Chios is an island located in the Aegean Sea, part of modern-day Greece. It is situated near the western coast of Turkey, opposite the ancient city of Ephesus. In biblical times, Chios was known for its strategic location along important maritime routes, which facilitated trade and cultural exchange between the regions of Asia Minor and the Greek mainland.

Biblical Reference:

Chios is mentioned in the New Testament in the context of the Apostle Paul's missionary journeys. In Acts 20:15 , it is recorded: "Sailing on from there, we arrived the next day opposite Chios. The following day we crossed over to Samos, and the day after that we came to Miletus." This passage highlights Chios as a waypoint during Paul's travels as he spread the Gospel and strengthened the early Christian communities.

Historical and Cultural Context:

During the first century, Chios was a part of the Roman province of Asia. The island was known for its production of wine and mastic, a resin obtained from the mastic tree, which was highly valued in the ancient world for its use in medicine and as a spice. The island's economy and culture were influenced by both Greek and Roman traditions, making it a melting pot of ideas and practices.

Chios was also known for its schools of rhetoric and philosophy, attracting students and scholars from various parts of the Roman Empire. This intellectual environment may have provided a fertile ground for the spread of Christian teachings, as individuals engaged in discussions about religion, ethics, and the nature of the divine.

Religious Significance:

While there is no specific record of a Christian community on Chios during the time of the New Testament, the island's mention in the context of Paul's journey suggests that it was part of the broader network of locations where early Christianity was taking root. The proximity of Chios to major centers of early Christianity, such as Ephesus, indicates that the island could have been influenced by the missionary activities of Paul and other apostles.

Archaeological and Historical Evidence:

Archaeological findings on Chios have revealed remnants of ancient settlements, temples, and public buildings, providing insight into the island's historical significance. While direct evidence of early Christian worship on Chios is limited, the island's continuous habitation and strategic location suggest that it played a role in the dissemination of Christian ideas throughout the region.

Legacy:

Today, Chios is recognized for its rich history and cultural heritage. The island's connection to the Apostle Paul's journeys serves as a reminder of the expansive reach of early Christian missions and the diverse contexts in which the Gospel was proclaimed. Chios remains a symbol of the interconnectedness of the ancient world and the spread of Christianity across the Mediterranean.Chios

open; opening

Chios

(snowy), an island of the Aegean Sea, 12 miles from Smyrna. It is separated from the mainland by a strait of only 5 miles. Its length is about 12 miles, and in breadth it varies from 8 to 18. Paul passed it on his return voyage from Troas to Caesarea. Acts 20:15 it is now called Scio.

Chios

An island in the Archipelago, between Lesbos and Samos, on the coast of Asia Minor, now called Scio. It is thirty miles long and ten wide. Paul passed this way as he sailed southward from Mitylene to Samos, Acts 20:15.

Mentioned in Acts 20:15, an island in the Aegean Sea, about 5 miles distant from the mainland, having a roadstead, in the shelter of which Paul and his companions anchored for a night when on his third missionary return journey. It is now called Scio. CHIOS

ke'-os, ki'-os (Chios): An island belonging to Turkey in the Aegean Sea, South of Lesbos, and very near the mainland of Asia Minor. Paul's vessel passed it on his last voyage to Jerusalem (Acts 20:15). The channel here is very picturesque. From Luke's expression, "we came the following day over against Chios," it has been conjectured that they were becalmed; more probably it simply means that, because of the dark moon, they lay at anchor for the night on the Asian coast opposite the island (Hastings Dictionary of the Bible, under the word). Herod, when on his way to Agrippa at the Bosphorus, "continued many days at Chios" and conferred many royal benefactions upon the inhabitants (Josephus, Ant, XVI, ii, 2).

