Lycaonia

Biblical Text

The name Lycaonia appears twice in Acts 14. When Paul and Barnabas were threatened with stoning in Iconium, they fled "unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about" (Acts 14:6). At Lystra, Paul healed a man who had been unable to walk from birth. Seeing this, the crowds cried out "in the speech of Lycaonia" that the gods had come down in the likeness of men (Acts 14:11). They called Barnabas Jupiter (Zeus) and Paul Mercurius (Hermes), "because he was the chief speaker," and the priest of Jupiter, whose temple stood before the city, brought oxen and garlands to offer sacrifice. The two men tore their clothes and restrained the crowd (Acts 14:12-18).

Afterward, Jews who came from Antioch of Pisidia and Iconium stirred up the crowds, who stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city. The next day Paul departed for Derbe (Acts 14:19-20). On their return journey the two men revisited these cities, strengthening the disciples and ordaining elders in every church (Acts 14:21-23). During the second missionary journey, Paul visited Derbe and Lystra again, and there he gained Timothy as a coworker (Acts 16:1-3).

Geography and Historical Background

Lycaonia corresponds to the high plateau plain around present-day Konya in Türkiye. It bordered Phrygia to the west and Cilicia and Pisidia to the south. In the Roman period, much of the region belonged to the province of Galatia. Lystra is known to have become a Roman colony under Augustus.

The "speech of Lycaonia" was the language of the region's native inhabitants. Because almost no records of it survive, its character is not well known. Acts, moreover, distinguishes Iconium from Lycaonia, and some ancient sources likewise classify Iconium as Phrygian. Some modern scholars have cited this as evidence of the accuracy of Luke's geographical descriptions.

Significance in Scripture as a Whole

Lycaonia was an early setting in which the gospel moved beyond the synagogue into a polytheistic Gentile society. Paul's sermon there (Acts 14:15-17) does not quote Scripture but instead appeals to the God who made heaven and earth and to the witness of nature, such as rain and fruitful seasons. For this reason it is often read, together with the sermon at Athens (Acts 17), as a model of evangelism directed toward Gentiles. In 2 Timothy 3:11 Paul recalls the afflictions he suffered at Lystra, and Timothy's grandmother and mother, Lois and Eunice, are also thought to have come from this region (2 Timothy 1:5).

Interpretations and Issues

• The language and the delayed response: Many interpreters hold that Paul and Barnabas intervened only after seeing the preparations for sacrifice because they did not understand the Lycaonian language. The text does not say so directly.
• Worship of Zeus and Hermes: A Greco-Roman legend in which the gods visited this region disguised as men (Ovid's story of Baucis and Philemon) is frequently cited as background to the crowd's reaction. This connection, however, is scholarly conjecture.
• Whether Paul died: The text says only that the crowd dragged Paul out, "supposing he had been dead" (Acts 14:19). Claims that Paul actually died and was raised at this time, or that this event is the same as his experience of the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2-4), are interpretations added to the text without basis in it.
• The recipients of Galatians: The South Galatian and North Galatian theories differ over whether the churches addressed in Galatians include churches of the southern region, such as Lystra and Derbe.
• Witness through nature: In the Reformed tradition, Acts 14:17 is often cited as a text that speaks of common grace and natural revelation.
• How elders were appointed: In discussions of church polity, the statement in Acts 14:23 that elders were "ordained" is debated as to whether it should be read as election by the church or as appointment by the apostles.