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Paul the tentmaker in Corinth

Paul works as a tentmaker to pay his way.
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After preaching in Athens, Paul walked 46 miles (74 km) west to Corinth (Acts 18:1). For many, the first view of Corinth was from the deck of a merchant ship in the harbour. The image shows the Lechaion Road, which ran from the harbour to the Acrocorinth, the towering rock overlooking ancient Corinth. – Slide 1
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The Acrocorinth rises about 1800 feet (548 meters) above the surrounding plain. – Slide 2
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On the peak of the Acrocorinth stood the Temple of Aphrodite, built in the fifth century BC and known for its famous statue of Aphrodite Hoplismene (Armed Aphrodite). – Slide 3
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Corinth was home to the magnificent Temple of Apollo, with its 38 massive Doric columns. Built around 540 BC, it replaced an earlier temple from the seventh century BC. – Slide 4
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Sailors dreaded the journey from the Adriatic Sea to the Aegean Sea, since it required a long and dangerous circumnavigation of the Peloponnese peninsula. Here we see a Roman merchant ship in severe distress while rounding Cape Malea at the southern tip of the Peloponnese. – Slide 5
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Corinth’s Diolkos, an ancient paved trackway meaning ‘across-haul’ or ‘portage track,’ allowed ships to be transported overland across the narrow isthmus between Corinth and Cenchrea. It connected the Saronic Gulf on the east, on the Aegean side, with the Gulf of Corinth on the west. – Slide 6
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The Diolkos was about 4 to 5 miles (6.5 to 8 km) long and paved with large limestone blocks. Smaller merchant vessels and warships were hauled from the water, set on wheeled carriages, and pulled across the isthmus by teams of men or animals. Cargo was often unloaded to reduce the weight. – Slide 7
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While in Corinth, Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, a Jewish couple who had recently arrived after Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome (Acts 18:2). – Slide 8
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Claudius was emperor of Rome from AD 41 to AD 54, and the expulsion of the Jews from Rome is generally believed to have occurred in AD 49. – Slide 9
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Paul’s time in Corinth is also dated to the period when ‘Gallio was proconsul of Achaia’ (Acts 18:12). Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus, commonly known as Gallio, served as Roman proconsul of Achaia from the summer of AD 51 to the summer of AD 52. – Slide 10
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The Isthmian Games were a major pan-Hellenic festival held every two years in the spring, usually in April or May, near Corinth at the sanctuary of Poseidon on the Isthmus, under Corinthian administration. – Slide 11
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They ranked just below the Olympics in importance and attracted large crowds of athletes, spectators, and traders from throughout the Greek world. Scholars note that the games held in the spring of AD 51 fall within Paul’s 18-month stay in Corinth (Acts 18:11). – Slide 12
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This means that Paul was in Corinth while the games were being held nearby and would have interacted with the crowds they drew, creating a natural opportunity for evangelism. He also drew on athletic imagery familiar from such events in his letters to the Corinthians, especially in 1 Corinthians 9:24–27, which references racing, boxing, self-discipline, and a perishable crown. – Slide 13
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Aquila and Priscilla were tentmakers (Acts 18:2). Tentmaking was a labour-intensive, multi-faceted craft crucial to ancient travel, military logistics, and maritime trade. – Slide 14
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Paul, ‘because he was of the same trade, stayed with them and worked; for by occupation they were tentmakers’ (Acts 18:3 NKJV). – Slide 15
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Paul likely learned that trade from his father as a boy in Tarsus of Cilicia (Acts 21:39). – Slide 16
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The main material for tents in the eastern Mediterranean was a coarse, heavy cloth woven from Cilician goat hair (Cilicium), derived from the Anatolian long-haired black goat. These goats grew long, stiff outer hair reaching 8 to 10 inches (20–25 cm). Their outer guard hairs contained natural oils and a dense structure that swelled when exposed to moisture. Rain caused the weave to expand and close its gaps, making it waterproof. When the cloth dried in the sun, the fibres relaxed, restoring breathability. – Slide 17
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Cilicia’s environment was especially well suited to raising these herds. The steep, rugged terrain of the Taurus Mountains allowed goats to thrive where sheep and cattle struggled. Freezing alpine winters and scorching summers pushed goats to develop thick, resilient coats. Herders moved the flocks to mountain pastures in summer and coastal plains in winter. Browsing rough mountain scrub supplied the nutrients needed for coarse hair growth. – Slide 18
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When Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla worked together in Corinth, they were engaged in a skilled manual trade that went far beyond simply making canvas shelters. – Slide 19
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Tent making was physically demanding work. Artisans usually did not weave the raw fabric themselves; instead, they bought bolts of woven goat-hair cloth or tanned hides from local suppliers. – Slide 20
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In antiquity, tent making, sailmaking, and awning construction required nearly identical skills. These crafts involved cutting, patching, and stitching heavy textiles and reinforcing them with leather to withstand tension and harsh weather. – Slide 21
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In a major port city, a leather and heavy-textile artisan would routinely make ship sails from heavy linen canvas reinforced with leather corner patches, as well as deck covers and tarpaulins for cargo ships and velaria—large awnings used to shade public theaters, basilicas, and private courtyards from the Mediterranean sun. – Slide 22
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Most tentmakers’ shops opened directly onto the street, making them natural gathering places. As Paul cut leather and stitched canvas alongside Aquila and Priscilla, he spoke with patrons, day labourers, slaves, and passing travellers while taking orders. He preached in the synagogues on the Sabbath and spent the rest of the week working among ordinary people in the rhythm of daily life. – Slide 23
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