Paul’s first missionary journey took him from Cyprus into the heart of Anatolia. Why did Paul and Barnabas choose the treacherous path through Perga to Pisidian Antioch? In “Why Perga? Paul’s Perilous Passage through Pisidia” in the November/December 2013 issue of BAR, Mark R. Fairchild explores archaeological evidence of the likely presence of Jewish communities on the way.
After sailing from Cyprus to the Turkish coast, Paul and Barnabas visit the city of Perga before traveling to Pisidian Antioch and other cities on the Anatolian interior. When they head back to the coast, the travelers follow the same route. Why did they choose such a treacherous route for Paul’s first missionary journey? Mark R. Fairchild explores unexcavated sites along the Kestros River Valley, exposing evidence of Jewish populations en route.
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Acts indicates that Paul deliberately traveled to cities with Jewish populations. Perga was a major city, and the presence of a Jewish community there made it an ideal base for Paul’s first missionary journey through Anatolia. Fairchild argues that Paul and Barnabas could have taken an easy but roundabout path along established Roman roads, but opted to travel along the rugged Kestros Valley because of the hospitality of local Jewish communities.
Paul and Barnabas would have sailed from Cyprus to one of these ports on the Turkish coast before traveling to Perga.
Mark R. Fairchild suggests that Paul traveled from Perga up the Kestros River Valley to Pisidian Antioch, the route indicated in green.
Subscribers: Read “Why Perga? Paul’s Perilous Passage through Pisidia” by Mark R. Fairchild as it appears in the November/December 2013 issue of BAR.
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Related reading in Bible History Daily:
Galatians 3:28—Neither Jew nor Greek, Slave nor Free, Male and Female
This Bible History Daily feature was originally published in November 2013.
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