Antioch on the Orontes (Antakya) is the most southern biblical site in Turkey. It is the place where the followers of
Jesus were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). After the stoning of Stephen in Jerusalem in 33 or 34 A.D., the fairly sizeable
Jerusalem congregation of the followers of Jesus dispersed and many of the people returned to their native cities. Nicholas
of Antioch, a convert to Judaism and one of the "seven men of good reputation" (Acts 6:3-5), was appointed to take charge
of the practical arrangements of the bilingual communal body of believers, and may well have been one of those.
With the addition to the Antioch community of many who were not Jewish, a distinguishing name was needed, and so the
new word, Christian, came into use, perhaps about 40 A.D.
By the time of Paul, Peter and Barnabas, Antioch had long been an important city. There was a large Jewish community
in good standing in the city, and in some of the synagogues the people used the Greek language in their services, reading
from the Septuagint.
It was from the church in Antioch that Paul and Barnabas set out on their first missionary journey and to which Paul
returned at the end of it and of his second missionary journey. Although Tarsus was Paul's family home, Antioch became his
home base for his missionary work.
A grotto at the foot of the hills slightly east of the city is known as St. Peter's Grotto. It was discovered by Crusaders
and is reputed to be the cave church where early Christians met in secret. A narrow tunnel that winds from the church through
the side of the hill and away from the town is thought to be an escape route. Tradition says that Peter preached and taught
here while he was in the city 47-54 A.D. The Museum in Antioch houses an unusually rich collection of mosaics from the area.
Text from "Biblical Sites in Turkey" used with permission.
BIBLICAL SITES IN TURKEY
Authors: Everett C. Blake,
Anna G. Edmonds
Copyright © 1997, SEV Matbaacilik ve Yayincilik A.S.
