Tarsus was an important university city and crossroad of travel. The city was located thirty miles from a mountainous gorge called the Cilician Gates and ten miles inland on the Cydnus River (The New International Version Archeological Study Bible pg. 1819). Tarsus was a primary city in the region of Cilicia located in southeastern Asia Minor. The region of Tarsus was a prize possession of the ancient world because of its location. One writer affirms: “Because of its strategic location, protected on the north by the Taurus Mountains and open to navigation from the Mediterranean, the city of Tarsus was a prize location for the Hittites, Mycenean Greeks, Assyrians, Persians, Seleucids, and Romans” (Youngblood 1225).
The aforementioned Cilician Gates was the only good trade route between Syria and Asia Minor. The location of the city brought enormous wealth to the region. The valley that the city was located in was extremely fertile which added to it appeal as a trade route (Youngblood 1225-1226).
A religion called Mithraism was practiced in Tarsus. This practice is closely related to astrological phenomena and ancient myth. It most likely originated from the god Perseus who was worshipped in the region of Cilicia. Perseus killed the Gorgon (Medusa) by cutting off her head (Ferguson pg. 271). The Gorgon was a “monstrous woman with snakes for hair who turned those who looked at her into stone” (Encarta Dictionary). Mithras’ slaughter of the bull was more significant to his followers because it had cosmological significance. The death of the bull brought about the end of the Age of Taurus and the beginning of the spring equinox and the time of Aries. Ulansey states that “…the origin of this new religion in Tarsus…near the beginning of the first century B.C. among intellectuals [was] influenced by the astronomical discoveries of Hipparcus and the astral speculation of the Stoics” (Ferguson 271).
A population of Jews had been living in Tarsus since 171 B.C. since the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. Paul was among a small minority that enjoyed dual citizenship since he was a natural born citizen of Rome. “Under the empire it became normal for provincials to make use of the citizen status without surrendering their connections with their original homes and so to break down the principle that no one could be a citizen of two cities…” (Ferguson 59). In Acts 22.25-29, Paul claimed the rights of Roman citizenship at his defense; however he also asserted the fact that he was a citizen of Tarsus in Acts 21.39. In this passage Paul says, “…I am a Jew from Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city…”
Roman citizenship carried with it many privileges, and it was deeply sought after. The commander who was examining Paul in Acts 22.28 revealed that he had to pay a hefty sum of money for the right of citizenship. “The commander answered, “With a large sum I obtained this citizenship.” Being a citizen meant complete or partial freedom from paying taxes, and it also entitled one to vote although the privilege was not extended to all the residents of all cities. Roman Citizens could not be executed without due process of the law nor could they be tortured. This explains the fear that the Centurion had when he learned that he had beaten the Apostle Paul who was a natural born citizen of Rome (The New International Version Archeological Study Bible, pg. 1930). In Acts 22. 25b-26 Paul says, “…Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman.”
Even though Paul was born in Tarsus he probably lived most of his life in the city of Jerusalem. Paul says in Acts 22.3, “…I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city” [Jerusalem was the city from when Paul was saying these things—JOT]. In Jerusalem, he was trained under the instruction of Gamaliel who was a well-respected Rabbi in the age of Paul and the apostles. Thus, one might argue that Paul was a citizen of three cities—Tarsus, Rome, and Jerusalem.
Works Cited
Ferguson, Everett (1993). Backgrounds of Early Christianity, 2nd ed. Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.
The New International Version Archeological Study Bible (2005). Zondervan, Grand Rapids. Ulansey, David (1986). “Mithras and Perseus.” Helios, 13, 33-62.
Youngblood, Ronald F., F.F. Bruce, and Harrison, R.K. (1995). Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nelson, Nashville.