Perga

Perga in the Bible

Perga appears twice in Acts along the route of Paul's first missionary journey.

• Acts 13:13-14: Paul and his companions sail from Paphos on the island of Cyprus and come to Perga in Pamphylia. There John leaves them and returns to Jerusalem. This John is the "John, whose surname was Mark" of Acts 12:25, that is, Mark. The rest of the company passes through Perga and goes on to Antioch in Pisidia.
• Acts 14:24-26: On the return journey the company passes through Pisidia and comes to Pamphylia. After preaching the word in Perga, they go down to the port of Attalia and sail back to Antioch.

Background

Perga (Greek Perge) was a city of Pamphylia, a coastal region in southern Asia Minor. It lay a short distance inland and was connected to the sea routes through the nearby port of Attalia (modern Antalya). The city flourished in the Greek and Roman periods and was known for the worship of the goddess Artemis. Its ruins survive today near Antalya, Türkiye. Pamphylia is also listed among the homelands of the people gathered in Jerusalem at the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:10).

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

Perga is remembered as the place where Mark left the missionary company. This later became Paul's reason for objecting when Barnabas wanted to take Mark on the second missionary journey. In the end Paul and Barnabas parted company and went their separate ways (Acts 15:37-39). In Paul's later letters, however, Mark appears once again as a fellow worker (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 1:24; 2 Timothy 4:11). Perga thus marks the starting point of Mark's story, which moves from failure to restoration.

Interpretations and Issues

• Why Mark left: The text gives no reason. Commonly proposed explanations include the hardships of travel and fear of danger, homesickness, and discomfort with the shift in the company's leadership from Barnabas to Paul. Some interpreters cite Acts 13:13, which speaks of "Paul and his company," in support of this last explanation. All of these explanations are conjecture and should be distinguished from what the text actually states.
• Speculation about Paul's illness: Some scholars connect the "infirmity of the flesh" in Galatians 4:13-14 with an illness (such as malaria) contracted in the lowlands of Pamphylia. On this reading, the illness would explain why the company went directly from Perga up into the highlands of Pisidia. This, however, is only a hypothesis, not an established view.
• Preaching on the first visit: There is no record of preaching in Perga during the first visit; the text says only that the word was preached there on the return journey. Here too the text gives no reason.
• The dispute between Paul and Barnabas: Some interpreters emphasize Paul's judgment in maintaining the seriousness of the ministry. Others emphasize Barnabas's generosity in giving a second chance to someone who had failed. Still others hold that the division of the missionary company into two groups ultimately broadened the ministry.

In the Korean Church

In Korean preaching, Perga is mentioned mainly in connection with Mark's departure and his later restoration. The ruins of Perga are also sometimes included in pilgrimage itineraries that visit sites of Paul's missionary work in Türkiye.