Paul’s Missionary Journeys

Chapters 13-21 of the book of Acts are all about Paul’s missionary journeys which ultimately ended with his arrival in Jerusalem (21:15). The remainder of the Book of Acts (Chapters 22-28) tells the story of Paul’s arrest, trial, journey to Rome, another trial, and imprisonment there.

Paul’s travels played a crucial role in the formation and development of the early Christian church. Over the course of his ministry, the Apostle Paul traveled more than 10,000 miles and established at least 14 churches. Many of the communities he encountered on these missionary journeys were the same ones he wrote to in his pastoral letters/epistles.

The Book of Acts records three separate missionary journeys that took Paul through Greece, Turkey, Syria, and numerous regions you won’t find on modern-day maps. Some scholars argue that Paul also took a fourth missionary journey to Spain.

Much of Acts reads like a travelogue; an alternative title for the book of Acts might be “The Road from Jerusalem to Rome” the path of the Gospel.