Salamis
Summary
A prosperous port city on the eastern coast of Cyprus, the first place visited by Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey.
☩Location and Character
Salamis was situated on the east coast of Cyprus, about three miles north of medieval Famagusta, near the river Pediaeus. It lay at the eastern end of the great plain of Mesorea that runs inland toward Nicosia. The city possessed an excellent harbor and was the most populous and flourishing town of Cyprus during the Hellenistic and Roman periods, conducting vigorous trade with Cilicia and Syria.
☩Paul's Visit
Salamis was the first destination of Paul and Barnabas after leaving Seleucia on the mainland during the first missionary journey. Two reasons suggest why they began here: Cyprus was Barnabas's native place, and the island was geographically close to Antioch. Significantly, Luke notes that they preached in the 'synagogues' (plural), indicating a substantial Jewish population—the only Greek city where this plural form appears in Paul's travels.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Salamis," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Salamis," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Salamis," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Salamis," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).