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1
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2
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- μυριάδες - murias
- σχολή - schole
- χάριτος – charis
- λέγο - lego
- ρήμα - rema
- φημι - phemi
- λαλώ - lalo
- επω - epo
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3
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- μυριάδες - murias (moo-ree'-as);
from 3463; a ten-thousand; by extension, a "myriad" or
indefinite number: KJV-- ten thousand.
- 3463 murioi (moo'-ree-oi);
plural of an apparently primary word (properly, meaning very many); ten
thousand; by extension, innumerably many: KJV-- ten thousand.
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4
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- σχολή - schole (skhol-ay'); properly,
loitering (as a withholding of oneself from work) or leisure, i.e. (by
implication) a "school" (as vacation from physical
employment): KJV-- school.
- echo (ekh'-o); including an alternate form scheo (skheh'-o); to hold :
KJV-- be (able, X hold, possessed with), accompany, + begin to amend,
can (+-not), X conceive, count, diseased, do + eat, + enjoy, + fear,
following, have, hold, keep, + lack, + go to law, lie, + must needs, +
of necessity, + need, next, + recover, + reign, + rest, + return, X
sick, take for, + tremble, + uncircumcised, use.
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5
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- χάριτος - charis (khar'-ece);
graciousness (as gratifying), of manner or act (abstract or concrete;
literal, figurative or spiritual; especially the divine influence upon
the heart, and its reflection in the life; including gratitude): KJV--
acceptable, benefit, favour, gift, grace (-ious), joy, liberality,
pleasure, thank (-s, -worthy).
- 5463 chairo (khah'-ee-ro); a
primary verb; to be "cheerful", i.e. calmly happy or
well-off; impersonally, especially as salutation (on meeting or
parting), be well: KJV-- farewell, be glad, God speed, greeting, hall,
joy (-fully), rejoice.
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6
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- logos – logical words - truth
- rhema – poured out words - story
- phemi – illuminating words – opinion
- laleo – unconnected words – small talk, purposeless speech
- epo – past words – things previously said
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7
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8
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- Following conversion in Damascus
- Paul says he first went to Arabia
- Came back to Damascus (Gal 1:17)
- Preaching in local synagogues got him into trouble there, and he was
forced to escape, being let down over the wall in a basket (Acts 9:23).
- Galatians - 3 years after conversion,
- Went to Jerusalem
- Met James
- Stayed with Simon Peter for 15 days (Gal 1:13–24)
- Attempted to join disciples was accepted because of Barnabas
- Trouble for disputing with "Hellenists" (Greek speaking Jews
and Gentile "God-fearers") and so he was sent back to Tarsus
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9
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- Don’t know exactly what happened in 14 years that elapsed before he went
again to Jerusalem
- At the end of this time, Barnabas went to find Saul and brought him back
to Antioch (Acts 11:26)
- Since he had been the object of suspicion by the Christians at
Jerusalem, impossible to deduce how he might have been received when he
returned to Tarsus and if he stayed without incident
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10
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- 19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection
with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling
the message only to Jews.
- 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch
and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the
Lord Jesus.
- 21 The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed
and turned to the Lord.
- 22 News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they
sent Barnabas to Antioch.
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11
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- 23 When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad
and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their
hearts.
- 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great
number of people were brought to the Lord.
- 25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
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12
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- 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year
Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of
people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
- 27 During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.
- 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted
that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This
happened during the reign of Claudius.)
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13
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- 29 The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help
for the brothers living in Judea <provision was to keep sacrifices
going>.
- 30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
- When a famine occurred in Judaea, around 45-46,[3] help was sent by the
hands of Barnabas and Saul; Saul then returned to Antioch. According to
Acts, Antioch had become an alternative centre for Christians,
following the dispersion after the death of Stephen. In Antioch, the
followers of Jesus were first called Christians.
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14
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- Acts 13-14 , Barnabas took Saul on what is often called the First
Missionary Journey which took them to Cyprus, Barnabas's home, and
thence to Paphos. Afterward he sailed onward to visit the towns of
southern Asia Minor, which is in present-day Turkey: Perga, Antioch,
Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. However, Paul's own letters only
mention that he preached in Syria and Cilicia (Gal 1:18–20). Acts
records that Paul later "went through Syria and Cilicia,
strengthening the churches" (15:41), but it does not explicitly
state who founded the churches or when they were founded.
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15
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16
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- Acts 13:1-14:28
- 1 In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas,
Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up
with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.
- 1 Menachem (who had been brought up with Herod the governor). Josephus
may have been referring to him when he wrote:
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17
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- "There was one of these Essenes whose name was Menachem, of whom it
was said that not only did he conduct his life excellently, but God had
given him the ability to predict the future. This man once saw Herod
when he was a child, going to school, and saluted him as king of the
Jews. But Herod, either thinking that Menachem did not know him or that
he was joking, reminded him that he was only a private person. Menachem
smiled to himself, slapped him on the backside with his hand and said,
'However that may be, you will be king. You will begin your reign
happily, because God finds you worthy of it. But remember the blows
Menachem gave you; they are a sign that your fortune will change. Now it
will be most reasonable for you to love justice towards men, piety
towards God, and clemency towards your subjects. But I also know what
your,overall conduct will be, that you won't behave this way. You will
outdo everyone in happiness and obtain an everlasting reputation, but
you will forget piety and righteousness. And these crimes will not be
hidden from God at the end of your life; you will find out then that he
will remember them and punish you for them.'“ (Antiquities of the Jews 15:10:5)
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18
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- 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said
<epo>, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to
which I have called them."
