Pontus

Pontus was a region along the southern coast of the Black Sea in northeastern Asia Minor that became a Roman province and is mentioned several times in the New Testament in connection with the early spread of Christianity. Acts 2 records that Jews from Pontus were present in Jerusalem at Pentecost and heard the apostles speaking in tongues, suggesting that the gospel may have reached Pontus very early through these returning pilgrims. The region is also notable as the homeland of Aquila, the Jewish tentmaker who, along with his wife Priscilla, became one of Paul's most important ministry partners after meeting him in Corinth following their expulsion from Rome under Claudius. Additionally, the apostle Peter addresses his first epistle to the elect exiles scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, indicating an established Christian community in the region by the mid-first century. Pontus thus represents the rapid geographic expansion of early Christianity into diverse regions of the Roman Empire.