Lycia was an ancient geopolitical region located in what is now the southwestern part of modern-day Turkey. It was situated along the Mediterranean coast, bordered by Caria to the west and Pamphylia to the east. The region is characterized by its rugged terrain, mountainous landscapes, and a series of coastal cities that played significant roles in maritime trade and cultural exchange during antiquity.

Biblical References:

Lycia is mentioned in the New Testament in the context of the Apostle Paul's missionary journeys. In the Book of Acts, Lycia is referenced as a region that Paul passed through during his travels. Acts 27:5 states, "When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra in Lycia." This passage highlights Myra as a notable city within Lycia, where Paul and his companions changed ships on their way to Rome.

Historical and Cultural Context:

Lycia was known for its unique form of government, which was a federation of cities, each with its own level of autonomy. This Lycian League is considered one of the earliest known examples of a democratic union, where representatives from various cities would gather to make decisions for the region. The Lycian League is even mentioned by ancient historians such as Strabo and is noted for its influence on the framers of the United States Constitution.

The region was heavily influenced by both Greek and Roman cultures, evident in its architecture, language, and religious practices. Lycia was eventually absorbed into the Roman Empire, and its cities became important centers for early Christianity. The spread of Christianity in Lycia is attributed to the missionary efforts of early Christians, including Paul and his associates.

Archaeological Significance:

Lycia is renowned for its archaeological sites, which include well-preserved ruins of ancient cities such as Xanthos, Patara, and Myra. These sites offer valuable insights into the Lycian way of life, their religious practices, and their interactions with neighboring cultures. The rock-cut tombs and monumental sarcophagi found in the region are particularly notable for their intricate carvings and inscriptions.

Religious Influence:

The early Christian presence in Lycia is evidenced by the remains of churches and Christian symbols found throughout the region. The city of Myra, in particular, became an important Christian center and is traditionally associated with Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century bishop who later became the inspiration for the modern figure of Santa Claus.

Lycia's mention in the Bible, though brief, underscores its role as a crossroads of cultural and religious exchange in the ancient world. The region's strategic location along major maritime routes facilitated the spread of the Gospel and the establishment of Christian communities, contributing to the broader narrative of the early Church's expansion throughout the Roman Empire.Lycia

(land of Lycus) is the name of that southwestern region of the peninsula of Asia Minor which is immediately opposite the island of Rhodes. The Lycians were incorporated in the Persian empire, and their ships were conspicuous in the great war against the Greeks (Herod. vii. 91, 92). After the death of Alexander the Great, Lycia was included in the Greek Seleucid kingdom, and was a part of the territory which the Romans forced Antiochus to cede. It was not till the reign of Claudius that Lycia became part of the Roman provincial system. At first it was combined with Pamiphylia. Such seems to have been the condition of the district when St. Paul visited the Lycian towns of Patara, (Acts 21:1) and Myra. (Acts 27:5) At a later period of the Roman empire Lyoia was a separate province, with Myra for it capital.

Lycia

A province in the southwest of Asia Minor bounded west by Caria, east by Pamphylia, north by Phrygia and Pisidia, and south by the Mediterranean. The country is somewhat mountainous, though not barren. Of its cities, only Patara and Myra are mentioned in the New Testament, Acts 21:1,2; 27:5.

A wolf, a province in the south-west of Asia Minor, opposite the island of Rhodes. It forms part of the region now called Tekeh. It was a province of the Roman empire when visited by Paul (Acts 21:1; 27:5). Two of its towns are mentioned, Patara (21:1, 2) and Myra (27:5). LYCIA

lish'-i-a (Lukia): An ancient country forming the southeast portion of Asia Minor. The surface of Lycia is exceedingly rugged, and its lofty mountains rise almost directly from the sea. Over them several trade routes or passes lead from the coast to the interior. Down the mountain sides rush many small rivers, of which the Xanthus is the chief. The history of Lycia, like that of the neighboring countries, forms a part of the history of Asia Minor. Successively it was in the possession of the Persians, of Alexander the Great, of the Seleucid kings and of the Ptolemies. In 188 B.C. it fell into the hands of the Romans, who gave it to the island of Rhodes; 20 years later, because of its loyalty to Rome, it became free and independent (1 Maccabees 15:23). In 53 A.D., during the reign of the emperor Claudius, it became a Roman province, and in 74 A.D. it was united with Pamphylia to form a double province over which a Roman governor presided.

At different times during the history of Lycia, there were about 100 places which issued coins of their own. Pliny speaks of 70 cities which had existed there, but in his age there were but 36. Of these, Patara, Myra and Phaselis are of interest to Bible students. From the coast city of Patara, according to Acts 21, Paul took ship for Phoenicia. It was a place celebrated not only as a trading-center, and a port of entry to the interior, but as the seat of the oracle of Apollo, and the birthplace of Nicholas. Myra, though over 2 miles from the coast, possessed a harbor, and was also a trading-center. Here, according to Acts 27:5-38, Paul found a grain ship from Alexandria. For some time Myra was the capital of the Roman province; to Christendom it is especially known as the home of Nicholas, who was its bishop and the patron saint of the sailors along the coast. Phaselis, on the border of Pamphylia, was also the home of the bishop.

Lycia was a stopping-place, rather than the scene of the active work of Paul, and therefore it figures little in the earliest history of Christianity. For a long time the people strongly opposed the introduction of a strange religion, and in 312 A.D. they even petitioned the Roman emperor Maximin against it. A portion of the petition has been discovered at Arykander.