- 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them
and sent them off.
- 4 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to
Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
- 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the
Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper <John Mark,
Barnabas’ nephew>
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19
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- 6 They traveled through the whole island until they came to Paphos.
There they met a Jewish sorcerer and false prophet named Bar-Jesus,
- 7 who was an attendant of the proconsul, Sergius Paulus. The proconsul,
an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear
the word of God.
- 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for that is what his name means) opposed them
and tried to turn the proconsul from the faith.
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20
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- 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked straight at Elymas and said,
- Paul is Saul’s Roman name
- Dorcus whose Greek name was Tabitha
- John whose surname was Mark
- Points to the naming convention and the commonality of multiple
tongues: You had a name for
your Jewish friend and when you spoke Aramaic, you had a name for your
Greek friend and when you spoke Greek.
- Saul’s name did not change when he became a person of “The Way.”
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21
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- 9 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked straight at Elymas and said,
- 10 "You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is
right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never
stop perverting the right ways of the Lord?
- 11 Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind,
and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun."
Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about,
seeking someone to lead him by the hand.
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22
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- 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was
amazed at the teaching about the Lord.
- 13 From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia,
where John left them to return to Jerusalem.
- Why did John Mark leave?
- Note: in every case Paul and Apostles waited for an invitation from
gentiles before speaking to them
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23
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- 14 From Perga they went on to Pisidian Antioch. On the Sabbath they
entered the synagogue and sat down.
- 15 After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue rulers
sent word to them, saying, "Brothers, if you have a message of
encouragement for the people, please speak."
- 16 Standing up, Paul motioned with his hand and said: "Men of
Israel and you Gentiles who worship God, listen to me!
- This is the typical sermon Saul made in a synagogue
- Not repeated – typical of ancient literature
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24
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- God-fearers and those who are becoming God-fearers, proselytizes, etc.
- Technical Jewish term “proselytes of the gate”
- 17 The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers; he made the people
prosper during their stay in Egypt, with mighty power he led them out of
that country,
- 18 he endured their conduct for about forty years in the desert,
- 19 he overthrew seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his
people as their inheritance.
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25
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- 20 All this took about 450 years. "After this, God gave them judges
until the time of Samuel the prophet.
- 21 Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish,
of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.
- 22 After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified
concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own
heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'
- 23 "From this man's descendants God has brought to Israel the
Savior Jesus, as he promised.
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26
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- 24 Before the coming of Jesus, John preached repentance and baptism to
all the people of Israel.
- 25 As John was completing his work, he said: 'Who do you think I am? I
am not that one. No, but he is coming after me, whose sandals I am not
worthy to untie.'
- 26 "Brothers, children of Abraham, and you God-fearing Gentiles, it
is to us that this message of salvation has been sent.
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27
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- 27 The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet
in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read
every Sabbath.
- 28 Though they found no proper ground for a death sentence, they asked
Pilate to have him executed.
- 29 When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took
him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.
- 30 But God raised him from the dead,
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28
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- 31 and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with him from
Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people.
- 32 "We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers
- 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it
is written in the second Psalm: "'You are my Son; today I have
become your Father.'
- 34 The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated
in these words: "'I will give you the holy and sure blessings
promised to David.'
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29
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- 35 So it is stated elsewhere: "'You will not let your Holy One see
decay.'
- 36 "For when David had served God's purpose in his own generation,
he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.
- 37 But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
- 38 "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus
the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
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30
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- 39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you
could not be justified from by the law of Moses.
- Num 15:30-31 (NIV)
- 30 "'But anyone who sins defiantly, whether native-born or alien,
blasphemes the LORD, and that person must be cut off from his people.
- 31 Because he has despised the LORD's word and broken his commands,
that person must surely be cut off; his guilt remains on him.'"
- 36 transgressions for which there is no redemption under Mosaic Law.
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31
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- If any of the 36 are accomplished intentionally, no sacrifice will cover
them:
- Prohibited sexual unions
- Blasphemy
- Idolatry
- Necromancy
- Profaning the Shabbat
- Some cleanliness laws
- Eating leaven during Passover
- Eating or working during Yom-Kippur
- The big tem
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32
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- 40 Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:
- 41 "'Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do
something in your days that you would never believe, even if someone
told you.'"
- 42 As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited
them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath.
- 43 When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout
converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and
urged them to continue in the grace of God.
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33
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- 44 On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word
of the Lord.
- 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and
talked abusively against what Paul was saying.
- They were jealous because they were trying to win the people’s hearts –
Pharisee proselytism
- 46 Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak
the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider
yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.
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34
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- 47 For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a
light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the
earth.'"
- Isaiah 49:6
- 6 he says: "It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to
restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my
salvation to the ends of the earth."
- Isaiah 42:6
- 6 "I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold
of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for
the people and a light for the Gentiles,
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35
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- Isaiah 60:1-3
- 1 "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the
LORD rises upon you.
