In Search of the City of the Apostles

2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-158
Author(s):  
Mordechai Aviam ◽  
R. Steven Notley
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
Archaeological Evidence ◽  
Fishing Village ◽  
Remote Location ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
The Village ◽  
The City

Abstract The authors present the results of four years of investigation (2016–2019) in their search for Bethsaida-Julias. They bring historical, geographical, and archaeological evidence to argue that Khirbet el-Araj should be considered the leading candidate for the New Testament home of the Apostles. Unlike the remote location of the alternate candidate at et-Tell, their excavations at el-Araj have demonstrated a significant Roman period settlement on the lakeshore of the Sea of Galilee, a much more likely location for a fishing village. In addition, their discovery in 2017 of a Roman bathhouse at el-Araj is characteristic of Herod Philip’s urbanization of the village of Bethsaida, which Josephus reports was transformed from a village into the polis of Julias. After the Roman period, the site was abandoned for two centuries (4th–5th cent. CE), and then resettled with a monastery and Byzantine basilica, reportedly built over the house of Peter and Andrew.

Seleucia Pieria

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clyde E. Fant ◽  
Mitchell G. Reddish
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
New Kingdom ◽  
Alexander The Great ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Village ◽  
The City

Seleucia Pieria, the ancient seaport for Antioch of Syria, once played a central role in the travels of the 1st-century Christian missionaries. Little remains of the city or its port. Nevertheless, one outstanding attraction still remains, and it alone is worth a visit to the site: the spectacular tunnel of Vespasian and Titus. To reach Seleucia Pieria, travel 18 miles south of Antakya (ancient Antioch) to the village of Samandağ, then proceed north along the beach road approximately 2 miles to the little settlement of Çevlik. Portions of the ancient breakwater are clearly visible from the refreshment stand above the beach. (Do not plan to swim—not that anyone would be tempted after viewing the polluted condition of the water.) The city and port of Seleucia Pieria were founded at the beginning of the 3rd century B.C.E. by one of the generals of Alexander the Great, Seleucus Nicator, who also founded Antioch. (The name Pieria was derived from Mt. Pieria, the mountain above the city.) His descendants, known as the Seleucids, battled for many years with the Ptolemies for control of Syria, Palestine, and Egypt, eventually losing out entirely. Originally Seleucia Pieria served as the capital of the new kingdom of Seleucus I. After Seleucus was assassinated (281 B.C.E.), however, his son, Antiochus I, moved the capital to Antioch, and Seleucia Pieria served as its strongly fortified port. During the Roman era the port was captured by Pompey, who granted it the status of a free city. Later, it became the location of a Roman fleet. At its zenith the city had a population of some 30,000 inhabitants. Many famous persons passed through the ancient port during its history. Besides the Christian missionaries Paul and Barnabas and several of the Roman emperors, other notables included the renowned wonderworker Apollonius of Tyana, in his own way a missionary of Pythagorean reform. According to Philostratus, Apollonius, too, set sail from Seleucia Pieria to go to Cyprus at virtually the same time as the Christian missionaries (Life of Apollonius 3). Seleucia Pieria is mentioned in the New Testament only in connection with the first missionary voyage of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:4): “So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia; and from there they sailed to Cyprus.”

Crete

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clyde E. Fant ◽  
Mitchell G. Reddish
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
National Museum ◽  
Apostle Paul ◽  
Accurate Representation ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Ancient Site ◽  
Book Of Acts ◽  
Nearby City

