Cilicia

AI summary: Cilicia is significant because it belongs to Paul's own background and to the broader geography of the New Testament mission. Its cities and roads connected Syria, Asia Minor, and the Mediterranean, making it an important transitional region for travel and church growth. References to Cilicia in Acts and Galatians help map the early movement of the gospel beyond Judea. The cross references present Cilicia as a regional link between apostolic biography, mission, and the eastern Mediterranean world.¹

A maritime province in the south-east of Asia Minor. Tarsus, the birth-place of Paul, was one of its chief towns, and the seat of a celebrated school of philosophy. Its luxurious climate attracted to it many Greek residents after its incorporation with the Macedonian empire. It was formed into a Roman province, B.C. 67. The Jews of Cilicia had a synagogue at Jerusalem (Acts 6:9). Paul visited it soon after his conversion (Gal. 1:21; Acts 9:30), and again, on his second missionary journey (15:41), “he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.” It was famous for its goat’s-hair cloth, called cilicium. Paul learned in his youth the trade of making tents of this cloth. ³