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Home , Cilicia

7. :21-24 I. REJECT THOSE WHO TEACH YOU A DIFFERENT DOCTRINE A. Because My Doctrine Is Not from Men 3. After that, I went into the of and

Introduction

The fourth event Paul mentioned that showed he got his doctrine from God and not from men was that after visiting Cephas (Peter) in he went to Cilicia by passing through Syria. Cilicia was his home province, and his home town of Tarsus was located there (:39; 22:3). He spent a considerable amount of time in Cilicia because he was interested in teaching the Gospel of Grace to his own people. He did not spend time writing to the Galatians about the interesting experiences he must have had there, because his reason for mentioning his time in Cilicia was to show that it did not give him any contacts with leaders of believers in , who could have contributed to developing his doctrine. He spent his time in Cilicia witnessing, not learning. During that period of his life he was far away from the apostles and other key leaders of believers in Jesus. People in whom he had formerly persecuted kept hearing that he was preaching Jesus, and they glorified God for it. However, Paul emphasized that they did not know him personally and could not have contributed to His understanding of the Gospel. Instead of spending time in Judea where he could have had extensive contacts with other believers in Jesus, he occupied himself with preaching and teaching the wonderful truths God had revealed to him out of Scriptures. He was so thrilled with what God had taught him that he was totally occupied with the joy of sharing those insights with others.

Outline Pages 3. After that, I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia (1:21-24), ...... 1-4 a. But I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea in Christ (1:22)...... 1-2 b. But they only were hearing that the one who formerly was persecuting us (1:23-24) ...... 2 (1) Was now proclaiming the faith that he formerly wasted (1:23b-23c), ...... 2 (2) And they glorified God because of me (1:24)...... 2 A Related Issue: Comparison with :30 ...... 2-4

Comments today. The whole of was a part of the . The Roman rulers had included Verse 21. After that, I went into the regions Cilicia as well as in the province of Syria. of Syria and Cilicia. Though Cilicia was a part of the of Syria, to Saul it was a separate area, because it was After Paul’s brief visit in the city of his home area. Jerusalem, he went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. His real interest was in going to his home Saul did not say how long he stayed in either province of Cilicia and to his home city of Tarsus, Syria or Cilicia. Likely his stay in Syria was brief which was located in Cilicia (Acts 21:39; 22:3). He because he was eager to preach and witness in his was eager to share with them the new message he home province of Cilicia. No doubt, he took time to had learned. To get to Cilicia, he had to pass witness to Jews in Phoenicia about Jesus, but then through Phoenicia, which is called Lebanon today. he hurried on to take the good news to his home At that time, Phoenicia was included in the Roman province of Cilicia. province of Syria. Cilicia was located in the southeast of Anatolia, the area where is His stay in Cilicia must have been much longer. :41 gives a strong hint that Saul was VOLUME 7 -- GALATIANS 1:21-24 Page 2

highly successful in winning people and starting with leaders in Jerusalem and Judea was what he churches in Cilicia during that time in his life. That was wanted to communicate. verse tells of the beginning of Paul’s second missionary journey. It says that he and Silas Verse 22. But I was unknown by face to the traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches of Christ in Judea. churches. Saul and did not visit Syria and Cilicia on the first missionary journey. It is possible Paul emphasized that, even though he had that the churches in Syria and Cilicia, which Paul made a brief trip to Jerusalem, he did not remain visited on his second missionary journey, had been long enough to become known personally to the started by someone other than Paul; but most likely churches in Judea, which was the area that they were started by Paul during his visit there after surrounded Jerusalem. A few in the Jerusalem he left Jerusalem in the early years of his ministry. church must have remembered him from the month If so, he started those churches just three years and or so he spent there, but his visit had been too short a few months after his conversion. More than and the believers in Jerusalem had been too afraid anyone else in the world, he wanted his own people of him for even those few to be truly acquainted to know the wonderful truths Jesus had made with him. known to him. It must have been an exhilarating period of his life when he was able to witness to Paul’s statement, however, was that the them about Jesus, to many of them to become churches in Judea did not know him by face, that believers, and to start churches among them so early is, they did not know him well enough to recognize in his ministry. him when they saw him. He did not specifically say the church in Jerusalem did not know him by his Even though those churches must have been face. Though some in the Jerusalem church were extremely important to Paul, he did not tell about slightly familiar with him, he had not remained in them to the Galatians, because he was concentrating the city long enough to become known personally to on a different point. That point was that after he left believers in the surrounding province. The point Damascus he did not take time to learn from others. Paul was making was that after leaving Damascus He received the true message from Jesus and the he still served the Lord far away from Jerusalem Scripture in Arabia and got practice in preaching it and did not receive instruction from recognized in Damascus. Then as soon as he was equipped to church leaders. What he learned, he learned do it, he made a brief visit to Jerusalem and then directly from God. headed for his home territory to share the good news with them. There was no one in Cilicia who Verse 23. But they only were hearing that could teach him about Jesus and the doctrines he the one who formerly was persecuting us is now preached. Both Syria and Cilicia were far from proclaiming the faith that he formerly wasted. Jerusalem and provided him no opportunity to have contact with leaders of the young movement of What the believers in Judea knew about Paul believers in Jesus. He spent his time in Syria and was what they heard about him. They did not know Cilicia teaching, preaching, and witnessing, not him by personal contact with him. They only knew learning it. that they kept hearing that the one who had persecuted them so severely was now preaching the Paul mentioned his trip into Cilicia because it faith he once tried to destroy. They heard he was supported his emphasis that he did not get his preaching that faith, but they certainly had not gospel from men. In this brief passage, he taught it to him. emphasized what did not happen, not what did happen. What did not happen was he did not have Verse 24. And they glorified God because of contact with the recognized leaders of the church in me. Jerusalem. His doctrine and message did not come from leaders in Jerusalem or from any other men. It The churches in Judea rejoiced in what they came from God. For that reason, his lack of contact heard, and they glorified God for it. The news VOLUME 7 -- GALATIANS 1:21-24 Page 3

