Acts 13:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Explaining why Paul and Barnabas did not stop in Perga, Saint John Chrysostom says: "He, Paul, passes by those places where the word of God had already been sown. Where it had not yet been sown, there he stops (see Rom 15:20). This bears witness to his great courage. Truly, from the beginning he was a wondrous man. Having been crucified to the world (see Gal 6:14), and armed spiritually, he knew what grace was in him. In measure with that grace, he showed zeal. He was not angry with John, for that was not his way. Rather, he took up the work. He did not fear or tremble, though exposed to dangers among the people. Having visited Perga again, they hasten to the chief city, the very populous Antioch. It was also good that they entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, when all were gathered."

There is a tradition that, when leaving Paphos, the Apostle Paul appointed Epaphras there as the first bishop. Concerning Sergius Paulus it is reported that he preached in Spain and was even bishop in Narbonne.

Here, among other things, it deserves attention that Paul now appears as the greater one. Apparently Barnabas himself granted him this position, having become convinced of Paul's extraordinary strength of spirit and of the greatness of the gifts given him by God for preaching among the pagans.

Blessed Theophylact thinks that the Apostles were dressed in Jewish clothing so that they could enter the synagogue freely. Otherwise they might have been driven out.

Of course, this clothing may have consisted only of the coverings used by Jews in synagogues. One may suppose that, in their other clothing, the Jews of those places did not differ greatly from the local inhabitants.

From the later narrative (see Acts 14:12), it is clear that the Apostles, when passing through regions inhabited by Greeks, wore the classical dress of those times. Thus, by their clothing, they did not seem alien even to the Greeks.

The fact that from this point the Apostle Paul appears as leader among the preachers of the Christian faith sheds some light on their chosen direction after the preaching on Cyprus was completed.

When Barnabas set out from Antioch as leader, he chose Cyprus, his homeland, as the first place of preaching. So now Paul strives toward the shores of Asia Minor, and especially toward places near his own homeland.

For the first time the Apostles set foot on the shore of Asia Minor in the city of Perga. It lay some distance from the river Cestrus, situated between and along the slopes of two considerable hills.

Before them stretched a broad valley, in the depths of which the mountain shields of Taurus could be seen. The city dominated the region, and above the city towered a cliff crowned by an acropolis and the famous sanctuary of Artemis of Perga.

As Ephesus, with its statue of Diana, or Artemis of Ephesus, formed the religious center of the western half of Nearer Asia, so Perga was the religious center for the southern coast of this peninsula.

Artemis of Perga was worshiped in the manner of Cybele of Pessinus, in a vile form. Perhaps the Apostle Paul arrived in the city during a public festival in her honor. Therefore the Apostles did not stop in Perga, but went on farther.

"The only possible route of the Apostles from Perga was the road that ran along the right bank of the river Cestrus, through the right-hand pass of Climon."

"The Apostles soon reached the city of Cremna, lying on the spurs of Taurus." Moving in a northeastern direction, they finally reached Pisidian Antioch.

"Pisidian Antioch lay at the southern foot of a mountain chain stretching from east to west, which formed the natural boundary between Pisidia and Phrygia. The city stood on the road to Ephesus. It received its name from the Syrian king Seleucus Nicator, who, while hellenizing the conquered regions, named sixteen cities after his father Antiochus. When it became a Roman colony, this city enjoyed Italian rights. But in religious matters the Romans restricted the famous priestly service there of Men Arcaeus. His cult resembled the cult of the goddess Ma in Comana of Cappadocia. The root of the words 'Men' and 'Ma,' as well as of the native name of Artemis of Perga, Manapem, is one and the same. It seems probable that Ma was a Persian goddess of the moon, while Men was the embodiment of the idea of the masculine principle."

"Bloody sacrifices were one of the distinctive features of this cult. Debauchery was also among the elements belonging to it."

"Happily, the works of this darkness did not satisfy all who had thus far walked in its train. Here, as in other cities of the Roman world, there appears a class of 'God-fearers,' humbly bowing before Him and His law. They all flowed toward the visible center of the Jewish religion, the synagogue."

"The Apostle's gaze also was directed toward the Jewish synagogue. In this case too, they were only acting in accordance with the order of salvation established by God Himself (see Isa 42:6). Together with the crowd of Jews and proselytes, they entered the synagogue and sat down in the specially prepared places."