Ünal is an archaelogist and director of Yalvaç Museum.

Five years ago, he wrote the book, Pisidian Antioch:  St. Paul, Sanctuary of Men, Yalvaç Museum.

The book is expensive.  Men were forking out 45 Turkish Lira for the volume at the archaeological dig.  After spending some time tonight at a four-tiered Turkish mall, I found the book, the only copy on the shelf, in a tiny English section of a bookstore for 28 Turkish Lira.

After spending so much time, I feel it is appropriate to now quote Ünal.  Listen to his perspective:

St. Paul was born in Tarsus in 5 A.D. as the son of a Roman citizen Jew.  In the beginning of the first century A.D., by means of the peace brought by Pax Romana many beliefs were living peacefully under Roman rules.  Paulus who got a well education while growing in this condition, visited his grandfathers’ land ın Jerusalem when he was 30.  He met Barnabas and Peter there.  Than he adopted their ideas and beliefs and as a messenger he came back to Anatolia.

Paul journeys between Antioch in Pisidia, Antioch in Orontes, Tarsus, Greece, Cyprus, Ephesos, Rome, everywhere as an apostle and this starts in Antioch as written in Bible:

Acts 13 (The Acts of Prophets)

. . . From Pathos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perge in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.  From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch.  On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and sat down.  After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers sent word to them, saying:  ‘Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak.’

Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said:  ‘Men of Israel and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!

. . . Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it is to us that this message of salvation has been sent!

The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognise Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfiled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.  Though they found no proper ground for death sentence, they asked Pilate to have him executed.

When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.  But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he has travelled with him from Galilee to Jerusalemç  They are now his witnesses to our peopleç  We tell you the good news; Gods promises to our fathers has been fulfiled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus!’

As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.  When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.  When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.  Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly:

‘We had to speak the word of God to you first.  Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.’

When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honoured the word of the Lord and all who believed were appointed for eternal life.

The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.  But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city.  They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from the region.

So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.  And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

After his last journey in 58, St. Paul returned to Jerusalem and with the provocation and denunciation of the Jews, he was captured and sent to Rome.  In the era of Nero when freedom was decreased he was executed in Rome around the year 60 A.D. (111-113).

I am thankful that Ünal has inserted this much in his book.  But he didn’t make it clear why Paul was hated by unbelieving Jews – Paul proclaimed Jesus as the divine Son of God!

Friends, read again Luke’s account in Acts.  It is explosive.