Jennifer Bruce
Talbot Turkey, Greece, and Rome
Dr. Rigsby
January 25, 2001
TARSUS
When I began my study of the city of Tarsus in December, I was most impressed by the
evidence of Godís divine plan, in that He provided the ideal birthplace for the apostle
Paul.
In Acts 21:39, Paul proclaims to Roman tribune Claudius Lysius that he is ìa native of
Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean cityî. And indeed, Tarsus was ìno mean cityî. It
possessed a colorful heritage, a booming educational climate, and a diverse culture.
The city of Tarsus is located toward the western end of the fertile Cilician plain on the
Cydnus River, in the province of Cilicia. Economically, Tarsus was located in an
excellent area. The Taurus Mountains lay thirty miles inland from the city and the trade
route from Syria to Asia Minor cut through the mountains, passed through the Cilician
Gates and terminated in Tarsus. The lower reaches of the Cydnus River were navigable,
so Tarsus functioned as a port. The Cydnus irrigated the land of Tarsus, making it
abundant in vegetation. By the time Paul was a child, Tarsus was one of the important
cities in the Roman Empire.
However, Tarsus had rather humble and obscure beginnings. Scholars say it is at least
4,000 years old and is one of the oldest cities in Asia Minor. It is a fair guess that Tarsus
was founded when Ionian Greeks traveled to Cilicia and settled on the banks of the
Cydnus. From the time Tarsus was settled, it was at the mercy of whoever the reigning
world power was at that particular time. It existed as a fortified city and trade outpost
before 2000 B.C. and was incorporated into the Hittite empire, until it was destroyed in
1200 B.C. In the 9th century B.C., Tarsus was resettled by the Greeks, and then controlled
by the Assyrians. From the early 6th century, the poor city was ruled by puppet kings
from the Persian empire until 400 B.C., when the kings were replaced by Persian
governors. So, for centuries, Tarsus was dominated by Oriental culture. In 333 B.C.,
Alexander the Great conquered the province of Cilicia (and nearly drowned while
swimming in the Cydnus River) and under Alexanderís rulers, the Seleucids, Tarsus
became a Greek city-state. Finally, in 67 B.C., Tarsus came under the control of Rome
through the conquest of Pompey. After the death of Julius Caesar, Marc Antony gave
Tarsus the status of a free city, as it had resisted his enemy Cassius. And so, Tarsus was
finally given the opportunity to thrive, and that is exactly what it did.
Tarsus soon reached the height of prosperity and became a great intellectual center, which
Strabo said, ìsurpassed both Athens and Alexandria as a center of culture and learning.î
Tarsus was home to the Stoic school of philosophy, as well as renowned philosophers
Athenodorus, who taught Augustus Caesar, and Nestor the Academic, who initiated civic
reforms. Scholars suggest that Tarsus was such a flourishing town that at one point in had
a population of half a million. Tarsus also possessed a booming goatís hair tent-making
trade, which Paul was trained in.
Tarsus seems to have been the ideal hometown for someone like Paul, for it was a
ìmeeting place between East and Westî (Biblical Sites in Turkey, 74). It consisted of an
amalgamation of cultural heritage, including Persian, Greek, and Roman. The Jews in
Tarsus were even tolerant of Hellenism. This was the perfect town for a messenger to the
Gentiles to grow up in for, ìsuch a messenger had to be a Jew, imbued with the Old
Testament; he needed also to be a Greek, to interpret a nascent theology in the forms of
Hellenic culture and to express what he had to teach in the subtle, rich language of the
Greeks. . .also he had to be a Roman citizen in the truest sense, understanding that mighty
system and conscious of the global opportunity it offeredî (Baker Bible Dictionary, 602).
Paulís boyhood in Tarsus provided him with the evangelistic tools he would later use as
an apostle of Jesus Christ.
The evidence of Godís sovereignty was particularly apparent in my first study of Tarsus.
However, after actually visiting the city, I was struck by another truth, which is sort of the
flip side of the first truth. In His divine plan, God provided Paul with a rich education and
varied cultural experience, which significantly enhanced his ministry. Yet, when
compared with knowing Christ, all of Paulís experience is garbage.
Paul writes about this fact in Philippians 3, where he gives a short autobiography of his
life, much of which took place in Tarsus. He writes in 3:4-6, ìIf anyone else has a mind to
put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel,
of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a
persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.î In
the city of Tarsus, Paul became educated, passionate, and successful and yet he writes in
verse 7, ìBut whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the
sake of Christ.î In verse 8, Paul describes his achievements as ìrubbishî or ìdungî when
compared with a relationship with Jesus Christ.
After visiting Tarsus, it is evident why Paul used such strong language to describe earthly
achievements. I must admit that Tarsus was a bit of a disappointment for me. I had read
of a successful university town, where culture and philosophy thrived and I was met with
a seemingly lower class town, with small streets and crowded housing. Even the ruins
were rather unsatisfactory. After the restoration of Cleopatraís Gate, it was difficult to see
much of what actually existed thousands of years ago. The remains of the Roman temple
did not identify any particular diety or specific use, leading some members of our group
to question whether it was truly a temple. The ancient street was interesting, but the fact
that the most fascinating aspect was the sewer system does not speak well of the remains
surrounding the street. In general, the monuments from Paulís day were sparse and did
not give an impressive tribute to the glories of the ancient world.
At first, my findings frustrated me. What insights could I add to my paper? The formally
thriving city of Tarsus now consisted of a few, rather unremarkable ruins. Everything
grand about the city had passed away. However, after some thought I realized that the
significance of Tarsus was in the fact that its original glory was no longer present. The
things of the world that were lauded in the second century had deteriorated by the twentyfirst century. Tarsus is a striking illustration of the fact that the vain things of the world
do not last and putting hope in those things will only lead to disappointment.
The trip to Tarsus made Paulís statements in Philippians 3 all the more vivid. Paul could
consider his worldly accomplishments to be dung because, as the fate of his hometown
illustrates, the things of the world ultimately pass away. However, Paul could have hope
because his relationship with Christ was eternal. He had the ability to suffer ìthe loss of
all thingsî because he knew they were transitory, compared with the steadfastness of
Christ.
Looking back, one of the most meaningful events for me in Tarsus took place in Saint
Paulís Church. Our group stood in a circle and sang ìWhen I Survey the Wondrous
Crossî. The words, ìWhen I survey the wondrous cross, on which the Prince of glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss, and pour contempt on all my prideî were particularly
appropriate in a town whoís riches had long since passed away and could be counted loss.
In a seemingly hopeless world where nothing lasts, what a blessing it is that the Prince of
glory died so we could experience a relationship that is eternal!
This lesson is a challenge to me as I struggle with finding meaning in my grades, my
social status, or my accomplishments instead of my relationship with Christ. The fate of
the city of Tarsus is a good reminder of the futility of valuing the things of this world and
also a cause to praise God for providing His children with a relationship that will never be
forgotten or destroyed.