- 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the
peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.
- 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your
dawn.
- 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of
the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
- 49 The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.
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36
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- 50 But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the
leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and
Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.
- 51 So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and
went to Iconium.
- 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
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37
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- CHAPTER 14
- 1 At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue.
There they spoke so effectively <Saul’s typical sermon> that a
great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.
- 2 But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and
poisoned their minds against the brothers.
- 3 So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly
for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to
do miraculous signs and wonders.
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38
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- 4 The people of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, others
with the apostles.
- 5 There was a plot afoot among the Gentiles and Jews, together with
their leaders, to mistreat them and stone them.
- 6 But they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra
and Derbe and to the surrounding country,
- 7 where they continued to preach the good news.
- 8 In Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from
birth and had never walked.
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39
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- 9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him,
saw that he had faith to be healed
- 10 and called out, "Stand up on your feet!" At that, the man
jumped up and began to walk.
- 11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian
language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!"
- 12 Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was
the chief speaker.
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40
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- 13 The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought
bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to
offer sacrifices to them.
- 14 But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore
their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:
- 15 "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like
you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these
worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea
and everything in them.
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41
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- 16 In the past, he let all nations go their own way.
- 17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness
by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides
you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy."
- 18 Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from
sacrificing to them.
- 19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over.
They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.
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42
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- 20 But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went
back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe.
- Was Paul dead? Was he raised?
- 21 They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of
disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch,
- 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to
the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom
of God," they said.
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43
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- 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with
prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put
their trust.
- 24 After going through Pisidia, they came into Pamphylia,
- 25 and when they had preached the word in Perga, they went down to
Attalia.
- 26 From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been
committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.
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44
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- 27 On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all
that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith
to the Gentiles.
- 28 And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
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45
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- Dispute between Paul and Barnabas over whether they should take John
Mark with them
- They went on separate journeys (Acts 15:36–41) — Barnabas with John
Mark, and Paul with Silas
- Acts 16:1-18:22, Paul and Silas went to Derbe and Lystra, then Phrygia
and northern Galatia, to Troas, when, inspired by a vision they set off
for Macedonia. At Philippi they met and brought to faith a young girl
called Lydia, whom they baptised together with her family; there Paul
was also arrested and badly beaten.
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46
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- Paul then set off for Thessalonica (1 Thess. 2:2)
- Some question how, having been in Philippi only "some days",
Paul could found a church based on Lydia's house; it may have been
founded earlier by someone else.
- Paul then came to Athens where he gave his speech in the Areopagus;
- He told Athenians that the "Unknown God" to whom they had a
shrine was in fact known, as the God who had raised Jesus from the
dead. (Acts 17:16–34).
- Thereafter Paul travelled to Corinth, where he settled for three years
and where he may have written 1 Thessalonians, possibly the earliest of
his surviving letters.
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47
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- At Corinth, (18:12–17), the "Jews united" and charged Paul
with "persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the
law";
- The proconsul Gallio then judged that it was a minor matter not worth
his attention and dismissed the charges. "Then all of them (Other
ancient authorities read all the Greeks) seized Sosthenes, the official
of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio
paid no attention to any of these things." (18:17 NRSV) From an
inscription in Delphi that mentions Gallio, the year of the hearing is
known to be 52, which aids in reconstructing the chronology of Paul's
life.
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48
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49
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- 36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit
the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and
see how they are doing."
- 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them,
- 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted
them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.
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50
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- 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas
took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,
- Whose problem?
- Paul has issues and still shows them—there is hope for us
- 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace
of the Lord.
- 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
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51
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- CHAPTER 16
- 1 He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy
lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a
Greek.
- Difficult situation—what Jewish father would give his daughter to a
Greek? Didn’t happen
- Assimilated?—likely not.
- Rape?—could be, usually not discussed in ancient literature
- Believer first, then married?—possible, not probable
- Prostitute?—most likely
- Freed slave?--possible
- Mother’s Jewish origin made Timothy a Jew
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52
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- 2 The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.
- 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him
because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his
father was a Greek.
- Circumcision because of the target audience—the Jews
- 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions
reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.
- 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in
numbers.
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53
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- Acts 15:23-30
- 23 With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders,
your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:
Greetings.
- 24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization
and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said.
- 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our
dear friends Barnabas and Paul-
- 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
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54
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- 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth
what we are writing.
- 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with
anything beyond the following requirements:
- 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from
the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do
well to avoid these things. Farewell.
- 30 The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered
the church together and delivered the letter.
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55
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- 6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and
Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in
the province of Asia.
- 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia,
but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.
- Unusual formulation in Luke’s writings.
- Some point to the parallelism with v. 6, there is a problem with this
- Parallelism is a Hebrew and not a Greek structure
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56
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- Literally why couldn’t Jesus express himself directly to them
especially if it was critical—just like to Saul
- The concept has already been introduced—to Luke it would just be a
waste of paper to repeat his previous words
- Where we do see repetition, we need to be very observant—the author is
making a logos argument and expressing the tellos—it is so important
that it bears repeating
- 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
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57
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- 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and
begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us."
