3rd Missionary Trip - Lorin

No indication is given whether a Christian community existed on the island by this
point in time, but later on it became overwhelmingly Christian and remains so until
today, and since 1947 as a part of Greece, rather than Turkey.
The next stop in this journey was Rhodes (τῇ δὲ ἑξῆς
Page 473
267 εἰς τὴν Ῥόδον),
another Grecian island just off the coast of modern Turkey. It was -- and is today
-- much larger than Cos both in land mass and population. It is best known in the
ancient world for the Colossus of Rhodes, one of the seven wonders of the ancient
world. This 30 meter high statue was built around 280 BCE to guard the harbor
of the city of Rhodes. By the beginning Christian century it
enjoyed privileged status within the Roman empire, and functioned
as a summer resort for many of the aristocracy of the
city of Rome. This is the only mention of the town inside the
New Testament, and consequently we don’t know whether a
Christian community existed in the town when Paul and his
group spent the night there or not.
Luke mentions the next stop at Patara, κἀκεῖθεν εἰς
Πάταρα. 268 At this stop on the mainland in the region of Lycia
Cos (Ant 14.10.15). Herod the Great conferred many favors on Cos (JW 1.21.11) and an inscription also associates Herod Antipas with
the island. Another inscription from the island refers to a Jewess or possibly to a ‘God-fearer’ from the island. Cos is mentioned once
in the Bible in Acts 21:1. After Paul’s third missionary journey, the apostle sailed from Miletus to Cos, where he spent the night before
sailing the next day to Rhodes.”
[Scott T. Carroll, “Cos (Place)” In vol. 1, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary, ed. David Noel Freedman (New York: Doubleday,
1992), 1161-62.]
267 “τῇ δὲ ἑξῆς, a Lucan term: Lk. 7:11; 9:37; Acts 21:1; 25:17; 27:18. No other NT writer uses it, but it is fairly common elsewhere.
Here as in most places ἡμέρᾳ must be supplied (at Lk. 7:11, χρόνῳ). Luke likes to show variety in such words; cf. 20:15.” [C. K.
Barrett, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: T&T Clark,
2004), 988.]
268 “PATARA (PLACE) [Gk Patara (Παταρα)]. A prominent seaport city of Lycia, a region of SW Asia Minor (modern Turkey).
Patara, which served as the port for the city of Xanthus (Xanthus = 36°22´N; 29°20´E), is located just 7 miles E of the mouth of the
Xanthus River. The importance of Patara is indicated by its inclusion in the Lycian League of which it was the 6th largest member. The
ruins of the city are situated near the modern village of Gelemish.
“Paul sailed to this city from Rhodes on his last missionary journey (Acts 21:1–2). Most manuscripts record that once at the city
he transferred to another ship which was sailing directly to Tyre. The prevailing winds of the area made the direct sailing route from Asia
Minor to Phoenicia possible. The Codex Bezae and a few other manuscripts add “and Myra” to the phrase “to Patara” which indicates
that Paul switched ships at the nearby Lycian city of Myra (Acts 27:5). The former reading, however, is thought by many scholars to be
more reliable than the latter because of the preponderance of textual evidence and the preference for the Alexandrian over the Western
text.
“Patara was colonized at an early date by Dorians from Crete. It was highly regarded by the Greeks because Homer lists it as
an ally during the Trojan War (Il. 2.876ff). The inhabitants of Patara, however, were not Greek, but spoke the Lycian language until Ptolemaic
times. The name of the city is linked with Patarus the son of Apollo and like Delphi, the city was famous for its oracle of Apollo
(Hdt. 1.182). The oracle was only active during the winter months because Apollo preferred to spend his winter months here instead of
his normal home on the island of Delos.
“The city issued its own coinage as early as the 4th century B.C. Alexander the Great captured the city during the winter of 334–
333 B.C. The city was renamed briefly Asinoe after the wife of Ptolemy II after he appropriated the city in 275 B.C. Antiochus III seized
the city in 197 B.C., but his control was short-lived because the region came under the control of Rhodes after the Peace of Apameia.
“The Lycians were allowed by the Romans to form an autonomous league of cities in 167 B.C. This league developed a unique
style of representative government called republican federalism. Twenty-three cities of the league had either one, two, or three seats in
the assembly according to the size (Strabo Geog. 14.3.2–3); Patara controlled three seats. Pliny records that there were 32 member cities
in his day (HN 5.101). Except for the brief control of Brutus in 42 B.C., the region enjoyed relative freedom until A.D. 43, during the
reign of Claudius, when Lycia was joined with Pamphilia to form a new Roman province.
“The legendary Saint Nicholas is thought to have been born at Patara, but he became the Bishop of nearby Myra where he is
thought to be buried.
“Patara was rediscovered in 1811 by the British survey team led by Francis Beaufort, but little archaeological work has been
carried out at the site. The protected harbor of Patara which was well equipped with a lighthouse is now filled with alluvial deposits.
Several travelers of the 19th century recorded the ruins visible to them. The remains are substantial including: portions of the city wall,
a large theater dated to the reign of Tiberius and rebuilt in A.D. 147 during the administration of Antoninus Pius, and a granary erected
by Hadrian.
“Other information about the site has been gained through the discovery of numerous inscriptions. One inscription notes that
Vespasian built a bath for the city. Other inscriptions record the gifts of renowned citizens of the city who had gained power and wealth