about Paul must have been awe inspiring to them. with joy that he believed in Jesus, but they certainly They knew how he had persecuted them just a few could not take any credit for it themselves. Paul years previously. They were amazed to know that had not learned it from them. he was now preaching the very message he persecuted them for believing. They were filled

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A RELATED ISSUE COMPARISON WITH ACTS 9:30-15:1

Additional statements about this period in Paul’s life can be found in Acts 9:30, where he is called Saul, because at that time he was still using his Hebrew name. That verse says that, when the brothers sent Saul away from Jerusalem to save his life, they accompanied him as far as Caesarea. They left him there, and he went on to Tarsus alone. Those statements are consistent with Paul’s statements in Galatians. Caesarea was in Phoenicia, which was included in the Roman province of Syria. Paul told the Galatians that after leaving Jerusalem he went to Syria (Gal. 1:21). That statement is in full agreement with Acts 9:30, because Caesarea, where the brothers from Jerusalem took him, was in the Roman province of Syria. Acts 9:30 says Saul went on to Tarsus alone, which indicates that the brothers felt he was safe in Caesarea and no longer needed their protection. They returned to Jerusalem, and he went on to Tarsus alone. The statement that he went on to Tarsus is in full agreement with Paul’s statement in Galatians 1:21 that he went to Cilicia, because Tarsus is located in Cilicia.

Likely when Saul and the Jerusalem brothers arrived in Caesarea in the province of Syria, Saul wanted to spend some time there sharing about Jesus in an area that had been largely untouched by the gospel. Perhaps a small group of believers existed in Caesarea, though we know nothing about any who had carried the Gospel there. Even makes no mention of people from Syria or Cilicia who were present on the Day of (Acts 2:8-11). If some in Caesarea had become believers, Saul certainly would have wanted to encourage and instruct them further. If none were there, he definitely would have wanted to find some to whom he could witness about Jesus. Knowing Saul’s zeal for his new-found faith, we can assume that he encouraged the brothers from Jerusalem to return home and leave him in Caesarea so he could seek to gather a group of believers before moving on into Cilicia.

Though Saul almost surely did more than just pass through Syria on his way to Cilicia, his real destination was his home town of Tarsus and his home province of Cilicia. His home area was the logical place for him to go when he was a fugitive from both Damascus and Jerusalem. It also was the natural place for him to go in beginning his ministry, because the people of Tarsus and Cilicia were his own people. Therefore, he did not remain in Syria long but moved on to Tarsus as soon as he could.

We do not have much information to assist us in knowing how long Saul remained in either Syria or Cilicia; however, we can make an informed estimate of how long it took for him to accomplish the tasks mentioned in this portion of his life other than the length of his stay in Cilicia. We can estimate them as follows:

Trip from Damascus to Jerusalem 2 weeks Visit in Jerusalem to meet Cephas 1 month to 4 months Trip from Jerusalem to Caesarea, Syria 2 weeks Ministry in Caesarea 1 month to 1½ months Trip to Tarsus, Cilicia 2 weeks VOLUME 7 -- GALATIANS 1:21-24 Page 4

TOTAL 3½ months to 7½ months

When we add the three years Saul spent in study and ministry in Arabia and Damascus, he might have arrived in Tarsus as early as 3 years and 3½ months after his conversion or as late as 3 years and 7½ months after his conversion.

Neither Acts nor Galatians says how long Saul stayed in Tarsus, but it likely was an extended period of time. As stated in comments on verse 21 above, the great likelihood is that Saul began his missionary career and started those churches in Syria and Cilicia in the earliest part of his ministry, long before the Lord instructed the prophets and teachers in to begin the strategy of spreading the gospel through missionary journeys (:2). Additional discussion on the length of time Saul spent in Cilicia will be given at the close of Volume 8.