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Acts 9 tells us Paul went to Damascus to persecute the followers of the Way.
But in previous Chapter (Acts 8)
We read that they had fled to Samaria and Judea following Stephen’s death. Now those two places are nowhere near Damascus. So how did the believers end up there before Saul had an encounter with God?
Troy Day
This is a fascinating question about the early church’s missionary networks. Acts 9:2 mentions the ‘Way’ believers in Damascus, suggesting an established community had already been reached, likely through trade routes and the Jewish diaspora networks. The Damascus road account highlights Paul’s dramatic conversion, but it also reveals the significant Christian presence already established in Syria. I’d be interested to see how the article connects the Hellenistic Jewish missionary movements with the spread of the gospel to Damascus. The combination of both Jewish proselytization and Christian evangelism likely created a receptive context for the early believers there. @followers