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

Asia Minor Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

, and later of Lycaonia, and still later of

Isauria Isauria ( or ; ), in ancient geography, is a rugged, isolated district in the interior of Asia Minor, of very different extent at different periods, but generally covering what is now the district of Bozkır and its surroundings in the Konya P ...

and Cappadocia. It is mentioned in the

Acts of the Apostles The Acts of the Apostles (, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; ) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of The gospel, its message to the Roman Empire. Acts and the Gospel of Luke make u ...

at , , and . Derbe is the only city mentioned in the New Testament where the inhabitants adopted Paul's version of Christianity right away.

Etymology

Derbe is derived from Derbent which is derived from Persian "''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 ''wikt:toponym, 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 ...

(e.g. Derbent).

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

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 (; ; ), born Joseph () or Joses (), was according to tradition an early Christians, Christian, one of the prominent Disciple (Christianity), Christian disciples in Jerusalem. According to Acts 4:36, Barnabas was a Cypriot Jews, Cyprio ...

visited Derbe, it was in Lycaonia. 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 wr ...

dating to 157 AD, Michael Ballance fixed the site of Derbe at a mound known as Kerti Hüyük, some northeast of Karaman (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, orator, writer and Academic skeptic, who tried to uphold optimate principles during the political crises tha ...

, 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 Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; ; 1 August 10 BC – 13 October AD 54), or Claudius, was a Roman emperor, ruling from AD 41 to 54. A member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Claudius was born to Nero Claudius Drusus, Drusus and Ant ...

; it appears on second century coins from Derbe. The apostles Paul and

came to Derbe after escaping a disturbance and surviving the stoning in Lystra (Acts 14:19), about away. The Bishopric of Derbe became a suffragan see of Iconium. It is not mentioned by later ''

Notitiae Episcopatuum The ''Notitiae Episcopatuum'' (singular: ''Notitia Episcopatuum'') were official documents that furnished for Eastern countries the list and hierarchical rank of the metropolitan and suffragan bishoprics of a church. In the Roman Church (the mos ...

''. 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 List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

'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 archbi ...

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, whom the Acts of Timothy ...

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

mendicant A mendicant (from , "begging") is one who practices mendicancy, relying chiefly or exclusively on alms to survive. In principle, Mendicant orders, mendicant religious orders own little property, either individually or collectively, and in many i ...

, 'beggar', 'one who goes from door to door'), a mystic

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

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 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 associated with 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 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