Macedonia
Macedon, or Macedonia, was an independent state north of Greece. The Greeks considered the Macedonians barbarians compared to the more “civilized” members of their society. Macedonia’s most famous king was Philip II, who united most of Greece under his rule. Philip had intended to attack Persia but was assassinated. So his son Alexander, later called Alexander the Great, attacked Asia Minor, which Persia ruled, then took control of Persia and the entire known world at the time. Over time, the Romans took control of Macedonia (and every other place the Greeks controlled).
Macedonia figures prominently in the New Testament Book of Acts. The Apostle Paul, on his second missionary journey, was in Alexandria Troas when he had a vision of a Macedonian man calling to him, saying, “Come and help us!” So the Apostle Paul set sail from Alexandria Troas in today’s Türkiye to Neapolis, in Macedonia, to begin his missionary journey in Greece and Europe.
Biblical References:
- Esther 9:24; 16:10, 14
- Acts 16:9, 10, 12; 18:5; 19:21, 22, 29; 20:1, 3; 27:2
- Romans 15:26
- 1 Corinthians 16:5
- 2 Corinthians 1:16; 2:13; 7:5; 8:1; 9:2, 4; 11:9
- Philippians 4:15
- 1 Thessalonians 1:7, 8; 4:10
- 1 Timothy 1:3
- 1 Maccabees 1:1; 6:2; 8:5
- 2 Maccabees 8:20.