The soil is sterile (though well cultivated), the climate mild. Earthquakes are frequent. In the mountains (highest 4,000 ft.) beautiful blue marble with white veins, and excellent potter's clay, were quarried in antiquity. In modern times large quantities of ochre are mined. The chief industry is the culture of the silkworm, the cocoons being sent to Lyons. Oranges, lemons, almonds, brandy, anise, mastich and leather are also exported. The inhabitants, who are almost entirely Greeks, number about 60,000. The capital, Castro, has a population of 15,000. The place where Homer is said to have collected his pupils around him is still pointed out to the traveler at the foot of Mt. Epos, near the coast. It is in reality (probably) a very old sanctuary of Cybele, the Mother of the Gods. The tragic poet Ion, the historian Theopompus and the sophist Theocritus were natives of Chios. The Chians were especially famous for their skill in telling stories, and for their levity. A familiar proverb says that "it is easier to find a green horse than a sober-minded Sciot" (Conybeare and Howson, XX, 549).

The oldest inhabitants of the island were Leleges, Cretans and Carians, who were conquered by the Ionians. The latter made Chios one of the most flourishing states in Ionia. When the Persians overran Asia Minor and oppressed the Greek colonies, the Chians showed a Pan-Hellenic spirit. They surrendered, however, to Cyrus in 546 B.C. Nevertheless, 46 years later they joined in the rebellion of Aristagoras against the Persians. In the naval engagement off the island Lade they fought with 100 ships and displayed great bravery. Again they fell into the power of Persia; but after the battle of Mycale (479) the Chians joined the Athenian confederacy. In 412 they sided with the Peloponnesians, in the 19th year of the war which Athens had been waging against Sparta and her allies. For this act of treason the Athenians devastated the island. At the end of the war the Chians revolted from Sparta and, after the battle of Naxos (376), became an ally of Athens once more. Oppressed now by Athens, as she had been by Sparta, Chios made an alliance with Thebes in 363 and defended herself successfully against the Athenian general, Chares; and in 355 Athens was forced to recognize the island's independence. Later the Chians became friends of the Romans and in the war with Mithridates were obliged to surrender their ships to the Pontic king and in addition pay him 2,000 talents.

In 1307 A.D. Turkish pirates subjugated and laid waste the island. The Turks themselves became masters of Chios in 1566. In the war of the Greek revolution the Chians joined the Greeks (February 1821) but were overpowered by the Turks. The Pasha decreed that the island should be utterly devastated; 23,000 Chians were massacred and 47,000 sold into slavery. Only 5,000 escaped. A second attempt to regain their freedom was made in 1827, but met with failure. When the kingdom of Greece was established two years later, Chios was not included. On April 3, 1881, the island was visited by a terrible earthquake, the city of Castro being almost entirely destroyed.

LITERATURE.

Conybeare and Howson, The Life and Epistles of Paul; W. M. Ramsay, Paul the Traveler; G. H. Gilbert, The Student's Life of Paul (chiefly concerned with the chronology and order of events in Paul's life); Eckenbrecher, Die Insel Chios (1845); Pauli, same person (in the Mitteilungen der Geogr. Gesellschaft in Hamburg, 1880-81).

J. E. Harry

5508. Chios -- Chios, an island in the Aegean Sea
... 5507, 5508. Chios. 5509 . Chios, an island in the Aegean Sea. Part of Speech:
Noun, Feminine Transliteration: Chios Phonetic Spelling ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5508.htm - 6k

Paul's Journeys Acts 13:1-38:31
... "And we sailed thence," says Luke, "and came the next day over against Chios; and
the next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium; and the next day ...
/.../sell/bible studies in the life of paul/ii pauls journeys acts 13 1-38 31.htm

Evening Hymn.
... It is, to the scattered hamlets of Chios and Mitylene, what Bishop Ken's Evening
Hymn is to the villages of our own land; and its melody singularly plaintive ...
//christianbookshelf.org/neale/hymns of the eastern church/evening hymn.htm

Eusebius: Constantine. General Index.
... Chastity, esteem among Christians, [3227]492. Childless persons, law concerning,
[3228]546. Chios, [3229]602. Chrestus, letter of C. to, [3230]437. ...
/.../pamphilius/the life of constantine/eusebius constantine general index.htm