- Now Luke has shown us three means God is using to communicate
- Holy Spirit
- Jesus directly
- Vision
- Compare to OT means of communication
- 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for
Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to
them.
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58
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- 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and
the next day on to Neapolis.
- 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading
city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
- 13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we
expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to
the women who had gathered there.
- Synagogue and Minyan (Jewish place of prayer) were placed near running
water so the mikveh could be accomplished. He met women who were there for the
mikveh.
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59
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- 14 One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple
cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord
opened her heart to respond to Paul's message.
- 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited
us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord,"
she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.
- 16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a
slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She
earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling.
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60
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- 17 This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men
are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be
saved."
- 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that
he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus
Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit
left her.
- 19 When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making
money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the
marketplace to face the authorities.
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61
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- 20 They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men
are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar
- 21 by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or
practice."
- 22 The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the
magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten.
- 23 After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison,
and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.
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- 24 Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and
fastened their feet in the stocks.
- 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God,
and the other prisoners were listening to them.
- 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of
the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and
everybody's chains came loose.
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- 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew
his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners
had escaped.
- The jailer would receive the punishment of those who had escaped.
- Remember these are all political and religious.
- 28 But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"
- 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before
Paul and Silas.
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- 30 He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?"
- 31 They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be
saved-- you and your household."
- sozo (sode'-zo);from a primary sos (contraction for obsolete saoz,
"safe"); to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or
figuratively): KJV-- heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make)
whole.
- pisteuo (pist-yoo'-o); from 4102; to have faith (in, upon, or with
respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust
(especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ): KJV-- believe (-r),
commit (to trust), put in trust with.
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- oikos (oy'-kos); of uncertain affinity; a dwelling (more or less
extensive, literal or figurative); by implication a family (more or
less related, literal or figuratively): KJV-- home, house (-hold),
temple.
- 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in
his house.
- 33 At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their
wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized.
- 34 The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he
was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God-- he and his
whole family.
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- 35 When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the
jailer with the order: "Release those men."
- 36 The jailer told Paul, "The magistrates have ordered that you and
Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace."
- 37 But Paul said to the officers: "They beat us publicly without a
trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And
now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves
and escort us out."
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- 38 The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard
that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed.
- 39 They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison,
requesting them to leave the city.
- 40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's
house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they
left.
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- CHAPTER 17
- 1 When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to
Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
- 2 As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath
days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
- 3 explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the
dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he
said.
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- 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a
large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.
- 5 But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from
the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They
rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring
them out to the crowd.
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- 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other
brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have
caused trouble all over the world have now come here,
- 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying
Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called
Jesus."
- 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown
into turmoil.
- 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
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- 10 As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to
Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue.
- 11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians,
for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the
Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
- Note influence of Hebrew writing on Gentiles
- 12 Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek
women and many Greek men.
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- 13 When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the
word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and
stirring them up.
- 14 The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and
Timothy stayed at Berea.
- Do we need any more proof that Paul was the problem?
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- Paul in Athens and the words for gods used
- Acts 17:15-34
- 15 The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with
instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.
- 16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed
to see that the city was full of idols.
- 17 So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing
Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened
to be there.
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- 18 A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with
him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say
(lego)?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating (lego)
foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching
(euaggelizo) the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.
- 19 Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus,
where they said (lego) to him, "May we know what this new teaching
(didache) is that you are presenting (laleo)?
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- 20 You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know
what they mean."
- 21 (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their
time doing nothing but talking (lego) about and listening to the latest
ideas.)
- 22 Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said (phemi):
"Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.
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- 23 For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of
worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.
Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.
- 24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of
heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands.
- 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything,
because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.
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- 26 From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit
the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact
places where they should live.
- 27 God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him
and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
- 28 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own
poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
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- 29 "Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think
that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone-- an image made by
man's design and skill.
- 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all
people everywhere to repent.
- 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the
man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising
him from the dead."
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- 32 When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them
sneered, but others said (epo), "We want to hear you again on this
subject."
- 33 At that, Paul left the Council.
- 34 A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was
Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a
number of others.
- Saul’s sermon to non-Jews
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- CHAPTER 18
- 1 After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth.
- 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently
come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered
all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them,
- Claudius 41 to 54 ce then Nero 54 to 68 ce
- Claudius expelled Jews in Rome in 49 ce
- Suetonius writes, “Since the Jews were continually making disturbances
at the instigation of Chrestus, he [Claudius] expelled them from
Rome.” (Claudius 25:4)
- Suetonius obviously means Christos and not Chrestus—remember no
dictionaries and no spelling lexicons, people spelled the way they
thought a word or a name sounded.
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- 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with
them.
- 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews
and Greeks.
- 5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself
exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the
Christ.
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- 6 But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his
clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own
heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the
Gentiles."
- 7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius
Justus, a worshiper of God.
- 8 Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the
Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were
baptized.
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- 9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid;
keep on speaking, do not be silent.
- 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you,
because I have many people in this city."
- 11 So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
- 12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack
on Paul and brought him into court.
- 13 "This man," they charged, "is persuading the people to
worship God in ways contrary to the law."
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- 14 Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If
you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious
crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you.
- 15 But since it involves questions about words and names and your own
law-- settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such
things."
