“Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla … Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.” – Acts 18:1-3
Here you can see hubby’s and my tour guide the day we visited Ephesus. He was a wonderful tour guide! … a walking history book of every historical piece of knowledge you could imagine.
I don’t remember his name (which I am bummed about because I would like to share it with you). But he does work for Meander Travel (check them out – Ephesus Tours, Biblical Tours, Istanbul Tours, Ferry to Samos from Kusadasi). He regularly leads tours to the archaeological sites of the 7 churches of Revelation.
Standing here on this spot in Ephesus that blazing hot day this past summer, our tour guide shared some information with us about Paul’s profession as a tent maker which blew mine and hubby’s minds!
The Bible states that Paul, originally called Saul, was from Tarsus. (Acts 9:11, 30)
Our tour guide (born and raised in Türkiye) explained this area of Türkiye to us.
Tarsus is located in southern Türkiye. To the north and west are the Tarsus Mountains. To the south is the Mediterranean Sea. It was in this region that a community of Jewish people settled after the diaspora.
The Anatolian Black goat is also native to this region of Türkiye. According to our tour guide (he gave us the exact historical dates, which I can’t remember) this Jewish community which had settled here became leading craftspeople at weaving the fibers of the Anatolian Black goat to make black tents.
Our tour guide was a classical archaeologist with 30+ years’ experience, and he explained the archaeology supporting this information.
Our tour guide further explained to us that a Roman emperor (apologies that I can’t remember which one) was so impressed with these black tents made by this Jewish community of tentmakers in Tarsus, that he contracted with this community to be the official tentmakers for the Roman army. As part of the emperor’s contractual agreement with this Jewish community of tentmakers, he granted them the benefit of Roman citizenship.
This is why Paul (formerly Saul) was born as a Roman citizen … because his parents were part of this Jewish community of tentmakers, contracted by the Roman emperor to make black tents for the Roman army. And because Paul/Saul was born into this family trade, he likewise automatically received Roman citizenship at birth … he was raised to learn the trade of making black tents … and he likewise carried on the profession of making black tents for the Roman army.
Hubby and I had never heard this before! This was mind blowing to us!
According to our tour guide, who is a classical archaeologist and a native of Türkiye, this historical information has been well documented via archeology.
Although I can’t find anything about this in a quick Google search, what I can find in a Google search is that Turkish nomads today are still making black tents with the fibers of black goats! “Turkish nomadic black tents, traditionally made from goat hair, are designed for mobility and climate adaptability. The design is all about flexibility and ease of movement, allowing the tent to be assembled, disassembled, and transported quickly.”
According to nomad.tours: The long black hair of the goat is cut with special knives, while the goat’s underwool is left. The black goat hair is then cleaned, spun, and the yarn is rolled in balls. The yarn is woven into fabric on a wooden, horizontal ground loom, which has four pegs driven deep into the ground. The end result is a coarse, heavy material.
Also according to nomad.tours: “One of the main features of a black tent is its natural ventilation. When the sun hits the black roof of the tent, hot air starts to rise above the cloth and forces air to be drawn out from inside the tent. This creates a cooling wind effect during the hot days. On rainy or snowy days, the fibers absorb water and swell, making the tent waterproof. The texture of the goat hair is impenetrable to many insects.”
It is a well-known fact that Roman soldiers were required to pay for and furnish their own gear.
Therefore, if one were a Roman soldier and in need of a tent for their personal shelter … it is only logical to seek out a tentmaker officially contracted with the army to produce such tents.
According to our tour guide … Paul was one of these tent makers.
Roman soldiers were not just from Rome. One could be a Roman soldier yet be from anywhere in the Roman empire. According to Google: “The Roman army was a multicultural and diverse force that represented the empire’s reach and influence.”
Paul/Saul’s parents and his community would have been making and selling tents to Roman soldiers from all over the empire. It would seem logical then that Paul/Saul would have grown up around soldiers and people from many different cultural backgrounds. He probably grew up around people speaking all kinds of different languages. Perhaps Paul/Saul became fluent in several different languages as he grew up? Being multi-lingual would certainly have helped in the selling of the tents.
All of this would have been incredible preparation for what God was going to call him to do later in his life.
God was going to send Paul as an “Apostle to the Gentiles” to carry the good news of Jesus Christ throughout the Roman empire … and Paul had been well-prepared for this task.
Paul himself stated: “God set me apart from birth …” – Galatians 1:15
God orchestrated every detail of Paul’s life, even down to the details of Paul being born into a Jewish community of tentmakers who had been granted Roman citizenship because of their high-quality craftsmanship in tentmaking. Paul’s upbringing prepared him to do what God had purposed for his life. Paul’s Roman citizenship gave him the freedom to travel across the empire, so that he could do what God had purposed for his life. Paul’s skill in his trade gave him the income to support himself, as he did what God had purposed for his life – preaching the good news of Jesus Christ.
God is doing this same thing in each of our lives today too! Our life is not an accident. God is using everything to shape us to be who he wants us to be. God is using our past to draw us into what he is going to do in our life today.
Where we were born … our upbringing … it’s not an accident. God is using it to make us who he wants us to be … for the purpose he has called us to.
The experiences of our life … they’re not an accident. God is using each of those things to make us who he wants us to be … for the purpose he has called us to.