E. J. Banks

3073. Lukia -- Lycia, a region of Asia Minor
... Lycia, a region of Asia Minor. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: Lukia
Phonetic Spelling: (loo-kee'-ah) Short Definition: Lycia Definition: Lycia ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3073.htm - 6k

3959. Patara -- Patara, a city of Lycia
... Patara, a city of Lycia. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: Patara Phonetic
Spelling: (pat'-ar-ah) Short Definition: Patara Definition: Patara, a ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3959.htm - 6k

3460. Mura -- Myra, a city of Lycia
... Myra, a city of Lycia. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: Mura Phonetic
Spelling: (moo'-rah) Short Definition: Myra Definition: Myra, a port in Lycia ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3460.htm - 6k

Acts xxvi. 30-32
... shipwreck and storm. "And when we had sailed over the sea of Cilicia and
Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. And there ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily liii acts xxvi 30-32.htm

Letter ccxviii. To Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium.
... not mean to say that I have been so affected by any other cause as to forget it,
but now I wish to put you in mind to send some good man into Lycia, to enquire ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/letter ccxviii to amphilochius bishop.htm

Maximinus C??sar Having Come at that Time into the Government...
... 5. The young man came from Pag??, [2645] "if any one is acquainted with
the place,"a city in Lycia of no mean importance. After ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter iv maximinus caesar having.htm

The Revelation of Peter. Introduction.
... 4. Methodius, bishop of Olympus in Lycia in the beginning of the fourth century,
in his Symposium, ii., 6, says, "wherefore we have also learned from divinely ...
/.../unknown/the apocalypse of peter/the revelation of peter introduction.htm

Refutation of the Gentiles --Continued
... Again, in former times every place was full of the fraud of the oracles, and the
utterances of those at Delphi and Dordona and in Boeotia and Lycia and Libya ...
/.../athanasius/on the incarnation of the word/chapter 8 refutation of the.htm

The Absurdity and Shamefulness of the Images by which the Gods are ...
... Nor need you doubt respecting the images of Zeus and Apollo at Patara, in Lycia,
which Phidias executed, as well as the lions that recline with them; and if ...
/.../exhortation to the heathen/chapter iv the absurdity and shamefulness.htm

Acts XXVII
... and Pamphylia. (5) "And when we had sailed across the sea along Cilicia
and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. (6) There ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts xxvii.htm

Introductory Notice to Methodius.
... Methodius, who is also called Eubulius, [2488] was, first of all bishop, simultaneously
of Olympus and Patara, in Lycia, as is testified by several ancient ...
/.../introductory notice to methodius.htm

Hymns from the Early Greek Poets not Found in the Service-Books of ...
... third century. He was first of all Bishop of Olympus in Lycia, and, according
to Jerome, became ultimately Bishop of Tyre. He combated ...
/.../brownlie/hymns of the greek church/hymns from the early greek.htm

The Voyage and Shipwreck
... At Myra, in the province of Lycia, the centurion found a large Alexandrian ship,
bound for the coast of Italy, and to this he immediately transferred his ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 42 the voyage and.htm

Lycia (1 Occurrence)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. LYCIA. ... The surface of Lycia is exceedingly rugged,
and its lofty mountains rise almost directly from the sea. ...
/l/lycia.htm - 9k

Myra (1 Occurrence)
... One of the chief towns of Lycia, in Asia Minor, about 2 1/2 miles from the coast
(Acts 27:5). Here Paul removed from the Adramyttian ship in which he had ...
/m/myra.htm - 8k

Phaselis
... fa-se'-lis (Phaselis): A city of Lycia in Southern Asia Minor, on the seacoast,
near the boundary of Pamphylia, to which country some ancient writers have ...
/p/phaselis.htm - 7k

Pamphylia (6 Occurrences)
... It lay between Lycia on the west and Cilicia on the east. There were strangers
from Pamphylia at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (2:10). Int. ...
/p/pamphylia.htm - 12k

Ly'cia (1 Occurrence)
Ly'cia. Lycia, Ly'cia. Lydda . ... Acts 27:5 When we had sailed across the sea which
is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia. (See RSV). ...
/l/ly'cia.htm - 6k

Patara (1 Occurrence)
... A city on the south-west coast of Lycia at which Paul landed on his return from
his third missionary journey (Acts 21:1, 2). Here he found a larger vessel ...
/p/patara.htm - 9k

Pisidia (2 Occurrences)
... It was bounded by Lycia on the West, by the Phrygian country on the North, and by
Isauria on the East; but there is no natural boundary between Pisidia and ...
/p/pisidia.htm - 21k

Cyprus (12 Occurrences)
... Paul did not again land on the island, though he sighted it when, on his last journey
to jerus, he sailed south of it on his way from Patara in Lycia to Tyre ...
/c/cyprus.htm - 27k

Over-against (156 Occurrences)
... Miletus, (YLT). Acts 27:5 and having sailed over the sea over-against Cilicia
and Pamphylia, we came to Myria of Lycia, (YLT). Acts 27 ...
/o/over-against.htm - 38k

Lies (208 Occurrences)
... (WEY NAS RSV NIV). Acts 27:5 and, sailing the whole length of the sea that lies
off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we reached Myra in Lycia. (WEY). ...
/l/lies.htm - 35k

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