PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

UBS4	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
The Uproar in Thessalonica	Preaching Christ at Thessalonica	From Thessalonica to Athens	In Thessalonica	Thessalonica: Difficulties with the Jews
17:1-9	17:1-4	17:1-9	17:1-4	17:1-4
	Assault on Jason's House
	17:5-9		17:5-9	17:5-9
The Apostles at Beroea	Ministering at Berea		In Berea	Fresh Difficulties at Beroea
17:10-15	17:10-15	17:10-15	17:10-15	17:10-12
				17:13-15
Paul at Athens	The Philosophers at Athens	Paul at Athens	In Athens	Paul in Athens
17:16-21	17:16-21	17:16-21	17:16-21	17:16-18
	Addressing the Areopagus			17:19-21
17:22-28a	17:22-34	17:22-31	17:22-31	17:22a
				Paul's Speech Before the Council of the Areopagans
				17:22b-23
				17:24-28
17:28b-31
				17:29
				17:30-31
17:32-34		17:32-34	17:32-34	17:32-34

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five modern translations. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one main subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

 

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

Brief Outline of Paul's Message To Intellectual Greeks in Athens (17:15-34). It is similar to Acts 14:15-18.

A. There is one God, creator of heaven (spirit) and earth (matter)

1. of whom they are ignorant

2. who does not dwell in human temples or idols

3. who is not in need of anything from mankind

4. who is the only source of real life

 

B. He is in control of all human history

1. made all nations from one man

2. fixes the boundaries of the nations

 

C. He has placed in humans a desire to know Himself, and He is not hard to find

 

D. Sin has separated us from Him

1. he overlooked sins in times of ignorance

2. we must repent

 

E. He will judge His creation

1. there is a set day for judgement

2. judgement will occur through the Messiah

3. this Messiah has been raised from the dead to prove His person and work

 

The City of Thessalonica

A. Brief History of Thessalonica

1. Thessalonica was located at the head of the Thermaic Gulf. Thessalonica was a coastal town on Via Ignatia (the way of the nations) the major Roman road, running eastward from Rome. A seaport, it was also very close to a rich, well-watered, coastal plain. These three advantages made Thessalonica the largest, most important commercial and political center in Macedonia.

2. Thessalonica was originally named Therma, derived from the hot springs located in the area. An early historian, Pliny the Elder, refers to Therma and Thessalonica existing together. If this is the case, Thessalonica simply surrounded Therma and annexed it (Leon Morris, The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians, Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1991, p. 11). Yet most historians believe Cassander, one of Alexander the Great's generals, renamed Therma in 315 b.c. after Philip of Macedonia's daughter and Alexander's half-sister and his wife, Thessalonica (Strabo VII Fragment 21). Sometime during the early centuries of the spread of Christianity, Thessalonica came to be nicknamed "the orthodox city" because of its Christian character (Dean Farrar, The Life and Work of St. Paul, New York: Cassell and Company, Limited, 1904, p. 364). Today Thessalonica is known as Salonika and it still is an important city in Greece.

3. Thessalonica was a cosmopolitan metropolis similar to Corinth, inhabited by peoples from all over the known world.

a. Barbaric Germanic peoples from the north were living there, bringing with them their pagan religion and culture.

b. Greeks lived there, coming from Achaia to the south and from the islands of the Aegean Sea, in turn bringing their refinement and philosophy.

c. Romans from the west also settled there. They were mostly retired soldiers and they brought their strength of will, wealth, and political power.

d. Finally, Jews came in large numbers from the east; eventually one third of the population was Jewish. They brought with them their ethical monotheistic faith and their national prejudices.

4. Thessalonica, with a population of about 200,000, was truly a cosmopolitan city. It was a resort and health center because of the hot springs. It was a commercial center because of its seaport, fertile plains and the proximity of the Ignatian Way.

5. As the capital and largest city, Thessalonica was also the central political headquarters of Macedonia. Being a Roman provincial capital and home of many Roman citizens (mostly retired soldiers), it became a free city. Thessalonica paid no tribute and was governed by Roman law, since most Thessalonians were Roman citizens. Thus the Thessalonian rulers were called "politarchs." This title appears nowhere else in literature, but it is preserved by an inscription over the triumphal arch at Thessalonica known as the Vardar Gate (Farrar, p. 371n.).

 

B. Events Leading to Paul's Coming to Thessalonica

1. Many events led Paul to Thessalonica, yet behind all the physical circumstances is the direct, definite call of God. Paul had not originally planned to enter the European continent. His desire on this second missionary journey was to revisit the churches in Asia Minor that he had established on his first journey and then to turn eastward. Yet, just as the moment arrived to turn northeastward, God started closing the doors. The culmination of this was Paul's Macedonian vision (cf. Acts 16:6-10). This caused two things to happen: first, the continent of Europe was evangelized and second, Paul, because of circumstances in Macedonia, began writing his Epistles (Thomas Carter, Life and Letters of Paul, Nashville: Cokesbury Press, 1921, p. 112).

