Damascus
Ancient city of Syria, capital of the Aramean kingdom that fought Israel in the time of the kings. Paul was converted on the road to it, was baptised there, and escaped from it over the wall in a basket.
Damascus lies in an oasis east of the Anti-Lebanon range. It is named in the story of Abraham (Genesis 14:15). In the books of Kings it is the seat of the kings of Aram, Israel’s neighbours and frequent enemies, and the home of the commander Naaman (1 Kings 15:18) (2 Kings 5:1, 12); the prophets speak against it (Isaiah 17:1). By the first century it had synagogues, to which Saul carried letters from the high priest (Acts 9:2). Acts says that near the city he saw a light that blinded him, and that in it Ananias of Damascus laid hands on him and he was baptised and first preached (Acts 9:3–22). Paul says that he returned there from Arabia, and that he escaped from it when the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city (Galatians 1:17) (2 Corinthians 11:32–33). See the Conversion of Paul.
What happened here
- c. AD 31–36, estimated dateThe Conversion of Paul
Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee who is persecuting the followers of Jesus, becomes one of them near Damascus. Acts tells the story three times, and Paul’s own letters speak of it as a revelation of God’s Son and a call to preach to the Gentiles.