Later in the life of Seleucus Nicator I, the
successor of Alexander the Great that organized Asia Minor, the city
of Antioch of Pisidia was founded. He located the city strategically
one hundred miles north of Perga, long after (25 years) the founding
of such cities as Antioch on the Orontes and the nearby port of
Seleucia. Part of the so called lake district of southwest Asia
Minor, the strategic value of Pisidian Antioch was the guard like
position it held at 3500 feet above sea level in the Taurus
Mountains.
The position guarded the road access from the south, as well as the
so called high road from Ephesus to Syria. It was settled and
maintained as the military command center of southern Galatia, and
was located in the proximity of the border of Pisidia and Phrygia.
Because it was near the border, the historian Strabo referred to the
place as near Pisidia. The city was set atop a precipice described
by Sir William Ramsey on his visit at the beginning of the twentieth
century as an oblong plateau varying from 50 feet to 200 feet above
the plain nearly two miles in circumference.
By 25 BCE the city had become a colony of Rome. Westerners had
poured into the city, retired soldiers with a military pension,
merchants and those seeking a quieter life than those close to Rome.
The expatriate Romans enjoyed full citizenship, something not
attained for their indigenous counterparts until later, yet the
whole city flourished and enjoyed peace and prosperity in the
generation leading up to Paul and Barnabas’ visit. The frequent host
of Roman governors on travels from west to east, the city hosted
festivals and games, and the money attracted greater investment in
this, a center of Galatian activity.
On the First Mission Journey, Paul and Barnabas left the area of
Perga without John Mark and proceeded to Antioch, where they entered
the synagogue on the Sabbath. The address given there caused the
reaction that later characterized Paul’s mission journeys, some had
a revival, others a riot! Driven from the city, Paul and Barnabas
moved on to Iconium, experiencing an early moment of joy in the
journey. It was here that Paul was moved by the hardness of his
fellow countrymen and turned to the Gentiles, a decision that would
mark a concern of the Jerusalem Church for years to come.
Today, modern Yalvac is settled by a large agricultural and rural
settlement amidst the still rich and fertile plains and
pasturelands.
