Thessalonica

Thessalonica was the capital of the Roman province of Macedonia, a busy port city on the Via Egnatia named for Alexander the Great's half sister. Paul preached in its synagogue on his second missionary journey and planted a church there, though opposition from local Jews forced him to flee to Berea after only a few weeks (Acts 17:1-10). Luke's account calls the city's magistrates "politarchs," an unusual Greek title once doubted by critics until archaeologists found the same word inscribed on a Roman arch from the city, confirming Luke's precision. Paul later wrote two letters to the congregation he founded there, and the city, modern Thessaloniki, remains one of Greece's largest.