Bible Timeline · About AD 46 to 57

Paul's Missionary Journeys

From about AD 46 to 57, Paul made three missionary journeys from Antioch across Cyprus, Turkey and Greece. He planted churches in cities like Philippi, Thessalonica, Corinth and Ephesus. Along the way he wrote letters that are now in the New Testament, including Galatians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Corinthians and Romans.

Read it in the Bible: Acts 13-21 2 Corinthians 11:24-28 Romans 15:19-20 Acts 17:11

Between about AD 46 and 57, the apostle Paul made three long missionary journeys from his home church in Antioch, Syria. Traveling on foot and by ship, he carried the good news about Jesus across Cyprus, the cities of central and western Turkey, and Greece. He planted churches in major cities, trained local leaders, and wrote letters to help them grow. Several of those letters are now books of the New Testament. Few people in history have covered so much ground with so little money.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” And after they had fasted and prayed, they laid their hands on them and sent them off. Acts 13:2 to 3

How Many Missionary Journeys Did Paul Take?

Acts describes three missionary journeys, then a fourth trip to Rome as a prisoner. Bible maps usually show them in three colors. The dates below are approximate, since Luke does not give calendar years, but one discovery helps a lot. An inscription found at Delphi in Greece shows that Gallio, the official Paul stood before in Corinth in Acts 18:12, served as proconsul from about mid AD 51 to mid AD 52. That gives us a fixed point to count forward and backward from.

Paul’s First Missionary Journey: About AD 46 to 48

Paul and Barnabas set out with Barnabas’ young cousin John Mark. They sailed to Cyprus, Barnabas’ home island, and crossed it from Salamis to Paphos, where the Roman governor Sergius Paulus believed. Then they sailed to the mainland of what is now Turkey. There John Mark went home, a decision that would cause trouble later.

Paul and Barnabas pushed inland to Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe, in the Roman province of Galatia. In Lystra, Paul healed a man lame from birth, and the crowd decided Paul and Barnabas were the gods Hermes and Zeus. Then, in a terrible turn, people stirred up by opponents stoned Paul and left him for dead. He got up and walked back into the city. They retraced their steps, appointed elders in each church, and returned to Antioch to report how God had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, Acts 14:27.

Many scholars think Paul wrote Galatians about AD 48 to 49, right after this trip, to the very churches he had just planted. That would make it his first letter in the Bible. Others date it AD 53 to 57.

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey: About AD 49 to 52

After the Council of Jerusalem, Paul wanted to visit the churches again. Barnabas wanted to give John Mark a second chance, and Paul did not. The disagreement was so sharp that they split up, Acts 15:39. Barnabas took Mark to Cyprus, and Paul took Silas. It is a reminder that great Christians can disagree. Happily, years later Paul called Mark useful to him, 2 Timothy 4:11.

In Lystra, Paul added a young believer named Timothy. The Spirit blocked them from going into Asia and Bithynia, until Paul had a vision of a man begging him to come over to Macedonia. That vision carried the gospel into Europe. Luke joins the story here, switching from they to we in Acts 16:10.

Philippi: Lydia, a businesswoman who sold purple cloth, believed. Paul and Silas were beaten and jailed, sang hymns at midnight, and saw their jailer and his household come to faith after an earthquake.
Thessalonica: Opponents accused them of turning the world upside down, Acts 17:6.
Berea: Acts 17:11 praises the Bereans because they eagerly checked the Scriptures every day to see if Paul’s teaching was true. The Berean Standard Bible, the text behind The Owner’s Manual, is named after them.
Athens: Paul preached on Mars Hill about the altar to an unknown God.
Corinth: Paul stayed a year and a half, Acts 18:11, working as a tentmaker with Priscilla and Aquila, who had been forced out of Rome by Emperor Claudius.

From Corinth Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians about AD 50 to 51, and 2 Thessalonians about AD 51, a few months later. Many say 1 Thessalonians is the oldest book in the New Testament. Others give that title to Galatians or James.

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey: About AD 53 to 57

Paul revisited the churches of Galatia and then settled in Ephesus, a huge city on the coast of Asia, for about three years. He taught daily in a lecture hall, so that everyone in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord, Acts 19:10. So many people turned from magic that they burned scrolls worth fifty thousand silver coins. The silversmiths who made idols of the goddess Artemis started a riot, and a crowd shouted in the theater for two hours.

From Ephesus Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, about AD 53 to 55. Then he traveled through Macedonia, where he wrote 2 Corinthians, about AD 55 to 57, his most personal letter. He spent three months in Corinth, and there he wrote Romans, about AD 56 to 57, to a church he had never visited.

On the way back, at Troas, Paul preached until midnight, and a young man named Eutychus fell asleep in a window and fell three stories to his death. Paul went down, embraced him, and he was alive. Then Paul went back upstairs and kept talking until dawn. Every pastor who preaches long has quietly cited this passage.

What Did Paul Endure on His Journeys?

Paul’s trips were not vacations. He listed some of what he went through.

Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. 2 Corinthians 11:24 to 25

And he wrote that before his famous shipwreck on the way to Rome. Through it all, he paid his own way by making tents so he would not be a burden on new churches, Acts 20:34. Christians still call ministers who support themselves with a trade tentmakers.

How Did Paul’s Journeys End?

Paul headed to Jerusalem with an offering for poor believers there, even though prophets warned him he would be arrested. He said he was ready not only to be bound but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus, Acts 21:13. In the temple a mob seized him, and Roman soldiers took him into custody. After two years in prison at Caesarea, he appealed to Caesar, which led to the trip told in the article on Paul in chains in Rome.

What Paul’s Journeys Mean for You Today

Paul’s strategy was simple: go where Christ was not known, preach in the big cities, build up local leaders, and keep writing to encourage them. Romans 15:20 says he wanted to preach where Christ was not yet named. Most churches in the world today trace their roots, one way or another, back to those dusty roads.

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek. Romans 1:16

You do not need to cross the Mediterranean to follow Paul’s example. Like the Bereans, you can open the Scriptures every day. And like Paul, you can tell the people right around you what Jesus has done.

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Questions People Ask

How many missionary journeys did Paul take?

Acts records three missionary journeys, about AD 46 to 48, 49 to 52 and 53 to 57. After that Paul made a fourth trip to Rome as a prisoner, Acts 27 to 28. Some believe he made a later journey after his release, perhaps as far as Spain.

Which letters did Paul write during his missionary journeys?

Following the dates in The Owner's Manual, Paul likely wrote Galatians about AD 48 to 49, 1 and 2 Thessalonians from Corinth about AD 50 to 51, 1 Corinthians from Ephesus about AD 53 to 55, 2 Corinthians from Macedonia about AD 55 to 57, and Romans from Corinth about AD 56 to 57.

Who traveled with Paul on his journeys?

On the first journey Paul traveled with Barnabas and, for part of the way, John Mark. On the second he took Silas and then Timothy, and Luke joined them at Troas. Priscilla and Aquila, Titus and others also worked with him.

Why did Paul and Barnabas split up?

Barnabas wanted to take John Mark on the second journey, but Paul refused because Mark had left them during the first trip. Their disagreement was so sharp that they parted ways, Acts 15:36 to 40. Later Paul spoke warmly of Mark, 2 Timothy 4:11.

What is the Gallio inscription?

It is an inscription found at Delphi, Greece, that names Gallio as proconsul of Achaia. It dates his term to about AD 51 to 52. Since Paul stood before Gallio in Corinth, Acts 18:12, it helps date Paul's second journey.

Sources

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