Tarsus

Biblical Text

Tarsus is mentioned five times in the New Testament Book of Acts, and every passage concerns the apostle Paul.

• Acts 9:11: The Lord tells Ananias to enquire for "one called Saul, of Tarsus." Immediately after his conversion, Paul is identified by the name of his hometown.
• Acts 9:30: When Saul's life is threatened in Jerusalem, the brethren bring him down to Caesarea and send him forth to Tarsus.
• Acts 11:25-26: Barnabas goes to Tarsus to seek Saul and brings him to Antioch, where the two teach in the church for a whole year.
• Acts 21:39: Paul introduces himself to the chief captain as "a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city."
• Acts 22:3: Paul states that he was "born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia" and was taught "at the feet of Gamaliel."

Background

Tarsus was a city in the region of Cilicia in southeastern Asia Minor, corresponding to the modern city of Tarsus in Mersin Province in southern Türkiye. It lay a short distance inland from the Mediterranean coast, and the Cydnus River flowed through the city. By way of the Cilician Gates, a pass through the Taurus Mountains to the north, it stood on a major route linking the interior of Asia Minor with Syria. In the Roman period it was the principal city of Cilicia. The ancient geographer Strabo recorded that its inhabitants were devoted to philosophy and learning. Paul's description of Tarsus as "no mean city" is generally read as reflecting this standing.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

Tarsus is understood as the setting that shows Paul, though a Jew, to have been born into Hellenistic culture and the Roman world. The period he spent in Tarsus after his conversion, and Barnabas's bringing him to Antioch, mark a turning point from the conversion of Paul to the mission to the Gentiles. In Galatians 1:21 Paul writes that after his conversion he "came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia." This is commonly taken to refer to the same period as his departure for Tarsus in Acts 9:30.

Interpretations and Issues

• Length of stay in Tarsus: Scripture does not specify how much time elapsed between Acts 9:30 and 11:25, so estimates range from a few years to about ten years. Some hold that Paul evangelized in Cilicia during this period, but the text gives no specifics.
• Where he was brought up: The phrase "brought up in this city" in Acts 22:3 refers to Jerusalem. On this basis some interpreters conclude that Paul moved to Jerusalem at a young age and grew up there. Others hold that he spent a considerable part of his upbringing in Tarsus and was exposed to Greek education there.
• Citizenship: Paul says that he was a citizen of Tarsus and a Roman citizen by birth (Acts 22:28). Scripture does not, however, explain how his family obtained Roman citizenship.
• Tentmaking: One explanation links Paul's trade (Acts 18:3) with the goat-hair cloth for which Cilicia was known. This is conjecture.
• Relation to Tarshish: Some ancient writers, including Josephus, identified the Tarshish mentioned in Jonah 1:3 and elsewhere with Tarsus. Today the more common view locates Tarshish in the western Mediterranean.

In the Korean Church

The expression "Saul of Tarsus" is frequently used in sermons. The account of Barnabas traveling all the way to Tarsus to bring Saul back (Acts 11:25) is also often cited in sermons on Barnabas's encouragement and partnership in ministry. Tarsus is sometimes included in pilgrimage itineraries to Türkiye. However, sites presented locally as "St. Paul's Well" and the like rest on later tradition, and no direct connection to Paul has been confirmed.