Aretas

About Aretas

Aretas is mentioned in the New Testament, in 2Co.11.32, where Paul recounts his escape from Damascus. According to Paul, the governor under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to arrest him. This event likely occurred shortly after Paul's conversion on the road to Damascus, as he had begun preaching the gospel and faced opposition from both Jewish and Gentile authorities.

Aretas IV Philopatris was the king of the Nabataeans, an Arab kingdom centered in Petra (in modern-day Jordan), from roughly 9 BC to AD 40. The Nabataeans controlled the trade routes in the region, and their influence extended to Damascus during this period. The exact date of Paul's escape from Damascus is uncertain, but it is generally believed to have taken place in the mid-30s AD, during the reign of Aretas IV.

The mention of Aretas in 2 Corinthians provides historical context for Paul's early ministry and the challenges he faced as he spread the gospel message. It also demonstrates the political complexity of the region, with various authorities, both Jewish and Gentile, opposing the growing Christian movement.

Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.