No student of Scripture needs to be told that a knowledge of the history of Jerusalem

is essential to the understanding of the O.T. This is so whether the point of view be the

chronicles of Israel's history, the prophecies of the minor or major prophets, the rise and

dominion of Nebuchadnezzar and his successors, or, to come to the N.T., the record of

the Gospels, the Acts, many of the epistles, and lastly the book of the Revelation. This

city dominates the opening section of the Acts. Whether it is the preaching of repentance

to Israel, or the evangelizing of Judæa and Samaria, Jerusalem is the divinely appointed

centre. However, the second section of the Acts, which we are now to consider, takes us

outside the "promised land". Another city now comes into prominence. With this city

the evangelization of the Gentile world, the ministry of Paul and the name "Christian"

will for ever be associated.

What do we know of Antioch? With our present information, what sort of answers

should we give to a general knowledge paper covering its history and geography?

Antioch has been called the third city of the Roman Empire and its importance to all

Gentile believers is such that no apology is needed for the present article, which seeks to

bring before the reader something of the character and position of a city so intimately

associated with all that we as "Christians" hold dear.

For the sake of clearness we would remind our readers that two cities named Antioch

are mentioned in the Acts. The first is referred to in Acts 11: 19, 13: 1 & Gal. 2: 11,

and is a city of Syria, about 300 miles north of Jerusalem, whereas the second is in

Pisidia, in Asia Minor. Both were founded by Seleucas Nicator and both were named

after his father Antiochus. No place was so suited as Antioch for the great work that was

about to commence. It was called the Queen of the East, the third metropolis of the

world, and the official residence of the Imperial Legate of Syria was there.

In Paul's day, the population of the city numbered perhaps as many as 500,000 and

was composed of native Syrians, Greeks, Jews and Romans. There were the usual slaves

and artists, and the sychophants who, alas, characterized every oriental city where East

and West intermingled. So cosmopolitan was this place that Libanius said that he who

sat in the Agora of Antioch might study the customs of the world. We are indebted to the

writings of Josephus, and the books of the Maccabees for information concerning the

history and appearance of Antioch, all of which we must pass by owing to limitation of

space. Perhaps we may be justified in quoting from M. Renan's Les Apotres, a passage

which vividly brings before the mind the character of the city associated with the

evangelization of the Gentiles.