THE APOSTLE OF THE RECONCILIATION

visited in Acts 13 and 14 is the Roman Province of that name. To understand the subject before us, we must bear in

mind that there were three classes of States in Asia Minor:

1. Countries  incorporated  in  the



Empire  in  which  law  was



by

a





2. Countries connected with Rome by

 Included in the

an agreement or alliance, the terms

 conception  of

of which were expressed by treaty,

 Roman

i.e., Client States according to the

usual and convenient expression,



among which the chief were



Galatia and Cappadocia.





3. States in no formal and recognised



relations with Rome, especially

 Enemies

Pontus and Isaurian Pirates.



The Roman range of authority and action in any foreign land constituted a Provincia. Strabo shows the policy of

the Romans regarding the question of small kings and Roman governors. Where the character of the people was

unruly, and the nature of the country made rebellion and lawlessness easy, kings with their own standing army were

placed in authority, but step by step, and district by district, these countries were incorporated in the adjacent Roman

Provinces, as a certain degree of discipline and civilisation were imparted to the population by these kings, who built

cities and introduced the Graeco-Roman customs and education.

As the above paragraph is appreciated, the changing of the map, and the enlarging of the borders of Galatia the

Kingdom to Galatia the Province, will be understood. For convenience of reference, we divide the existing teaching

on the subject into two views:

1. The North Galatia view.

2. The South Galatia view.

The North Galatia view maintains that only that part of the map which was originally Galatia is the Galatia of the

Scriptures. It recognizes that it is somewhat awkward to have to acknowledge that of all the cities of North Galatia,

which the apostle is supposed to have visited, and where he is supposed to have founded the churches, and to which

he addressed his epistle, Tavium, Ancyra, Pessinus, not one is even mentioned in the Acts, and has to fall back upon

the convenient `gap' as an explanation.

The South Galatia view maintains that by Galatia is intended the Galatia of the day, the large Roman Province

which had embraced Lycaonia and part of Phrygia on the South. According to this view, every city is named, and

Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe are seen as the churches of Galatia. No `gaps' are necessary, and the strange

omission of such an important church does not trouble us, for it ceases to be.

The North Galatia view necessitates that the epistle to the Galatians was written after Acts 18:23, for Galatians

4:13 indicates a second visit. This places `Galatians' with `Corinthians'. The South Galatia view sees no necessity

for a late date.

While Acts 16:6 is looked upon by the North Galatia view as the first mention and founding of the church of

Galatia, giving no names or incidents of the journey, the South Galatia view looks upon Acts 16:6 as a re-visiting of

the churches already founded in Acts 13 and 14; and the brief summary is most fitting and understandable. Full

details had already been given in Acts 13 to 15.

Before passing on in our study, we will give historic proofs that Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, and Antioch are rightly

addressed as `Galatia':