- 16 So he had them ejected from the court.
- 17 Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in
front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.
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- 18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers
and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he
sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had
taken.
- euche (yoo-khay'); from 2172; properly, a wish, expressed as a petition
to God, or in votive obligation: KJV-- prayer, vow.
- 2172 euchomai (yoo'-khom-ahee);
middle voice of a primary verb; to wish; by implication, to pray to
God: KJV-- pray, will, wish.
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- 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He
himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.
- 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined.
- 21 But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's
will." Then he set sail from Ephesus.
- 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and
then went down to Antioch.
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- Paul continued his traveling, usually called his "third missionary
journey" (Acts 18:23–21:26)
- Again through Asia Minor and Macedonia, to Antioch and back
- Caused a great uproar in the theatre in Ephesus, where local
silversmiths feared loss of income due to Paul's activities. Their
income relied on the sale of silver statues (idols) of the goddess Artemis,
whom they worshipped; the resulting mob almost killed Paul (Acts
19:21–41) and his companions.
- Later, as Paul was passing near Ephesus on his way to Jerusalem, Paul
chose not to stop, since he was in haste to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost.
The church here, however, was so highly regarded by Paul that he called
the elders to Miletus to meet with him (Acts 20:16–38).
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- 23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and
traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and
Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
- Just like the beginning of the second journey, Paul started to
encourage the disciples
- 24 Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to
Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the
Scriptures.
- Alexandria – one of the 4 centers of Jewish thought and the center of
Hellenistic Judaism
- Philo was the rabbi of note at the time.
- Had its own Jewish temple
- Septuagint was translated there around 200 bce
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- 25 He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with
great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the
baptism of John.
- Knowledgeable about Jesus, but not knowing his complete significance.
- May have been the author of Hebrews
- 26 He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila
heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way
of God more adequately.
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- 27 When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and
wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great
help to those who by grace had believed.
- 28 For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the
Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
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- CHAPTER 19
- 1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior
and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples
- 2 and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that
there is a Holy Spirit.“
- Gentiles or Jews?
- HS is Rauch Ha Kodish
- 3 So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?"
"John's baptism," they replied.
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- 4 Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told
the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in
Jesus."
- 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
- 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and
they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
- 7 There were about twelve men in all.
- The immersion of John
- Proves baptism was Mikvah—Saul did not touch them until afterwards—HS
came into them then
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- 8 Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months,
arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
- 9 But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and
publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with
him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
- Tyrannus’ school
- Greek school, like the Lycium
- Pharisaic school – yeshivah
- Tyrannus may have been the sophist mentioned by Suidas – if so a Greek
rhetorician
- Shows affectivity of Paul in Socratic discourse
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- 10 This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived
in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
- 11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,
- 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken
to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left
them.
- Miracles of the HS through Paul—shows his maturing and the action of
the spirit
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- 13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke
the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They
would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you
to come out."
- 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this.
- 15 [One day] the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I
know about Paul, but who are you?"
- 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered
them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house
naked and bleeding.
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- 17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they
were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in
high honor.
- JNTC – p. 294 notes on Talmud
- 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil
deeds.
- 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and
burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the
total came to fifty thousand drachmas.
<about 2 million dollars>
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- 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
- 21 After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing
through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he
said, "I must visit Rome also."
- 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while
he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.
- 23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.
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- 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis,
brought in no little business for the craftsmen.
- 25 He called them together, along with the workmen in related trades,
and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this
business.
- 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led
astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the
whole province of Asia. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all.
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- 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but
also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited,
and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of
Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."
- 28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting:
"Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!.
- 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and
Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as
one man into the theater.
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- 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not
let him.
- 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him
a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
- 32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some
another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there.
- 33 The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted
instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense
before the people.
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- 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for
about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"
- 35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus,
doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of
the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from
heaven?
- The temple of Artemis (Diana in the Roman pantheon) was one of the
seven wonders of the world
- The sacred stone was likely a meteorite
- Mystery religion
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|
- What background did the Gentiles come out of?
- Paganism was the main focus of religious life
- Paganism
- Viewed the world as a dangerous place because of the gods
- Gods in everything living, but not in those things made by man
- Gods were viewed as antagonistic to man – some more than others
- Gods had to be continually placated with sacrifice
- As societies matured they developed gods around concepts and big
items
- Gods were the sun, moon, seasons, earth, sea, etc.
- Demigods were the plants, rivers, lakes, etc.
