ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA
Pisidia was the traditional name of a highland district in Asia Minor. When the Romans took control of Asia Minor, they replaced the many local districts with a smaller number of Roman provinces. Pisidia now fell within the Roman province of Galatia. Antioch lay within Galatia, on the border area between the two smaller districts of Pisidia and Phrygia (Acts 13:14; 16:6; for map see GALATIA). It is usually referred to as Pisidian Antioch to distinguish it from Syrian Antioch. When Paul and Barnabas first came to Antioch, they preached in the Jewish synagogue on the Sabbath and there was a good response, both from Jews and from Gentiles (Acts 13:14,42-43). The next Sabbath almost the whole Gentile population of Antioch came to the synagogue to hear the missionaries preach.
The Jewish leaders became jealous and angry, and drove Paul and Barnabas from the city (Acts 13:44-50; 2 Tim 3:11). The two missionaries, not lacking in courage, returned to the city soon after (Acts 14:21). Antioch was one of the churches of Galatia that Paul addressed in his Letter to the Galatians (Gal 1:2; see GALATIANS, LETTER TO THE). Paul visited the churches of Galatia again on his second and third missionary journeys (Acts 16:6; 18:23).