Monthly Archives: May 2007

We made a full day excursion to Antakya (biblical Antioch of Syria). Turning south along the Mediterranean we passed the plain of Issus where the armies of Alexander and Darius fought in 333 B.C. Further south we passed Iskenderun (Turkish word for Alexandria) which was founded by Alexander the Great. It was along this land bridge that many ancient powers, Hittities, Macedonian, Romans, and Crusaders, made their way to ancient Canaan (Israel, Palestine). Antioch of Syria on the Orontes River was founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 B.C. Antioch became a Roman city in 64 B.C. and capital of the new province of Syria. It became the third largest city of the Roman Empire after Rome and Alexandria. After Jerusalem, Antioch was the second great center of Christianity in New Testament times and where the disciples of Christ were first called Christians (Acts 11:19-30; 13:1-3; 14:26-28; 15:1-41; 18:22-23; Gal. 2). A church called the Cave Church of St. Peter honors Peter’s visit to the city (Gal. 2).. From here the great journeys of Paul began. This photo shows part of the modern city from Mount Silpius.

The museum has a fine collection of 4th century A.D. mosaics from nearby Daphne. After lunch we visited the site of the port of Seleucia (near Samandag) which was founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 B.C. and served as the seaport of Antioch. From here Barnabas and Saul sailed for Cyprus (Acts 13:4). We saw the tunnel built by the Roman emperors Vespasian and Titus to control flooding in the area. The photo below is of the Besikil Cave, a rock cut tomb monument dating to as early as the first century A.D.

Tomorrow we visit Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium (modern Konya).

This morning we went to Tarsus, the native home of the apostle Paul. Tarsus is located near the Mediterranean Sea about 30 miles below the Cilician Gates. Tarsus in Cilicia served as one of the great crossroads of history. Paul described it as “no insignificant city” (Acts 21:39; 9:11; 22:3). Cleopatra once came up the River Cydnus to Tarsus to meet Mark Antony. The city now has a population of about 212,000. The fertile land of the Cilician plain near the city is suitable for growing many kinds of fruit, including citrus. North of the city in the hill country vineyards and wheat fields are abundant.

In Tarsus we saw a gate called Cleopatra’s Gate (or St. Paul’s Gate), sites associated with Paul (whether authentic or not), the recent excavation of the Roman street, and the Roman bath. There has been a recent discovery of a Roman bridge that once spanned the river. It is underneath a mosque that claims to contain the tomb of the prophet Daniel. I know of no historical reason to connect Daniel with Tarsus. We had lunch at the beautiful waterfalls on the outskirts of the city. It is difficult to imagine Paul not seeing these falls many times during his years in Tarsus.

About 12 miles north of the city, near the village of Saglikli, there is a wonderful stretch of Roman road. This road, the Roma Yolu in Turkish, was the road that connected Tarsus with the Cilician Gates. We walked almost the full length (about 1.5 miles) of this road. On previous trips I had been unable to get to this road, but thanks to directions from Dr. Mark Wilson, a friend who spends about half of each year doing research in Turkey, I was able to locate it. This was the first time our experienced guide of 18 years had seen the road. Take a look at Dr. Wilson’s web page, Seven Churches Network for some good resources on biblical Turkey. I think every member of our group enjoyed walking on this road that was constructed in about A.D. 200 during the reign of the Emperor Septimius Severus. Did Paul and Silas follow this same route on an earlier road during the second journey?

Today we really traveled ancient roads. Tomorrow we have plans to go to Syrian Antioch (now in Turkey) and Seleucia.