- Gods’ world took on the trappings of man’s world
- Gods were bound by laws – osia
- Gods had a leadership and hierarchy
- Gods had human emotions and desires
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- Egyptians
- Multiple gods in a pantheon
- Pharaoh was head of gods on earth
- Worship of dead and death
- Worldliness and knowledge of the world began breaking down the
barriers of religious belief in the powerful
- Inability of Pharaoh to protect and provide broke down belief in the
common people
- Romans
- Multiple gods in a pantheon
- Jupiter head of gods
- Similar to the Egyptian pantheon
- Skepticism base on observation of pagan worship throughout the empire
began breaking down belief in the powerful
- State based welfare began breaking down belief in the common people
- Emperor worship, based on Pharaoh worship (an export) became the
focus and furthered religious breakdown
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|
- Greeks
- Multiple gods in a pantheon
- Zeus head of gods
- Similar to Egyptian and Roman pantheon
- Greek religion was always a personal concept without a strong civil
basis
- Weak priesthood
- Priests and diviners did not control, but gave the words of the gods
- Breakdown came with knowledge and study of world
- Gods could not reside in things – observation and philosophy
- Gods were concepts
- Socrates proved gods could not need anything from man
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|
- Sects based on philosophies began to invade religious thought
- Skeptics
- Stoics
- Platonic
- Pythagoreans
- Socratics
- Aristotelians
- Sects based on philosophies that bore the strength of religion
- Mystery religions similar and competing
- Based on a god and the god’s revelation
- Unsure what was the revelation, but believed to be miracle or object
based
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|
- Power of the god revealed in the action of the miracle
- Believed that the miracle may have been a scientific wonder—soda and
vinegar, etc.
- Wonders were never reveled in history
- Separate male and female mysteries
- Mysteries were initiated modes of worship with levels based on
dedication
- Very similar to masons or other groups held together by secrets
- Many of the mysteries were looking for a revelation from god – major
revelation would be raising from the dead
- Commonly the worship would be yearly with meetings at intervals –
similar to common Greek
paganism
- Common meals – bacarels or symposia where meat was eaten
- Drinking parties
- Ecstatic speech
- Sacrifices
- Mysteries
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- 35 The city clerk <grammetaus> quieted the crowd and said:
"Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of
Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her
image, which fell from heaven?
- Who was the clerk – grammetaus (scribe)
- 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet
and not do anything rash.
- 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed
temples nor blasphemed our goddess.
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|
- 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against
anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press
charges.
- 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled
in a legal assembly.
- 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of
today's events. In that case we would not be able to account for this
commotion, since there is no reason for it."
- 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
- Note that the problems of “the Way” came from both the Jews
<especially outside of Jerusalem> and the Gentiles
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- CHAPTER 20
- 1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after
encouraging them, said good-by and set out for Macedonia.
- 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to
the people, and finally arrived in Greece,
- 3 where he stayed three months. Because the Jews made a plot against him
just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through
Macedonia.
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|
- 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus
and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and
Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.
- 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.
- 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and
five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
- 7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul
spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept
on talking until midnight.
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|
- 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.
- 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking
into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he
fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead.
- 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms
around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's
alive!"
- 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking
until daylight, he left.
- 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
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- 13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were
going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was
going there on foot.
- 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene.
- 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Kios. The day
after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at
Miletus.
- 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the
province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible,
by the day of Pentecost.<Shavvu’ot>
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|
- 17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.
- 18 When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the
whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province
of Asia.
- 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was
severely tested by the plots of the Jews.
- 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be
helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.
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- 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in
repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
- Same Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles
- 22 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not
knowing what will happen to me there.
- 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison
and hardships are facing me.
- 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish
the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-- the task of
testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
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|
- 25 "Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about
preaching the kingdom will ever see me again.
- 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of
all men.
- 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
- 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit
has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he
bought with his own blood.
- 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and
will not spare the flock.
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- 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in
order to draw away disciples after them.
- 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped
warning each of you night and day with tears.
- 32 "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can
build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are
sanctified.
- 33 I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing.
- 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own
needs and the needs of my companions.
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- 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we
must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said:
'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
- These words of Jesus are not in the Gospels—where did they come from?
- 36 When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed.
- 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.
- 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see
his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
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- CHAPTER 21
- 1 After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and
sailed straight to Cos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to
Patara.
- 2 We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set
sail.
- 3 After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to
Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo.
- 4 Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through
the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.
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- 5 But when our time was up, we left and continued on our way. All the
disciples and their wives and children accompanied us out of the city,
and there on the beach we knelt to pray.
- 6 After saying good-by to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they
returned home.
- 7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we
greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day.
- 8 Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of
Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven.
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- 9 He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
- 10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came
down from Judea.
- 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet
with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of
Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the
Gentiles.'"
- 12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to
go up to Jerusalem.
- 13 Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?
I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the
name of the Lord Jesus."
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- 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's
will be done."
- 15 After this, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem.
- 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to
the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and
one of the early disciples.
- 17 When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly.
- 18 The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the
elders were present.
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- Upon Paul's arrival in Jerusalem,
- Gave apostles account of bringing Gentiles to the faith
- James the Just concerned Paul would be charged that he was teaching the
Jews to ignore the law and asked him to demonstrate he was a law-abiding Jew by taking a Nazirite
vow (21:26)
- Paul in Galatians and Philippians, where he utterly opposed any idea
that the law was binding on gentile Christians
- "Paul, on the other hand, not only did not object to the
observance of the Mosaic Law, as long as it did not interfere with the
liberty of the Gentiles, but he conformed to its prescriptions when
occasion required (1 Cor 9:20). Thus he shortly after [the Council of
Jerusalem] circumcised Timothy (Acts 16:1–3), and he was in the very
act of observing the Mosaic ritual when he was arrested at Jerusalem (21:26
sqq.)".
