Acts 6:9

Brutal Cilicians

Κιλικία — Originally the name of a region in southeastern Asia Minor, Κιλικία (cf. Κῐλῐκ-ιον, τό) came to designate a coarse cloth, strictly made of Cilician goat’s hair (Procopius Pers. 2.26; PLond. 3.1164h10, 3rd c. A.D.). This material was used for practical purposes such as sails or mats to deaden missile impacts (Lat. cilicium). By extension, the adjective-derived verbs Κῐλῐκ-ίζω and Κῐλῐκ-ίζομαι (“to play the Cilician”) came to signify cruel, treacherous, or violent behavior, reflecting the region’s reputation in Greek literature for drunken butchery (Κῐλῐκ-ισμός, Theopomp. Hist. 289a). Thus, the term shifts from a literal description of a coarse material to a metaphorical characterization of brutal conduct.