2. Physical circumstances that led Paul to Thessalonica

a. Paul went to Philippi, a small town with no synagogue. His work there was thwarted by the owners of a "prophetic," demonic slave girl and the town council. Paul was beaten and humiliated, yet a church was formed. Because of the opposition and physical punishment, Paul was forced to leave, possibly sooner than he had wished.

b. Where would he go from there? He passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, which also had no synagogue.

c. He came to the largest city in the area, Thessalonica, which did have a synagogue. Paul had made it a pattern to go to the local Jews first. He did this because

(1) of their knowledge of the Old Testament;

(2) of the opportunity for teaching and preaching that the synagogue presented;

(3) of their position as the chosen people, God's covenant people (cf. Matt. 10:6; 15:24; Rom. 1:16-17; 9-11);

(4) Jesus had offered Himself first to them, then to the world—so too, Paul would follow Christ's example.

 

Paul's Companions

A. Paul was accompanied by Silas and Timothy in Thessalonica. Luke was with Paul at Philippi and he remained there. We learn this by the "we" and "they" passages of Acts 16 and 17. Luke speaks of "we" at Philippi, but of "they" as traveling to Thessalonica.

 

B. Silas, or Silvanus, was the man Paul picked to go with him on the second missionary journey after Barnabas and John Mark went back to Cyprus

1. He is first mentioned in the Bible in Acts 15:22, where he is called a chief man among the brethren of the Jerusalem Church.

2. He was also a prophet (cf. Acts 15:32).

3. He was a Roman citizen like Paul (cf. Acts 16:37).

4. He and Judas Barsabbas were sent to Antioch by the Jerusalem Church to inspect the situation (cf. Acts 15:22,30-35).

5. Paul praises him in II Cor. 1:19 and mentions him in several letters.

6. Later he is identified with Peter in writing I Pete (cf. I Pet. 5:12).

7. Both Paul and Peter call him Silvanus while Luke calls him Silas.

 

C. Timothy was also a companion and fellow-worker of Paul

1. Paul met him at Lystra, where he was converted on the first missionary journey.

2. Timothy was half Greek (father) and half Jewish (mother). Paul wanted to use him to work with evangelizing the Gentiles.

3. Paul circumcised him so that he could work with Jewish people.

4. Timothy is mentioned in the salutation in: II Corinthians, Colossians, I and II Thessalonians and Philemon.

5. Paul spoke of him as "my son in the ministry" (cf. I Tim. 1:2; II Tim. 1:2; Titus 1:4).

6. Paul's general tone throughout his letters implies Timothy was younger and timid. Yet Paul has great confidence and trust in him (cf. Acts 19:27; I Cor. 4:17; Phil. 2:19).

 

D. It is only fitting in the section on Paul's companions that mention is made of the men who came to Thessalonica and accompanied Paul on his later missions. They are Aristarchus (Acts 19:29; 20:4; 27:2) and Secundus (Acts 20:4). Also, Demas could have been from Thessalonica (Philem. 24; II Tim. 4:10).

 

Paul's Ministry in the City

A. Paul's ministry in Thessalonica followed his usual pattern of going to the Jews first and then turning to the Gentiles. Paul preached in the synagogue on three Sabbaths. His message was "Jesus is the Messiah." He used Old Testament Scriptures to show that the Messiah was to be a suffering Messiah (cf. Gen. 3:15; Isa. 53), and not a political temporal Messiah. Paul also emphasized the resurrection and offered salvation to all. Jesus was clearly presented as the Messiah promised of old who could save all peoples.

 

B. The response to this message was that some Jews, many devout Gentiles, and many important women accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. An analysis of these groups of converts is very meaningful in understanding Paul's later letters to this church.

 

C. Gentiles comprised most of the members of the church, as seen by the absence of allusions to the OT in either of the two epistles. The Gentiles readily accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord for several reasons.

1. Their traditional religions were powerless superstition. Thessalonica lay at the foot of Mt. Olympus and all knew its heights were empty.

2. The gospel was free to all.

3. Christianity contained no Jewish exclusive nationalism. The Jewish religion had attracted many because of its monotheism and its high morals, but it also repelled many because of its repugnant ceremonies (such as circumcision), and its inherent racial and national prejudices.

 

D. Many "chief women" accepted Christianity because of these women's abilities to make their own religious choices. Women were more free in Macedonia and Asia Minor than in the rest of the Greco-Roman world (Sir Wm. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveler and Roman Citizen, New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1896, p. 227). Yet the poorer class of women, although free, were still under the sway of superstition and polytheism (Ramsay, p. 229).

 

E. Many have found a problem in the length of time that Paul stayed at Thessalonica:

1. Acts 17:2 speaks of Paul's reasoning in the synagogue on three Sabbaths while in Thessalonica.

2. I Thess. 2:7-11 tells of Paul's working at his trade. This was tent-making or as some have suggested working with leather.

