Troas

Troas in the Bible

Troas appears in four New Testament passages connected with the travels of Paul.

• The vision of the man of Macedonia (Acts 16:8-11): During the second missionary journey, Paul and his companions passed by Mysia and came down to Troas. That night Paul saw in a vision a man pleading, "Come over into Macedonia, and help us" (16:9). The group then set sail and traveled by way of Samothracia and Neapolis to Philippi.
• The Eutychus incident (Acts 20:5-12): On his return at the end of the third journey, Paul stayed in Troas for seven days. Fellow workers such as Tychicus, who had gone ahead, waited for the group there (20:4-5). When the believers gathered on the first day of the week to break bread, Paul's discourse continued until midnight. A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in a window, fell asleep and dropped from the third story. Paul went down, embraced him, and said, "his life is in him" (20:10).
• 2 Corinthians 2:12-13: Paul writes that he came to Troas to preach the gospel and that a door was opened to him by the Lord, but because he did not find Titus there, he had no rest in his spirit and departed for Macedonia.
• 2 Timothy 4:13: Paul asks Timothy to bring the cloak he had left at Troas with Carpus, along with the books, "but especially the parchments."

Background

Troas took its name from the region of ancient Troy (the Troad), and its official name is generally understood to have been Alexandria Troas. Because it was the starting point of the sea route linking Asia Minor and Macedonia, Paul passed through it when traveling between the two regions. It is reported to have received the status of a Roman colony.

Broader Biblical Significance

Troas is portrayed as the turning point at which Paul's mission expanded across the Aegean into Macedonia. Beginning in Acts 16:10, the narrative shifts to the first-person plural "we," which has traditionally been taken to mean that the author, Luke, joined the group at this point. The text does not state this directly, however, so it remains an inference.

Interpretations and Debates

• The gathering on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7): Many Protestant denominations regard this verse as one piece of evidence that the early church met on the Lord's Day. The Seventh-day Adventist Church holds that, according to Jewish reckoning of days, this gathering may have taken place on Saturday evening, and argues that the verse does not establish a change from the Sabbath to Sunday. For details, see Sabbath and Sunday.
• Breaking of bread: Some interpreters understand this expression as referring to Communion, while others take it as a shared meal.
• Did Eutychus die?: The text says he "was taken up dead" (20:9), so most traditions read the account as the raising of a dead person. A minority view, appealing to Paul's words (20:10), holds that he had only fainted.
• "The first mission to Europe": The Macedonian vision is often described as the gospel's first crossing into Europe. The text, however, does not use the category "Europe"; this description imposes a later geographical division.

In the Korean Church

"Come over into Macedonia, and help us" (Acts 16:9) is frequently quoted at missions rallies and in sermons commissioning missionaries. The story of Eutychus is often used in sermons on the proper attitude toward hearing the Word or on care within the community.