Missionary Journeys Of St. Paul

Missionary Journeys of St. Paul

During one of his missionary journeys St. Paul visited Ephesus in Turkey.
He stays in the city about three years (Acts 19:1-20). In Ephesus Paul discovers twelve believers who were baptized but who did'nt as yet have God's spirit. Paul baptizes them in His name and they receive God's Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7).

Seven Churches of Revelation

Seven Churches of Revelation

In looking at the letters to the 7 Churches, we see the Lord speaking directly to the 7 Churches
that existed in the Holy land at the time John lived. We also see the Lord's opinion of those Churches, and what they were doing
at the time: Ephesus, Pergamon, Laodicea, Sardis, Thyatira, Smyrna, Philadelphia churches.

Biblical Sites in Turkey

Biblical sites in Turkey

Turkey is called the Other Holy Land as it has more biblical sites than any other country in the Middle East.
Antioch - the place where the followers of Jesus were first called Christians; Tarsus - where Apostle Paul was born and many others..

About St. Paul  First Journey

St. Paul's First Journey
Antioch on the Orontes - Seleucia Pieria - Salamis - Paphos - Perge - Antioch in Pisidia - Iconium - Lystra - Derbe - Lystra - Iconium - Antioch in Pisidia - Perge - Attaleia - Seleucia Pieria - Antioch on the Orontes (Acts 13:114:28)

The next phase in the churchs expansion into Turkey began in Acts 13:1. Here the prophets and teachers in the church at Antioch set apart St. Barnabas and Saul for a ministry work to which the Holy Spirit had called them. From Antiochs port on the Mediterranean called Seleucia Pieria, the two sailed with John Mark to St. Barnabas home on Cyprus.

In the archives of Ugarit and to the Hittites this mountain was known as Mt Hazzi. According to legend, while Seleucus 1(321-281 BCE) was sacrificing on this mountain an eagle snatched part of the sacrificial offering and carried it to the place where the new town would be built. It was named after the nearby Mt Pieria (Musa Dagl). Seleucia Pieria was chosen as a capital before the foundation of Antioch and was one of the nine cities which the king had named after his dynasty.

The king, however, seeing that a coastal city was open to attacks from the sea, and lacking a strong navy, preferred to move the new capital of his kingdom to Antioch from where the inland trade routes also could be controlled. His worries would later be confirmed by the occupation of the port by Ptolemies of Egypt between 241-219 BCE, which is mentioned in the First Book of Maccabees: 'Plotting evil against Alexander, King Ptolemy took possession of the cities along the seacoast as far as Seleucia-by-theSea' (1 Mc 11 :8).

The port of Seleucia was created by enlarging a natural basin formed by a stream. Later, under Vespasian and then Titus, and finally completed in the following century, an artificial watercourse was constructed to divert this stream from the harbor to prevent it from being silted up. This is a canal of some 1400 m long, the final 130 m of which was tunneled through the rock to a height and width of 6 m.

The cutting of so-called tunnel of Titus was the greatest project that Rome ever undertook in the provinces. Inscriptions which have survived on its walls, and which give the names of Vespasian (69-79) and Titus (79-81), originally must have also included Domitian (81-96).

Other inscriptions record that the work was done in sections and by the participation of particular Roman legions stationed in eastern Anatolia. Some inscriptions also show that further work was done by soldiers of the legions under Antoninus Pius in about 149. This was the port from which St. Paul and St. Barnabas sailed to Cyprus on St. Paul's First Journey.

Journeys of St. Paul

About St. Paul Journeys of St. Paul, St. Paul Map
Traveling in St. Pauls Time
City of St. Paul
Antioch on the Orontes
Seleucia Pieria
First Journey
Ministry in Antioch - Orontes
Second Journey
Third Journey
Arrest and Imprisonment
Journey to Rome
Story of Paul and Thecla
St. Paul's Letters