Difference between revisions of "Asia"

<p> (Ἀσία) </p> <p> Asia had a great variety of meanings in ancient writers. It might denote (1) the western coast-land of Asia Minor; (2) the kingdom of [[Troy]] (poetical); (3) the kingdom of the early Seleucids, <i> i.e. </i> Asia Minor and Syria (frequent in 1 and 2 Mac.); (4) the kingdom of [[Pergamum]] (Livy); (5) the Roman province Asia; (6) the Asiatic continent (Pliny). In Strabo’s time-the beginning of the 1st Cent. a.d.-the province was ἡ ἰδίως καλουμένη Ἀσία ( <i> Geog </i> . p. 118), and in the NT (where the name is found 22 times-15 times in Acts , 4 times in the [[Pauline]] Epistles, once in 1 Peter, twice in Rev.) Asia almost invariably denotes proconsular Asia. St. Paul the Roman citizen naturally assumed the Imperial standpoint, and made use of Roman political designations, while the Hellenic Luke, though he frequently employed geographical terms in their popular non-Roman sense, was probably to some extent influenced by St. Paul’s practice of using the technical phraseology of the Empire. </p> <p> The province of Asia was founded after the death of [[Attalus]] III. of Pergamum (133 b.c.), who bequeathed his kingdom by will to the Roman Republic. The province was much smaller than the kingdom had been, until, on the death of [[Mithridates]] (120 b.c.), Phrygia Major was added to it. Cicero indicates its extent in the words: ‘Namque, ut opinor, Asia vestra constat ex Phrygia, Caria, Mysia, Lydia’ ( <i> Flac </i> . 27); but the Troad and the islands of Lesbos, Chios, Samos, Patmos, and [[Cos]] should be added. Pergamum, so long a royal city, naturally became the capital of the province, and officially retained this position till the beginning of the 2nd cent. a.d.; but long before that time [[Ephesus]] ( <i> q.v. [Note: quod vide, which see.] </i> ) was recognized as the real administrative centre. When the provinces were arranged by [[Augustus]] in 27 b.c., Asia was given to the Senate; it was therefore governed by proconsuls (ἀνθύπατοι, &nbsp;Acts 19:38). Its beauty, wealth, and culture made it the most desirable of all provinces. </p> <p> The only passage in which St. Luke certainly uses ‘Asia’ in the popular Greek sense is &nbsp;Acts 2:9, where he names Asia and Phrygia together as distinct countries, whereas in Roman provincial language the greater part of Phrygia belonged to Asia. In such an expression as ‘the places on the coast of Asia’ (&nbsp;Acts 27:2) the sense is doubtful; but it is probable that, where the historian refers to [[Jews]] of Asia (&nbsp;Acts 6:9; &nbsp;Acts 21:27; &nbsp;Acts 24:18), to ‘all the dwellers in Asia’ (&nbsp;Acts 19:10; cf. &nbsp;Acts 19:26 f.), and to St. Paul’s sojourn in Asia (&nbsp;Acts 19:32; &nbsp;Acts 20:16; &nbsp;Acts 20:18), he has the province in view. St. Paul almost certainly uses the word in its Roman sense when he speaks of ‘the firstfruits of Asia’ (&nbsp;Romans 16:5 Revised Version), the churches of Asia (&nbsp;1 Corinthians 16:19), afflictions in Asia (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 1:8), apostates in Asia (&nbsp;2 Timothy 1:15). </p> <p> Though the Roman meaning of Asia is generally assumed by adherents of the S. [[Galatian]] theory, it is not incompatible with the other view. Thus Lightfoot, an advocate of the N. Galatian theory, holds that, while St. Luke usually gives geographical terms their popular significance, ‘the case of Asia is an exception. The foundation of this province dating very far back, its official name had to a great extent superseded the local designations of the districts which it comprised. Hence Asia in the NT is always Proconsular Asia’ ( <i> Gal </i> .5 1876, p. 19, n.[Note: . note.]6). Only those who find ‘the Phrygian and Galatic region’ (&nbsp;Acts 16:6) in the north of Pisidian [[Antioch]] are obliged (like Conybeare-Howson, i. 324) to assume that Asia ‘is simply viewed as the western portion of Asia Minor, for the Paroreios belonged to proconsular Asia, in which preaching was expressly forbidden (&nbsp;Acts 16:6). See Phrygia and Galatia. </p> <p> &nbsp;1 Peter 1:1 is a clear instance of the use of geographical terms in the Roman administrative sense. The four provinces named-Bithynia and Pontus, though here separated, being really one-sum up the whole of Asia Minor north of Taurus. The Seven Churches of Revelation were all in proconsular Asia (&nbsp;Revelation 1:4; &nbsp;Revelation 1:11), and it is possible that the so-called ‘Epistle to the Ephesians’ was an <i> encycla </i> to a group of churches in that province. </p> <p> For the ‘Asiarchs’ (Revised Version margin) of &nbsp;Acts 19:31, see following article. </p> <p> Literature.-F. J. A. Hort, <i> The First [[Epistle]] of St. Peter </i> , London, 1898, p. 157f.; A. C. McGiffert, <i> [[Apostolic]] Age </i> , Edinburgh, 1897, p. 273f.; W. M. Ramsay, <i> Church in Roman [[Empire]] </i> , London, 1893, and <i> St. Paul the [[Traveller]] and the Roman [[Citizen]] </i> , do. 1895, <i> passim </i> . </p> <p> James Strahan. </p>

