Syrian Antioch was situated on the banks of the Orontes River, about 15 miles from the Mediterranean Sea, and is important in intertestamental and New Testament history. Its modern name is Antakya, Turkey. It was founded by
Seleucus Nicator (Seleucus the First) about 300 BC. of JC, it was called thus in honor of his father Antiochus. It was on the route that went from the Mediterranean Sea to Mesopotamia and Arabia, and was called the “gate of the east”. It was enlarged and embellished by various kings, and after it became the capital of the Roman province of Syria, several of the emperors contributed to its embellishment. It had a large library and school, and when Rome became powerful it was called the “queen of the East.” It soon became the third largest city in the Empire.
Roman, Rome first and Alexandria second.
From 115 to 588 AD BC, a period of nearly 500 years, suffered greatly from earthquakes, and at least seven nearby towns were destroyed. It also suffered wars, and was looted at least 15 times. The most important for our consideration were the subjugation by the Persian king, 540 AD. from JC; by the Saracens 638 AD from JC; by the Turks 1084 AD from JC; by the crusades, 1098 d. JC, which was when it became the capital of the Christian principality.
Although it was not by the sea, its situation was so favorable that it soon became a large commercial center. Its population was cosmopolitan; it was made up of Syrians, Greeks, Jews, Romans, and small groups of other nations. These conditions made its inhabitants turbulent, vigorous and aggressive; it was the right place to start something new. They became notorious for their great commercial ability, as well as for the debauchery in the pleasures in which they participated. The city did not lose its importance until the Arab conquest restored Damascus to first place among Syrian cities. Today is not very important; it has about 30,385 inhabitants, and since 1939 it has belonged to Turkey. Antioch became the cradle of Christian missions. During the time of Chrysostom it is said that about half of its 200,000 inhabitants were Christians. Jerusalem has been called the first capital, or the place from which the whole movement spread; Antioch was the second capital or place from which the missions among the Gentiles were promoted; Ephesus, the capital from which all of Asia Minor was evangelized. This central position in the spread of Christianity gave it an important place in early Christian literature, and especially in the book of Acts, as will be seen below.
Nicholas, a proselyte from Antioch, was made a deacon, Acts 6:5.
The Christians, fleeing persecution in Jerusalem, established Christianity there, Acts 11:19-27.
The church of Antioch sent an offering to Jerusalem through Paul and Barnabas, Acts 11:27-30; and John Mark returned with them, Acts 12:25. It was the center from which Paul did his great missionary work, Acts 13:2;
14:26; 18:22-23.
From here Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem and enlisted the support of the Jews for their work among the Gentiles, Acts 15.
Here Paul and Peter had a discussion about doctrine, Galatians 2:11ff.
Source: Geographic Dictionary of the Bible
Antioch on the Orontes, today Antakya in SE Turkey, about 500 km N of Jerusalem, was founded ca. 300 BC by Seleucus I Nicator after his victory against Antigonus at Iso (310 BC). It was the most famous of sixteen Antiochs founded by Seleucus in honor of his father. Built at the foot of Mt. Silpio, overlooked the navigable Orontes River and had a seaport, the Seleucia Pieria. Although the population of Antioch was always heterogeneous, Josephus says that the Seleucids encouraged the Jews to migrate there in large numbers, and gave them full citizenship rights. (Ant. 12. 119).
Antioch fell to Pompey in 64 BC, and he made it a free city. It became the capital of the Roman province of Syria, and was the third city of the empire. The Seleucids and the Romans erected magnificent temples and other buildings.
Already under the Seleucids its inhabitants acquired a reputation for their energy, their insolence and their instability, conditions that manifested themselves in a series of revolts against Roman rule. Nevertheless, Antioch was renowned for its culture, having been praised in this regard by none other than Cicero (Pro Archia 4). Near the city were the renowned Daphne Groves, and a sanctuary dedicated to Apollo, whose orgiastic rites were performed in the name of religion. Despite its poor moral tone, life in Antioch in the early Christian era was rich and varied.
Apart from Jerusalem itself, no other city was so closely associated with early Christianity. Nicholas, one of the seven “deacons” of Hch. 6.5, was from Antioch, and had previously been a Gentile convert to Judaism. During the persecution that followed Stephen’s death, some of the disciples went as far as Antioch in the N (Acts 11:19), preached to the Jews. Later, others brought Christianity to the Greek population, and when numerous conversions took place, the Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to Antioch. After studying the situation, he went to Tarsus and brought Saul with him. There they both taught for a whole year. There, too, the disciples were called “Christians” for the first time (Acts 11:26).
The courageous character of the Christians in Antioch is seen in the way they sent alms to the mother church in Jerusalem on the occasion of a great famine (Acts 11:27-30). It was only fair that the city in which the first Gentile church was founded, and where the Christians were given, perhaps sarcastically, their characteristic name, should be the cradle of foreign Christian missions (Acts 13:1– 3). Paul and Barnabas set out from the seaport of Antioch bound for Cyprus. This first trip to Asia Minor concluded when Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch and reported to the assembled church.
Some of those who took refuge there because of the persecution that began after Stephen’s death had taken the initiative to preach to the Gentiles under the same conditions as to the Jews (Acts 11:20). The Gentile problem culminated when some Jews visited Antioch and proclaimed the necessity of circumcision for Gentiles as a prerequisite for becoming Christians. Opposing this principle, the church at Antioch sent a delegation headed by Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to debate the issue (Acts 15:1–2).
Under the presidency of James, the question of whether or not circumcision was to be compulsory for Gentile Christians was widely discussed. Peter had already had to deal with the difficulties offered by relations between Jews and Gentiles on levels other than commercial ones (Acts 10:28). Although he apparently favored such contacts, he had been censured by the Jerusalem church for eating in the company of the uncircumcised (Acts 11.3; cf. Gal. 2.12). He now recognized that God had made no difference between Jew and Gentile after Pentecost.
After Paul had recounted the blessings to which the Gentiles had been subjected, James expressed the opinion that Gentile converts should only be required to abstain from blood, strangled things, idolatry, and immorality. These requirements were included in the apostolic letter to the churches of Antioch and the corresponding province. Paul returned to Antioch as the recognized apostle to preach to the uncircumcised (Acts 15:22–26).
There are good reasons for the view that *Galatians was written shortly before the Jerusalem council, possibly from Antioch. It would seem that the council settled in principle the issues that Paul had to contend with in that letter.
Paul began and ended his second missionary journey in Antioch. This remarkable city also saw the beginning of his third missionary visit. His evangelistic fervor gave Antioch an important place in the subsequent history of the church. Archaeological excavations on the site have uncovered more than twenty ruined churches dating from the 15C. IV AD
See G. Downey, Ancient Antioch, 1963.
RKH, CJH
Douglas, J. (2000). New Biblical Dictionary: First Edition. Miami: United Bible Societies.
Source: New Bible Dictionary