Hall of Tyrannus

About method, not doctrine

Most Bible studies on this site are about doctrine (what we believe and say), but this study is about method (to whom we say it and how we say it).

Never heard of it?

If you ask most Christians – even Christian leaders – about the Hall of Tyrannus, all you get is a blank stare.

Most Christians have no recollection of ever hearing about the Hall of Tyrannus, yet is the most successful evangelistic strategy reported anywhere in the entire Bible.

Apostle Paul's final grand strategy

The Hall of Tyrannus was the final grand strategy used by the Apostle Paul, the world's greatest missionary, to tell a million people about the gospel (good news) of Jesus in two years.

His audience was pagan unbelievers who had never heard about Jesus. His method of presentation was so powerful that observers said he was turning the world upside down.

After more than 30 years of experiences in presenting the gospel ('good news' about Jesus) to people in other cultures, Paul put all his experiences and hard-learned lessons together for a new strategy in the city of Ephesus, with amazing results!

Paul never had an opportunity to do it again – it was like his grand finale – because soon after, at about age 58, he returned to Jerusalem with an offering for poor people in the struggling church in Jerusalem, was arrested, held for two years as a prisoner, and then sent to Rome for trial and death.

This is the most under-told big story in the entire Bible. It's big because it's the core of what Jesus told us to do (Great Commission, Matthew 28:18).

Even though Paul learned this powerful strategy late in life and could implement it only once before his death, he left the outline for us. The Book of Acts tells in general terms how he did it.

What was the strategy? Will it still work today?

That's the subject of this Bible study.

Geographic setting

This story of the Apostle Paul, the Hall of Tyrannus, and a resulting explosive growth of Christianity takes place roughly AD 53-54 in the lands along the northeastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, all part of the Roman Empire, comprising most of modern-day Turkey.

The colored lines on the above map trace Paul's three missionary journeys and his voyage to Rome as a prisoner.

Paul's documented travels total more than 10,000 miles, mostly on foot. That's like walking from New York to Los Angeles four times! Not all of his excursions are documented, and we should also add circuitous routes and intra-city streets.

The sheer expenditure of time and physical energy for this much travel, often over mountainous terrain, is almost incomprehensible for us today.

The area inside the dashed circle was known as the Roman province of Anatolia. Early translators called it 'Asia' in English. Over time, the term 'Asia' was expanded gradually in everyday usage to include everything east of Asia. Eventually, 'Asia Minor' became the English terminology for distinguishing the circled area from the much larger Asian continent.

This area had been settled by Greek colonists centuries before Paul and remained thoroughly Greek in culture ... 'so all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord' ... as a result of Paul's ministry in the Hall of Tyrannus (map red dot). That's nearly everyone within the dashed circle.

Early life

For most of his life he was known as Saul of Tarsus, or simply Saul, his Hebrew (Jewish) name. Then, from about age xx forward, for better identification with his ministry to Gentiles (non-Jews), he was known as the Apostle Paul, or simply Paul, his Greek name.

He was born in the approximate year 1 AD into a Jewish family of high standing – Roman citizenship – in the city of Tarsus, a city still in existence in modern-day Turkey (map 24J). 

Tarsus was a very prosperous city of about 100,000 people ???? known for its fertile soil, excellent harbor, and gateway to the only major pass south through the Tarsus mountains. It was Alexander the Great, Cleopatra, etc.

Not know how family got to Tarsus, or Citizenship, or business.

Paul said: 'I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city' (Acts 21:39).

[NOTE: In ancient history, most dates are approximations. Dates and ages stated in this study are approximate within +-4 years.]

As a teen, his family sent him to Jerusalem to study under Gamaliel, the most prestigious Jewish teacher of that time, similar to a Harvard education today.

Paul said: 'I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained inured Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today' (Acts 22:3).

In the year or two after Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension, a growing group of believers called the 'way,' became very troublesome to zealous Jews in Jerusalem. Saul passionate to put an end. Persecute, imprison and even death.

Dramatic conversion

'Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out

Saul of Tarsus / persecuted believers

Until his name was changed at age xx, he was known as Saul of Tarsus.

He was born in the year 6 AD into a Jewish family of high standing – Roman citizenship – in the city of Tarsus, modern-day Turkey (map 24J).

[In ancient history, most dates are approximations. Dates and ages stated in this study are approximate within +-3 years.]

As a teen, his family sent him to Jerusalem to study under Gamaliel, a very prestigious religious teacher, similar to a Harvard education today. When Saul was

Very well educated and connected to leaders of Sanheidren.

In the year or two after Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension, group of believers call the 'way' troublesome. Saul passionate to put an end. Persecute, imprison and even death.

'And Saul approved of their killing him [stoning Stephen, a leader of the church]. On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men dn women and put them in prison. Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went' (Acts 8:1-4).

One of biggest adversaries of Jesus. His own words:

'I persecuted the followers of this Way [Christians] to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison' (Acts 22:4).

Not a blazing missionary at first

But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

Any failures. Cross-cultural.

Different than what was happening in Jerusalem.

Bible study on Apostle Paul

See the Bible study here on the life and times of the Apostle Paul.

Roads and ships were first century technologies

To fully understand this amazing story from Acts 19, it helps to know about the modes of travel in Asia Minor in the first century to see how Paul moved from city to city and how the people he trained in the Hall of Tyrannus (red dot) carried the gospel message to all parts of Asia Minor (dashed circle).

Before electronic communications, personal travel was essential for carrying information from one area to another.

Jesus never traveled more than a hundred miles from where he was born, and his ministry was mostly in rural areas.

‍Paul, by contrast, traveled thousands of miles from where he was born, and his ministry was mostly in big cities.

