Bible Questions and Answer

In Romans 15:19, Paul writes, "So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ." Illyricum was a Roman province along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, covering parts of what are now Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania. It was the far northwestern edge of the Greek-speaking world, facing Italy across the sea. The book of Acts never says Paul went there, so we don't know if he preached inside Illyricum or only up to its border. He may have traveled toward it during his time in Macedonia, when Acts 20:2 says he "traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement." Near the end of Paul's life, 2 Timothy 4:10 says Titus had gone to Dalmatia, the southern part of Illyricum. Paul's mention of Illyricum shows how far his missionary travels had reached, from Jerusalem around through Asia Minor and Greece, before he set his sights on Rome and Spain.