Salamis was an ancient city located on the eastern coast of Cyprus, known for its significant role in early Christian history as recorded in the New Testament. It served as the first stop on the island for the Apostle Paul and Barnabas during their missionary journey, as detailed in the Book of Acts.

Biblical Reference:
The city of Salamis is mentioned in Acts 13:4-5 : "So Barnabas and Saul, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. Arriving in Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. And John was with them as their helper."

Historical and Geographical Context:
Salamis was a prominent city in ancient Cyprus, strategically located on the eastern coast, which made it a vital hub for trade and cultural exchange. The city was known for its diverse population, including a significant Jewish community, which is why Paul and Barnabas began their ministry in the synagogues there. This approach was consistent with Paul's missionary strategy of reaching out to the Jews first before turning to the Gentiles.

Significance in Early Christianity:
The visit to Salamis marked the beginning of Paul's first missionary journey, a pivotal moment in the spread of Christianity beyond the Jewish communities. The presence of synagogues in Salamis indicates a well-established Jewish community, providing a ready audience for the message of the Gospel. The inclusion of John Mark as their helper highlights the collaborative nature of early missionary efforts.

Cultural and Religious Influence:
Salamis, being a cosmopolitan city, was influenced by various cultures, including Greek, Roman, and Jewish traditions. This cultural melting pot provided a fertile ground for the dissemination of new ideas, including the teachings of Jesus Christ. The city's openness to diverse influences may have facilitated the initial acceptance and spread of Christianity.

Archaeological Insights:
Archaeological excavations in Salamis have uncovered remnants of its rich history, including public buildings, temples, and a theater, reflecting its importance as a cultural and economic center. These findings provide context to the environment in which Paul and Barnabas preached, offering insights into the challenges and opportunities they faced in spreading the Gospel.

Legacy:
The missionary work initiated in Salamis laid the groundwork for the establishment of Christian communities throughout Cyprus and beyond. The city's mention in the Book of Acts underscores its role in the early expansion of Christianity and serves as a testament to the enduring impact of the apostolic missions.

Salamis remains a symbol of the early Church's efforts to fulfill the Great Commission, as instructed by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20, to "go and make disciples of all nations." The city's historical and biblical significance continues to be a point of interest for scholars and believers alike, reflecting the dynamic nature of the early Christian movement.Salamis

shaken; test; beaten

Salamis

(suit), a city at the east end of the island of Cyprus, and the first place visited by Paul and Barnabas, on the first missionary journey, after leaving the mainland at Seleucia. Here alone, among all the Greek cities visited by St. Paul, we read expressly of "synagogues" in the plural, (Acts 13:5) hence we conclude that there were many Jews in Cyprus. And this is in harmony with what we read elsewhere. Salamis was not far from the modern Famagousta , it was situated near a river called the Pediaeus, on low ground, which is in fact a continuation of the plain running up into the interior toward the place where Nicosia , the present capital of Cyprus, stands.

Salamis

The chief city of the isle of Cyprus, visited by Paul and Barnabas, A. D. 48. This was the native isle of Barnabas, and many Jews resided there to whom the gospel had already been carried, Acts 4:36; 11:19,20; 21:16. Paul's visit was signalized by the miracle wrought on Elymas, and by the conversion of the governor, Sergius Paulus, Acts 13:5-12. Sakanus was a large city, situated on the east side of the island, and was afterwards called Constantia.

A city on the south-east coast of Cyprus (Acts 13:5), where Saul and Barnabas, on their first missionary journey, preached the word in one of the Jewish synagogues, of which there seem to have been several in that place. It is now called Famagusta. SALAMIS

sal'-a-mis (Salamis):

1. Site:

A town on the east coast of Cyprus, situated some 3 miles to the North of the medieval and modern Famagusta. It lay near the river Pediaeus, at the eastern extremity of the great plain of the Mesorea, which runs far into the interior of the island toward Nicosia (Lefkosia), the present capital. It possessed a good harbor and was the most populous and flourishing town of Cyprus in the Hellenic and Roman periods, carrying on a vigorous trade with the ports of Cilicia and Syria. Its population was mixed, consisting of Greek and Phoenician elements. The former, however, gave its tone and color to the city, and the chief cult and temple were those of Salaminian Zeus.

