About 56 kilometers west of Akşehir by winding mountain road is the Turkish town of Yalvaç, the place on the edge of the Antioch of Pisidia mentioned in the New Testament. The earliest written history of the city probably goes back to some time between 301 and 280 B.C. when Seleucus Nicator founded and named it, as he did many others, for his father. An earlier Phrygian settlement there was located around a temple. The population was a mixture of local Phrygians and colonized Jews, Romans, and Greeks who came from Magnesia on the Meander. While the original Anatolians spoke their own language, Greek was by Paul’s time the language most likely to be understood by all. Latin was used for official governmental purposes and Hebrew probably was taught through the synagogue. The principal deity in Antioch was Cybele; Men, the main Anatolian male god, also was worshipped there.
The first mention of Pisidian Antioch in Acts is when Paul on his first missionary journey arrived there from Perga and addressed the congregation in the synagogue on the Sabbath with his first recorded sermon. He told them of the forgiveness of sins that had come through Jesus. The inclusive form of Paul’s salutation suggests that there were others than Jews in that first congregation: “Men of Israel and you who worship our God, listen to me.” (Acts 13:16). What he said aroused the interest of those gathered so that they asked him to come back and speak again the next Saturday.
It also must have been widely discussed since the next week “almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of God” (Acts 13:44). One can imagine the annoyance of the regular attenders of the synagogue at finding a crowd of what must have seemed curiosity seekers taking over their place of worship, and they reacted predictably and jealously against Paul. Paul and Barnabas rebuked the Jews for their lack of hospitality in much the same way Jesus had rebuked his followers when they had interfered with the children who wanted to be near him. The Gentiles rejoiced that they were to be included in the chance for salvation, but some important men and women managed to expel Paul and Barnabas from the city (Acts 13:50).
Paul may have visited Antioch again on his second and third missionary journeys, but only Derbe and Lystra are mentioned in Acts 16:1. Since he went from Lystra through the Phrygian and Galation regions to Alexandria Troas he could well have also returned to Antioch. The account of the third missionary journey is even less specific, giving only the region names (Acts 18:23). He does talk in II Timothy 3:11 about the persecutions he suffered there which could refer to being expelled from town, and in Galatians 4:13 he refers to a “bodily illness” that first drove him to that country. But what the illness was (malaria? trachoma? jaundice?) or just where he went to recover is not specified.
However long he stayed in Antioch, his influence and that of Barnabas spread throughout the region and continued to bear fruit. But the angry Jews of Antioch and Iconium followed him to Lystra where they managed to incite the crowd against him.
Very little is left of Pisidian Antioch today; University of Michigan excavations begun before World War I were resumed briefly in 1924. Some of those findings are in the museum in Yalvaç. There is the propylaea of the acropolis with a number of carved stones, many with bulls’ heads, the remains of a Byzantine church, and those of a basilica. Much of the building stone that once littered the ground has been carried off to be used again in other places. A short section of the Roman aqueduct is still standing in place north of the city.
Antioch of Pisidia,
Pisidian Antioch (also called Antioch-of-Pisidia) was a major Roman colony that was visited by St. Paul on his First Missionary Journey. Pisidian Antioch marked an important turning point in Paul’s ministry, as the city became the first to have a fully Gentile Christian community.
The ruins of Pisidian Antioch lie about a mile north of the modern town of Yalvaç, which is 110 miles west of Konya. Highlights of a visit here are the substantial archaeological site and the Yalvaç Archaeological Museum.
In the Bible
According to Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas came to Pisidian Antioch early in their first missionary journey. They arrived from Cyprus via Perga, so would have taken the Via Sebaste into Antioch. On the sabbath, they went to the local synagogue and were invited to speak to the congregation.
Their message was received with great interest, and on the following sabbath “almost the whole city gathered” to hear them. Some converts were made, but some of the Jews stirred up opposition against them and they were driven out of the city. Paul and Barnabas then went to Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. On their return journey, they stopped by Antioch and encouraged the Christian converts.
Pisidian Antioch is not mentioned as part of Paul’s second missionary journey, but Acts does say that Paul “went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia” (16:6), which may imply a return visit. Similarly, Acts 18:23 mentions Paul visiting Galatia and Phrygia on this third missionary journey. The only other direct biblical reference to Pisidian Antioch is in 2 Timothy 3:11, where the author mentions the unpleasant experience in the city.
