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| ON THE ROAD WITH THE APOSTLE PAUL |
| Paul, both Jewish and Roman, took the gospel into the melting pot. |
| But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles." 18:6 |
| The book of Acts follows Paul on three distinct missionary journeys along the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Normally in the ancient world, travel posed great hazards, with pirates, barbarian armies, and hostile border guards clogging up the roads. But by Paul's lifetime, Rome had established absolute mastery over a vast territory. Empire-wide peace, the famous Pax Romana - a condition that existed only twice in 700 years - prevailed. Roman engineers had crisscrossed the empire with a network of roads (built so well that many still survive), and as a Roman citizen Paul had a passport to any destination. Language, too, was unified. The Greek tongue, as well as the Greek style of thinking, crossed ethnic barriers. Paul's Strategy In his missionary ventures, Paul focused primarily on chief trade towns, capital cities, and Roman colonies. Like modern cities today, these comprised a melting pot of diverse cultures. From these places, the gospel message would be carried across the globe. Usually, Paul began with a visit to a local synagogue, establishing contact with fellow Jews. If they rejected his message, as often happened, he quickly turned to a non-Jewish audience. When a promising church was established, Paul stayed on, sometimes as long as three years, to teach and to direct its spiritual growth. His letters glow with affection for the |