Acts xx. 1
... he had joined us at Thasos, having taken him on board, we came to Mytilene; and
having sailed thence on the morrow, we come over against Chios""then they ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xliii acts xx 1.htm

Succession of Philosophers in Greece.
... Disciples of Democritus were Protagoras of Abdera, and Metrodorus of Chios, whose
pupil was Diogenes of Smyrna; and his again Anaxarchus, and his Pyrrho, and ...
/.../the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xiv succession of philosophers in.htm

And Now Let us Proceed to Explain the Reasons for which this ...
... In Chios, and again in Tenedos, a man was slain and offered up to Omadian
Bacchus. At Sparta they immolated human beings to Mars. ...
/.../pamphilius/the life of constantine/chapter xiii and now let.htm

Fragments of the Books on Arithmetic.
... [1220] A native of Chios, mentioned by Plato in connection with Anaxagoras, and
therefore supposed by some to have been a contemporary of the latter sage. ...
/.../the paschal canon of anatolius of alexandria/fragments of the books on.htm

The Jewish Institutions and Laws of Far Higher Antiquity than the ...
... Euthymenes, in the Chronicles, says that he flourished contemporaneously with Hesiod,
in the time of Acastus, and was born in Chios about the four hundredth ...
/.../the stromata or miscellanies/chapter xxi the jewish institutions and.htm

Acts xx. 32
... xx.6); then they there spent "seven;" in all, twelve: then to "Thasos," to "Mytilene,"
to "Trogylium" and "over against Chios," and to "Samos" and "Miletus" (ib ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xlv acts xx 32.htm

The Story of Histiaeus.
... for defense. Accordingly, when they arrived opposite the island of Chios,
the whole fleet came to anchor near the land. The ships ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/darius the great/chapter x the story of.htm

Chios (1 Occurrence)
...CHIOS. ke'-os, ki'-os (Chios): An island belonging to Turkey in the Aegean Sea,
South of Lesbos, and very near the mainland of Asia Minor. ...
/c/chios.htm - 11k

Samos (1 Occurrence)
... height," "mountain" (see Strabo 346, 457)): One of the most famous of the Ionian
islands, third in size among the group which includes Lesbos, CHIOS (which see ...
/s/samos.htm - 9k

Mitylene (1 Occurrence)
... night. It lies between Assos and Chios. ... night. Leaving Lesbos, he sailed southward
to a point opposite the island of Chios (Acts 20:15). ...
/m/mitylene.htm - 9k

Chi'os (1 Occurrence)
Chi'os. Chios, Chi'os. Chip . Multi-Version Concordance Chi'os (1 Occurrence).
Acts ... RSV). Chios, Chi'os. Chip . Reference Bible.
/c/chi'os.htm - 6k

Kios (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Kios (1 Occurrence). Acts 20:15 Sailing from
there, we came the following day opposite Chios. The next ...
/k/kios.htm - 6k

Opposite (137 Occurrences)
... Spirit didn't allow them. (WEB RSV). Acts 20:15 Sailing from there, we came
the following day opposite Chios. The next day we touched ...
/o/opposite.htm - 37k

Over-against (156 Occurrences)
... Acts 20:15 and thence having sailed, on the morrow we came over-against Chios, and
the next day we arrived at Samos, and having remained in Trogyllium, on the ...
/o/over-against.htm - 38k

Isle (15 Occurrences)
... 1:9), various islands are mentioned by name in connection with the voyages of Paul,
eg Cyprus, Crete, Lesbos, Samos, Samothrace, Chios, Melita, Sicily (Syracuse ...
/i/isle.htm - 15k

Island (16 Occurrences)
... 1:9), various islands are mentioned by name in connection with the voyages of Paul,
eg Cyprus, Crete, Lesbos, Samos, Samothrace, Chios, Melita, Sicily (Syracuse ...
/i/island.htm - 16k

Trogyllium (1 Occurrence)
... EJ Banks. Multi-Version Concordance Trogyllium (1 Occurrence). Acts 20:15 Sailing
from there, we came the following day opposite Chios. ...
/t/trogyllium.htm - 8k

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