Most of the commentators believe that the place in which the above incident of apostles happened was ANTIOCH, but none of them have given a satisfying reason to prove that. Some other deny that, and think that the place referred to, must have been a village in the suburb of the city, or somewhere such as Iconium, Lystra, or Darb. In the above verse (NO.18) the apostles were threatened by their addressees of being stoned if they did not stop. In the Gospel-Acts 14:1-7 we read of the same threat thus:- Then some Gentiles and Jews together with their leaders, in Iconium decided to ill-treat the apostles and stone them. Wherever the incident was, we will give some explanation of Antioch's history here to help our reader in more understanding:-
Antioch was the ancient capital of the Seleucid dynasty of Syria, on the Orontes river 20 miles from its Mediterranean port. The city was founded by SELEUCUS NICATOR around 300 B.C., and named for his father ANTIOCHUS. The city was strategically placed to control all the north-south traffic at this point. It soon became one of the largest commerical centers, and one of the most magnificent cities in the world. Celebrated for the splendor of its architecture, it was embellished first by the Seleucid kings, and later by Roman Emperors.
It served as the capital of Roman Empire in Asia, and at that time claimed a population of nearly half a million Greeks-Jews and Aramaeans, whom the Romans regarded as noisy, untrustworthy, fickles and morally lax.
In size and importance it was the third city of Roman Empire. ANTIOCH became the chief center of Christianity outside Palestine in the first century A.D. It was here that the disciples of Jesus were first called Christians, and here that AGABUS and BARNABAS commissioned for their missionary journeys. (ACTS-11:25-30)
Saul too, was called by BARNABAS. The Gospel of MATTHEWS is thought by many scholars to have been written here. According to historical evidences ANTIOCH flourished after the apostles and became a center of Christianity and churches. It turned to a second place of the Christian believers after Palestine, just as Medina became the second Moslem town after Mecca.
In the Gospel ACTS-13:49, we read about the state of the city with the apostles:-
``The word of Lord spread everywhere in that region, but the Jews stirred up the leading men of the city and the Gentile women of high social standing who worshipped God. They started a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and threw them out of the region. The apostles shook the dust off their feet in protest against them and went from there to ICONIUM. The believers in ANTIOCH were full of joy and Holy Spirit. In ICONUM the apostles spoke in such a way that a great number of Jews and Gentiles became believers, but the Jews who would not believe, stirred up the Gentiles and turned them against the Christian believers...then the people of the town were divided, some were for the Jews, and some for the apostles. Then some Gentiles and Jews together with their leaders, decided to ill-treat the Apostles and to stone them.'' In this incident we read in S-36:18 of Qurän that, the non-believers said to the apostles:-
``We augur ill omen of you! If you do not desist we will stone you...''
EXTRACTED FROM: 1) NEW TESTAMENT
2) INTERNATIONAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.
TRANSLATOR'S NOTE
THE END OF PART (22)
