Church of Antioch

Ancient Christian church Church of Saint Peter, Antioch The Church of Antioch (Arabic: كنيسة أنطاكية, romanized: kánīsa ʾanṭākiya, pronounced [ka.niː.sa ʔan.tˤaː.ki.ja]; Turkish: Antakya Kilisesi) was the first of the five major churches of what later became the pentarchy in Christianity, with its primary seat in the ancient Greek city of Antioch (present-day Antakya, Turkey). The earliest record of the church of Antioch is given in Acts 11, stating that some "men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus [...] and a great number believed, and turned to the Lord." Later, at the start of their missionary journeys, Paul the Apostle (also called Saul) and Barnabas preached in Antioch for a year, and followers of the church were called "Christians" for the first time. History Followers of Jesus Christ trace the origin of the term Christian to the church community that developed in Antioch. The organized life of the early Christian church began after Jesus' resurrection and ascension, especially at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was given to the apostles. Following the martyrdom of Stephen and the re