2. Early History:

Tradition represented Salamis as rounded soon after the fall of Troy by Teucer, the prince of Greek archers according to the narrative of the Iliad, who named it after his home, the island of Salamis off the Attic coast. In the 6th century B.C. it figures as an important Hellenic city, ruled by a line of kings reputed to be descended from Teucer and strengthened by an alliance with Cyrene (Herodotus iv.162). Gorgus, who was on the throne in 498 B.C., refused to join the Ionic revolt against Persia, but the townsmen, led by his brother Onesilus, took up arms in the struggle for freedom. A crushing defeat, however, inflicted udder the walls of Salamis, restored the island to its Persian overlords, who reinstated Gorgus as a vassal prince (Herodotus v.103;). In 449 a Greek fleet under Athenian leadership defeated the Phoenician navy, which was in the service of Persia, off Salamis; but the Athenian withdrawal which followed the battle led to a decided anti-Hellenic reaction, until the able and vigorous rule of the Salaminian prince Euagoras, who was a warm friend of the Athenians (Isocrates, Euag.) and a successful champion of Hellenism. In 306 a second great naval battle was fought off Salamis, in which Demetrius Poliorcetes defeated the forces of Ptolemy I (Soter), king of Egypt. But 11 years later the town came into Ptolemy's hands and, with the rest of the island, remained an appanage of the Egyptian kingdom until the incorporation of Cyprus in the Roman Empire (58 B.C.).

3. Visit of the Apostles:

When Barnabas and Paul, accompanied by John Mark, set out on their 1st missionary journey, they sailed from Seleucia, the seaport of Antioch, and landed at Salamis, about 130 miles distant, as the harbor nearest to the Syrian coast. There they preached the gospel in the "synagogues of the Jews" (Acts 13:5); the phrase is worth noting as pointing to the existence of several synagogues and thus of a large Jewish community in Salamis. Of work among the Gentiles we hear nothing, nor is any indication given either of the duration of the apostles' visit or of the success of their mission; but it would seem that after a short stay they proceeded "through the whole island" (Acts 13:6 the Revised Version (British and American)) to Paphos. The words seem to imply that they visited all, or at least most, of the towns in which there were Jewish communities. Paul did not return to Salamis, but Barnabas doubtless went there on his 2nd missionary journey (Acts 15:39), and tradition states that he was martyred there in Nero's reign, on the site marked by the monastery named after him.

4. Later History:

In 116 A.D. the Jews in Cyprus rose in revolt and massacred 240,000 Greeks and Romans. The rising was crushed with the utmost severity by Hadrian. Salamis was almost depopulated, and its destruction was afterward consummated by earthquakes in 332 and 342 A.D. It was rebuilt, though on a much smaller scale, by the emperor Constantius II (337-61 A.D.) under the name Constantia, and became the metropolitan see of the island. The most famous of its bishops was Epiphanius, the staunch opponent of heresy, who held the see from 367 to 403. In 647 the city was finally destroyed by the Saracens. Considerable remains of ancient buildings still remain on the site; an account of the excavations carried on there in 1890 by Messrs. J. A.R. Munro and H.A. Tubbs under the auspices of the Cyprus Exploration Fund will be found in the Journal of Hellenic Studies, XII, 59-198.

M. N. Tod

4529. Salamis -- Salamis, the chief city of Cyprus
... 4528, 4529. Salamis. 4530 . Salamis, the chief city of Cyprus. Part
of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: Salamis Phonetic ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4529.htm - 6k

4534. Salmone -- Salmone, a promontory of Crete
... Salmone. Perhaps of similar origin to Salamis; Salmone, a place in Crete -- Salmone.
see GREEK Salamis. (salmonen) -- 1 Occurrence. 4533, 4534. Salmone. 4535 ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4534.htm - 6k

The Battle of Salamis.
... CHAPTER XI. THE BATTLE OF SALAMIS. BC480 Situation of Salamis."Movements
of the fleet and the army."Policy of the Greeks."Reasons ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/xerxes/chapter xi the battle of.htm

Letter Li. From Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis, in Cyprus, to John ...
... The Letters of St. Jerome. Letter LI. From Epiphanius, Bishop of Salamis,
in Cyprus, to John, Bishop of Jerusalem. A coolness had ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter li from epiphanius bishop.htm