3. Phil. 4:16 supports the longer residence, when Paul received at least two monetary gifts from the church at Philippi while in Thessalonica. The distance between the two cities is about 100 miles. Some suggest that Paul stayed about two or three months and that the three Sabbaths refer only to the ministry to the Jews (Shepard, p. 165).

4. The differing accounts of the converts in Acts 17:4 and I Thess. 1:9 and 2:4 support this view, the key difference in the accounts being the rejection of idols by the Gentiles. The Gentiles in Acts were Jewish proselytes and had already turned from idols. The context implies Paul may have had a larger ministry among pagan Gentiles than Jews.

5. When a larger ministry might have occurred is uncertain because Paul always went to the Jews first. After they rejected his message, he turned to the Gentiles. When they responded to the gospel in large numbers, the Jews became jealous and started a riot among the rabble of the city.

 

F. Because of a riot Paul left Jason's house and hid with Timothy and Silas, or at least they were not present when the mob stormed Jason's house looking for them. The Politarchs made Jason put up a security bond to insure peace. This caused Paul to leave the city by night and go to Berea. Nevertheless, the church continued its witness of Christ in the face of much opposition.

 

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:1-9
 ¹Now when they had traveled through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. ²And according to Paul's custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, ³explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ." ⁴And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of the God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women. ⁵But the Jews, becoming jealous and taking along some wicked men from the market place, formed a mob and set the city in an uproar; and attacking the house of Jason, they were seeking to bring them out to the people. ⁶When they did not find them, they began dragging Jason and some brethren before the city authorities, shouting, "These men who have upset the world have come here also; ⁷and Jason has welcomed them, and they all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." ⁸They stirred up the crowd and the city authorities who heard these things. ⁹And when they had received a pledge from Jason and the others, they released them

17:1 "through Amphipolis and Apollonia" These two cities were located on the Roman highway, Ignatian Way (i.e., the Road of the Nations), a major east-west road of over 500 miles, which linked the eastern and western parts of the empire and which formed the main street of Thessalonica.

▣ "Thessalonica" See Introduction to this chapter.

▣ "where there was a synagogue" This was Paul's pattern and sequence for proclamation (cf. v. 2; 3:26; 13:46; Rom. 1:16; 2:9,10; Acts 9:20; 13:5,14; 14:1; 17:2,10,17; 18:4,19; 19:8), probably because he felt the gospel was first for the Jews (cf. Rom. 1:16) because of OT prophecy. Also, many God-fearers also attended, knew, and respected the Old Testament.

17:2 "for three Sabbaths" This means he spoke in this synagogue on only three Sabbaths. He was probably in the city longer than three weeks (cf. Phil. 4:16), but not for an extended period.

▣ "reasoned with them from the Scriptures" Paul matched Messianic prophecies with Jesus' life, teaching, death, and resurrection. He took this pattern from Stephen (Acts 7) and his rabbinical training

17:3

NASB"explaining and giving evidence"
NKJV"explaining and demonstrating"
NRSV, NJB"explaining and proving"
TEV"explaining the Scriptures, and proving from them"

The first word is dianoigō, which is used of Jesus opening the Scriptures for the two on the road to Emmaus (cf. Luke 24:32,45). It was also used of Jesus opening their eyes so that they recognized Him (cf. Luke 24:31). This same word was used in 16:14 for God opening Lydia's heart to understand the gospel.

The second term, paratithēmi, is used often in Luke's writings for placing food before someone, but here it implies "to place the truth before" or "to commend" (cf. 14:23; 20:32). Twice in Luke (cf. 12:48; 23:46) it is used of entrusting something to another. Paul carefully and meticulously gave to the hearers the gospel (i.e., deposit, parathēkē, I Tim. 6:20; II Tim. 1:12,14). Some responded (some Jews, some God-fearers, and several leading women).

▣ "Christ had to suffer" The term "had" (dei) is an imperfect active indicative, which denotes necessity (see full note at 1:16). A suffering Messiah was predicted in the OT (cf. Gen. 3:15; Ps. 22; Isa. 52:13-53:12; Zech. 12:10), but was never clearly seen by the rabbis. It was forcibly asserted by Apostolic preachers (cf. Luke 24:46; Acts 3:18; 26:23; I Pet. 1:10-12). This truth was the major stumbling block to the Jews (cf. I Cor. 1:22-23). See note at 3:18.

▣ "and rise again from the dead" This is a common element in all the sermons of Peter, Stephen, and Paul in Acts (part of the kerygma, see Special Topic at 2:14). It is a central pillar of the gospel (cf. I Corinthians 15).

▣ "This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ" There are many variations in the Greek manuscripts of the last words of this sentence.

