Paul and Caristanius at Pisidian Antioch 241 Caristanius’ attitudes and opinions must have been extremely influential in a small comparatively-isolated provincial city like Pisidian Antioch. It is not hard to imagine that a powerful man like Caristanius would have been disturbed by any new development such as the Pauline mission that was threatening to upset the status quo in his city. It is also not hard to imagine that a man like Caristanius would have concluded that an easy solution to such a problem would have been the expulsion of the “outsiders” whose preaching had caused the problem. It is therefore not hard to imagine that Caristanius could have been one of “the leading men of the city” who played a direct or indirect role in expelling the missionaries from Pisidian Antioch. * ** The recently-discovered inscription that Caristanius commissioned at Pisidian Antioch points to a specific time-period, for it refers to an office that Claudius held from January 25, 45 to January 24, 46. If Paul arrived in Pisidian Antioch during the 30s, as proposed by some scholars, and if the community he established was still active in the 40s, this inscription offers a glimpse of the context in which these believers lived. But if Paul arrived during the years 45-48, as argued by many scholars, he would have arrived within a few years and possibly even a few months of the time referred to by this inscription. Although Pisidian Antioch was dominated by the descendants of Augustus’ Italian veterans, the population of the city and surrounding area must have included Greeks, Phrygians, Pisidians, and Jews. While the story of the mission in Acts 13,14-52 recognizes the existence of Jews and Gentiles, this story fails to name any of the specific Gentile ethnic groups in the city. There was much more ethnic and cultural diversity in first century Pisidian Antioch than this account reveals. Caristanius’ vow and his faithful fulfillment of this vow reflect his belief in the power of an unidentified pagan deity (or deities) to protect Claudius and give victory to the Roman legions in a distant land. Caristanius’ actions thus testify to the vitality of pagan religion in first century Pisidian Antioch. The statue, games, sacrifices and venatio that Caristanius provided to fulfill his vow must have left more than a fleeting impression on many of the residents of Pisidian Antioch. If Paul arrived in the city during 45-48, he must have met people who had frequently seen this statue and who may have still remembered Caristanius’ other