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Question: dates of Paul's missionary journeys from Harold Hoehner
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Smart Book Search
According to Harold Hoehner’s chronology, Paul’s missionary journeys were dated as follows:
- First Missionary Journey (Acts 13-14): A.D. 47/8–48/9
- Second Missionary Journey (Acts 15-18): A.D. 49/50–51/2
- Third Missionary Journey (Acts 18-21): A.D. 52/3–56/7[1]
More specifically, for the Second Missionary Journey, Hoehner provides a detailed timeline:
- Departed from Antioch in April 50
- Visited Syria, Cilicia, Lystra, Derbe, and Iconium in May-July 50
- Mission in Philippi from August-October 50
- Mission in Thessalonica from November 50-January 51
- Arrived in Corinth in mid-March 51
- Wrote I and II Thessalonians in early to mid-summer 51
- Departed Corinth in early September 52[2]
It’s important to note that neither Paul’s letters nor the book of Acts specify exact dates, and the principal events of New Testament history can rarely be dated with absolute certainty.[3] Even with some chronological markers, dating many of the events in Paul’s life remains largely educated guesswork.[4]
[1] David S. Dockery, ed., Holman Bible Handbook (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 1992), 57.[2] M. S. Mills, Letters to Thessalonica: A Study Guide to the Thessalonian Epistles (Dallas: 3E Minstries, 1998).[3] Robert Jewett and Mark Allan Powell, “Chronology, New Testament,” in The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated), ed. Mark Allan Powell (New York: HarperCollins, 2011), 133.[4] J. Paul Tanner, “Cutting Edge: Paul Never Wrote an Autobiography,” ed. John D. Barry, Bible Study Magazine: January–February 2010 (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2010), 31.
Study Assistant
Paul’s missionary journeys to Ephesus were strategically significant, with two primary visits that profoundly impacted the early Christian movement. His first contact with the Ephesians occurred during his second missionary journey, arriving in Ephesus in the autumn of 52. He then returned on his third missionary journey, remaining in the city for approximately two-and-a-half years, from autumn 53 to spring 56[1].
During his extended stay, Paul initially taught in the synagogue for three months before moving to the lecture hall of Tyrannus, where he taught daily. His ministry was powerful, with “many Jews and Greeks in Asia Minor” hearing the message about Jesus. He performed numerous miracles and exorcisms that caused great spiritual impact[2]. The transformation was so significant that converts burned magic books worth 50,000 pieces of silver, and the message of Christianity began “making inroads into Asia Minor”[1]. However, his success also sparked opposition, particularly from local silversmiths like Demetrius, who feared economic losses due to declining sales of cultic artifacts. Despite the worship of Artemis remaining prominent, Christianity was steadily gaining ground[2].
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[1] Harold W. Hoehner, Philip W. Comfort, and Peter H. Davids, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, Philemon. (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008), 17–18.[2] Harold W. Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 90–91.
