DAILY, WEEKEND, AND HOLIDAY INTERNET EVANGELIZE TO THE WORLD MINISTRY

The Princely Reception Room of a Mohammedan Pasha, Damascus, Syria

Site of Abila, Modern Suq Wadi Barada, Syria ‎ At the beginning of John the Baptist’s ministry, Lysanias the tetrarch ruled Abilene. This regional tetrarchy, named for its capital city Abila, was northwest of Damascus in the watershed of the Abana River. The Lysanias of Luke chapter 3 has been confused with Lysanias son of Ptolemy. This Ptolemy, unrelated to the Egyptian Ptolemies, ruled Abilene from about 85 B.C to 40 B.C. When he died his son Lysanias became tetrarch there, ruling until 33 B.C. The Lysanias that Luke mentions ruled about 62 years later. ‎Luke 3:1