Derbe or Dervi ( gr, Δέρβη), also called Derveia ( gr, Δέρβεια), was a city of Galatia in

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, and later of

Lycaonia Lycaonia (; el, Λυκαονία, ''Lykaonia''; tr, Likaonya) was a large region in the interior of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey), north of the Taurus Mountains. It was bounded on the east by Cappadocia, on the north by Galatia, on the west by ...

, and still later of Isauria and

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Re ...

. It is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles at , , and . Derbe is notable because it is the only city mentioned in the New Testament where the message of the Gospel was accepted from the beginning by its inhabitants.

Etymology

Derbe is derived from Derbent which is derived from

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

"''Darband''" (, from ''dar'' “gate” + ''band'' “bar,” lit. “barred gate”), referring to an adjacent pass, to a narrow gate entrance.

Location

There may have been several cities with the name Derbe, since Derbe (meaning narrow gate or entrance) is mostly a geographical

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

(e.g. Derbent). Strabo places Derbe “on the sides” of Isauria, and almost in Cappadocia. Elsewhere, he says it was in the eleventh praefecture of Cappadocia. When the apostles Paul and

Barnabas Barnabas (; arc, ܒܪܢܒܐ; grc, Βαρνάβας), born Joseph () or Joses (), was according to tradition an early Christian, one of the prominent Christian disciples in Jerusalem. According to Acts 4:36, Barnabas was a Cypriot Jew. Name ...

visited Derbe, it was in

. Stephanus of Byzantium places Derbe in Isauria. In 1956, on the basis of an

inscription Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the w ...

dating to 157 BC, Michael Ballance fixed the site of Derbe at a mound known as Kerti Hüyük, some northeast of

Karaman Karaman, historically known as Laranda (Greek: Λάρανδα), is a city in south central Turkey, located in Central Anatolia, north of the Taurus Mountains, about south of Konya. It is the capital district of the Karaman Province. According t ...

(ancient Laranda), near Ekinözü village in modern-day Turkey. Although subject to controversy, this is considered the most likely site.Bastian Van Elderen, ''Some Archaeological Observations on Paul’s First Missionary Journey'', 157-159
. Stephanus of Byzantium says that Derbe would have had a port (λιμήν , limēn), but this is an obvious mistake, as the city was located inland. This has been corrected to the form limnē (λίμνη , 'lake'], as there are some lakes in the vicinity, albeit a little further away. In modern Turkey there is a village named Derbent, nearby a lake and nearby Iconium city. There is also a district that is named Derbent, Konya, Derbent.

History

Antipater of Derbe, a friend of

Cicero Marcus Tullius Cicero ( ; ; 3 January 106 BC – 7 December 43 BC) was a Roman statesman, lawyer, scholar, philosopher, and academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises that led to the esta ...

, was ruler of Derbe, but was killed by Amyntas of Galatia, who added Derbe to his possessions. ''Claudioderbe'' was a special title given to Derbe during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius; it appears on second century coins from Derbe. The apostles

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

and

came to Derbe after escaping a disturbance and survive the

stoning Stoning, or lapidation, is a method of capital punishment where a group throws stones at a person until the subject dies from blunt trauma. It has been attested as a form of punishment for grave misdeeds since ancient times. The Torah and Ta ...

in Iconium, about away. The Bishopric of Derbe became a

suffragan see A suffragan diocese is one of the dioceses other than the metropolitan archdiocese that constitute an ecclesiastical province. It exists in some Christian denominations, in particular the Catholic Church, the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, ...

of Iconium. It is not mentioned by later ''

Notitiae Episcopatuum The ''Notitiae Episcopatuum'' (singular: ''Notitia Episcopatuum'') are official documents that furnish Eastern countries the list and hierarchical rank of the metropolitan and suffragan bishoprics of a church. In the Roman Church (the -mostly Lat ...

''. Just four bishops are known, from 381 to 672. Derbe is included in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

's list of

titular see A titular see in various churches is an episcopal see of a former diocese that no longer functions, sometimes called a "dead diocese". The ordinary or hierarch of such a see may be styled a "titular metropolitan" (highest rank), "titular archbis ...

s. −

Saint Timothy Timothy or Timothy of Ephesus (Greek language, Greek: ; ''Timótheos'', meaning "honouring God" or "honoured by God") was an early Christian Evangelism, evangelist and the first Christianity, Christian bishop of Ephesus, who tradition relates die ...

was a native of Derbe (or of Lystra). Derve may also be linked to

Dervish Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...

Derviş Derviş is the Turkish and Bosnian (''Derviš'') spelling of the Persian and Arabic word " " (), referring to a Sufi aspirant. The word appears as a given name and surname in various forms throughout Arabic, Bosnian (a Slavic language), Persian, ...

(literally means mendicant, 'beggar', 'one who goes from door to door'), a mystic Sufi fraternity from Iconium whose most common practice Sama is directly associated with the 13th-century Persian mystic Rumi. The firstborn son of Rumi named Veled escaped death miraculously nearby Derbe (other sources report that it was the second son of Rumi that escaped death miraculously). The place where the miracle happened is mentioned as ''"Paul's cave"'' in Meyers Reisebücher. Maybe the dance named devr-i veledi that precedes the

Sema Sama ( tr, Sema, Persian, Urdu and ar, سَمَاع - ''samā‘un'') is a Sufi ceremony performed as part of the meditation and prayer practice dhikr. Sama means "listening", while dhikr means "remembrance".During, J., and R. Sellheim. "Sam ...

ceremony is also related to Derve. According some rumors, Devr-i veledi (that was played during circumcision ceremonies) also refers to the circumcision of Rumi's father Bahā ud-Dīn Walad during the pilgrimage, and this action is somehow accossiated to the circumcision of Saint Timothy . Circumcision of Jesus#Theological beliefs and celebrations

References

{{Authority control Roman towns and cities in Turkey New Testament cities Former populated places in Turkey Geography of Karaman Province Catholic titular sees in Asia Populated places in ancient Lycaonia Populated places in ancient Galatia Populated places in ancient Isauria Populated places in ancient Cappadocia Populated places of the Byzantine Empire History of Karaman Province