Paphos
“Of unknown etymology; possibly meaning 'boiling' or 'hot'”
Summary
Paphos was a city at the western extremity of Cyprus and the administrative capital during Roman rule, famous as the seat of the proconsul Sergius Paulus and the site where Paul struck the sorcerer Elymas with blindness.
☩Geography and History
Two cities bore the name Paphos: Old Paphos (Palaipaphos, modern Kouklia) and New Paphos (modern Baffa), situated about ten miles apart at the southwestern extremity of Cyprus. Old Paphos was founded, according to legend, by Cinyras, the father of Adonis, and stood on an eminence over a mile from the sea. New Paphos, originally the seaport of the old city, possessed a good harbor and eventually became the chief city of Cyprus during Roman rule. Under the Roman Empire, it served as the administrative capital and residence of the proconsul. After a destructive earthquake, Augustus restored the city in 15 BC, and it received the name Augusta.
☩Paul's Ministry
After visiting Salamis and traveling through the whole island—approximately 100 miles—Barnabas, Paul, and Mark reached Paphos (Acts 13:6). Here the proconsul Sergius Paulus, described as an intelligent man, sent for the missionaries to hear their teaching. A Jewish sorcerer named Bar-Jesus (also called Elymas), who was attached to the proconsul's retinue, opposed them strenuously. Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, pronounced a sentence of temporary blindness upon Elymas, which immediately fell upon him. This miracle deeply impressed the proconsul, who believed the apostolic teaching. It is at this point that Saul is first called Paul, and he becomes more prominent than Barnabas in the narrative. From Paphos, the missionaries sailed northwest to Perga in Pamphylia.
☩The Cult of Aphrodite
Paphos was one of the most famous shrines of paganism, celebrated as the birthplace of Aphrodite (Venus), who was said to have risen from the sea there. The goddess was represented not by a graceful Greek statue but by a rude conical stone—a cultus-image of Phoenician origin. The worship centered at Old Paphos, where the kings and their descendants served as hereditary priests. Annual processions crowded the road between Old and New Paphos as male and female votaries from all over Cyprus resorted to the ancient shrine. Excavations have revealed a temple complex with large open courts, typical of Phoenician architecture. Athanasius later branded this worship as "the deification of lust," and had Paul remained longer, he would inevitably have confronted this sensuous cult as he did later at Ephesus.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Paphos," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VII (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Paphos," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Paphos," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 4.George Morrish, "Paphos," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 5.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Paphos," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).