Pisidian Antioch may be the hometown of a convert Paul met in Cyprus, the proconsul Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:4-12). See below for an interesting inscription that mentions his name.
History
Situated on the southern foothills of the Sultan Mountains, Pisidian Antioch was spread over seven small hills in a manner reminiscent of Rome. The city was founded in the early 3rd century BC by the Seleucid dynasty. It was one of 15 different cities named “Antioch” after several members of the family with the name Antiochus. The original settlers of the new Hellenistic city came from Magnesia on the Meander, a town near the Aegena coast.
Josephus, the 1st-century-BC Jewish historian, mentions that Antiochus III ordered 2,000 Jewish families be moved from Babylonia to certain areas in Lydia and Phrygia because he believed they would be loyal supporters of the Seleucids (Jewish Antiquities 12.146-153). This would account for the presence of Jews in the city by the time of Paul’s arrival in the 1st century AD.
In 188 BC, the Romans defeated Antiochus III and declared Pisidian Antioch a free city. Then, in 25 BC, Augustus placed the area under direct Roman control, creating the province of Galatia that encompassed much of central Asia Minor. Antioch was made a Roman colony (a town settled by Roman army veterans in their retirement) named Colonia Caeserea Antiochia.
Antioch’s important new status led to a flurry of building activity in the 1st century AD, which included all the familiar Roman elements: baths, paved colonnaded streets, stadium, nymphaeum, aqueduct, and temples. The famous Roman roads were also constructed in the area, and Antioch was at the crossing of an important new highway (the Via Sebaste, constructed in 6 BC) that connected the interior of Asia Minor with the coast.
The inhabitants of Antioch at this time were a mixture of Roman veterans and their families, descendents of the earlier Hellenistic settlers, and people of Phrygian and Pisidian background. Several of the Romans from Antioch became members of the Senate.
Around 50 AD, Paul and Barnabas visited the city and established a Christian community (more on this in the section “In the Bible,” below).
The city continued to prosper in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and in 295 AD it became the capital of Pisidia, a new province created by Diocletian. The theater was enlarged and anew agora and porticoes were built.
Antioch was the seat of the bishops of Pisidia, including Bishop Optimus who attended the Council of Constantinople in 381. There is no evidence of any churches before the 4th century, and Christians were actively persecuted under the governor of Pisidia in the early 4th century, Valerius Diogenes. But by the end of the 4th century, when persecuted had ceased, Antioch had between one and three church buildings.
In the 8th century, Pisidian Antioch was invaded and destroyed by Arabs. It never fully recovered, but the city did remain the seat of the metropolitan bishop into the 12th century.
Archaeological interest in Pisidian Antioch has been ongoing since its re-discovery in 1833 by British Chaplain F.V.J. Arundell. Excavations, under the direction of Dr. Mehmet Taslialan Director of the Yalvaç Museum, continue today.
What to See
A tour of the archaeological site begins at the Triple Gate, which dates from 212 AD. About 26 feet wide, this monumental gate was decorated with reliefs of kneeling captive soldiers, floral motifs, weapons and winged features on pedestals holding garlands. Near the top on the front and back were inscriptions in bronze letters, once a dedicatory inscription to Emperor Hadrian, the other an identification of the person who paid for the gate.
Inside the city walls, the site centers around two main Roman streets: the Cardo and the Decumanus, positioned at right angles. The Decumanus Maximus leads from the Triple Gate to the intersection with the east-west Cardo. Along the way, on the visitor’s left (north) is the remains of what was probably a second agora followed by the theater.
The theater was built by the Greeks and enlarged by the Romans to a seating capacity of 15,000; it may be the site of St. Thekla’s martyrdom. Its construction is unique in containing a tunnel on its southern side through which the Decumanus Maximus passed. Thus part of the seating of the expanded theater was built right over the street.
The Cardo Maximus street ran north-to-south through the city. Behind the colonnades along the street were small shops, bars and restaurants. Several game boards can be seen ethced into the paving stones for playing various games of dice. (The other Antioch left a mosaic portrait of this pasttime.) The Cardo terminated at the 1st-century AD nymphaeum, a fountain from which water was distributed to the whole city. Behind it, a 1st-century aqueduct brings water down from the hills to the city. To the northwest of the nymphaeum is the palaestra (exercise area) and adjoining Roman bath. A large part of the bathouse has survived and is still being excavated.