Crete is the largest and most southerly of all the Greek islands. It is also one of the most visited, due to both its beauty and its famous ancient sites. By far the best-known of these attractions is the spectacular Palace of Knossos, reconstructed over a period of thirty-five years by its discoverer, Sir Arthur Evans, who put more than a million dollars of his own money into the work. Scholars have criticized his reconstruction as a fanciful and not altogether accurate representation of the original, but millions of tourists delight in being able to see more at an ancient site than foundations, scattered stones, and a few columns. But Knossos is not the only dramatic ruin of antiquity on the island. Gortyna and Phaistos should not be missed, and for Christians the harbor of Kaloi Limenes (called Fair Havens in the New Testament) is a place of importance in the life of the Apostle Paul. Likewise, the Basilica of St. Titus at Gortyna commemorates the ministry of Titus, a Greek convert who was a disciple of Paul (Gal 2:3), as described in the New Testament book of Titus. Furthermore, Iraklion possesses an archaeological museum second only to the National Museum in Athens. The only site on Crete mentioned in the Bible, though Crete itself was said to be the place of the ministry of Titus (Titus 1:5), is the harbor of Kaloi Limenes (Good Harbor), referred to in the Book of Acts as Fair Havens (Acts 27: 8). After two thousand years, the site is known by the same name today. Even in New Testament times the place was distinguished only as the harbor for the nearby city of Lasea, a flourishing commercial city in the Roman period. Today the tranquil bay in its remote location harbors nothing more than sunbathers who visit its beaches to enjoy the beautiful waters of the Mediterranean. The site can be reached best by automobile, or by taking a bus from Iraklion to Moires/Mires.

Why Become a Rainbow Church?

Exchange ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 269-276
Author(s):  
Robert Calvert
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
New Testament ◽  
Study Group ◽  
National Service ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
Protestant Churches ◽  
Service Centre ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
The City

AbstractAcross the cities of Europe, there are new and growing Christian communities with leadership originating from Asia, Africa and Latin America. In recent years, the formation of SKIN (Samen Kerk in Nederland — Together Church in the Netherlands) and the publication of a book entitled Geboren in Sion (Born in Sion) have contributed to our understanding. However, it remains a major challenge for the indigenous churches to relate to their life and spirituality. Can we learn from Biblical models of heterogeneous and multicultural Christian communities in the New Testament? Different aspects of the identity and contrasting types of so-called migrant churches are explored in this paper which was first presented to the migrant study group at the Landelijke Diensten Centrum (National Service Centre) of the Protestantse Kerken in Nederland (Protestant Churches in the Netherlands) in Utrecht on November 15, 2004. Some examples have been cited from the city of Rotterdam and questions raised in order to how to recognize and receive their spiritual gift in the Netherlands.

Thessalonians

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Ascough
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
The Other ◽  
Sexual Morality ◽  
Problematic Behavior ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Paul's Letters ◽  
Fear And Anxiety ◽  
The City ◽  
Community Relationships

The two letters written to the Christian group at the city of Thessalonica occupy the thirteenth and fourteenth places in the canon of the New Testament; they are eighth and ninth in the sequence of Paul’s letters. There is little doubt that Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians, and many scholars consider it to be one of his earliest letters. In contrast, the authenticity of 2 Thessalonians is much contested, with scholars split between ascribing it to Paul and ascribing it to a later writer using Paul’s name. On the other hand, the textual integrity of 2 Thessalonians is secure, while 1 Thessalonians is argued by some to be a combination of two or more letters, or at the very least, they suggest, it contains a nonauthentic interpolation at 2:13–16. The primary aim of 1 Thessalonians is to encourage Jesus’ believers to continue to progress in their faith, and Paul addresses some practical concerns to that effect: sexual morality, community relationships, and Jesus’ return. In 2 Thessalonians the emphasis lies on addressing fear and anxiety over the return of Jesus and some problematic behavior within the group.

Speech and Silence

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan E. Hylen
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
New Testament ◽  
Roman Period ◽  
Social Rule ◽  
Women's Speech ◽  
The New Testament

The silence of women has often been seen as a rule of ancient culture. This chapter explores evidence from the Roman period of how this social rule was practiced. The assumption that women should defer to men was sometimes expressed through silence. However, other social norms supported women’s speech. Women often spoke with authority to women and men as they pursued their everyday tasks and responsibilities. They were praised for speaking on political and social matters as they acted as advocates for their families and communities. Prayer and prophecy were conventional forms of speech by women. Women in the New Testament also spoke in a variety of settings.

scholarly journals The Iconography of the Sarcophagus in S. Ambrogio. Hope for Salvation through the Word of Christ

