Paul’s journeys It is easy to conceive of St. Paul’s journeys much as we would a holiday; thinking that the route, the stops, the accommodation and visits were all pre-planned. However, no-one had been an evangelist in this way before and there was no model to follow.When Paul had been in Jerusalem, he started out on what we loosely call his ‘missionary journeys’. But they were not journeys in the normal sense of the word. He didn't seem to have any particular plan for which community he would visit next; no fixed itinerary. He relied on the inspiration of the Spirit which does appear to have been a clear and identifiable force in his life. He had no particular project in mind; how long his journey would last or how many communities would be included in his visits. For example, it seems he lived for some two years in Corinth, until he felt the need to move on. The ‘journeys’ took him around most of the Eastern Mediterranean, where he preached in Cyprus and southern Galatia (1st journey). From Antioch he revisited the Churches in Galatia and then on to Asia and Macedonia and Achaia before returning to Jerusalem via Corinth (2nd journey). Much of Paul’s work involved revisiting churches he had previously founded such as the one at Ephesus were he stayed for over two years. When he could not visit he wrote. Paul’s third ‘journey’ took him back to Jerusalem (3rd journey) with money for the ‘Christian’ community there, much as we have a collection on Good Friday for the Holy Places. His final ‘journey’, that to Rome, led eventually to his death. See the map of St. Paul’s journeys in the pull-out at the back of the booklet.
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