Galatia: Has been called the "Gallia" of the East, Roman writers calling its
inhabitants Galli. They were an intermixture of Gauls and Greeks, and
hence were called Gallo-Graeci, and the country Gallo-Graecia. The
Galatians were in their origin a part of that great Celtic migration
which invaded Macedonia about B.C. 280 They were invited by the
king of Bithynia to cross over into Asia Minor to assist him in his
wars. There they ultimately settled, and being strengthened by fresh
accessions of the same clan from Europe, they overran Bithynia, and
supported themselves by plundering neighbouring countries. They were
great warriors, and hired themselves out as mercenary soldiers,
sometimes fighting on both sides in the great battles of the times.
They were at length brought under the power of Rome in B.C. 189 and
Galatia became a Roman province B.C. 25 This province of Galatia,
within the limits of which these Celtic tribes were confined, was the
central region of Asia Minor. During his second missionary journey
Paul, accompanied by Silas and Timothy
(Acts 16:6) visited the "region
of Galatia," where he was detained by sickness
(Galatians 4:13) and had thus
the longer opportunity of preaching to them the gospel. On his third
journey he went over "all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in
order"
(Acts 18:23) Crescens was sent thither by Paul toward the close
of his life
(2 Timothy 4:10)
