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Apostle Paul's Missionary Journeys
The city has a history going back over 2,000 years.
The Hittites first dominated the city, followed by the
powerful Assyrian Empire then the massive empire of Persia.
It was the headquarters of a Persian satrapy (a Persian
governor who rules over a particular jurisdiction or province) for a period of
time starting from around 400 B.C.
The undefeated Grecian military leader Alexander travelled
through Tarsus with his massive army in 333 B.C.
Alexander almost met his demise in the city after he had
taken a bath in Cydnus.
Pompey, the great Roman military general, placed Tarsus
under the control of Rome.
It soon became the capital city of Cilicia (the province in
which the city existed) and the place where the province's governor lived.
The city was given the status of being "free" by
Roman Emperor Augustus as a thanks for its efforts during Rome's civil wars.
Free cities in the Roman empire were allowed to govern
themselves by their own laws and customs, and given the privilege of selecting
their own magistrates.
Such free cities were also not subject to having Roman
guards stationed within its gates.
Those born in such free cities (like the Apostle Paul) were
deemed to be citizens of the Roman Empire and could therefore exercise the
privileges and rights granted to those with a Rome-based citizenship.
The city was also the place where Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and
Mark Antony met for the first time and where they held celebrated feasts during
the construction of their fleet (41 B.C.).
It was well-known for its culture of Greek philosophy,
literature and wealth.
Its schools of learning rivaled and excelled even those
found in Athens and Alexandria.
Around 171 B.C. the city's library held 200,000 books,
including a huge collection of scientific works.
The New Testament references the apostle Paul in relation to
his hometown several times (Acts 9:11, 30, 11:25, 21:39, 22:3).
The Life and Epistles of Paul by Conybeare and Howson states the following regarding the
apostle's place of birth.
"Situated
near the western border of the Cilician plain, where the river Cydnus flows in
a cold and rapid stream, from the snows of Taurus to the sea, was the city of
Tarsus, the capital of the whole province, and ‘no mean city’ (Acts 21:39) in the history
of the ancient world. Its coins reveal to us its greatness through a long
series of years:- alike in the period which intervened between Xerxes and
Alexander, - and under the Roman sway, when it exulted in the name of
Metropolis, - and long after Hadrian had rebuilt it, and issued his new coinage
with the old mythological types . . .
"Strabo
says that, in all that relates to philosophy and general education, it (the
city) was even more illustrious than Athens and Alexandria. From his description
it is evident that its main character was that of a Greek city, where the Greek
language was spoken, and Greek literature studiously cultivated. But we should
be wrong in supposing that the general population of the province was of Greek
origin, or spoke the Greek tongue. When Cyrus came with his army from the
Western Coast, and still later, when Alexander penetrated into Cilicia, they
found the inhabitants "Barbarians." (chapter 1, section "Tarsus and
Cicero")
Paul's reference to the place of his birth and the Roman
citizenship it made possible helped him avoid being WHIPPED by the Romans (Acts 22:22 - 29).
He also used his rights of citizenship, given to him in
Tarsus, when he appealed to have a case against him (started by Jews) be heard
in Rome by Caesar himself (Acts 25:10 - 12).
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