Troas
Summary
Troas (Alexandria Troas) was an important seaport on the coast of Mysia in northwest Asia Minor, from which Paul first sailed to carry the Gospel from Asia to Europe.
☩Location and History
Troas was situated on the coast of Mysia, opposite the island of Tenedos, about ten miles south of ancient Troy. The full name was Alexandria Troas, founded by Antigonus (who named it Antigonia) and later embellished and renamed by Lysimachus. Under the Romans it became a colonia with special privileges and was one of the most important towns in the province of Asia. Julius Caesar, Augustus, and Constantine all considered making it the capital of their empires, given the Roman sentimental connection to the legendary homeland of Aeneas.
☩Paul's First Visit
Paul came to Troas during his second missionary journey, having been prevented by the Spirit from preaching in Asia and Bithynia. Here he received the vision of the man of Macedonia pleading, 'Come over and help us.' Recognizing this as divine guidance, Paul and his companions immediately sailed from Troas to Neapolis, thus carrying the Gospel from Asia to Europe for the first time. This momentous crossing took only two days with favorable winds.
☩Later Visits
Paul returned to Troas during his third missionary journey, finding 'an open door' for preaching the Gospel, yet his concern for the Corinthian church and his failure to find Titus compelled him to move on to Macedonia. On his return journey from Greece, he stayed seven days at Troas. On the evening before his departure, while Paul preached until midnight, the young man Eutychus fell from a third-story window and was taken up dead, but Paul raised him to life. Paul later left a cloak, books, and parchments there in the house of Carpus.
Related Verses6 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Troas," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Troas," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Troas," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Troas," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).