Recent social media discourse, exemplified by a tweet from Eyal Yakoby stating, "Jesus Christ is Palestinian. St. Paul is Turkish. How is this not offensive to Christians?", highlights a common anachronism in discussing the historical origins of religious figures. Historical and archaeological evidence indicates that both Jesus and St. Paul were born in regions that were part of the Roman Empire, long before the emergence of modern national identities such as "Palestinian" or "Turkish."
Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, a town in Judea. In the 1st century CE, Judea was a Roman province or a client kingdom under significant Roman influence. While the geographic area now includes parts of modern-day Palestine and Israel, the concept of a "Palestinian" nationality did not exist during Jesus's lifetime. The Roman province of Judea encompassed regions including Judea, Samaria, and Idumea, with its capital at Caesarea.
Similarly, St. Paul, originally known as Saul of Tarsus, was born in Tarsus, a prominent city in the Roman province of Cilicia. This region is located in what is now south-central Turkey. Tarsus served as the capital of Roman Cilicia, a strategically important area. The modern national identity of "Turkish" emerged centuries later with the arrival of Turkic peoples in Anatolia.
The tweet's application of contemporary national labels to figures from the 1st century CE reflects a common tendency to project modern geopolitical boundaries and identities onto ancient history. Historians emphasize that individuals of that era identified primarily by their city, region, or broader imperial affiliation (e.g., Roman citizen, Jew from Judea), rather than by nation-states that would form millennia later. Understanding the precise historical context of their birthplaces within the Roman Empire is crucial for an accurate portrayal of their origins.