Persecution Sparks Growth in Antioch

WHEN persecution flared after Stephen's martyrdom, many of Jesus' disciples fled Jerusalem.  One of the  places where they sought refuge was Antioch, Syria, some 350 miles to the north.  (Acts 11:19) Ensuing events there were to affect the whole course of Christian history.  To  understand what happened, it will be useful to know a little about Antioch.

As far as cities of the Roman Empire were concerned, in size, prosperity and importance Antioch was surpassed only by Rome and Alexandria.  This metropolis of Syria dominated  the northeast corner of the Mediterranean basin. Antioch (modern-day  Antakya, Turkey) stood on the navigable Orontes River, which connected it to its seaport, Seleucia Pieria,  20 miles away.  It commanded one of the most important trade routes between Rome and the Tigris-Euphrates Valley. As a center of commerce, it did business with the whole empire and saw the comings and goings of all sorts of people, who brought news of religious movements everywhere in the Roman world.

Hellenic religion and philosophy had flourished in Antioch.  But "in the old religious cults and the philosophies were tending to become matters of the individual belief, as people independently sought religious satisfaction for their own  problems and aspirations."  (A History of Antioch in Syria)  Many found satisfaction in the monothesim, ceremonies and ethics of Judaism.

A strong Jewish contingent had resided in Antioch since the city's foundation in 300 B.C.E. It is estimated to have numbered from 20,000 to 60,000 constituting more than 10 percent of the population.  The historian Josephus says that the  Seleucid dynasty of kings encouraged Jews to settle in the city, giving them full citizenship rights. By that time, the Hebrew Scriptures were  available in Greek.  This stimulated the interest of sympathizers in Jewish Messianic aspirations.  Hence, may proselytes had been made  among the Greeks.  All these factors made Antioch a fertile field for Christian disciple making.

Next time: Witnessing to Gentiles

Watchtower, 2000