Monthly Archives: April 2025

The Week of the Death and Resurrection

Posted on April 20, 2025 | 2 comments

If we consider the Gospel of John a sort of “Day Planner” for Jesus, we have nearly complete activity recorded for two weeks of the earthly ministry of Jesus. The first is in John 1:19—2:11 where activity for six of the seven days is recorded. I think the omitted day is the sabbath.

The next nearly complete week is the last week, leading up to the resurrection. John gives more attention to the last week than any other Gospel. Even here we have activities for only six of eight days. This section begins in John 12:1 and continues into John 20. Here is the way I have reconstructed it. Where John does not record the activity I have omitted the scripture reference.

  • Sunday — The King enters Jerusalem — 12:12-19
  • Monday — Cleansing the Temple —
  • Tuesday — Visit of the Greeks — 12:20-36
  • Tuesday — Jewish rejection — 12:37-50
  • Wednesday — No events recorded in the Gospels
  • Thursday Evening — Passover Meal, including Washing Disciples Feet (only in John) — 13:1-38
  • Thur. Eve — Farewell discourses — 14—16
  • Thur. Eve — Prayer — 17
  • Thur. Eve — Annas (only in John) — 18:12-14
  • Thur. Eve — Caiaphas — 18:24-28
  • Friday — Pilate — 18:28—19:16
  • Friday — Crucifixion — 19:16-42
  • Sabbath —
  • First Day — Resurrection — 20

It should be noted that the appearance before Annas and Caiaphas were the Jewish (Religious) trials. The appearance before Pilate [and Herod Antipas] were the Roman (Civil) trials.

John does not record the pronouncement of woes on the religious leaders, the institution of the Lord’s Supper, and the account of the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane.

With this sparse attention given to two weeks, no wonder John says,

Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (John 21:25 ESV)

There is a medieval wood carving of the last week of Jesus in Notre Dame (Paris). In this photo you see the representation of the last supper, the washing of the disciples’ feet, and the agony in Gethsemane. (Sorry, this was made more than a decade ago and I don’t have a hi-res photo.) I do not know if this was destroyed in the fire.

Wood carving of Last Week of Jesus in Notre Dame. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.
Wood carving of Last Week of Jesus in Notre Dame. I do not know if this was destroyed in the fire. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

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Cenchrea – A Busy Harbor Near Corinth

Posted on April 7, 2025 | 4 comments

by Ferrell Jenkins

Corinth is located on the Isthmus that connects the mainland of Greece with the Peloponnese, making it an important center for commerce and travel. Murphy-O’Connor says “Strabo put it very succinctly” with these words: “It is situated on the Isthmus and is master of two harbours, of which the one [Cenchreae] leads straight to Asia, and the other [Lechaeum] to Italy” (Geography 6.8.20; BA 47:3).

              Lechaeum was the western port located on the Corinthian Gulf where ships sailed to and from Europe. Cenchrea was the eastern port located on the Saronic Gulf where ships sailed to and from Asia and Egypt.

              There are numerous spellings of Cenchrea. In Greek the name is Kenchreai (with a variety of spellings). Cenchrea is mentioned by name only twice in the New Testament. When Paul completed 18 months of work at Corinth, he, along with Priscilla and Aquila “put out to sea for [the Roman province of] Syria” (Acts 18:18). The first stop named is Ephesus, where Priscilla and Aquila remained, but Paul continued his voyage to Caesarea (Acts 18:21-22). Before leaving Cenchrea Paul (or Aquila) got a hair cut because he had made a vow. The traditional view is that this reference is to Paul, but the Greek text makes it impossible to know for certain.

              The second reference to Cenchrea is in Romans 16:1-2, where Paul commends Phoebe, “a servant (diakonon) of the church which is at Cenchrea.” He urges the saints at Rome to receive her and to help her. He says, “for she herself has also been a helper of many, and of myself as well.” We think Paul wrote Romans from Corinth during his three month stay in Greece on the third journey (Acts 20:2-3), and that Phoebe carried the letter to Rome.

              Paul was ready to sail for Syria but because of a plot against him by the Jews he decided to return through Macedonia (Acts 20:3). Cenchrea is not named, but is implied in this text.

              Cenchrea continued as a city until the sixth century A.D., but no buildings remain around the harbor today. In addition to the artificial breakwaters which “are now submerged because of subsidence and/or a relative sea level rise of about 2 meters since their construction, the Roman harbor was distinguished by various warehouses and support buildings, monumental statues, and several temples…” (Hohlfelder in ABD). Ruins of the Sanctuary of Aphrodite, the Temple of Isis, a Byzantine church, warehouses, and commercial fish tanks have been discovered.

              Our photo is made from the south pier looking across the harbor to the north. From here Paul, Aquila, Priscilla, and likely the brethren who took the contribution from Macedonia and Achaia, sailed. Phoebe lived, and the church gathered, somewhere nearby.

Photo © Ferrell Jenkins 2006. First published in Biblical Insights.

The port of Cenchrea with view toward the northern breakwater. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.
Ruins of The port of Cenchchrea with a view toward the northern breakwater. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

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