Antioch

AN-tee-ock · Modern Antakya, Turkey · Also called Antioch on the Orontes, Syrian Antioch

Antioch is a city of the biblical world, known today as Antakya, Turkey.

What is known

Where believers were first called "Christians" (Acts 11:26)
Served as the sending base for Paul's missionary journeys
Home to a large, diverse population including a significant Jewish community, which fed the early multi-ethnic character of the church there

History

Founded: Founded c. 300 BC by Seleucus I Nicator, named for his father Antiochus
Population: One of the largest cities in the Roman Empire, estimated 200,000–500,000 — the third largest city after Rome and Alexandria
Industry: Major trade and manufacturing center — textiles, glassware — and a cosmopolitan hub near the Mediterranean coast
Coordinates: 36.2023° N, 36.1600° E

Rulers and powers

Seleucid kings — c. 300–64 BC
Roman provincial capital of Syria (governed by legates) — 64 BC onward

Archaeology

Excavations by the Committee for the Excavation of Antioch (1932–1939) uncovered over 300 Roman-era mosaic floors from Antioch's wealthy villas, roughly half now displayed in the Hatay Archaeology Museum in Antakya, illustrating the sophistication of the city where believers were "first called Christians" (Acts 11:26). The Church of Saint Peter, a cave carved into the mountainside outside the city with a Crusader-era facade, has been venerated by tradition since at least the Byzantine period as a meeting place of the nascent Antiochene church, though this use by the earliest Christian community cannot be archaeologically confirmed. Most of Roman Antioch itself lies buried under modern Antakya, limiting excavation mainly to the mosaics and a few structural remains.

2nd-century AD apotropaic mosaic from a house in Antioch, Hatay Archaeology Museum — source & licence

The Church of Saint Peter, a cave church cut into the mountainside near Antakya, with its Crusader-era facade — source & licence

Scripture references

Acts 11:19-20
Acts 11:26
Acts 13:1-3 — Paul and Barnabas sent out
Acts 14:26
Acts 15:35
Galatians 2:11

On a modern map

Antioch today

Reflect

Believers were first called 'Christians' at Antioch, named for how they lived — what would people name you after watching your week?

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