The Advance of Xerxes into Greece.
... of the army."Sailing of the fleet."Sciathus."Euboea."Straits of Artemisium and
Euripus."Attica."Saronic Gulf."Island of Salamis."Excitement of ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/xerxes/chapter viii the advance of.htm

Acts XIII
... thence sailed into Cyprus. (5) And when they were in Salamis, they preached
the word of God in the synagogues. And they had John ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts xiii.htm

The Return of Xerxes to Persia.
... themselves in case of failure. The night after the battle of Salamis,
accordingly, Mardonius was in great fear. He did not distrust ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/xerxes/chapter xii the return of.htm

Epiphanius Intervenes
... So Theophilus determined to make a catspaw of the aged and highly venerated Epiphanius,
Bishop of Salamis, in Cyprus, whom no one would suspect of ulterior ...
/.../chapter xliv epiphanius intervenes.htm

The Gospel According to St. Mark
... He accompanied St. Paul and St. Barnabas on St. Paul's first missionary
journey, and laboured with them at Salamis in Cyprus. It ...
/.../pullan/the books of the new testament/chapter iv the gospel according.htm

The Life.
... There are no data to show any official connection of Sozomen with Salamis opposite
Athens, or Salamis (Constantia) in Cyprus; certainly there is no record of ...
/.../sozomen/the ecclesiastical history of sozomenus/part i the life.htm

The Burning of Athens.
... The officers return to their vessels."The Greek fleet retire to Salamis."The
Thessalians."Their hostility to the Phocaeans."Defeat of the Thessalians ...
//christianbookshelf.org/abbott/xerxes/chapter x the burning of.htm

Greek-Amerikan-Christian-Association
... In the year of 1902, while I was a High Priest, Archimandrites, grand representative
of the Saint Mary's Monastery, Salamis; Orator and Grand Chaplain of the ...
/.../chapter x greek-amerikan-christian-association.htm

Salamis (1 Occurrence)
...SALAMIS. sal'-a-mis (Salamis): 1. Site: A town on the east coast of Cyprus, situated
some 3 miles to the North of the medieval and modern Famagusta. ...
/s/salamis.htm - 11k

Cyprus (12 Occurrences)
... 5. Cyprus and the Greeks: In 501 the Greek inhabitants led by Onesilus, brother
of the reigning prince of Salamis, rose in revolt against the Persians, but ...
/c/cyprus.htm - 27k

Paphos (2 Occurrences)
... Cinyras, the father of Adonis, or, according to another legend, by Aerias, and formed
the capital of the most important kingdom in Cyprus except that of Salamis...
/p/paphos.htm - 14k

Sal'amis (1 Occurrence)
Sal'amis. Salamis, Sal'amis. Salasadai . Multi-Version Concordance Sal'amis
(1 Occurrence). ... Salamis, Sal'amis. Salasadai . Reference Bible.
/s/sal'amis.htm - 6k

Xerxes (24 Occurrences)
... After the defeat at Salamis in 480 Xerxes himself withdrew from the expedition
and it was finally discontinued in the next year. ...
/x/xerxes.htm - 14k

Ministrant (15 Occurrences)
... (YLT). Acts 13:5 and having come unto Salamis, they declared the word of God in
the synagogues of the Jews, and they had also John 'as' a ministrant; (YLT). ...
/m/ministrant.htm - 11k

Proclaim (172 Occurrences)
... (Root in WEB WEY ASV NAS RSV). Acts 13:5 When they were at Salamis, they
proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. They ...
/p/proclaim.htm - 36k

Proclaimed (114 Occurrences)
... Acts 13:5 When they were at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish
synagogues. They had also John as their attendant. (WEB ASV RSV NIV). ...
/p/proclaimed.htm - 37k

Ptolemy
... for Egypt. In 306 Ptolemy was defeated in the great naval fight off Salamis
in Cyprus by which Cyprus was lost to Egypt. About this ...
/p/ptolemy.htm - 17k

Announce (56 Occurrences)
... (DBY). Acts 13:5 Having reached Salamis, they began to announce God's Message in
the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John as their assistant. (WEY DBY). ...
/a/announce.htm - 22k

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