Paul Mission

APOSTLE PAUL: THE ARCHITECT AND BUILDER OF THE CHURCH
M. M. NINAN
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Now those who had been dispersed by the persecution which arose over Stephen travelled as
far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and (Syrian) Antioch, giving the message as they went to Jews only.
However, among their number were natives of Cyprus and Cyrene, and these men, on their
arrival at (Syrian) Antioch, proclaimed their message to the (Gentile) Greeks as well, telling
them the good news of the Lord Jesus.
As a result Antioch became the center of Christianity. ACTS 11:19-26
Syrian Antioch – present day Antakya in southern Turkey. This Antioch was known as "Queen
of the East", capital of the province of Syria, and the third largest city in the Roman Empire
after Rome and Alexandria. With a population of over half a million people, it was located on
the River Orontes, and a junction of trade routes between East and West. (It should not to be
confused with Pisidian Antioch, a Phrygian town in the Roman province of Galatia)
Antioch was founded in 301 BC by Seleucus I, a general in the army of Alexander the Great
and one of his successors. Seleucus named the city after his father Antiochus. When Syria was
conquered by Rome in 64 BC, Antioch became the eastern capital of the Empire. After the
martyrdom of Stephen in Jerusalem in about 35 AD many Christians left the city and some
fled to Antioch for refuge. Acts 11:19-26. Due to the importance of Antioch as a major center