In Acts 13, the church at Antioch in Syria sent Barnabas, Saul, and John Mark out on a missionary journey. They traveled from Antioch to the seaport Seleucia, and then sailed some 130 miles to the island of Cyprus. This sizable island is 140 miles long and 60 miles wide at its farthest points. It was sometimes called Makaria, “the Happy Isle.” It was famous for its shipbuilding industry and its copper mines. Modern Cyprus is divided into two parts. The northeastern section is controlled by Turkey, whereas the southwestern section is controlled by Greece. It is the largest of the Greek islands.

 

Although Cyprus is alluded to a few times in Old Testament prophecies, it finds its most important place in the book of Acts. Some on Cyprus had heard the gospel prior to Paul’s first missionary journey (Acts 11:19). However, the text dwells on the island longer in Act 13, at the beginning of that journey.