1. "the Christ, the Jesus" – MS B

2. "the Christ, Jesus" – some Vulgate and the Coptic translations

3. "Christ Jesus" – MSS P⁷⁴, A, D

4. "Jesus Christ" – MS א

5. "Jesus the Christ" – MS E and Bohairic Coptic version

6. "the Christ" – the Georgean version

Many scholars choose the wording of #1 (Vaticanus) because it is so unusual (UBS⁴ gives it a "C" rating).

In this synagogue setting "the Christ" would mean the promised Anointed One of the OT, the Messiah (see Special Topic at 2:31). There were three anointed offices in the OT: kings, prophets, priests. Jesus fulfills all three of these functions (cf. Heb. 1:1-3). This anointing was a symbol of God's choice and equipping of a ministry task. See SPECIAL TOPIC: ANOINTING IN THE BIBLE (BDB 603)in the Bible at 4:27.

The early church acknowledged again and again that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah (cf. 2:31-32; 3:18; 5:42; 8:5; 9:22; 17:3; 18:5,28), following Jesus' own clear and repeated affirmations.

17:4 "joined" This Greek verb (aorist passive indicative) is found only here in the NT. It literally means "to assign by lot." In this context it connotes "to follow" or "join with." The "lot" was an OT way of knowing God's will. The implication of

1. the preposition (pros)

2. the root (klēpoō)

3. the passive voice implies a divine action

God opened their hearts as He did Lydia's (cf. 16:24; also notice similar thought in I Pet. 5:3).

▣ "God-fearing Greeks" These were followers of Judaism who had not yet become full converts, which involved

1. being circumcised

2. self baptism

3. offering a sacrifice when possible at the Temple in Jerusalem

 

▣ "and a number" This is another example of Juke's use of litotes (a purposeful understatement, cf. 12:18; 15:2; 19:11,23,24; 20:12; 26:19,26; 27:20; 28:2), usually in the form of negation. Here the phrase is literally "not a few," placed at the end of the sentence for emphasis.

▣ "leading women" Women had greater freedom in Macedonia (Lydia) than other parts of the Mediterranean world. The pattern set at Pisidian Antioch was repeating itself (cf. 13:43,45,50). The western family of Greek manuscripts adds a phrase in v. 4 asserting that these women were the wives of leading men.

17:5 "the Jews, becoming jealous" Jewish unbelief is sad to me (cf. 14:2), but jealousy (cf. 5:17) is tragic! These were not motivated by religious zeal like Saul's, but jealousy! The number of converts (cf. 13:45), not the content of the preaching, is what bothered them.

Luke uses the term "Jews" often in a pejorative, negative sense (cf. 12:3; 13:45; 14:2; 17:13), as does Paul (cf. I Thess. 2:15-16). It becomes synonymous with those who oppose and resist the gospel.

NASB"some wicked men from the marketplace"
NKJV"some evil men from the marketplace"
NRSV"some ruffians in the market places"
TEV"worthless loafers from the streets"
NJB"a gang from the market place"

This term describes one who hangs around the marketplace without working, a lazy good-for-nothing.

▣ "a mob" This word is found only here in the NT and is very rate in Greek literature. It is not found in the Septuagint. "Mob" is the contextually implied meaning. Luke was an educated man with a large vocabulary (i.e., medical, nautical, etc.).

17:6 "dragging Jason" Some speculate that the Jason mentioned in Rom. 16:21 is this same person, but this is uncertain.

▣ "and some brethren" This construction implies that Jason was not yet a believer. Exactly how Jason welcomed the missionary team is uncertain. It is possible that

1. Paul or Silas worked for him

2. they rented space from him

3. they stayed in his home

The verb welcome in v. 7 means "to receive as a guest" (cf. Luke 10:38; 19:6; James 2:25).

▣ "city authorities" This tem "politarch" means city leader. This was the special name for local governmental leaders in Macedonia. It is a very rare word, used only here and in v. 8 in the NT, or in Greek literature and its use shows Luke's knowledge of the area and supports the historicity of Acts (NASB Study Bible, p. 1607, but the word has been found in a Greek inscription on an arch on the Ignatian Way in Thessalonica). Luke was an accurate historian in an age when this was rare. He does have a faith agenda, which believers affirm as inspiration.

NASB"upset the world"
NKJV, NRSV
NJB"turned the world upside down"
TEV"caused trouble everywhere"

This implies a charge of sedition (cf. 21:38; also note 16:20; 24:5). This is a very strong term. Note Paul's use of it in Gal. 5:12. We know from I Thess. 2:14-16 that this church faced great persecution.

One wonders if this is hyperbole or they knew of the spread of this new sect of Judaism.

17:7 "to the decrees of Caesar" Some think this relates to Claudius' (a.d. 41-54) edict of a.d. 49-50, which outlawed Jewish rituals in Rome. This edict, in effect, caused the Jewish population of Rome to leave. However, I think the context is clear that it refers to their preaching of the gospel. It was illegal for anyone to proselytize a Roman.

