Cenchreae was the eastern port of Corinth, facing the Saronic Gulf, on the Aegean Sea. It lay a few kilometers from the city and carried Corinth’s trade with Asia Minor and the rest of the East.
Corinth had two ports. One faced west, linked to Italy. Cenchreae faced east, where ships, merchants, and travelers from across the Roman Empire passed through.
The place appears twice in the New Testament, always tied to the apostle Paul. In Acts 18:18, he sails from there toward Syria, at the end of his second missionary journey, after cutting his hair because of a vow he had made.
Years later, writing to the Romans, Paul commends Phoebe, called a servant of the church in Cenchreae. There was, therefore, a Christian community there linked to this small port in the shadow of great Corinth.
Cenchreae reminds us that the gospel did not advance only through the great urban centers. It also took quiet root in port towns, sustained by people like Phoebe, who served and traveled in service to the church.