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- About a week after Paul had taken his vow at the temple,
- Some Jews from "Asia" (Asia Minor or modern Turkey, Paul's
homeland) spotted him in Jerusalem and stirred up the crowd shouting:
"Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches all men
everywhere against our people and our law and this place.
- And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple area and defiled
this holy place." (21:28).
- Crowd was about to kill Paul but the Roman guard rescued him, and after
an unsuccessful speech in Aramaic (21:37-22:22), imprisoned him in Caesarea.
- Paul claimed his right as a Roman citizen to be tried in Rome, but
owing to the inaction of the governor Antonius Felix, Paul languished
in confinement at Caesarea for two years.
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- When a new governor Porcius Festus took office, he held a hearing and
sent Paul by sea to Rome. It was while journeying to Rome that Paul was
shipwrecked on Malta where Acts states that he converted the people to
Christianity, St Paul being Malta's patron saint to this day.
- Paul spent another two years in Rome under house arrest: "Boldly
and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about
the Lord Jesus Christ." (28:30-31).
- Of his detention in Rome, Philippians provides some additional support.
It was clearly written from prison and references to the
"praetorian guard" and "Caesar's household" may
suggest that it was written from Rome.
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- Whether Paul died in Rome or was able to go to Spain as in his letter to
the Romans (Rom. 15:22-7) he hoped, is uncertain
- Eusebius of Caesarea, who wrote in the 4th century, states
that Paul was beheaded in the reign of the Roman Emperor Nero.
- Event dated either to the year 64, when Rome was devastated by a fire,
or a few years later, to 67.
- An ancient liturgical solemnity of Peter and Paul, celebrated on 29
June, could reflect the day of martyrdom
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- Many ancient sources articulated the tradition that Peter and Paul died
on the same day (and possibly the same year).[8]
- Number of other sources including Clement of Rome say Paul survived
Rome and went to "the limits of the west".[9]
- Based on Pastoral Epistles, he could have revisited Greece and Asia
Minor after his trip to Spain, and might then have been arrested in
Troas (2 Tim. 4:13) and taken to Rome and executed.
- Traditional story is Paul was interred with Saint Peter ad Catacumbas
by the via Appia until moved to what is now the Basilica of Saint Paul
Outside the Walls in Rome (now in the process of being excavated).
- Bede, in his Ecclesiastical History, writes that Pope Vitalian in 665
gave Paul's relics (including a cross made from his prison chains)
from the crypts of Lucina to King Oswy of Northumbria, northern
Britain. However, Bede's use of the word "relic" was not
limited to corporal remains.
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- 19 Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the
Gentiles through his ministry.
- 20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul:
"You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and
all of them are zealous for the law.
- Literally -20,000 minimum, but many more
- Jerusalem population (Megen Broshi- curator of Shrine of the Book that
holds the Dead Sea Scrolls):
- Herod the Great, 4 BC – 40,000
- Destruction of the Temple, 66 BC – 80,000
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- Jerusalem’s population
- Herod the Great (4 bce) – 40,000
- Siege of Jerusalem (66 ce) – 80,000
- 60-61 ce – 20,000+ People of the Way
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- 21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among
the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise
their children or live according to our customs.
- 22 What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come,
- 23 so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a
vow.
- 24 Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their
expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will
know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself
are living in obedience to the law.
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- 25 As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision
that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from
the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality."
- 26 The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them.
Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of
purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.
- 27 When the seven days were nearly over, some Jews from the province of
Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized
him,
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- 28 shouting, "Men of Israel, help us! This is the man who teaches
all men everywhere against our people and our law and this place. And
besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple area and defiled this
holy place."
- 29 (They had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with
Paul and assumed that Paul had brought him into the temple area.)
- 30 The whole city was aroused, and the people came running from all
directions. Seizing Paul, they dragged him from the temple, and
immediately the gates were shut.
- 31 While they were trying to kill him, news reached the commander of the
Roman troops that the whole city of Jerusalem was in an uproar.
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- 32 He at once took some officers and soldiers and ran down to the crowd.
When the rioters saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped
beating Paul.
- 33 The commander came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound
with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.
- 34 Some in the crowd shouted one thing and some another, and since the
commander could not get at the truth because of the uproar, he ordered
that Paul be taken into the barracks.
- 35 When Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob was so great he
had to be carried by the soldiers.
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- 36 The crowd that followed kept shouting, "Away with him!"
- 37 As the soldiers were about to take Paul into the barracks, he asked
the commander, "May I say something to you?" "Do you
speak Greek?" he replied.
- 38 "Aren't you the Egyptian who started a revolt and led four
thousand terrorists out into the desert some time ago?"
- 39 Paul answered, "I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of
no ordinary city. Please let me speak to the people."
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- Acts 27:1-28:31
- This is one of the finest and detailed descriptions of a sea voyage in
antiquity.
- 1 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other
prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to
the Imperial Regiment.
- 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the
coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a
Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us.
- Aristarchus was with Saul in Ephesus and assisted with the collections
from the Gentile Chrstians.
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- 3 The next day we landed at Sidon; and Julius, in kindness to Paul,
allowed him to go to his friends so they might provide for his needs.
- 4 From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus
because the winds were against us.
- 5 When we had sailed across the open sea off the coast of Cilicia and
Pamphylia, we landed at Myra in Lycia.
