Pontus
“The sea; named for the Black Sea (Pontus Euxinus)”
Summary
Pontus was a large district in northern Asia Minor along the Black Sea coast, home to many Jews including Aquila, and one of the regions addressed in Peter's first epistle.
☩Geography and History
Pontus was a large district in the north of Asia Minor, extending along the coast of the Pontus Euxinus (Black Sea), from which it derived its name. Its boundaries varied considerably over time. Originally a province of Cappadocia, it later became an independent kingdom under the Persians. The kingdom reached its zenith under Mithridates VI ('the Great'), who challenged Roman power before being finally defeated by Pompey in 63 BC. Subsequently, parts of Pontus were incorporated into the Roman provincial system.
☩New Testament References
Pontus appears in three New Testament passages, all indicating a significant Jewish population in the region. Jews from Pontus were among those present in Jerusalem at Pentecost who heard the apostles speak in various tongues (Acts 2:9). Aquila, who with his wife Priscilla became a valuable co-worker with Paul, was a native of Pontus who had left Rome when Claudius expelled the Jews (Acts 18:2). Peter addresses his first epistle to 'the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia' (1 Peter 1:1), suggesting established Christian communities existed there by the 60s AD.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Pontus," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VIII (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Pontus," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).