Antioch (Syria)

AI summary: Antioch in Syria is one of the New Testament's defining urban centers. It stands at the point where the Jesus movement becomes visibly multi-ethnic, outward-facing, and missionary in scale. The city is associated with teaching, famine relief, church leadership, the naming of Christians, and the sending out of missionaries into the wider Roman world. Because of that, Antioch functions as a major center of the early church alongside Jerusalem. The cross references present it as a major launch point for Gentile mission and church expansion.¹

In Syria, on the river Orontes, about 16 miles from the Mediterranean, and some 300 miles north of Jerusalem. It was the metropolis of Syria, and afterwards became the capital of the Roman province in Asia. It ranked third, after Rome and Alexandria, in point of importance, of the cities of the Roman empire. It was called the “first city of the East.” Christianity was early introduced into it (Acts 11:19, 21, 24), and the name “Christian” was first applied here to its professors (Acts 11:26). It is intimately connected with the early history of the gospel (Acts 6:5; 11:19, 27, 28, 30; 12:25; 15:22-35; Gal. 2:11, 12). It was the great central point whence missionaries to the Gentiles were sent forth. It was the birth-place of the famous Christian father Chrysostom, who died A.D. 407. It bears the modern name of Antakia, and is now a miserable, decaying Turkish town. Like Philippi, it was raised to the rank of a Roman colony. Such colonies were ruled by “praetors” (R.V. marg., Acts 16:20, 21). ³