Illyricum

Illyricum, a region where Paul preached the gospel (Romans 15:19).

Illyricum was a region located along the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, corresponding to modern-day Albania, Montenegro, and parts of Croatia and Serbia. In Romans 15:19, the apostle Paul mentions that he has fully preached the gospel from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum. This suggests that Paul had traveled and preached in the region during his missionary journeys, although no specific details of his ministry there are provided in the Bible. Illyricum was known as a Roman province, and Paul's mention of it highlights the extent of his gospel outreach in the early years of Christianity.

A country to the north-west of Macedonia, on the eastern shores of the Adriatic, now almost wholly comprehended in Dalmatia, a name formerly given to the southern part of Illyricum (2 Tim. 4:10). It was traversed by Paul in his third missionary journey (Rom. 15:19). It was the farthest district he had reached in preaching the gospel of Christ. This reference to Illyricum is in harmony with Acts 20:2, inasmuch as the apostle’s journey over the parts of Macedonia would bring him to the borders of Illyricum.