Study library
Perga in Acts: John Mark’s departure and the return visit
Follow Perga’s two appearances in the first missionary journey and keep the known sequence separate from an uncertain road reconstruction.
Perga in Pamphylia appears twice in Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey. Acts 13:13 places the team there after sailing from Paphos and records John’s departure for Jerusalem. Acts 14:24–25 describes a later visit when they speak the word in Perga before going down to Attalia.
Two visits, different details
On the outbound journey, the narrative highlights the arrival and John’s departure. On the return, it explicitly mentions proclamation in Perga. Keep those details attached to their own visits rather than combining them into one event.
What happened after John left?
The team continues to Pisidian Antioch. Acts 15:36–41 later returns to John Mark’s departure when Paul and Barnabas disagree about taking him on another journey. Acts 13 does not provide a full account of Mark’s reasons for leaving, so avoid filling that gap with certainty.
Reading the map responsibly
The app’s geographical catalog provides a likely identification for Perga using OpenBible.info. The line to Pisidian Antioch shows movement between named settlements, not the exact ancient road. The journey map includes evidence notes for each leg.
A comparison exercise
Read Acts 13:13–14 and 14:24–26 side by side. List the place names, actions and people in each. What is said explicitly? What might you be tempted to assume? This distinction is useful whenever a narrative summarizes travel in only a few sentences.
Sources
- Acts 13–14: the primary account
- Acts 15:36–41
- OpenBible.info: coordinates and identification confidence (CC BY 4.0)
Prepared with AI assistance from the app's study material and the sources below. Check interpretations against the passage and trusted teaching.