what cities made up the region of Galatian
- The region of Galatia encompassed different cities depending on whether we’re referring to the ethnic territory or the Roman province. The debate centers on whether Paul’s letter addressed churches in the southern portion of the Roman province of Galatia, which included cities like Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, or cities in the northern geographical region such as Ancyra and Pessinus. The northern region of Galatia was a mountainous territory in central Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) that included the cities of Pessinus, Ancyra (modern Ankara, Turkey’s capital), and Tavium. When the Romans expanded the province southward, it came to include parts of Lycaonia, Pisidia, and Phrygia, incorporating important cities like Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. These southern cities were where Paul and Barnabas founded churches during their first missionary journey around A.D. 47-48. Most biblical scholars today favor the South Galatian Theory, concluding that Paul’s letter was addressed to the churches in the southern cities of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. This view is supported by the fact that in Paul’s lifetime, the Roman province of Galatia encompassed the entire central region of Asia Minor, extending from just south of the Black Sea in the north to the slopes of the Taurus Mountains in the south.
