"Be not afraid, but speak, ... for I am with thee"

Paul arrived alone in Athens during his second missionary journey. Shortly before, Paul and his fellow worker Silas had been imprisoned and beaten after healing a woman possessed with devils in Philippi. They had then traveled to Thessalonica where they stayed with Jason. Jason, however, was carried away by a mob, angry at his having given lodging to Paul and Silas, who they declared were preaching a strange doctrine. He was freed, and the Christian brethren helped Paul and Silas get away. That night they began the trip to Berea which was fifty miles to the west. This time, a number of people listened with interest to Paul's preaching. But soon men from Thessalonica caught up with Paul, and he was forced to leave again. It was from there that he went alone to Athens and waited for Silas and his friend Timothy to catch up with him.

As usual, Paul began preaching in the synagogue and in the Athenian marketplace. Soon he was invited to speak to a group of philosophers—Epicureans and Stoics—on Mars' Hill. He spoke to them about the altar to the "unknown god" and of the resurrection of Jesus Christ (see Acts 17:22–31). This intellectual capital did not readily respond to his message, and Paul left for Corinth.

In Corinth, Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, Christians who were to become steadfast friends and workers. He found a willing audience among the Gentiles. Staying with Justus, whose house was next to the synagogue, Paul preached boldly after seeing a vision that assured him "Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city" (Acts 18:9, 10). He worked in Corinth for over eighteen months before the angered Jews organized and brought Paul before Gallio, the governor of the province. But Gallio refused to enter into a religious dispute. Some time after this, Paul left for Ephesus. He stayed briefly before traveling to Jerusalem, leaving Priscilla and Aquila to carry on the work there. During his third missionary journey, Paul visited Ephesus for almost two and one half years. He preached in the hall of Tyrannus. Tradition records that Paul taught from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day: the time when many rested from their daily labors.

Eventually, his successful preaching of monotheism created panic among the silversmiths, who produced silver shrines for the goddess Diana. A mob dragged several Christians into the theater and shouted for over two hours, "Great is Diana of the Ephesians." After the tumult died down, the people were let go. But Paul recognized that it was time to leave and, after embracing the disciples, departed for Macedonia. The church in Ephesus continued, though, as can be seen in the second chapter of Revelation.

"History records Ephesus as an illustrious
city, the capital of Asia Minor.
It especially flourished as an emporium in the
time of the Roman Emperor Augustus.
St. Paul's life furnished items concerning this city.
Corresponding to its roads, its gates,
whence the Ephesian elders travelled to meet
St. Paul, led northward and southward. At the
head of the harbor was the temple of Diana,
the tutelary divinity of Ephesus....
Under the influence of St. Paul's preaching the
magical books in that city were publicly burned."

Mary Baker Eddy, Message to The Mother Church for 1900, p. 12.