{
  "id": "dict_004007",
  "term": "Nicopolis",
  "slug": "nicopolis",
  "letter": "N",
  "entry_type": "biblical_place_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Nicopolis is the city Paul mentioned in Titus 3:12 as the place where he planned to spend the winter and asked Titus to meet him.",
  "simple_one_line": "Nicopolis is the city Paul named in Titus 3:12 as a planned winter base and meeting place with Titus.",
  "tooltip_text": "A city mentioned in Titus 3:12, associated with Paul’s travel plans and pastoral oversight.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Titus",
    "Epistle to Titus",
    "Paul the Apostle",
    "Crete"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Acts of the Apostles",
    "Paul’s missionary journeys",
    "Roman Empire"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Nicopolis is the city Paul mentioned in Titus 3:12 when he told Titus he had decided to spend the winter there and asked him to come meet him. The New Testament uses the name as a historical and geographical marker rather than as a doctrinal term.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A New Testament place name; specifically the city Paul mentions in Titus 3:12.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Mentioned only in Titus 3:12",
    "Linked to Paul’s winter plans and Titus’s travel",
    "The biblical text does not attach doctrinal meaning to the city itself",
    "Often identified with Nicopolis in Epirus, though that identification is historical inference"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Nicopolis is the city named in Titus 3:12. Paul instructed Titus to meet him there, making the place part of the historical setting of the letter. Scripture gives no further theological significance to the city itself.",
  "description_academic_full": "Nicopolis is the city mentioned in Titus 3:12, where Paul said he had decided to spend the winter and where he instructed Titus to meet him. In the New Testament, the name functions primarily as a geographical reference tied to Paul’s missionary movements and pastoral oversight. Scripture does not assign special doctrinal meaning to Nicopolis itself, though the reference helps locate the historical setting of Paul’s ministry and correspondence. Because several ancient cities bore this name, interpreters commonly identify the one in Epirus on the western coast of Greece, but that remains an informed historical judgment rather than something the biblical text explicitly states.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Titus 3:12 places Nicopolis within the closing instructions of Paul’s letter to Titus. The reference shows the practical, travel-related nature of apostolic ministry and the coordination between Paul and his coworker.",
  "background_historical_context": "The name Nicopolis was used for more than one ancient city. The most common identification for Titus 3:12 is Nicopolis in Epirus, a Roman city on the western side of Greece. That identification fits many historical discussions, but it is not stated directly in the New Testament.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "As a place name in the Greco-Roman world, Nicopolis belongs to the broader setting of the apostolic era. The city itself is not a Jewish concept, but it forms part of the wider Mediterranean world in which the early church carried out its mission.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Titus 3:12"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "None directly",
    "the name appears specifically in Titus 3:12."
  ],
  "original_language_note": "From Greek Nikopolis, meaning ‘city of victory.’ The New Testament uses the name as a proper noun for a real place.",
  "theological_significance": "Nicopolis has little direct theological significance beyond showing the historical realism of Paul’s letters and the practical coordination of missionary work. The mention underscores that Scripture is rooted in real places and events.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a place name, Nicopolis illustrates how biblical revelation is given within concrete history. The text does not invite speculation about hidden symbolism; its value is primarily historical and contextual.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Several ancient cities bore the name Nicopolis, so the exact location in Titus 3:12 is an informed identification rather than a certainty from the text itself. The city should not be overread as carrying special doctrinal symbolism.",
  "major_views_note": "Most interpreters understand Titus 3:12 to refer to Nicopolis in Epirus, though other identifications have been suggested in historical discussion.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "No doctrine depends on the exact identification of Nicopolis. The passage supports the historical reliability of Paul’s correspondence but does not establish doctrine about the city itself.",
  "practical_significance": "Nicopolis reminds readers that the New Testament is rooted in real geography, travel, and ministry planning. It also shows the practical burden carried by Paul and his coworkers in advancing the gospel.",
  "meta_description": "Nicopolis is the city named in Titus 3:12 where Paul planned to spend the winter and asked Titus to meet him.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/nicopolis/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/nicopolis.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}