1970 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 283-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olaf Steen
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
City Gates ◽  
The City ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

The sarcophagus in the church of S. Ambrogio in Milan is dated to about 390. The lid of the sarcophagus shows scenes and symbols connected to the New Testament. On the front and rear sides, we find Christ represented among the Apostles. Figures from the Old Testament are shown on the two short sides. In this way, the narrative scenes are well arranged, and the arrangement differs from other early Christian sarcophagi in which scenes from the Old and New Testament are places together without any apparent connection between the scenes. Rows of city-gates run around all four sides, forming the background for the reliefs. The city-gates invite the beholder to read the images not as isolated scenes, but as parts of a connected whole. In this paper, I will argue that the iconography of the sarcophagus can be interpreted as a complete programme. The programme emphasizes the teaching of Christ and the Apostles’ teaching-mission given by Christ. Taking into consideration the monument’s funerary context, the programme of the sarcophagus focuses on the Word or the teaching of Christ as the way to salvation.

Antioch of Pisidia

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clyde E. Fant ◽  
Mitchell G. Reddish
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Ancient World ◽  
Asia Minor ◽  
Mountainous Region ◽  
Central Section ◽  
South Central ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
The One ◽  
The City ◽  
Archaeological Excavations

Although overshadowed in the New Testament by a different Antioch (Antioch on the Orontes), Antioch of Pisidia was an important city during Hellenistic and Roman times. Archaeological excavations have uncovered the remains of a thriving city, complete with theater, baths, temples, stadium, nymphaeum, paved streets, and aqueduct. Augustus had a copy of his famous Res Gestae, the list of his accomplishments, inscribed on his sanctuary in the city. Several cities in the ancient world were called Antioch, named for various members of the Seleucid dynasty who bore the name of Antiochus. Antioch of Pisidia was located approximately 0.5 mile northeast of the modern town of Yalvaç and 22 miles southwest of Akşehir. (Pisidia was a mountainous region in the south-central section of Asia Minor.) Antioch was actually not a part of the Pisidian region but lay just north of Pisidia in the region of Phrygia. The city was sometimes called Pisidian Antioch (see Acts 13:14), meaning “Antioch near Pisidia,” as a way of distinguishing it from other cities named Antioch. When the Romans established the province of Galatia in 25 B.C.E., Antioch became a part of Galatia. In 295 C.E. the Romans redivided the area, creating the province of Pisidia, with Antioch as its capital. Antioch is situated on the southern foothills of the Sultan Mountains, on the northwest side of the Yalvaç River (ancient Anthius River). The city was spread over seven small hills, reminiscent of the seven hills of Rome, a similarity that was not lost on the Romans, who divided the city into seven districts, one on each of the seven hills. Backed up to the Sultan Mountains, Antioch enjoyed good natural defenses. Strategically located, the city was important both militarily and commercially. The land around Antioch was fertile, producing a variety of fruit and grains. Although a precise date cannot be determined, the city of Antioch was founded in the first half of the 3rd century B.C.E. by the one of the Seleucid rulers, either Seleucus I, Antiochus I, or Antiochus II. The Seleucids established several cities in the region, including Apollonia, Seleucia (Seleucia Sidera), and Laodicea Catacecaumene.

Guests at our own tables: Privilege, paradox, and Southern hospitality

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-291
Author(s):  
Beth Ritter-Conn
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Us South ◽  
The Us ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
New Community ◽  
The City

As is true of any region experiencing significant migration, the identity of the US South, and with it the identity of Nashville, Tennessee, is shifting. Both the city and the region have the opportunity to embrace this shift, wrestling collectively with the question of what kind of city we want to be. The lesson of the New Testament, particularly of Luke’s Gospel, is that transformation of individuals and communities often happens around the table. With new tables around which to gather and new community members to get to know, the possibility of expanding the meaning of “Southern hospitality” continually presents itself anew. Such an expansion requires both embracing the paradox of guest and host, and remembering our past rightly to learn from the mistakes and the triumphs of the ones who came before us.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document