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ANNOUNCEMENT: Are you tired, run down, listless? Bed time earlier and rising later? Well good news! Next Sunday we all can get an extra hour of sleep. Set your clocks back and enjoy. And remember, we meet at 10 A.M. We all should be wide awake and raring to go!

"The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" (Acts 11:26).

That part of the text is very familiar to us. In our emphasis of calling things by Bible names, we have emphasized being "just Christians," and rightly so. But what about Antioch? How much do we know about this city in the ancient Near East? The context began in 11:19. A persecution had broken out and scattered disciples, some of whom ended up in Antioch. When they began to spread the word, "a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord" (vs. 21). The church in Jerusalem heard about this and sent Barnabas, the encourager, to Antioch. When he got there he began to encourage the followers of Christ. For some unexplained reason, Barnabas went to Tarsus, a town in southeastern Asia Minor (modern day Turkey), found Saul (better known as Paul), and brought him to Antioch where together they taught many people (1).

We also learn that it was in Antioch that an announcement of a severe famine would spread over the Roman world. This would give the church an opportunity to provide help, especially to Judea (11:27-30). Finally, we see that Antioch was the base of operations for Paul and Barnabas (13:1-3). When Paul returned from his missionary journeys, he stopped here first.

What do we think of ancient cities? What did they look like? Who made them up? Antioch had been a strategic location for many years, especially for the Roman Empire. Located on the main road running from Ephesus to Syria on the Orontes River, it was considered one of the most important cities in the Roman world. It was located in northwest Syria as a fortress to defend that area. It was founded around 300 B.C. There were three roads running through the town, the center one for heavy traffic and two others for pedestrians, horses and luxury carriages. There was an island in the river in the city that contributed to its defensive structure. Josephus tells us that some two thousand Jews moved into the city and added to a very diverse population. It became an important city in the early church as well (2).

Rodney Stark is a sociologist at Baylor University and has studied religion in the ancient world. He has a chapter devoted to Antioch (3). He considers Christianity an urban movement, that is, it grew in the cities primarily before moving out and beyond. Antioch, according to Stark, was a city of 150,000 people. It was build as a fortress for defense and once the walls were up, expansion was difficult. He has calculated that there were about 117 people per acre. That is really compact considering that New York has only 37 people per acre. Such was the situation in many such ancient cities. The buildings were often made of wood and the occupants lived in one room apartments. These rooms lacked chimneys so cooking often was done over braziers making the rooms smoky. The windows were covered by cloths or skins making the rooms drafty and cold in the winter and hot in the summer. This meant that people basically slept in these rooms and spend the rest of the time outside. Modern sewerage system were unknown and water was often contaminated. This lead to disease and death at a young age. Incense was popular because of the smells in both rooms and streets.

Another problem was the changes in the population. Due to the death of the population at various times, others moved from the country or were brought in from other areas. Add to that such events as the Romans bringing in citizens and troops, and there is a diverse group of people living in a very small area. Stark estimates that there might have been as many as eighteen different population groups in Antioch. This lead to other problems as well. Crime was a major problem. No one walked the streets at night for fear of being assaulted or worse. Animals would have to be brought into some holding area in a building which added to disease. "Crime and delinquency are higher to the extent that neighborhoods or cities are filled with newcomers" (p. 156). Originally the city was divided into two parts, one for the Syrians and one for the Greeks. Over the centuries, Jews, Cretans, Romans, Gauls and Germans became part of the city for various reasons. It appears that this did not become a melting pot and led to disorder several times.

One of the ideas Stark finds concerns natural and social disasters. If we remember, Jesus warned of natural disasters in Matthew 24. Those living in Antioch might have thought it was the end accept that many cites faced similar situations. Here is what Stark says before looking at ten various disasters in Antioch alone. "Moreover, I skipped the many serious floods because they did not cause substantial loss of life. Still, the summary shows how extremely vulnerable Greco-Roman cities were to attacks, fires, earthquakes, famines, epidemics, and devastating riots" (p. 159).

1) Antioch was taken by unfriendly forces over a six hundred year period eleven times.

2) It was plundered and sack on five of those occasions.

3) It was put to siege two other times but did not fall.

4) Antioch was burned entirely or in large part four times, three accidentally and once

by the Persians. While the Temples and public buildings were made of stone, most

of the rest were made of wood.

5) There were many large fires during six major periods of rioting with substantial damage

and death.

6) There were frequent riots were only a few were killed.

7) There were hundreds of significant earthquakes but eight were so severe that nearly

everything was destroyed and huge numbers died.

8) Two earthquakes were nearly as serious.

9) There were at least three killer epidemics with mortality rates above 25 percent.

10) There were at least five serious famines.

All of that occurred over six hundred years. People returned because of its strategic importance. There were seven bridges across the Orontes River, and the Romans would not leave it unprotected. In the New Testament, it was a city that was filled with misery, danger, fear, despair, and hatred. Christianity came with a message of hope and change. Loving one’s neighbor and enemy, learning to be servants to all in the likeness of the Jewish Messiah, and seen demonstrated in the lives of Christians themselves, would be a great influence in the reaching of many in Antioch, and for that matter, the rest of the Empire. The disciples brought a radical message different from the pagan world. They helped their neighbor, took care of the sick, and changed lives of many from evil to good. While many think that the word "Christian" was a derogatory term, it ended up being a title or name many carried with honor. Many cities would change over the centuries thanks to this new theology.

Now why is Houston in the title of this article? Since the two hurricanes of last year, especially Katrina, and the influx of people from New Orleans, we have seen similar problems in our area. Add to that illegal immigration, and we find ourselves surprising becoming like the ancient city of Antioch. Crime is rising and many see that caused by those who have recently moved here. We have seen it in schools where New Orleans teens have been fighting with Houston teens. We have seen it in the number of arrest of former New Orleans residents. There are probably other reasons as well and the immigrant issue is also a part of the problem.

The message of Jesus is for such a situation. It gives us the opportunity to make new friends, show a radical life that is different from those around us. Love of neighbors and enemies, taking care of the sick, and visiting can all begin to change lives. While we do not live in the dangerous environment like that of Antioch, we still have a chance to change peoples lives with the good news of Jesus. That is our mission. How we live before other, who are watching, will influence people to look at Christ in either a positive or negative way. Many people are writing that conservative, evangelical Christianity is intolerant and fascist (4). Sadly many will believe that. Only you and me as individuals can counter act that by our lives and speech. Yes, we must stand for truth and some do not want to hear that and will ridicule us as being too demanding. Jesus is demanding, asking us to walk in His light, not ours.

George B. Mearns

(1) In Acts 9, Paul was told that he would be the apostle to the Gentiles. From the persecution of Stephen to Paul’s coming on the scene appears to be about fourteen years (see Galatians 2:1).

(2) The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary, Eerdmans, 1987.

(3) Much of the material for this article comes from Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity, Harper Collins, 1997.

(4) The number of books being published in the last year or so attempt to stereotype all conservative Christians like that of Islam extremists. While we are not perfect, those who do this base much of it on their political beliefs rather than the examples of many Christians. They find the extreme cases, most of which we would reject or disagree with and try to tie that to us. Evangelical Christianity is a broad cross section of beliefs and ideas and should be recognize as such. Whether one is liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, we must ask: Are our beliefs effecting our political decisions or are our political beliefs effecting our theology?