Place New Testament
Abilene
Abilene, a region north of Damascus, ruled by the tetrarch Lysanias. Mentioned once in Scripture, at Luke 3:1.
Why it matters. A region ruled by Lysanias when John began preaching.
- Primary passages
- Location
- 33.587, 36.092 (approximate, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Abilene
Abilene was a region located north of Damascus, Syria, mentioned in Luke 3:1 as being under the rule of Lysanias the tetrarch when John the Baptist began his ministry. The name Abilene is derived from its capital city, Abila. Inscriptions found near Abila refer to a Lysanias as tetrarch and mention the "Abilenians," confirming the existence of this region. The exact boundaries of Abilene are unclear, but it was situated in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range, likely in the area of the modern village of Suk Wady Barada. Abilene is only mentioned in passing in the Bible as a geographical reference point for the beginning of John's ministry.
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.
Connections
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 1 verse across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.
Luke (1 verse)