Antioch (Syrian)

Antioch on the Orontes sat in Syria, far north of Jerusalem, and ancient writers ranked it the third city of the Roman Empire. When persecution scattered believers out of Jerusalem after Stephen's death, some of them reached Antioch and told Greeks, not only Jews, about the Lord Jesus (Acts 11:19-20). The church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to see what was happening. He found grace at work and went to find Saul in Tarsus, and the two of them taught in Antioch for a full year. It was there, not in Jerusalem, that outsiders first called the believers Christians (Acts 11:22-26). Antioch became the base the wider Gentile mission worked from. The Holy Spirit told the church there to set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work, and after fasting and prayer the church sent them out (Acts 13:1-3). Every journey Paul made started and ended with a report back to this church (Acts 14:26-27, 15:35). Antioch was also where a hard question came to a head. Some men taught that Gentile believers had to be circumcised, and Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem to settle it (Acts 15:1-2). The council's answer, that Gentile believers are not bound to the law of Moses, was written down and carried back to Antioch, where the church rejoiced to read it (Acts 15:22-31). Not long after, Peter came to Antioch and ate freely with Gentile believers, then drew back once men from James arrived, for fear of the circumcision party. Paul says he opposed him to his face, because his conduct did not match the truth of the gospel (Galatians 2:11-14). This was not a break between two enemies. The same letter records that James, Cephas, and John had already given Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship (Galatians 2:9). Scripture never narrates a reconciliation scene after the confrontation. It does show Peter and Paul standing together at the Jerusalem council, and it shows Peter, writing years later, calling Paul our beloved brother and placing his letters alongside the Scriptures (Acts 15:7-12, 2 Peter 3:15-16).