491. Antiocheus

Lexical Summary

Antiocheus: Antiochian

Original Word: Ἀντιοχεύς
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: Antiocheus
Pronunciation: an-tee-okh-YOOS
Phonetic Spelling: (an-tee-okh-yoos')
KJV: of Antioch
NASB: Antioch
Word Origin: [from G490 (Ἀντιόχεια - Antioch)]

1. an Antiochian or inhabitant of Antiochia

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

of Antioch.

From Antiocheia; an Antiochian or inhabitant of Antiochia -- of Antioch.

see GREEK Antiocheia

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from Antiocheia
Definition
an Antiochian, an inhab. of Antioch
NASB Translation
Antioch (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 491: Ἀντιοχεύς

Ἀντιοχεύς, Ἀντιοχεως, ὁ, an Antiochian, a native of Antioch: Acts 6:5.

Topical Lexicon

Definition and Scope

Antiocheus designates an inhabitant or native of Antioch—the ancient Syrian metropolis situated on the Orontes River. The word appears once in the Greek New Testament (Acts 6:5) as a descriptive term for Nicolas, “a proselyte from Antioch.”

Biblical Occurrence (Acts 6:5)

“The proposal pleased the whole congregation, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.” (Berean Standard Bible)

Here Antiocheus marks Nicolas’s geographic and cultural background, highlighting the international character of the earliest church.

Antioch: Historical and Cultural Setting

1. Founding and Growth: Established by Seleucus I Nicator (fourth century B.C.), Antioch became the third-largest city of the Roman Empire, renowned for commerce, learning, and cosmopolitan life.
2. Jewish Presence: A large, influential Jewish community enjoyed legal privileges, making Antioch a fertile ground for the gospel among both Jews and Gentiles.
3. Spiritual Foresight: The Lord used Antioch’s strategic position and diverse population to advance the church’s witness beyond Jerusalem.

Antioch in the New Testament Narrative

• Acts 11:19-26 records the rise of a thriving congregation where “the disciples were first called Christians.”
• Acts 13:1-3 portrays Antioch as the launching pad for the missionary journeys of Barnabas and Saul.
• Galatians 2:11-14 preserves Paul’s confrontation with Peter in Antioch, underscoring the city’s centrality in defining gospel unity across ethnic lines.

Nicolas the Antiochean: Ministry Significance

1. A Proselyte: Nicolas was a Gentile who had fully embraced Judaism before believing in Christ, reflecting the gospel’s reach to the God-fearing diaspora.
2. Service among the Seven: His selection ensured equitable distribution to the overlooked Hellenistic widows, modeling Spirit-guided representation of cultural minorities in church leadership.
3. Later Traditions: Some second-century writers associate Nicolas with the Nicolaitans mentioned in Revelation 2:6, 15. While Scripture neither confirms nor refutes that link, the canonical text never attributes heresy to Nicolas himself. The sober lesson is to evaluate later claims by the standard of Scripture.

Ministry Lessons Drawn from Antiocheus

• God gathers leaders from varied backgrounds to serve His unified church.
• Geographic and cultural identifiers (such as Antiocheus) underscore the gospel’s advance from Jerusalem “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
• Antioch’s account calls modern congregations to be missionary-minded sending centers, grounded in prayer and sound teaching (Acts 13:2-3).
• The single appearance of Antiocheus in Scripture reminds believers that every name, however briefly mentioned, plays a role in the unfolding redemptive narrative.

Theological Reflection

Antiocheus bears witness to the sovereign orchestration of history: a Hellenistic capital became a cradle of Gentile mission; a converted outsider served the needy inside the church; and a one-word descriptor links local benevolence with global evangelism. The Lord who “made from one man every nation of men” (Acts 17:26) delights to weave diverse backgrounds into a single redeemed people, proving the consistency and sufficiency of His Word and work.

Forms and Transliterations

Αντιοχεα Ἀντιοχέα Antiochea Antiochéa

Englishman's Concordance

Acts 6:5 N-AMS
GRK: Νικόλαον προσήλυτον Ἀντιοχέα
NAS: and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.
KJV: Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch:
INT: Nicolas a convert of Antioch

Strong's Greek 491
1 Occurrence

Ἀντιοχέα — 1 Occ.