Straight Street

Biblical Text

Straight Street appears once, in chapter 9 of Acts. On the road to Damascus, Saul encountered the risen Jesus and was struck blind. For three days he could not see, and he neither ate nor drank (Acts 9:9). The Lord then spoke to Ananias, a disciple living in Damascus: "Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth" (Acts 9:11). Ananias went to the house and laid his hands on Saul; "there fell from his eyes as it had been scales," Saul received his sight, and he was baptized (Acts 9:17–18). In Acts 22, where Paul himself recounts these events, the name of the street does not appear.

Background

The Korean name Jikga (直街) means "straight street." The Greek text reads "the street called Straight" (Eutheia). In the Roman period, Damascus was a city with a long, major thoroughfare running east to west. Straight Street is commonly identified with this east–west avenue. Today the street in the Old City of Damascus leading to the East Gate (Bab Sharqi) is regarded as its site. Scholars differ, however, on the exact extent of the first-century street. Judas, the owner of the house, is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible.

Broader Biblical Significance

Straight Street is the setting for part of Paul's transformation from persecutor to apostle. Here his encounter with the Lord on the road is joined to the moment of his reception into the community of the church. The text records that Saul was praying in this house. Ananias of Damascus, who had feared him, obeyed the Lord's command and welcomed him, addressing him as "Brother Saul." Paul later described his calling as the work of God accomplished by grace (Galatians 1:15–16).

Interpretation and Issues

• The relationship between conversion and baptism: Readers differ on whether Saul's conversion was complete in the encounter on the road or should be understood as a single event that includes the baptism he received in the house on Straight Street. Many Presbyterian and Baptist interpreters regard the encounter on the road as the heart of his conversion and baptism as the sign that publicly declared it. Traditions that emphasize the significance of baptism point to the words of Acts 22:16, "be baptized, and wash away thy sins," and read baptism as more closely bound to the process of salvation.
• When Saul was filled with the Spirit: Interpretations also diverge over the verse stating that through Ananias's laying on of hands Saul would be "filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 9:17). The Pentecostal tradition reads it as an example of baptism in the Holy Spirit as a distinct experience following conversion. Other traditions read it as part of a single event occurring together with conversion.
• Later embellishments: The name "Straight Street" is often interpreted as a symbol of a crooked life being made straight. This is a homiletical image, not something the text itself states. Likewise, the memorial chapel known locally as the "House of Ananias" and the site of the "House of Judas" are places handed down by later tradition, not locations confirmed by Scripture.

In the Korean Church

Straight Street is mentioned chiefly in sermons on the conversion of Paul. It is presented as the place where Saul prayed alone immediately after his conversion and where, through Ananias's obedience, a man was received into the church. In the past it was sometimes included in pilgrimage itineraries to Syria. Since the Syrian civil war, however, the South Korean government has designated Syria a country under a travel ban, making visits practically impossible.