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CILICIA

(Gk. Kilikía)

A country in southern Anatolia, the southeastern coast of Asia Minor. Cilicia has two distinct geographical regions, the rugged western coastlands (Cilicia Aspera) and the fertile plain in the east (Cilicia Campestris). It is ringed with mountains, on the west by its own mountains separating it from Pamphylia, on the north by the Taurus range separating it from Cappadocia and Lycaonia, and on the east by the Amanus range separating it from Syria. In antiquity Cilicia offered the main trade route between Syria and the central sections of Asia Minor.

The Cilicians claimed that their land was founded by Cilix, the son of Agenor, who accompanied his brothers Cadmus and Phoenix in search of their sister Europa, but who settled in their fertile plain. Because of its strategic location for trade, Cilicia was invaded successively by Hittites, Mycenaean Greeks, Assyrians, Persians (under whom the Cilicians had a degree of autonomy as a satrapy), Alexander the Great, the Seleucid kings, and finally the Romans who made it into a province in 102 b.c.e. In 67 b.c.e. Pompey stamped out piracy which flourished in the rugged coastlands (which were unmanageable and not added to the province until the reign of Vespasian, 69-79 c.e.). In 51-50 b.c.e. Cicero reluctantly tried as governor to correct numerous previous administrative problems. In 36 b.c.e. Mark Antony gave Cyprus and the rugged western coastlands to Cleopatra as a gift. Under Roman rulers the region was at times linked to Syria for governing purposes.

In the NT Cilicia is best known as the home country of Paul (Acts 21:39; 22:3; 23:34) and a stop on his missionary journeys through Asia Minor (15:41; Gal. 1:21).

Richard A. Spencer

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

CILICIA

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)