▣ "saying that there is another king, Jesus" This charge may be due to

1. Paul's heavy emphasis on eschatology in his preaching at Thessalonica

2. the terms the Christians used for Jesus being the same terms that the Romans used of Caesar (king, lord, and savior)

 

17:8

NASB, TEV"the city authorities"
NKJV"rulers of the city"
NRSV"city officials"
NJB"the city counselors"

This is the Greek term politarchs, which were annual appointees in the cities of Macedonia. They were not Roman but local leaders (AB, vol. 5, pp. 384-389).

17:9 "a pledge" Probably this was a large monetary security bond, which was put up by the recent converts (cf. vv. 4,6,10), to assure that Paul did not continue to preach in the city. Some relate this to I Thess. 2:18.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:10-15
 ¹⁰The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. ¹¹Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. ¹²Therefore many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men. ¹³But when the Jews of Thessalonica found out that the word of God had been proclaimed by Paul in Berea also, they came there as well, agitating and stirring up the crowds. ¹⁴Then immediately the brethren sent Paul out to go as far as the sea; and Silas and Timothy remained there. ¹⁵Now those who escorted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they left.

17:10 "Berea" This was a large city in Paul's day about 60 miles west, very close to the Ignatian Highway. It also had a Jewish community, one that was open to listening to Paul and checking his theology from the texts he cited from the OT.

▣ "They went into the synagogue of the Jews" The text implies that soon after they arrived, even after an all-night journey, they immediately went to the synagogue. Maybe it just happened to be the Sabbath or maybe they knew they would be followed by the agitators. Time was of the essence. Modern western believers have lost the urgency and priority of evangelism!

17:11 "these were more noble-minded" This term was used for wealthy, educated, upper class people (cf. LXX Job 1:3; Luke 19:12). This literal definition does not fit the Jews of Berea; therefore, it is metaphorical for someone more willing to hear new ideas and evaluate them. This open attitude may have been characteristic of the leading citizens of the city who worshiped at the synagogue (cf. v. 12).

▣ "examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so" This is the way to determine truth. Paul's preaching method was to quote the OT and then show how it applied to Jesus.

 The phrase ("whether these things were so") contains a fourth class conditional sentence (i.e., ei with the optative mood, cf. 17:27; 20:16; 24:19; 27:12), which denotes that which is farthest removed from reality (less likely). Some responded; some did not (the mystery of the gospel).

17:12 "many of them believed" This implies that many of the Jews of the synagogue and many of the "God-fearers" responded. See Special Topics at 3:16 and 2:40.

▣ "prominent" This term is a compound from "good" and "form" or "appearance." It was used of honorable, reputable, and influential people (cf. 13:50 and Joseph of Arimathea, Mark 15:43).

17:13 This shows the purposeful opposition of Paul's Jewish antagonists. Many of these were sincere Jews acting out of religious motives (as Saul had). However, their methods reveal their spiritual status.

17:14 "as far as the sea" This may mean

1. Paul traveled to Athens by coastal boat

2. Paul took the coastal road to Athens

 

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:16-21
 ¹⁶Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols. ¹⁷So he was reasoning in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and in the market place every day with those who happened to be present. ¹⁸And also some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers were conversing with him. Some were saying, "What would this idle babbler wish to say?" Others, "He seems to be a proclaimer of strange deities," — because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection. ¹⁹And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming? ²⁰"For you are bringing some strange things to our ears; so we want to know what these things mean." ²¹(Now all the Athenians and the strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than telling or hearing something new.)

17:16 "Athens" This was the greatest city of Greece's past cultural heritage and still the intellectual center of the Roman world. It was steeped in tradition, superstition and immorality.

▣ "his spirit" The Greek uncial manuscripts of the NT did not have

1. space between the words

2. punctuation marks

3. capitalization (all letters were capitals)

4. verse and chapter divisions

Therefore, only context can determine the need for capitals. Usually capitals are used for

1. names for deity

2. place names

3. personal names

The term "spirit" can refer to

1. the Holy Spirit (cf. Mark 1:5)

2. the conscious personal aspect of humanity (cf. Mark 8:12; 14:38)

3. some being of the spiritual realm (i.e., unclean spirits, cf. Mark 1:23)

In this context it refers to Paul as a person.

There are several places in Paul's writings where this grammatical construction is used to describe what the Holy Spirit produces in the individual believer

1. "not a spirit of slavery," "a spirit of adoptions, Rom. 8:15

2. "a spirit of gentleness," I Cor. 4:21

3. "a spirit of faith (faithfulness), II Cor. 4:13

4. "a spirit of wisdom and of revelation," Eph. 1:17

It is obvious from the context Paul is using "spirit" as a way of referring to himself or other humans (I Cor. 2:11; 5:4; II Cor. 2:13; 7:13; Rom. 1:9; 8:16; Phil. 4:23).

