📖 Biblical Definition
Major port city on the eastern coast of Cyprus, the first port-of-call for Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey after they sailed from Seleucia (Acts 13:4-5). And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister (Acts 13:5). Two features of the Salamis narrative are significant. (1) The Pauline pattern of beginning the missionary engagement of a city in its Jewish synagogues is established here at Salamis and continued throughout the first and subsequent missionary journeys: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16). The synagogue provided a ready audience of Jews, proselytes, and God-fearing Gentiles already familiar with the OT and accessible to messianic argumentation. (2) John Mark accompanied Paul and Barnabas as their minister (Greek huperetes, assistant); his presence at Salamis and through the early part of the journey, followed by his departure from Pamphylia (Acts 13:13) and the subsequent dispute between Paul and Barnabas over his suitability for the second journey (Acts 15:36-40), forms a significant subplot of the missionary narrative. The patriarchal-Reformed reader receives Salamis as the first concrete mission-engagement of the Pauline missionary enterprise and the establishment of the to-the-Jew-first pattern.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Major port city on eastern coast of Cyprus; first port-of-call for Paul and Barnabas on first missionary journey (Acts 13:5); establishment of synagogue-first pattern.
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SALAMIS, proper n. (NT place; Greek Salamis) Major port city on the eastern coast of Cyprus. First port-of-call for Paul and Barnabas on the first missionary journey after sailing from Seleucia (Acts 13:4-5). And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister (Acts 13:5). Establishment of the Pauline synagogue-first pattern (to the Jew first, and also to the Greek, Romans 1:16). John Mark accompanied as their minister (assistant); his subsequent departure from Pamphylia (Acts 13:13) became a significant subplot.
📖 Key Scripture
Acts 13:5 — "And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister."
Romans 1:16 — "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
Acts 13:13 — "Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem."
Acts 15:38 — "But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
No major postmodern redefinition. Salamis is a precise Acts waypoint; the recovery is the appreciation of the synagogue-first pattern established here.
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Salamis as a place name does not undergo lexical corruption. The principal contemporary recovery is the appreciation of Salamis as the first concrete mission-engagement of the formal Pauline missionary enterprise, where the synagogue-first pattern of Pauline mission was established. The patriarchal-Reformed reader notes the substantive theology: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek is not mere historical contingency but a substantive theological principle (Romans 1:16; 2:9-10; 11:11-32) that the gospel goes to the Jews first in priority, hospitality, and theological depth, with the Gentile mission flowing out from the Jewish foundation. The patriarchal-Reformed missions-theology retains this priority structure.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Acts 13:5; Cyprus port; first mission-engagement; synagogue-first pattern.
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['Greek', 'G4529', 'Salamis', 'Salamis']
['Greek', 'G2954', 'Kupros', 'Cyprus']
['Greek', 'G4864', 'sunagoge', 'synagogue']
Usage
"Salamis: port city on eastern coast of Cyprus."
"First mission-engagement of Pauline missionary enterprise (Acts 13:5)."
"Establishment of synagogue-first pattern: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."