Syrian Antioch: the church that sent Paul and Barnabas

Syrian Antioch, also called Antioch on the Orontes, is the sending church in Acts 13 and the place where Paul and Barnabas report after their first journey in Acts 14. It is distinct from Pisidian Antioch, their inland destination in what is now Türkiye.

Why Antioch matters in Acts

Acts 11:19–26 describes the growth of the community, Barnabas’ arrival and his decision to bring Saul from Tarsus. The passage also says that the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

In Acts 13:1–3, the church’s worship, fasting and commissioning frame the mission. The team’s return in Acts 14:26–28 brings the narrative back to this community. Read the sending and reporting scenes together to see the relationship between travel and local church life.

Locate it carefully

The app’s OpenBible-based catalog identifies this Antioch near modern Antakya, with coordinates 36.226691° N, 36.171743° E and the confidence label likely. These coordinates are a study reference for the settlement; they do not identify the building where the church met or the exact point where a journey began.

Which Antioch am I reading about?

In Acts 13:1, Antioch is the sending community in Syria. In Acts 13:14, the team arrives at Pisidian Antioch after Perga. In Acts 14:26, they return to Syrian Antioch. Check the surrounding journey whenever the name appears.

Study connection

Compare the people named in Acts 13:1 with the crowd scenes later in the chapter. How does the opening community prepare the reader for a mission that crosses cultural boundaries? Follow the 15-stop route to keep the two Antiochs separate.