NASB"was being provoked within him"
NKJV"was provoked within him"
NRSV"was deeply distressed"
TEV"greatly upset"
NJB"was revolted"

This is an Imperfect passive indicative of paroxunō, which basically means "to sharpen," but here is used figuratively to "stir up." This is the term (in its noun form) that is used to describe Paul and Barnabas' fight over John Mark in 15:39. It is used positively in Heb. 10:24.

17:17 Paul was concerned with both Jews ("reasoning in the synagogue") and Gentiles, both those attracted to Judaism (god-fearers) and those who were idolatrous pagans ("those who happened to be present in the market place"). Paul addressed these various groups in different ways: to the Jews and God-fearers he used the OT, but to the pagans he tried to find some common ground (cf. vv. 22-31).

17:18 "Epicurean" This group believed that pleasure or happiness was the highest good and goal of life. They believed in no personal, physical afterlife. "Enjoy life now" was their motto (a form of hedonism). They held that the gods were unconcerned with humans. They got their name from Epicurus, an Athenian philosopher, 341-270 b.c., but they overstated his basic conclusion. Epicurus saw pleasure in a wider sense than personal, physical pleasure (i.e., healthy body and tranquil mind). "Epicurus is reported to have said, ‘If thou wilt make a man happy, add not unto his riches, but take away from his desires'" (The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, vol. IV, p. 153).

▣ "Stoic" This group believed that god was (1) the world-soul or (2) immanent in all creation (pantheism). They asserted that humans must live in harmony with nature ( i.e., god). Reason was the highest good. Self-control, self-sufficiency, and emotional stability in every situation was their goal. They did not believe in a personal afterlife. Their founder was Zeno, a philosopher from Cyprus, who moved to Athens about 300 b.c. They got their name from the fact that he taught in the painted stoa in Athens.

▣ "idle babbler" This word was used of sparrows eating seeds in a field. It came to be used metaphorically of itinerant teachers who picked up pieces of information here and there and tried to sell them. The R.S.V. Interlinear by Alfred Marshall translates it as "ignorant plagiarist." The NJB has "parrot."

▣ "proclaimer of strange deities" This is literally "foreign daimōn" used in the sense of spiritual powers or gods (cf. I Cor. 10:20-21). These Athenian philosophers were religious polytheists (Olympic pantheon).

1. It is just possible that these Athenian Greek philosophers took Paul's words as referring to two gods (Jerome Biblical Commentary, vol. 2, p. 199).

a. goddess of health

b. goddess of resurrection (i.e., Anastasis)

2. It is even possible they saw one as

a. male (Jesus)

b. female (resurrection is a feminine noun)

3. Paul's gospel terminology (cf. NET Bible) itself may be the source of the confusion related to one God in three persons (i.e., the Trinity, see Special Topic at 2:32).

a. Father

b. Son

c. Spirit

 

▣ "because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection" The stumbling block of the gospel for the Jews was "a suffering Messiah" and for the Greeks it was "the resurrection" (cf. I Cor. 1:18-25). A personal, bodily afterlife did not fit into the Greek understanding of the gods or mankind. They asserted a divine spark in every person, trapped or imprisoned by a physical body. Salvation was deliverance from the physical and reabsorption into an impersonal or semi-personal deity.

17:19 "took him and brought him to the Areopagus" The term areopages means the hill of Ares (the god of war). In the Roman pantheon, the war god was named Mars. In the golden days of Athens, it was the philosophical forum of this renowned intellectual city. This was no judicial trial, but an open city forum in the presence of a council of city leaders.

This is a sample of Paul's preaching to pagans, as 13:16ff was to God-fearing Gentiles. Thank God for these synopses of Paul's messages.

▣ "May we know what this new teaching is which you are proclaiming" Here is the difference between intellectual curiosity (cf. vv. 20-21) and revelation. God has made us curious (cf. Eccl. 1:8-9,18; 3:10-11), but human intellect cannot bring peace and joy. Only the gospel can do this! Paul discusses the difference between human wisdom and God's revelation in I Corinthians 1-4.

17:19-20 These words are very socially polite. This was, in a sense, a university setting.

17:21 This verse seems to be an authorial comment. It shows that the politeness of vv. 19-20 was not true intellectual inquiry, but a current cultural fad. They just enjoyed hearing and debating. They were trying to relive Athens' past glory. The tragedy is they could not differentiate between human wisdom and divine revelation (and so it is today in our universities)!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:22-31
 ²²So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. ²³For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘to an unknown god.' Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. ²⁴The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; ²⁵nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; ²⁶and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, ²⁷that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; ²⁸for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.' ²⁹Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. ³⁰Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, ³¹because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."

17:22 "you are very religious" This is literally "to fear the gods (daimōn)." This can mean (1) in a negative sense, "superstitious," as in the King James Version, or (2) in a positive sense, "very precise in the practice of religious detail" (NKJV, NJB cf. 25:19). These men had an intellectual curiosity and respect for religious matters, but only within certain parameters (their traditions).

