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Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

IntroIndex©

SYRACUSE

Town on the east coast of Sicily and the island’s most important city. Here Paul’s ship, on which he traveled to Rome as a prisoner, made a three-day stop following his shipwreck and three-month stay in Malta (Acts 28:12). Syracuse had a fine harbor and was a natural port of call for a ship sailing from Malta through the straits of Messina between Sicily and Italy en route to Rome.

Syracuse

Paul traveled from Malta to Syracuse on his way to Rome.

In the eighth century BC, Syracuse became a Greek colony, funded by Archias of Corinth. During the fifth century, it grew to great power and influence and was second only to Carthage as the most prominent city of the western Mediterranean. It played a significant role in the struggle between Rome and Carthage in the third century and was captured by Rome in 212 BC. Caesar Augustus settled Syracuse in 21 BC, making it a Roman colony (cf. Philippi). It is not stated in Acts 28 that Paul found Christians there, but later evidence from its catacombs indicates the existence of a church.