Antioch-on-the-Orontes, founded in the fourth century B.C. as the capital of the Seleucid Empire, is essentially no more! In February 2023, southern Turkey and northern Syria were hit by a series of powerful earthquakes which destroyed most of the region. Modern Antakya, built on the ruins of ancient Antioch, sustained irreparable damage.
In the first century, Antioch was a fertile ground for early Christian missions. Indeed, the Christian church there pioneered the blending of Jews and Gentiles together (Acts 11:19-26) and became the home base for the apostle Paul’s three missionary journeys to the Gentiles (Acts 13:1-2). It was there that believers in Jesus were first called “Christians” (v. 26). The apostle Peter visited, according to Galatians 2:11-16.
The well-known Apostolic Father, St. Ignatius, was the first bishop in Antioch. He wrote seven highly regarded letters, extant today, while enroute to Rome to be martyred for his faith (c. A.D. 110). It is interesting to note that the fourth-century cave church on Mt. Staurinus, believed to be at the same site where Peter preached in the first century, suffered only minor damage.
Source: “Devastation in Antakya,” Biblical Archaeology Review, Summer 2024, p. 20
