of W. M. Ramsay. We are not informed as to the way in which Barnabas and Saul jour- neyed from Antioch to Jerusalem (Ac 11™), but there is little doubt that Saul was fetched from Tarsus to Antioch (Ac 11'^) by the coast-road pass- ing within the bend between Asia Minor and the province of Syria. It was probably along the southern coast of the island of Cyprus that Bar- nabas and Saul journeyed between Salamis and Paphos. Reaching land at Attaleia in the province of Pamphylia they sailed up the river Cestrus as far as Perga. From there they took the road northwards by Adada to ' Pisidian ' Antioch (de- scribed best in Ramsay, Church, in Roman Empire^, p. 16 fl". ; cf. also The Cities of St. Patil, London, 1907, p. 247 if., Athenceum. for 12th Aug. 1911, p. 192f., ' Iconium .and Antioch' in Exp., 8th ser., li. [1911] 149 fl.). Then for part of the route they retraced their steps and journeyed eastwards to Iconium, then S.S.W. to Lystra, then S.E. to Derbe. The ' Imperial Road,' however, mentioned in the Acta Pauli in conne.xion with the Thecla
legend, passed direct from Pisidian Antioch to Lystra, and did not touch Iconium (Ramsay's dis- covery, told in Studies in the Histori) and Art of the Eastern Provinces of the lionian Empire [Aberdeeti Univ. Studies, no. '20 (1900)], i)p. 241-243). This road ' passed about seven or eight miles south-west of Iconium' (Ramsay). The return route taken by St. Paul and Barnabas from Derbe to Attaleia (Ac 14^'"^) was the same as the outgoing.
The second journey (15^') was, as far as Tarsus, by the same route as St. Paul had taken when he was lirst brought to Antioch (Ac ll-'^). We may conjecture that one of the 'churches' referred to in Ac lu"', and nowhere else, was at Issos ; for Issos was on this route. On leaving Tarsus St. Paul and Silas no doubt struck straight to the north by the historic road, which becomes the pass through the Taurus mountains known as the Cilician Gates (this route has been graphically described with illustrations by Lady Ramsay in Travel, vol. ii. no. 23 [1898] 494-498). On reaching the northern side of this great mountain range the travellers went by Podandos, Loulon, Halala (the laterColonia Faustiniana, Faustinopolis), Kybistra, and Laranda to Derbe. From Derbe they travelled by their old route to Ly.stra, Iconium, and ' Pisi- dian' Antioch. Between Iconium and Antioch they would pass through Vasada and Misthia. After Antioch they followed a direction new to them. It is probable that the direction taken was west to Ly.sias, then northward through Nakoleia to Dorylaion on the Tembrogios. There they were Kara Mvaiav (opposite Mysia), and from there a road went N.N.W. to Nic;ea in Bithynia, which was the province that they desired to visit. Dorylaion was a parting of the ways. ' The spirit of Jesus suffered them not ' to go to Bithynia. They therefore took the other turning, went west- wards along the left bank of the river Rhyndakos, through Arteuieia, across the river Granikos, and then S.W. to Troas (Ac 16").
On arriving at Neapolis, the port of Philippi in Macedonia, they made their way by the Via Egnatia to Philippi itself (Ac 16'-). From there they travelled along the Via Egnatia to Amphi- polis, ApoUonia, and Thessalonica. This important road went from ApoUonia and Dyrrhachium on the Adriatic Sea to the river Hebx'us beside Kypsela. If the name be derived from the town of Gnathia or Egnatia in Apulia (Italy), as is generally believed, then it is clear that from early times it must have been regarded as the overland route from South Italy to the East. Even before the days of Roman preeminence it was evidently an important trade- route between the Adriatic and the ^-Egean and Black seas. In Cicero's time it was regarded primarily as a military road (for its direction .see below). F'rora Thessalonica St. Paul and Silas were spirited away to Beroea. From there St. Paul was hurried to the sea-coast, probably to the nearest harbour, as matters were urgent (17'''). From Athens (H'^-IS') he went, by sea no doubt, to Corinth, and from there by the short land journey to the southern port of Corinth, Cencbreas (18'*). Luke sketches the sea-journeys that fol- lowed, Cenchre;e to Ephesus, Ephesus to Cresarea, with great rapidity (18""-"). In 18^^ the same journey is implied as is described in IS'" 16'"^ 19' takes St. Paul through a district where be had never journeyed before. 18^ has brought him as far as Pisidian Antioch, and then he is said to have crossed to. avuiTepLKa fj^p-rj and thus reached Ephesus (19'). W. M. Ramsay has clearly explained what is meant by this phrase ' the higher-lying parts.' There was a well-recognized, important, and ancient route to Ephesus by ApoUonia, Apamea-Celsenie, the Lycus valley, Colossse, Laodicea, the Mjeander valley, Antioch, and Tralles. St. Paul purposely