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Achaia, also spelled Achaea, was a Roman province south of Macedonia and consisted of the southern part of what we now call “Greece.” Originally, Achaia referred to a narrow strip of land on the northwest side of the Peloponnesus peninsula. Over time, its meaning expanded to encompass Attica, Boeotia, Euboea, the Cyclades, and Athens. The Roman capital of Achaia was Corinth, situated at the southern end of the isthmus connecting the Peloponnesus with mainland Greece. In the Bible, Achaia is sometimes referred to as “Greece” or mentioned alongside Macedonia to represent all of present-day Greece (e.g., Acts 19:21; Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:15; 2 Corinthians 11:10; 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8).
Paul journeyed through Achaia on two of his missionary trips. During his second journey, he spent a year and a half in Corinth, teaching the new believers there “And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.”, (Acts 18:11). Stephanas and his household were the first to convert to Christianity in Achaia “I urge you, brothers and sisters, you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people.”, (1 Corinthians 16:15). Gallio served as the proconsul, or governor, of Achaia while Paul was in Corinth, around AD 51–52 “When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews of one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat.”, (source).
(Acts 18:12). It was in Corinth that Paul met Aquila and Priscilla «and found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife Priscilla; (because Claudius had commanded all Jews to leave Rome:) and he went to see them. », (Acts 18:2), supported himself through tent-making, and became the target of an attack by the unbelieving Jews (verses 12–13).
Paul spent many years of his ministry in or around the cities of Achaia, and he references the region in his letters to the churches in Thessalonica, Rome, and Corinth. During his brief visit to Athens, he addressed the philosophers gathered at the Areopagus (Acts 17:16-34). The evangelist Apollos also served in Achaia «And it happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the upper regions and came to Ephesus: and he found some disciples. », (Acts 19:1).
On his third missionary journey, Paul spent about three months in Achaia. Initially planning to sail to Syria from there, he uncovered a plot against his life just before departure, and “he decided to go back through Macedonia” «and stayed there for three months. When the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. », (Acts 20:3).