▣ "all" Notice the number of times in this sermon that Paul uses the inclusive "all" or phrases that parallel it.

1. "all respects," v. 22

2. "all things," v. 24

3. "all life and breath," v. 25

4. "all things," v. 25

5. "every nation," v. 26

6. "all the face of the earth," v. 26

7. "each one of us," v. 27

8. "we" (twice", v. 28

9. "all everywhere," v. 30

10. "the world" (lit. The inhabited earth), v. 31

11. "all men," v. 31

Paul's good news was that God loved all humans (i.e., made in His image, cf. Gen. 1:26-27) and has provided a way for them to know Him (i.e., original purpose of creation was fellowship with God, cf. Gen. 3:8) and be forgiven (i.e., from the effects of the fall, cf. Gen. 3).

17:23 "inscription, ‘to an unknown god'" The Greeks were afraid they may have forgotten or left out of their worship an important deity who might cause trouble if neglected, so they regularly had monuments of this type (cf. Pausanias, Description of Greece 1:1:4 and Philostratus, Life of Apollonius 6:3:5). It shows their fear of the spiritual realm and their polytheism.

▣ "Therefore what you worship in ignorance" There is a word play between "unknown" (agnōetō) and "ignorance" (agnoountes). We get the English word "agnostic" from this Greek word. Paul was adapting the gospel presentation to pagans who believed in an impersonal world soul.

▣ "This I proclaim to you" Paul is clearly asserting that he is not a "babbler" (v. 18) and that he does know the high God they are ignorant of.

17:24 "The God who made the world and all things in it" Paul's first theological point is God is creator (cf. Gen. 1-2; Ps. 104; 146:6; Isa. 42:5). The Greeks believed that spirit (God) and matter (atoms) were both co-eternal. Paul asserts the Genesis 1 concept of creation where a personal, purposeful God creates both the heavens and the earth (this planet and the universe).

▣ "does not dwell in temples made with hands" This is a quote from (1) the OT (cf. I Kings 8:27; Isa. 66:1-2) or (2) a Greek philosopher, Euripides, Fragment 968. There are several quotes in this context from Greek writers (cf. vv.25 & 28). Paul was also trained in Greek scholastics.

17:25 "as though He needed anything" This same thought is found in (1) Euripides' Heracles 1345f; (2) Plato's Euthyphro 14c; (3) Aristobulus, Fragment 4; or (4) Psalm 50:9-12. The Greek temples were often seen as the place where the gods were fed and cared for.

▣ "since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things" This may be an allusion to Isa. 42:5. This is Paul's theological way of asserting (1) God's love for humanity (mercy, grace) and (2) God's gracious provision for humanity (providence). A similar truth was made by Zeno, the founder of the Stoic school, recorded in Clement of Alexandria, Stromateis 5:76:1. Notice the "autos," He Himself! What a wonderful truth for Gentile pagans to hear and receive.

17:26 "He made from one" The western family of Greek manuscripts adds "one blood." However, the Greek manuscripts P⁷⁴, א, A, and B omit the term (the UBS⁴ gives its omission a "B" rating [almost certain]). If original it refers to Adam. If it is an allusion to Greek philosophy it reflects the unity of humanity from one stock. This phrase and the next one clearly assert the solidarity of all humanity (possibly an allusion from Mal. 2:10, or even the LXX of Deut. 32:8), and theologically it asserts that humans are made in God's image (cf. Gen. 1:26-27).

The rest of this verse may also allude to the Genesis account. Mankind is commanded to be fruitful and fill the earth (cf. 1:28; 9:1,7). Humans were reluctant to separate and fill the earth. The Tower of Babel (cf. Gen. 10-11) shows God's mechanism to accomplish this.

▣ "having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation" Paul asserts that God not only created all things, but directs all things. This may be an allusion to Deut. 32:8 (LXX). However, this truth is also asserted elsewhere in the OT (cf. Job 12:23; Ps. 47:7-9; 66:7).

17:27 The first phrase may be another quote from the Greek poet, Aratus.

▣ "if" This is a fourth class conditional which means the farthest removed from reality. Humans must recognize their need. Both verbs are aorist active optatives.

NASB, NKJV,
NRSV"they might grope for Him"
TEV"as they felt around for him"
NJB"feeling their way towards him"

The word means "to touch" or "to feel" (cf. Luke 24:39). This context implies a groping due to darkness or confusion. They are trying to find God, but it is not easy. Paganism is a blinding force which characterizes the fall, as does idolatry and superstition (cf. Romans 1-2), but God is present!

▣ "He is not far from each one of us" What a wonderful truth. God created us, God is for us, God is with us (cf. Psalm 139)! Paul is forcibly asserting God's love, care, and presence with all humans. This is the truth of the gospel (cf. Eph. 2:11-3:13).

Paul may be alluding to Deut. 4:7 or Jer. 23:23-24, but extrapolating it to all humans. This is the hidden secret of the New Covenant!

