Antioch-on-the-Orontes: Mosaics and the 'Chalice of Antioch'
The city where disciples were first called Christians — and a famous silver cup that is not what it seemed
Found 1932 — Princeton University-led 'Committee for the Excavation of Antioch and Its Vicinity' (1932–1939); the 'chalice' was reportedly found near Antioch in 1910 and bought by the Kouchakji dealers
Where Antakya (Antioch) and Daphne (Harbiye), Hatay Province (Turkey)
Dates from mosaics 2nd–6th century CE; 'chalice' early 6th century · Roman–Late Roman · The assembly at Antioch (Acts 11, 13, 15)
Now at Mosaics: Hatay Archaeology Museum, Antakya, and museums in Princeton, Baltimore, Worcester, and Paris. 'Chalice': Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Cloisters), New York
How Antioch-on-the-Orontes: Mosaics and the 'Chalice of Antioch' was found
The Princeton expedition uncovered hundreds of floor mosaics in villas at Antioch and its suburb Daphne, but almost nothing of the 1st-century city, which lies deep under modern Antakya. The silver cup surfaced on the art market and was shown at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair as the Holy Grail.
What it is
The mosaics are large Roman pavements with mythological scenes, personifications, and hunting scenes. The 'Chalice of Antioch' is a plain silver cup set in a gilded openwork shell showing Yeshua and the apostles among vines; it is now dated to the early 6th century and thought to be a standing lamp, not a cup.
Why it matters for the Bible
Antioch was the third city of the empire, the place where disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26) and where Paul's journeys began and Peter and Paul clashed (Galatians 2:11). The excavations show its wealth and mixed culture but not the 1st-century assembly, whose meeting places remain buried; the 2023 earthquake damaged the museum's mosaics. The 'chalice' is included as a caution: once billed as the cup of the Last Supper, it is a beautiful but much later object, and the site has no artefact tied to the apostles.
The Hebrew word: KOS
כּוֹס
כּוֹס is pronounced KOS and means cup (Greek poterion) — the object the 'chalice' was wrongly claimed to be (Strong's H3563 / G4221).
People this discovery connects to
- Barnabas — בַּר־נַבָּא (bar-nah-BAH) — son of encouragement
- Paul — שָׁאוּל (Shah-OOL) — asked for
- Peter — כֵּיפָא (kay-FAH) — rock
Places
- Antioch — אַנְטְיוֹכְיָה (ahn-tee-och-YAH) — Greek Antiocheia on the Orontes
Events
Disciples first called Christians · Sending of Paul and Barnabas · Peter and Paul's dispute at Antioch
Antioch-on-the-Orontes: Mosaics and the 'Chalice of Antioch' in Scripture
Acts 6:5 First mention of Antioch in Scripture.
Acts 11:26 Disciples first called Christians at Antioch.
Acts 13:1-3 The Antioch assembly sends out Barnabas and Shaul.
Questions people ask
What is Antioch-on-the-Orontes: Mosaics and the 'Chalice of Antioch'?
The mosaics are large Roman pavements with mythological scenes, personifications, and hunting scenes. The 'Chalice of Antioch' is a plain silver cup set in a gilded openwork shell showing Yeshua and the apostles among vines; it is now dated to the early 6th century and thought to be a standing lamp, not a cup.
When was Antioch-on-the-Orontes: Mosaics and the 'Chalice of Antioch' discovered?
It was found in 1932 by Princeton University-led 'Committee for the Excavation of Antioch and Its Vicinity' (1932–1939); the 'chalice' was reportedly found near Antioch in 1910 and bought by the Kouchakji dealers, at Antakya (Antioch) and Daphne (Harbiye), Hatay Province.
Where is Antioch-on-the-Orontes: Mosaics and the 'Chalice of Antioch' today?
Mosaics: Hatay Archaeology Museum, Antakya, and museums in Princeton, Baltimore, Worcester, and Paris. 'Chalice': Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Cloisters), New York.
Which Bible verses does Antioch-on-the-Orontes: Mosaics and the 'Chalice of Antioch' relate to?
Acts 6:5, Acts 11:26, Acts 13:1-3.
Is Antioch-on-the-Orontes: Mosaics and the 'Chalice of Antioch' authentic?
The mosaics and city are secure; the 'chalice' is genuine 6th-century silver but its Last Supper claim is rejected and its findspot unverified.
Related discoveries
- מָשִׁיחַCave Church of St Peter, AntiochThe grotto where tradition says the first 'Christians' met
- נְצִיבSergius Paulus InscriptionsStones from Cyprus, Rome, and Pisidian Antioch naming the proconsul who believed
- בֵּית הַכְּנֶסֶתPisidian Antioch: Temple of Augustus and the Res Gestae CopyImperial-cult city where Paul preached his first recorded sermon
- אֱלִילִיםLystra Inscription and the Zeus–Hermes Cult StonesThe stone that located Lystra and the local worship of the two gods Paul was mistaken for
- בֵּית הָאֲסוּרִיםMamertine Prison (Carcer Tullianum), RomeThe Forum dungeon where tradition holds Peter and Paul were held before death
- מְשִׁיחִיִּיםPompeii and Herculaneum: Claimed Christian TracesThe 'Christianos' graffito, the Herculaneum cross-shaped mark, and the ROTAS square — all uncertain
Sources
- Wikipedia, 'Chalice of Antioch'
- C. Kondoleon (ed.), Antioch: The Lost Ancient City (2000)
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