The Church of Antioch
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ScribdTranslationsThe Church of Antioch
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ScribdTranslationsTHE CHURCH OF ANTIOCH AS A MODEL OF MISSIONARY CHURCH
The First Gentile Church in history was located in Antioch.
Syria. Besides being the first church planted outside of Judaism, the
The Church of Antioch was also the largest missionary church of the church.
primitive.
Having had the Apostle Paul as its pastor, this church had
also the privilege of becoming the missionary base of the first team
of missions working outside the limits of Judaism, this team
formed by the apostle Paul himself, and by Barnabas.
THE CHURCH IN GENTILE TERRITORY
After the martyrdom of Stephen, great persecutions began.
against the Christians, in Jerusalem, making it difficult for their permanence
Christians in that city. According to the word of God in Acts 8:104,
many of the members of the newly created church of Jerusalem had to
flee in order to save their lives. In search of a safe place to
to live, the community of Jerusalem spread not only by
Judea and Samaria, but also to regions beyond the lands of
Israel having reached places like Cyprus, Phoenicia, Cyrene and
Antioch of Syria.
... And it happened, on that day, a great
persecution against the church that was in
Jerusalem; and all were scattered throughout the
lands of Judea and Samaria, except for the
apostles. And some devout men were
bury Stephen and made a great
Saul was ravaging the church, entering
through the houses; and, dragging men and
women, locked them in prison. But those who
they were already scattered everywhere
announcing the word.
Atos dos Apóstolos 8:1-4
Among all the gentile regions reached by the dispersed ones
Jerusalem, the Church of Antioch stood out as the most important.
missionary center of the Primitive Church and remained among the five
major Christian centers during the first centuries of
Christianity, alongside Jerusalem, Alexandria, Constantinople and
Rome.
With a privileged position for Missions, the city of Antioquia
it was about 500 kilometers from Jerusalem, and it was
at the crossroads of Greek culture and Semitic culture. Antioch of Syria
it was the third largest city of the Roman Empire, losing only to
for Rome and Alexandria. It had become the capital of the empire
Roman in Syria in 64 BC, when it was conquered by Pompey.
This city is easily confused with another city called
Antioch of Pisidia, mentioned by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, 13:14.
The city was made up of a mixed population and according to the
Roman historian Flavius Josephus, many Jews migrated to the
region during the Maccabean wars and in the days of the Seleucids.
This fact justifies the strong Jewish presence in Antioch during that period.
from the history of the Primitive Church.
With the arrival of the gospel in the city, the universal character was defined.
from the Christian message, and starting from there, Christianity was preached to
all peoples, leaving the Jewish community, as determined by
Jesus.
Therefore go and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
Holy Spirit; teaching them to keep all
the things that I have commanded you; and behold
that I am with you every day, until the end
consummation of the ages. Amen!
Matthew 28:19-20
And he said to them: Go into all the world, preach the
gospel to all creatures.
Mark 16:15
THE FOUNDERS OF THE CHURCH OF ANTIOCH
According to the word of God in Acts 11:20, it was from the regions of Cyprus.
From Cyrene came the first Christians to Antioch and
they announced Jesus speaking in the Greek language. It is quite possible that at
we will learn about Peter's experience in Cornelius' house
have been motivated to preach also to the gentiles, reaching a
extraordinary result.
From this moment on, the Greeks began to believe in the Lord
Jesus, and multiplying every day, bringing forth the church of the Gentiles.
It was the prophetic order of Jesus to reach the Ends of the Earth that
was being fulfilled quickly. (Acts 1:8)
The news of a church emerging outside the boundaries of Judaism,
pleased the church of Jerusalem, which sent Barnabas, a native of
Island of Cyprus in order to teach that new Christian community about
the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
After getting to know the community of Antioch, Barnabas began to
understand that the customs of the Gentiles differed in various ways
aspects of Jewish customs and traditions. Then he remembered
from Paulo, for he knew that his calling to the ministry had been
directed to the Gentiles.
Coming from Tarsus, which was a cultural center of the time, Paul
knew Greek culture very well, so no one was better
more qualified than he to teach the new believers that maintained
strange costumes.
THE FORMATION OF THE FIRST TRANSCULTURAL MISSIONARY TEAM
Fully understanding the universal nature of the gospel of
Christ, Barnabas sought Paul who together with him, was the first
pastor of that church. Both surpassed the greatest barriers
cultural in the exercise of their ministry, achieving great
historical importance due to the work of organization and structuring
from the Church of Antioch made by Paul and Barnabas. It was in this Church that
the followers of Jesus Christ were called Christians by
first time in the history of the Church.
We can summarize the expansion of the church to the Gentile people starting
from the biblical account, where we see Philip preaching in Samaria (Acts
8:5). Because they were half-Jews, the Samaritans were not considered
Gentiles, but then Peter preaches at Cornelius' house that although
gentiles were embedded within Jewish culture, making it impossible for the
birth of a genuinely Gentile Church in his home.
And we finally have the principle of missionary action to the world
gentile with the Church of Antioch, which was certainly considered
a missionary base of the time.
According to the word of God, it was also in this church that
the first dispatch of a mission team to reach
other peoples.
In the church that was in Antioch there were
some prophets and teachers, namely: Barnabas,
and Simeon, called Niger, and Lucius, of Cyrene, and
Manahem, who was raised with Herod,
tetrarch, and Saul. And while they were serving the Lord and
While fasting, the Holy Spirit said: Set apart for me the
Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them
called. So, fasting, and praying, and putting
about them the hands, they were dismissed. And so
these, sent by the Holy Spirit, descended
from Seleucia they sailed to Cyprus. And,
arriving in Salamina, they proclaimed the word
of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they had
also to João as a collaborator.
Acts of the Apostles 13:1-5
Through obedience to the call of the Holy Spirit, then arises the
first missionary team formed by Paul and Barnabas, with the
support and assistance from Pedro. They traveled through the regions of Salamina,
Cyprus departing for Perge, Antioch of Pisidia among others
localities. His strategy was always to initially seek out the
Jewish synagogues where both born Jews gathered.
as proselytes. By using this strategy, they subsequently achieved
the inhabitants of the city, leading them to know Christ Jesus as
Lord and Savior of Their lives.