It was in the urban centers where Christianity became clearly distinguished from Judaism, took root, and grew and spread as something entirely new.

There is no record in the Bible of more spectacular growth of Christianity than through the Hall of Tyrannus in Ephesus.

People in Asia Minor did a lot of traveling in the first century, facilitated by a vast network of Roman roads paved with stone, merchant sailing ships with established routes between coastal cities, and Pax Romana ('Roman peace') with soldiers for greater protection from robbers.

This was a wealthy, flourishing, modern part of the world.

Not like Galilee

The people in Galilee could not have understood all that was happening in Asia Minor. Jesus gave his message on hillsides in Galilee to fishermen, shepherds, and peasants who lived in a rural Jewish culture. Those people would not know how to bring that message to the well-educated, affluent people in the large coastal cities of Asia Minor, who lived in a Greek culture, worshiping many pagan gods.

It was like two different worlds.

Paul was the man God chose to spearhead this new initiative to bring the gospel to the Gentiles (non-Jews) in the Roman Empire ... and consequently to the whole world.

This study, and the companion Bible study here on Apostle Paul, shows Paul's constant struggles over three decades as he learns how to carry out this mission, eventually becoming the world's greatest missionary. His work is still the model for all missionary work.

Paul had to move out of his narrow ecclesiastical world into the big, tough, modern world.

To succeed, he would have to take advantage of the technology of his day: Roman roads and sailing ships to carry the gospel to new places and cultures.

Roman roads

Roman roads were engineering marvels of the day: Extensive surveying to make the road straight as possible but curve around massive physical features as necessary to minimize time and cost of construction ... drain marshes ... cut through forests ... divert creeks ... cut back mountain sides ... quarry and haul stones ... build sturdy stone foundations to withstand hundreds of years of weathering and heavy loads ... level road bed with slight camber on the top surface for drainage ... fill gaps with sand ... cross rivers with bridges ... traverse valleys with viaducts ... build support walls and terracing ... install signposts showing distances to towns ahead ... create gravel foot paths on the sides for pedestrians to step aside for soldiers and for horse drawn carriages, ox carts and other wheeled traffic.

Standard width of a typical Roman road was about 13 feet, but wider in contested areas in and near big cities.

Major Roman roads had toll stations, like on our freeways.

Travel on the Roman roads was on foot except for government officials, commercial haulers, and the very rich who had their own chariots and carriages or chartered seats on transport coaches (like covered wagons with benches).

With a good road, good weather, and good health, a typical traveler could walk 15-20 miles per day.

Paul tells about many dangers and hardships when traveling long distances on the roads: 'I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country ... gone without sleep ... hunger and thirst ... cold ...' (2 Corinthians 11: 26-27).

In remote areas with long distances between towns, the government constructed mansions ('staying places,' like our highway rest stops) at intervals about 15 miles apart, where people on official business with a passport could use toilets, rest, sleep, and get drinking water and food. Typically, soldiers were garrisoned at these mansions.

A private system of inns grew up around the mansions offering the same kind of services, but they were usually expensive, filthy, and frequented with prostitutes and thieves.

Travelers would not want to leave the road to sleep camping-style because of the burden of carrying extra luggage and becoming easy targets for bandits. To arrive at one's destination with no money was a dire situation in those days. Soldiers patrolled the roads as best they could, but there was no protection at all in off-road rural areas.

Most travelers made arrangements in advance to stay with people they knew in towns along their route, or they rented bed-and-breakfast style in private homes based upon trust in a third party, as with a letter of introduction from a mutual friend.

Many travelers had no choice but to stay overnight in inns in the towns, but the inns were usually rowdy and dirty, and the innkeepers themselves would often cheat and steal from guests.

This is the network by which people moved the gospel on land from the Hall of Tyrannus to towns and cities throughout Asia Minor.

Roman sailing ships

Inn the first century, the Roman Empire completely encircled the Mediterranean Sea. It's waters not only provided fish for food but also facilitated trade between the provinces and trade with other countries as far as India and China.

There were no passenger ships in Paul's day, but there were large numbers of merchant ships moving on regular routes throughout the Mediterranean and beyond. We know about these ships through ancient drawings and underwater examination of shipwrecks.

A small merchant ship would be about 60 feet in length and carry about 70 tons of cargo. A large ship would be about 150 feet and carry about 600 tons. Ships relied upon a huge mainsail, square in shape, which made it difficult to tack in a zig-zag pattern against the wind, leaving ships largely at the mercy of the wind. As ship size increased, a second and even a third sail was sometimes added. Ships were steered by two large oars at the back.

Mediterranean ships were protected by Roman warships which could be propelled by one or two decks of rowers. Warships did not depend on wind conditions and had excellent manueverability.

Average speed of a merchant ship was 4-5 miles per hour. Sailing was completely suspended during the four winter months because of rough seas.

There were hundreds of merchant ships on the Mediterranean, mostly on regular routes, but time of departure and arrival were only tentative, depending upon weather. Grain, olive oil, wine, and spices and silk from the Orient were common cargo.

Passenger travel by sea was aboard merchant ships. A passenger would first have to find a ship planning to leave on an acceptable approximate day for the desired destination, then get the captain's approval and negotiate a price with him. There was no system of advanced ticketing as we know it. Departures and arrivals depended entirely on unpredictable weather conditions.

Some merchant ships had a few cabins at the stern, but they were affordable only to the very wealthy.

All passengers stayed on deck. They brought their own food, mattresses, blankets, and sometimes little tents.

Storms and shipwreck were always big threats in first century sea travel. There were no lifeboats and no way to call for help.

This is the network by which people moved the gospel by sea from the Hall of Tyrannus to coastal towns and cities throughout Asia Minor.

Paul found opportunities to match the calling

dfsdfdsf