- 6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing for Italy and
put us on board.
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- 7 We made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off
Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to
the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone.
- 8 We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called
Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea.
- 9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous
because by now it was after the Fast. So Paul warned them,
- Past Yom-Kippur (the day of atonement).
Evidence that the early church was still practicing the Jewish
calendar and Torah
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- 10 "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and
bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also."
- May be prophecy from Paul.
- 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed
the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship.
- 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided
that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This
was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.
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- 13 When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had
obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the
shore of Crete.
- 14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the
"northeaster," swept down from the island.
- 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so
we gave way to it and were driven along.
- 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were
hardly able to make the lifeboat secure.
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- 17 When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship
itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the
sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be
driven along.
- 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day
they began to throw the cargo overboard.
- 19 On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their
own hands.
- 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm
continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.
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- 21 After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before
them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail
from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss.
- 22 But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you
will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed.
- 23 Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood
beside me
- 24 and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before
Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with
you.'
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- 25 So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will
happen just as he told me.
- 26 Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island."
- 27 On the fourteenth night we were still being driven across the
Adriatic Sea, when about midnight the sailors sensed they were
approaching land.
- 28 They took soundings and found that the water was a hundred and twenty
feet deep. A short time later they took soundings again and found it was
ninety feet deep.
- 29 Fearing that we would be dashed against the rocks, they dropped four
anchors from the stern and prayed for daylight.
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- 30 In an attempt to escape from the ship, the sailors let the lifeboat
down into the sea, pretending they were going to lower some anchors from
the bow.
- 31 Then Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these
men stay with the ship, you cannot be saved."
- 32 So the soldiers cut the ropes that held the lifeboat and let it fall
away.
- 33 Just before dawn Paul urged them all to eat. "For the last
fourteen days," he said, "you have been in constant suspense
and have gone without food-- you haven't eaten anything.
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- 34 Now I urge you to take some food. You need it to survive. Not one of
you will lose a single hair from his head."
- 35 After he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in
front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.
- 36 They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.
- 37 Altogether there were 276 of us on board.
- 38 When they had eaten as much as they wanted, they lightened the ship
by throwing the grain into the sea.
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- 39 When daylight came, they did not recognize the land, but they saw a
bay with a sandy beach, where they decided to run the ship aground if
they could.
- 40 Cutting loose the anchors, they left them in the sea and at the same
time untied the ropes that held the rudders. Then they hoisted the
foresail to the wind and made for the beach.
- 41 But the ship struck a sandbar and ran aground. The bow stuck fast and
would not move, and the stern was broken to pieces by the pounding of
the surf.
- 42 The soldiers planned to kill the prisoners to prevent any of them
from swimming away and escaping.
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- 43 But the centurion wanted to spare Paul's life and kept them from
carrying out their plan. He ordered those who could swim to jump
overboard first and get to land.
- 44 The rest were to get there on planks or on pieces of the ship. In
this way everyone reached land in safety.
- CHAPTER 28
- 1 Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta.
- 2 The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and
welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.
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- 3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a
viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
- 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to
each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped
from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live."
- 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill
effects.
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- 6 The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after
waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they
changed their minds and said he was a god.
- 7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief
official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and for three days
entertained us hospitably.
- 8 His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul
went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed
him.
- 9 When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and
were cured.
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- 10 They honored us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they
furnished us with the supplies we needed.
- 11 After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered in
the island. It was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin
gods Castor and Pollux.
- 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days.
- 13 From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south
wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli.
- 14 There we found some brothers who invited us to spend a week with
them. And so we came to Rome.
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- 15 The brothers there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled
as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the
sight of these men Paul thanked God and was encouraged.
- 16 When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a
soldier to guard him.
- 17 Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When
they had assembled, Paul said to them: "My brothers, although I
have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our
ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans.
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- 18 They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty
of any crime deserving death.
- 19 But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar-- not
that I had any charge to bring against my own people.
- 20 For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is
because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain."
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- 21 They replied, "We have not received any letters from Judea
concerning you, and none of the brothers who have come from there has
reported or said anything bad about you.
- 22 But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people
everywhere are talking against this sect."
- 23 They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger
numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning till evening he
explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince
them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.
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- 24 Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.
- 25 They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had
made this final statement: "The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your
forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet:
- 26 "'Go to this people and say, "You will be ever hearing but
never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving."
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- 27 For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with
their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see
with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and
turn, and I would heal them.'
- 28 "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent
to the Gentiles, and they will listen!"
- 30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and
welcomed all who came to see him.
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- 31 Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and
taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Paul had great success in bringing many Jews and Gentile to Christ in
Rome. We know of his success
because of other histories and the ultimate success of Christianity in
the Roman Empire and in Rome itself.
- Remember the focus is the witness of the HS!
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- Saul did not found many churches
- Saul did not go to Gentiles without being asked
- Saul’s message to Jews and Gentiles the same
- Approach different, but message same
- Focus was Greek rationalism—Christ arose
- Delineations between Gentile and Jewish members of “The Way” decreased
after 70 ce
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- Historical basis of the early church
- Didache
- Acts liturgical practice vs. Early Church
- Jewish roots of practice
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Notes