Samos
Summary
A famous Greek island in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Asia Minor, visited by Paul on his return from his third missionary journey.
☩Geography and Significance
Samos was a lofty, commanding island in the Aegean Sea, near the coast of Lydia in Asia Minor, separated from the mainland by a narrow strait less than a mile wide at its narrowest point. The name itself means 'height' or 'mountain,' reflecting its mountainous terrain with peaks rising to 4,700 feet. It was renowned in antiquity as a center of Ionian luxury and reached its zenith under the tyrant Polycrates (533-522 BC), who made himself master of the Aegean Sea.
☩Paul's Visit
Samos briefly appears in Scripture during Paul's return from his third missionary journey. On his way from Chios to Miletus, Paul's ship stopped at Samos, spending the night at the anchorage of Trogyllium in the strait between Samos and the promontory of Mycale on the mainland. This was the same strait where the Greeks had defeated the Persian fleet in 479 BC.
Related Verses1 mention
Acts· 1 verse
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Samos," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. IX (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Samos," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. IV (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Samos," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 4.James Hastings (ed.), "Samos," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).