On the east side of the Cardo not far from its intersection with the Decumanus was the most important structure in the city: the imperial sanctuary with its temple to Augustus. Built on the highest point of the city, the temple was a approached by a wide, colonnaded walkway (the Tiberia Plateia or Square of Tiberius).
Crossing the Square of Tiberius, visitors would then pass through a three-arched propylon or triumphal gateway. Built in the early 1st century AD, the gate bore an bronze dedicatory inscription to Augustus and was decorated with sculptures and reliefs celebrating his victories. Attached to the propylon was a Latin copy of the Res Gestae Divi Augusti (a record of the emperor’s accomplishments), fragments of which were discovered at the site.
The gateway marked the entrance to the Square of Augustus, the highest point of the city. In earliest times, this was the site of a temple to the mother-goddess Cybele, then, in Hellenistic times, the moon goddess Men. In Roman times, it became the site of a great temple of Augustus, the foundations of which can be seen. Look for carvings of garlanded bull’s heads among the ruins: the bull was the symbol of the goddess Men.
The Temple of Augustus was approached by a stairway of 12 steps, which led to a porch with four Corinthian-style columns (portions of which can still be seen). Surrounding the temple on the rear was a semicircular two-story portico, most of which was carved out from the rock of the hillside.
Across from the Temple of Augustus, on the west side of the Cardo Maximus, are the remains of a Byzantine church dating from the 4th or 5th century AD. The most exciting find in recent times was the discovery (1920s) of some foundations protruding from beneath the Byzantine church. Although it cannot be proved, some believe they are the foundations of a 1st-century synagogue. If so, it would be the only 1st-century synagogue found outside the Holy Land besides Delos and Ostia. It would also mean that the pilgrim can read Paul’s sermon in Acts 13 in the very place it was delivered.
The Basilica of St. Paul, along the western city wall not far from the site entrance, was built in the late 4th century AD. At the time it was one of the largest churches in the world; it is still one of the largest ever discovered in Asia Minor. As mentioned above, Pisidian Antioch was the seat of a metropolitan bishop; this was his church.
The Basilica of St. Paul had an apse, a nave, two side aisles separated from the nave by 13 columns on each side, an outer narthex and an inner narthex. It contained a mosaic floor, portions of which are still in place. One of the mosaic inscriptions refers to Optimus, who was bishop between 375 and 381 and attended the Council of Constantinople. Another mosaic bears the text of Psalm 42:4. The church was later expanded, probably in the 5th or 6th century; the walls that remain date from this period.
An inscription discovered at Pisidian Antioch may have biblical connections. According to Acts, Paul and Barnabas visited Cyprus before going to Antioch, and in the city of Paphos they met the proconsul Sergius Paulus, who was a Christian convert (Acts 13:4-12). The inscription discovered in Antioch mentions Lucius Sergius Paulus the Younger, which some suggest might be the son of the governor of Cyprus mentioned in Acts.
This would mean that Antioch was Sergius’ hometown — perhaps Paul and Barnabas visited the city on his suggestion. However, the name in the inscription is quite common and it is not certain it is related to the biblical Sergius Paulus.
In the nearby town of Yalvaç, the Yalvaç Archaeological Museum displays many of the artifacts found at Antioch of Pisidia, including statues, busts, figurines, coins, votive inscriptions, fragments of the Res Gestae, columns and friezes. The director of the museum, archaeologist Mehmet Taslialan, has overseen excavations at Antioch for two decades.
Getting There
From Antalya (144 miles to the south), there are several driving routes with dramatic mountain scenery; D-695 is the least steep. From Konya (110 miles east), take route D-330.
Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia
13 Now Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John left them and returned to Jerusalem, 14 but they went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. And on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the rulers of the synagogue sent a message to them, saying, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, say it.” 16 So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said:
“Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen. 17 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. 18 And for about forty years he put up with[a] them in the wilderness. 19 And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance. 20 All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ 23 Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised. 24 Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
26 “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. 27 For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. 28 And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. 29 And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. 30 But God raised him from the dead, 31 and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. 32 And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, 33 this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,
“‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.’
