Mysia

Biblical Text

Mysia is mentioned twice in Acts 16, in an episode from Paul's second missionary journey. Because the Holy Spirit had forbidden them to preach the word in Asia, Paul, Silas, and Timothy went throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia. "After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas" (Acts 16:7–8). At Troas, Paul then saw in the night a vision of a man of Macedonia (Acts 16:9–10), and the group crossed the sea to Europe.

Background

Mysia was a region at the northwestern tip of the Anatolian peninsula. It generally bordered the Sea of Marmara to the north and the Aegean Sea to the west, and it adjoined Bithynia, Phrygia, and Lydia to the east and south. The name is thought to derive from the Mysians who lived there.

In the late second century BC, the Kingdom of Pergamum, which ruled the area, passed to Rome, and Mysia thereafter became part of the Roman province of Asia (a province being an administrative district governed by Rome). Mysia was therefore less a distinct administrative unit than a long-standing regional name. Its exact boundaries are described differently depending on the period and the source. Places such as Troas, Assos, Adramyttium, and Pergamum (Revelation 2:12) are commonly described as lying within or near Mysia in the broader sense.

Wider Biblical Significance

Mysia appears in Acts in a scene in which the Holy Spirit directs the course of the mission. The routes into Asia and Bithynia were closed, and the group eventually reached Troas and crossed over to Macedonia. Because of this sequence, Mysia is read as a gateway through which the gospel passed beyond Asia Minor into Europe. Beginning at Acts 16:10, the narrative shifts to the first person plural ("we"), and on this basis many scholars hold that Luke, traditionally regarded as the author of Acts, joined the group at Troas.

Interpretation and Issues

• The phrase "come to Mysia" is understood by some to mean that the group reached the border of Mysia, and by others to mean that they arrived opposite Mysia.
• "Passing by Mysia" (Greek parelthontes) can be read as meaning that they traveled through Mysia. Since Mysia belonged to the province of Asia, some interpreters take it to mean that they passed through without preaching there. Scholars reconstruct the actual route in different ways.
• The text does not say how the Holy Spirit closed the way. Explanations that point to prophecy, illness, or external circumstances are the conjectures of interpreters.
• The expression "the Spirit of Jesus" in verse 7 (the reading followed by most modern translations; the KJV has "the Spirit") occurs only here in the New Testament. It is sometimes treated as a verse that illustrates the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, sermons on Acts 16:6–10 that address the guidance of the Holy Spirit and "closed doors and open doors" are common. The passage is also frequently used in sermons on mission. In such sermons, Mysia is mentioned as part of the journey to Troas.