Church of Antioch

Background

Antioch was a city on the Orontes River in northern Syria, generally said to have been founded around 300 BC by Seleucus I. It served as the capital of the Seleucid dynasty, and in the Roman period it ranked among the great cities of the East. It corresponds to present-day Antakya in Türkiye. The city had a large Jewish community, and people of many ethnic backgrounds lived there together. It is distinct from Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14), which Paul visited on his first missionary journey.

Development

Because the Acts of the Apostles does not give precise dates, scholars reconstruct the chronology.

• Founding of the church: Believers scattered after the martyrdom of Stephen came to Antioch and at first preached only to Jews. Some men from Cyprus and Cyrene, however, also proclaimed Jesus to the Grecians, that is, Greek-speaking Gentiles, and a great number believed (Acts 11:19–21). These events are generally dated to the late 30s or early 40s.
• Barnabas and Saul: The church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas, who brought Saul (Paul) from Tarsus, and the two taught together for a year. It was at this time that the disciples were first called "Christians" in Antioch (Acts 11:26).
• Famine relief: After hearing Agabus prophesy a great famine in the days of the emperor Claudius (r. 41–54), the church sent relief to the believers in Judea by the hands of Barnabas and Saul (Acts 11:27–30).
• Commissioning: Acts 13:1 lists the prophets and teachers of this church as Barnabas; Simeon, called Niger; Lucius of Cyrene; Manaen, who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch; and Saul. After fasting and prayer, the church laid hands on Barnabas and Saul and sent them away (Acts 13:2–3). This marked the first of Paul's missionary journeys, commonly dated to the late 40s.
• The circumcision controversy: When men from Judea taught that Gentile believers must be circumcised in order to be saved, the church sent Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem. The decision of the Council of Jerusalem, convened over this matter (commonly dated to around 49), was delivered to Antioch by letter (Acts 15). Paul's public rebuke of Peter at Antioch also reflects the tensions of this period (Galatians 2:11–14).
• Later events: Paul's second journey (Acts 15:36–41) and third journey (Acts 18:22–23) also began from Antioch.

Outcome and Influence

The church of Antioch became the base from which the gospel spread beyond the Jewish community into the wider Mediterranean world. After the apostolic age, Antioch remained a major center of the Eastern church. Ignatius, bishop of the city in the early second century, is said to have been taken to Rome and martyred there. The so-called Antiochene school, which read Scripture with an emphasis on its literal and historical sense, is also associated with the city, and John Chrysostom was a native of Antioch.

Assessment

The church of Antioch is often cited as a model of a "missionary church." Some interpreters, noting that the list of leaders includes both a man from Cyrene in North Africa and a member of the royal circle, read it as describing a community that transcended ethnicity and social status. In Korean Protestant churches, Acts 13 is frequently read at services commissioning missionaries and during mission weeks, and the name "Antioch" is widely used for congregations.

Interpretations of the laying on of hands in Acts 13:3 differ. Some view it as an ordination to an office, while others see it as a sign of commissioning, by which those already engaged in ministry were entrusted with a particular task and sent out. The circumcision controversy and the conflict between Peter and Paul are studied as evidence that the early church experienced real conflict over the relationship between the law and Gentile believers.