Day 2: The Historical Land of the Bible

“With Israel’s rich history as the place of Jesus’ birth and public ministry, Christians forget that Anatolia was the land of some of the most significant events in the Old and New Testaments.”

• The Garden of Eden might be  located in this region as the Tigris and Euphrates originate in and snake through eastern Turkey
•  Noah’s family settled in the northeast region of Ararat after the flood
• Abraham’s family settled in the southeastern city of Harran after migrating from the city of Ur
• Jacob lived in the region of Harran for fourteen years in service to Laban for his marriages to Leah and Rachel
• Approximately two thirds of the New Testament was written to or from churches in Turkey
• The origin of the first Christians in Turkey can be traced to the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:9)
• The Apostle Paul’s hometown of Tarsus is located in southeast Turkey
• In Antioch, located in southeastern Turkey, the followers of Jesus were first called “Christians” (Acts 11:25-26)
• Paul traveled throughout  southern and western Turkey on his three missionary journeys with the distinct purpose of planting local churches (Acts 13-20)
• Ephesus, a Roman city in the Aegean Region, was Paul’s ministry focus for three years
• Peter likely traveled through northern Turkey spreading the Gospel and planting churches; he wrote two letters from Rome addressed to the Christians “scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia” (1 Peter 1:1) which were Roman provinces in Turkey
• The Apostle John wrote four letters (1, 2, 3 John and Revelation) as the church leader in Ephesus
• While exiled to the island of Patmos, John addressed the spiritual condition of seven churches in western Turkey: Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7), Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11), Pergamum (Rev. 2:12-17), Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29), Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6), Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13), and Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22)

“As we survey the biblical history of Anatolia, it becomes clear that Turkey, more than any other single place on earth, is where early Christianity grew and developed.”

*All information and quotes are taken from Turkey: The Lost Land of the Bible by Dr. Andrew Jackson.