Antioch

The name of sixteen cities founded by Alexander the Great in memory of his father, Antiochus. Two are mentioned in the Bible.

Antioch of Pisidia. This city was on an important trading route in Asia Minor (now Turkey). Paul and Barnabas preached in the synagogue in Antioch on their first journey, and many people were interested in the gospel.

Antioch in Syria. The city where believers were first called Christians. It was fifteen miles from the Mediterranean Sea. It was a business center with many caravan routes going through it. In the time of Paul, it may have had a population of five hundred thousand. Antioch had the first Christian church, made up mostly of Gentiles. When the church at Antioch began to grow, the church at Jerusalem sent Barnabas to help the new Christians. This church sent Paul on his missionary journeys, and between journeys he returned to the Antioch church to tell what had happened. This city still exists today and is now called Antakiyeh.