Two Inscriptions and a Text: With Paul in Aegean Turkey

In the excavations at Metropolis north of Ephesus, Turkish archaeologists uncovered two altars dedicated to Caesar that attribute a rare epithet to him. Paul uses the same word about Jesus in Roman 3:25. We will explore whether this is a new Pauline example of anti-imperial rhetoric. Acts 20:15 records that Paul on his return to Judea stopped “opposite Chios.” A possible solution for this geographical conundrum will be proposed that localizes another biblical site in Turkey. The literary genre of periplus will also be reviewed as it relates to Luke’s description of this sea journey and the exact timetable given for it.