<p> [[Asia]] (''Â'Shĭ-Ah'' ). This word in scripture never means the continent, as with us. In the Old Testament it is not found; in the New Testament it means a small Roman province, in Asia Minor, in the northwest corner of Asia. Its boundaries were often changed; but generally it may be said to have comprised Phrygia, Mysia, Lydia, and Caria, in Asia Minor, and thus it must be understood in &nbsp;Acts 6:9; &nbsp;Acts 19:10. Sometimes, however, the name is used in a more restricted sense; and Phrygia is distinguished from Asia. &nbsp;Acts 2:9-10; &nbsp;Acts 16:6. Asia was made by Augustus one of the senatorial provinces, and was governed, therefore, by a proconsul. It prospered under the emperors; and the gospel was preached there by Paul. &nbsp;Acts 19:10; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 16:19. The "seven churches" to which messages were sent, in &nbsp;Revelation 1:4, were in Asia. </p>

<p> In the New Testament not the continent, nor Asia Minor, but the W. of Asia Minor, with Ephesus as its capital, including Mysia, Lydia, Caria. Attalus, king of Pergamus, left it to the Romans 138 B.C. It was placed by Augustus among the senatorial provinces, as distinguished from the imperial provinces. Hence it was governed by a "proconsul," as &nbsp;Acts 19:38 (anthupatos ), with the minute propriety which marks truth, incidentally intimates. It had its "assize days" (agoraioi , margin "the court days are kept.") Here were the seven churches addressed in the Revelation. In the Old Testament "Asia" does not occur. </p>

<p> '''''ā´shi''''' -'''''a''''' ( Ἀσία , <i> '''''Ası́a''''' </i> ): A R oman province embracing the greater part of western Asia Minor, including the older countries of Mysia, Lydia, Caria, and a part of Phrygia, also several of the independent coast cities, the Troad, and apparently the islands of Lesbos, Samos, Patmos, Cos and others near the Asia Minor coast (&nbsp;Acts 16:6; &nbsp;Acts 19:10 , &nbsp;Acts 19:27 ). It is exceedingly difficult to determine the exact boundaries of the several countries which later constituted the Roman province, for they seem to have been somewhat vague to the ancients themselves, and were constantly shifting; it is therefore impossible to trace the exact borders of the province of Asia. Its history previous to 133 bc coincides with that of Asia Minor of which it was a part. However, in that year, Attalus Iii (Philometer), king of Pergamos, bequeathed his kingdom to the Roman Empire. It was not until 129 bc that the province of Asia was really formed by Rome. Its first capital was Pergamos, the old capital of Mysia, but in the time of Augustus, when Asia had become the most wealthy province of the Empire, the seat of the government was transferred to Ephesus. Smyrna was also an important rival of Ephesus. The governor of Asia was a pro-consul, chosen by lot by the Roman senate from among the former consuls who had been out of office for at least five years, and he seldom continued in office for more than a single year. The diet of the province, composed of representatives from its various districts, met each year in the different cities. Over it presided the asiarch, whose duty it was, among other things, to offer sacrifices for the welfare of the emperor and his family. </p> <p> In 285 ad the province was reduced in size, as Caria, Lydia, Mysia and Phrygia were separated from it, and apart from the cities of the coast little remained. The history of Asia consists almost entirely of the history of its important cities, which were Adramyttium, Assos, Cnidus, Ephesus, Laodicea, Miletus, Pergamos, Philadelphia, Sardis, Smyrna, Thyatira, Troas, etc. </p>