Antioch

Antioch (modern-day Antakya) was the capital of the Roman province of Syria, the third-largest city in the Roman Empire (after Rome and Alexandria), with a population of about 500,000. Located in the southeastern corner of modern Turkey, where the Lebanon and Taurus mountain ranges meet, it was a crucial land route. Antioch was founded by Seleucus I and named after his father, Antiochus (there were 16 cities named Antioch at the time).

Antioch was the first major Jewish center outside of Palestine, where a synagogue was established early on. It was also a religious hub with a Patristic School. Between the third and fifth centuries, an estimated thirty church councils were held there, which demonstrates its crucial role in Christian thought and leadership. After being occupied by the Turks in the 11th century, Antioch gradually declined due to repeated earthquakes and the silting of its river.

Before the church was established in Antioch, the disciples had only preached the gospel to Jews. Later, Jews from Cyprus and Cyrene began to preach the gospel to the Greeks in Antioch, marking the beginning of the church’s large-scale mission to the Gentiles. The church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch to confirm whether the Gentiles’ acceptance of the gospel was genuine. When he arrived and saw that the growth of the Antioch church was the work of God’s own hand, he was filled with joy at the grace God had given. Instead of pressuring them to follow the law, he encouraged them to remain steadfast in their faith. He then went to Tarsus to find Saul (Paul) and brought him back to Antioch. For a full year, they met with the church and taught a great number of people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.