Galatia
Where was Galatia? A central Anatolian region and Roman province centred on Ankara, Türkiye, home of the churches Paul wrote to in Galatians.
- Today
- Around Ankara, central Anatolia
- Country
- Türkiye
- Status
- Historic region: Temple of Augustus in Ankara
- Identification
- Certain
Galatia takes its name from the Galatians, Celtic peoples who settled in central Anatolia in the 3rd century BC; under Rome it became a large province with Ancyra (Ankara) as its capital. Paul wrote a letter to the churches of Galatia (Galatians 1:2), reminding them that he first preached the gospel to them because of a physical illness (Galatians 4:13). Acts says he passed through the region of Galatia and Phrygia on his second and third journeys (Acts 16:6; 18:23), and Peter's first letter is also addressed to believers in Galatia (1 Peter 1:1).
Read the chapters
- Galatians 1
- Galatians 3
- Acts 16
The chapter where the message first reaches Europe — in Philippi, a home opened by a woman, a household coming to faith, and two prisoners who keep their hope even in jail.
- Acts 18
- 1 Corinthians 16
- 1 Peter 1
The opening of a letter to believers under hardship, encouraging them to hold to a living hope and to lead a set-apart, pure life worthy of that hope.
Related topics
Related people
- Paul
- Peter
- Barnabas
- Stephen
- Lydia
- Matthew
- Timothy
- Hagar
- John the Apostle
- Philip the Apostle
- Judas Iscariot
- Mark
Related verse collections
- Bible Verses About Love
- Bible Verses About Hope
- Bible Verses About Patience
- Bible Verses About Salvation
- Bible Verses About Courage
- Bible Verses About Repentance
- Bible Verses About Marriage
- Bible Verses About Humility
- Bible Verses About Generosity
- Bible Verses About Holiness
- Bible Verses About Faithfulness
- Bible Verses About Witness
- Bible Verses About Loneliness
- Bible Verses About Trials and Testing
- Bible Verses About Joy
- Bible Verses About Work and Labor
Reading plans
- The Bible for Beginners — 10 Days
- The Early Church Through Acts — 28 Days
- The Bible in a Year — 365 Days from Cover to Cover
- 30 Days with the Gospel — An Introduction to the New Testament
Books
Places in the Bible
Where is Galatia today?
Galatia is today in Türkiye: the region of central Anatolia centred on Ankara, which as Ancyra was the capital of the Roman province. Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians to the churches of this region (Galatians 1:2). In Ankara's Ulus district you can still see the Temple of Augustus, whose walls carry the famous inscription recording the emperor's deeds, and the remains of the Roman baths.
Who was the letter to the Galatians written to?
Paul wrote to the churches of Galatia (Galatians 1:2). Which churches these were is debated: one view places them in northern Galatia around Ankara, while many scholars identify them with the churches of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe in the southern part of the Roman province.