34 And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way,
“‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’
35 Therefore he says also in another psalm,
“‘You will not let your Holy One see corruption.’
36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption, 37 but he whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and by him everyone who believes is freed[b] from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses. 40 Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:
41 “‘Look, you scoffers,
be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”
42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath.
Footnotes:
Pisidian Antioch (Yalvac)
Pisidian Antioch was located in what is sometimes called the lake district of southwest Asia Minor, in the border area between the districts of Pisidia and Phrygia. After John Mark left Paul and Barnabas in Perga to return to Jerusalem, Luke records that the two missionaries “passed on from Perga and came to Antioch of Pisidia,” where they went into the synagogue and Paul was invited to stand and exhort the people (Acts 13:14-16). Strabo refers to Antioch as “near Pisidia”. In Paul’s day, Antioch was geographically in the district of Phrygia; politically it was in the Roman province of Galatia.
Antioch was built on a plateau, overlooking the plain in front of it. It was protected by natural defenses, which Ramsay described after he visited the site in 1905.11 Much of the population must have lived in the open country outside the city: here “the land is pleasant, part of it is rich and fertile, [and] part contains high-lying pastures”
Antioch entered into a new period of history when it became a possession of Rome and was made a Roman colony in 25 B.C. New inhabitants, including veteran soldiers, were introduced to the city from the west. They came as Roman citizens, while the older Hellenic population had to wait for citizenship to be conferred. Still, the latter group enjoyed privileges, including freedom from direct taxation, that were not enjoyed by the citizens of ordinary Hellenic cities
Antioch was frequently visited by Roman governors whose entourages enriched the merchants and shopkeepers. Sightseers also came to witness the games, the wild beasts, and the gladiatorial contests. Their presence and their money made the city a center of activities in Galatia.
When Paul rose to speak in the synagogue of Antioch, he spoke to an audience consisting of Jews and God-fearing Greeks. He recounted the history of Israel from their deliverance from Egypt to the reign of King David, which brought him to the point of his preaching: “Of [David’s] posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.” Then Paul gave this witness:
Brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you that fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. (Acts 13:23, 26)
The Apostle finished his discourse, preaching that forgiveness of sin comes through Christ, and that “by him everyone that believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:39). Many who listened believed. The next Sabbath, “almost the whole city gathered together to hear the word of God.” Certain unbelieving Jews were filled with envy and spoke against Paul, contradicting him and reviling him. But Paul and Barnabas stood their ground, proclaiming boldly that these Jews had judged themselves unworthy of eternal life. “Behold,” said Paul, “we turn to the Gentiles.”12 (Acts 13:44-46)
Bible Study (Pisidian Antioch)
Acts 13:14-41. Paul preached in the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch to Jews and God-fearing Greeks.
Acts 13:42-44. Many Jews and Greeks believed Paul and Barnabas, and returned the next Sabbath to hear more of their preaching.
Acts 13:45-52. Through the preaching of Paul and Barnabas, “the word of the Lord spread through the whole region.” Envious Jews, stirred by the missionaries’ success, persecuted Paul and Barnabas and fomented resentment and jealousy among the city’s leading citizens, finally driving them from the city.
Acts 16:6; 18:23. Paul may have visited Antioch on his second and third missionary journeys.
2 Tim. 3:11-17. Paul wrote Timothy about his persecutions and sufferings at Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra: “What persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived.” Paul reminded Timothy that “sacred writings” are profitable for “training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Acts 13:14-52
14: But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
15: And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
16: Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.
17: The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.
18: And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
19: And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.
20: And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
21: And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
22: And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will.
23: Of this man’s seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus:
24: When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
25: And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.
26: Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent.
27: For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.
28: And though they found no cause of death in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain.
29: And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a sepulchre.
30: But God raised him from the dead:
31: And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.
32: And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,
33: God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
34: And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.
35: Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
36: For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:
37: But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.
38: Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
39: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
40: Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets;
41: Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.
42: And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
43: Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
44: And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
45: But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.
46: Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
47: For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.
48: And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.
49: And the word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.
50: But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.
51: But they shook off the dust of their feet against them, and came unto Iconium.
52: And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost.
2 Timothy 3:11-17
11: Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
12: Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
13: But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
14: But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
15: And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16: All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.