Biblical Nations - Cappadocians

Cappadocians

Key Scripture: 1 Peter 1:1

Figures: none

After spending a few weeks investigating many of the social, religious, and political groups within the Jewish communities during the first century AD, we finally find our way back to some of the outlying nations.  Like many others that we have studied, Cappadocia was part of the larger Roman empire.  And like many such provinces, its boundaries were not fixed but fluctuated over time.  Although there are a number of meaningful locations from the New Testament that are nearby, however, a dispute remains over whether any of the major figures in the early Church were ever present and involved with the spiritual growth and development there.  Let's see what we can learn about this region and its history.

Set in the eastern part of Asia Minor or Anatolia, now known as Turkey, Cappadocia was a large province with several notable attributes.  First among them was the physical appearance of the area - a nearby volcano had deposited ash over much of the region that eventually became soft rock, which over time eroded into a fascinating landscape of spires, caves, and unusual-looking terrain.  By the 7th century BC there is evidence that people had already begun to carve and dig shelters, both into exposed rock walls as well as underground.  Second, the region was known for their horses and pasturelands, which may have even provided the origin of the area's name since the Persian name "Katpatuka" is roughly translated as "Land of Beautiful Horses".  Emperor Tiberius claimed Cappadocia for Rome after the death of their last king, Archelaus, in AD 17 (during the life of Jesus), ending a period of self-rule that had existed since the time of Alexander the Great.  Perhaps populated by descendants of Japheth some 2,000 years before the Romans, however, the area was both convenient and desirable, and therefore the target of many previous empires that had existed nearby, including tablets that seem to indicate subjugation to Hammurabi of Babylon, as well as rule by the Hittites, Persians, and Greeks.  By the time of Jesus a Jewish community had taken root in Cappadocia, and some of their number were recorded by Luke in the book of Acts to have been present at the day of Pentecost.

It is likely that some of these Cappadocian Jews were converted and took back their new faith in Jesus as the Messiah, as Peter identified them in the opening verse of his first epistle to dispersed believers.  The early Christian church began to grow throughout the region, but even though Saul of Tarsus (later known as the Apostle Paul) was from a nearby city it is not mentioned in the Bible that he specifically traveled into Cappadocia.  Perhaps he did journey north prior to his ministry in Antioch and subsequent missionary journeys throughout Asia, but despite the stories of modern tour guides there is no conclusive proof that he established churches.  That said, however, there are hundreds of churches that have been identified and preserved among the caves throughout Cappadocia.  After the age of the apostles, the region was known to have been a haven during periods of severe persecutions of the Church, and it is likely these caves could have served as a place of refuge until Christianity gained political recognition and authority during the time of Constantine.

Many important Christian leaders came from Cappadocia including Basil the Great, his brother Gregory of Nyssa, and their friend Gregory of Nazianzus.  These three leaders were all instrumental in opposing Arianism, a doctrine that denied the Trinity or full deity of Christ, and as such were all recognized as saints by both the Catholic and Orthodox churches.  Another interesting person who lived in Cappadocia was Gregory the Illuminator, who came to the region as a refugee child of noble birth from Armenia.  His father had murdered the Armenian king and young Gregory was rescued from the ensuing slaughter of his entire family to be raised by Christians in the Cappadocian city of Caesarea.  Upon returning to his pagan homeland that still embraced Zoroastrianism, Gregory was arrested by King Trdat III for his beliefs, then tortured and thrown into Khor Virap, a prison that consisted of deep pits where individuals were essentially thrown and forgotten.  Kept alive for 13 years amid snakes, scorpions, and the filth and decaying bodies of his fellow prisoners, he was eventually released when the king became desperately ill and his sister had a dream that only Gregory could save him.  Released from his pit, Gregory immediately began praying for the man who had caused him so much suffering, and when the king was miraculously healed he not only converted to Christianity but led his nation to become the first to adopt the faith as their national religion.

Over time Cappadocia became the focus of incursion by Arabs, which led to the development of underground cities of refuge such as Kaymakli and Derinkuyu.  After gradually losing territory for several hundred years, it fell under the total control of Islamic Turks by the end of the 12th century AD.  Cappadocia was part of the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century until 1922, at which point the nation of Turkey was created.  There were concerted efforts to create a homogenous population in the newly-formed republic, which meant those of different ethnicity (especially Greek and Armenian) or religion (especially Christian) were persecuted, extradited, or eliminated.  Since World War I, the percentage of the Turkish population that identifies as Christian has dropped from more than 20% to less than 0.5% today, with the government claiming 99% of their citizens are practicing Muslims.  Nevertheless, Cappadocia has persisted as a pilgrimage site for Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox visitors, and will likely continue to attract Christians as long as the UNESCO World Heritage designation remains in place to protect the historical churches.