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Cenchreae

Historical Location
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An eastern port of Corinth where Paul had his hair cut in fulfillment of a vow (Acts 18).

Detailed Definition
Cenchreae was Corinth’s gateway to the Aegean and appears in Acts as a place where Paul cut his hair in vow. Its dual ports (with Lechaeum) made Corinth a commercial hub. Poets use Cenchreae to symbolize transition, maritime trade, and the intersection of sacred vow with urban life in the early Christian world.
Example
Example in poetry:
A Pauline epistle inspires a Christian lyric where Cenchreae’s eastern port launches missionary voyages; In a Roman trade poem, Cenchreae links Corinth’s two seas; A modern Greek verse uses Cenchreae to meditate on thresholds and departures; A minimalist lyric reduces Cenchreae to ferry wake and salt-stung eyes; A historical meditation imagines Cenchreae’s docks humming with Phoenician, Greek, and Roman.

Cenchrea—port of Corinth with a church—inspires early Christian poetry: “Phoebe sailed from Cenchrea with Paul’s letter, gospel in her hands”; A poem on missionary journeys: “Cenchrea’s docks launched more than ships—they sent grace westward”; In a minimalist verse: “Cenchrea: where sea met salvation”; Liturgical reflection: “Blessed Cenchrea, harbor of hope.”
Additional Notes
Cenchreae, Corinth’s eastern port, is mentioned in Acts 18:18 as where Paul had his hair cut in fulfillment of a vow; its dual-port system (with Lechaeum on the west) exemplifies Corinth’s commercial dominance—relevant for understanding urban connectivity in Pauline and Roman contexts.

Cenchrea (Acts 18:18) was Corinth’s eastern port, where Paul cut his hair in fulfillment of a Nazirite vow—showing his continued Jewish practice. This act bridges Jewish and Gentile worlds. In poetry, Cenchrea can symbolize thresholds of identity, ritual transition, and the embodied nature of religious commitment in diaspora.
Also Known As
Kenchreai Cenchrea
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