Antioch of Syria

by Steve Hale

"And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord" ( Acts 11:21; NKJV).
This great city was founded in 301 B.C. by Seleucus Nicator, and. he named it for his father, Antiochus. Seleucus was the founder of the Seleucid
Empire, which had been the Asiatic part of Alexander the Great's vast empire. Of the 16 Antiochs Seleucus built in honor of his father, Syrian Antioch was by far the greatest.
It developed into the world's third largest city, surpassed only by Rome and Alexandria. Population estimates range anywhere from 500,000 to 750,0001 This was due to its strategic location, and the interest the Romans took in the city. It was located on the left bank of the Orontes River, about 15 miles from the Mediterranean Sea. Seleucia served as the Mediterranean port for Antioch. Syrian Antioch is about 300 miles north of Jerusalem.
The Orontes was navigable all the way into Antioch. Also, great caravan roads converged on the city from the east. It became a great commercial center, and was set in a broad and fertile valley. Surrounding the valley were beautiful snow-capped mountains. Therefore, Antioch became known as "Antioch, the Beautiful and the Golden. "
In 65 B.C., the Romans made Antioch the capital of Syria. Seleucid kings and the early Roman emperors extended and adorned the city. It became a great cosmopolitan center, as its inhabitants included a great number of Jews, given mmany' of the same privileges as the Greeks. Its inhabitants have a.high aptitude for commerce, " business, and licentiousness.
Typical Greek paganism permeated the city. Tyche, "the goddess of good fortune," was one of the chief avenues of pagan worship. Also, though, there were many Jews in the city, very dedicated to their faith.
This became the fertile ground on which the gospel exploded in Antioch. While the preaching of the gospel, at first, centered only on the Jews ( Acts 11:19), some Christians from Cyprus and Cyrene came to Antioch ( Acts 11:20). These took the gospel to the Hellenists. "And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord" ( Acts 11:21). When news of this reached Jerusalem, the church there sent Barnabas to check things out. Again, the work of the Lord exploded ( Acts 11:25-26), so much so that Barnabas went to Tarsus to get Saul to help him ( Acts 11:25-26). In that phenomenal year ( Acts 11:26), "a great many people" were brought to Christ.
So significant was Antioch, it was here the disciples were first called Christians. This was in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy (62:2). Syrian Antioch became the center of missionary activity throughout the known world!
The Jews had overcome racial prejudice in sending the gospel to this cosmopolitan city. The brethren in Antioch affectionately showed their love in the awful.
famine, prophesied by Agabus ( Acts 11:27-30). This famine, during the reign of Claudius ( Acts 11 :28), was the vehicle by which the church in Antioch demonstrated their oneness, through Christ, with the Jews!
In the face of current racial tensions in America, the answer once again is Christ! America needs Jesus!

• Lydian Kingdom - Jul 05, 1998
• Felix Trembled! - Jun 17, 1997
• The First Century World - Mar 31, 1996