A region in the Roman province of Galatia, where Paul and Barnabas visited around AD 48.
Pisidia lies north of the Taurus mountains, which run along the Cilician and Pamphylian coasts. Pisidia lies on Anatolia's central plateau, at 1100 meters (3,600 feet) above sea level. The mountains separate it from the coastal regions. The area includes the Taurus foothills. It stretches about 640 kilometers (400 miles) long and 265 kilometers (165 miles) wide. It borders the large province of Asia to the west, Galatia to the north, and Lycaonia to the east. The people in these mountains had a reputation for being aggressive and difficult to control.
The Seleucids first brought them under control over many years. Later, the Romans did the same. Seleucus I Nicator, who ruled from 312 to 280 BC, founded the city of Antioch to help control these tribes. Amyntas of Galatia also fortified the city around 26 BC to improve security. When he died in 25 BC, Pisidia became part of the province of Galatia. Emperor Augustus completed the effort to bring peace to the region by founding five cities in addition to Antioch:
Crimma
Comana
Olba
Parlais
Military roads connected all the cities to Antioch. An inscription discovered in 1912 shows that Quirinius was a governor of the region under Augustus (see Luke 2:2). Antioch was the capital of Pisidia. This city was on the main road between Ephesus to the west and Derbe and Tarsus to the east. It was mainly a Roman colony (a settlement controlled by Rome), with a large Jewish community brought in by the Seleucids for trade.
Paul and Barnabas traveled through Pisidia at least twice on their way between Perga and Derbe (Acts 13:14; 14:24). In Antioch of Pisidia, one of the most important decisions in the history of Christian missionary work was made and announced. After most of the Jewish audience rejected their message, Paul and Barnabas started focusing on non-Jewish people. They said, "But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles" (Acts 13:46). From now on, Paul and his friends focused on spreading their message to non-Jews. This made Christianity a worldwide religion, not just another Jewish sect.