Antioch of Syria—Acts 11:19

Antioch was the capital of Syria. It was built in 300 BC by Seleucus I Nicator, who named it after his father, Antiochus. Under the Seleucids, Antioch was the capital of Syria and a multi-cultural city for Greeks, Macedonians, native Syrians, Jews, and Romans (c. 300–64 BC). Later, Antioch became the Roman Empire’s military headquarters in the East (c. 64 BC–500 AD).

Antioch wasa center for Christian evangelism (Acts 11:19-21), the home base for missionary journeys of Barnabas and Paul (Acts 13:1-3). Disciples were first called “Christians” in Antioch (Acts 11:26).The first Apostolic Council settled important issues raised in the Antiochian church (Acts 15:1-35).