17:28 "even some of your own poets have said" The previous phrase, "in Him we live and move and exist," is a quote from

1. Cleanthes' Hymn to Zeus. He was the head of the Stoic school from 263-232 b.c. or

2. Aratus's (from Soli, a city near Tarsus) Phainomena, line 5. Aratus was from Cilicia and lived from 315-240 b.c. This quote emphasizes either

a. God's immanence (cf. v. 27) or

b. God's creation of all humans (cf. v. 26).

Paul also quotes the Epicureans in I Cor. 15:32 and Menander, Thais, in I Cor. 15:33. Paul was trained in Greek literature and rhetoric, probably at Tarsus, which was a major university town.

▣ "For we also are His children" This is another quote, possibly from Epimenides, quoted by Diogenes Laertius in Lives of the Philosophers 1:112.

17:29 This is Paul's conclusion and refutation of idolatry (cf. Ps. 115:1-18; Isa. 40:18-20; 44:9-20; 46:1-7; Jer. 10:6-11; Hab. 2:18-19). The tragedy of fallen humanity is that they seek spiritual truth and fellowship from manmade things that cannot hear, answer, or help!

17:30 "overlooked the times of ignorance" This is a surprising aspect of God's mercy (cf. Rom. 3:20,25; 4:15; 5:13,20; 7:5,7-8; I Cor. 15:56). But now they have heard the gospel and are spiritually responsible!

▣ "God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere" This statement asserts

1. there is only one God

2. He wants all humans everywhere to repent

It shows the universalism of God's mercy and love (cf. John 3:16; 4:42; I Tim. 2:4; Titus 2:11; II Pet. 3:9; I John 2:1; 4:14). This is not universalism in the sense that all will be saved (cf. vv. 32-33), but in the sense that God desires all humans to repent and trust Jesus for salvation. Jesus died for all! All can be saved! The mystery of evil is that not all will be saved.

▣ "repent" The Hebrew term means "a change of action," while the Greek term refers to a "change of mind." Both are crucial. Both schools of philosophy mentioned in v. 18 would have rejected this, but for different reasons. See SPECIAL TOPIC: REPENTANCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT at 2:38.

17:31 "because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world" Paul's message has clearly and repeatedly asserted God's mercy and provision. But this is only half the message. The God of love and compassion is also the God of justice who desires righteousness. Humans made in His image will give an account of their stewardship of the gift of life (i.e., Ps. 96:13; 98:9). The NT theme that God will judge the world (hyperbole on the known world) is recurrent (ex. Matt. 10:15; 11:22,24; 16:27; 22:36; 25:31-46; Rev. 20:11-15).

▣ "through a Man whom He has appointed" This concept of a Judgement Day based on our faith relationship to a resurrected man, Jesus of Nazareth (YHWH's agent in judgment), was unheard of and incredible to these Greek intellectuals (cf. I Cor. 1:23), but the heart of the gospel witness (cf. 10:42; Matt. 25:31-33).

▣ "by raising Him from the dead" This theme is repeated many times in Acts (cf. 2:24,32; 3:15,26; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30,33, 34,37; 17:31). It is the heart of the gospel affirmation that God the Father accepted the life, teaching, and substitutionary death of Jesus. The fullest teaching text on the subject of (1) Jesus' resurrection and (2) the resurrection of believers is I Corinthians 15.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 17:32-34
 ³²Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, "We shall hear you again concerning this." ³³So Paul went out of their midst. ³⁴But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

17:32 "when they heard of the resurrection of the dead" The Greeks, except the Epicureans, believed in the immortality of the soul, but not of the body. The resurrection was the major stumbling block for the Greeks (cf. v. 18; I Cor. 1:23).

▣ "sneer" This term is used only here in the NT, but the intensified form appears in Acts 5:30 and 26:21. Its root (chleusma or chleusmos) is used in the Septuagint several times for "derision" or "mockery" (cf. Job 12:4; Ps. 79:4; Jer. 20:8).

▣ "but others said, ‘We shall hear you again concerning this'" Paul's message of God's love and care for all people was so radically new that these hearers were attracted, but not fully convinced.

17:34 "some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius" There are three possible responses to the gospel:

1. rejection, "some began to sneer" (v. 32)

2. delayed decision, "we shall hear you again concerning this (v. 32)

3. belief, "some joined Paul and believed" (v. 34; I Thess. 1:9-10)

This parallels the parable of the sower (cf. Matthew 13).

▣ "Dionysius the Areopagite" He must have been a regular attender of these philosophical discussions on Mars Hill. At least one intellectual became a believer.

Eusebius, Eccl. His. 3:4:6-7 and 4:23:6 says he became the first bishop of Athens or Corinth. If true, what a great transformation! The gospel is in the transformation business!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why did Paul bypass certain larger cities like Amphipolis and Apollonia?

2. