As we look back over the centuries, there are few cities that stand out above the rest as outstanding; worthy of being remembered throughout the generations. Some of these cities, like Athens Greece, are remembered for their greatness in influencing the world as a whole. Some, like Paris or London, are remembered because of the outstanding people who called them home. Some are remembered for their measure of goodness. Yet others, like the ancient city of Corinth, are remembered for the stench of evil that remains for ages, much like the stench of a rotting animal remains after the carcass has been removed.
In many ways, Corinth was a spectacular city. Once overshadowed by the cities of Athens, Thebes, Sparta, and Argos—Corinth became the wealthiest and most important city in Greece. When it was later destroyed in 146 B.C. some of the worlds greatest treasures of art were carried away. The city laid waste for 100 years until it was rebuilt by Julius Caesar in B.C. 46—afterward growing so rapidly that it once again became on of the most prominent cities in Greece.
Yet another century later, this city situated on a thin isthmus of land was pulsating with activity as the commercial center of the region. Walking through the streets of this place, one would take notice of the stadium of the foot race, used in the Isthmian Games that took place every two years. Pine trees, from which the victors crown was weaved and presented to the winner of the race, flourished. The smell of salty sea air would draw us to three principle ports that served this city and secured it as the commerce capitol. This would have been a spectacular scene of hundreds—maybe thousands of ships from the east and the west bringing to the people material goods, along with a wave of philosophical and religious thought from around the known world.
On our way to the coast,
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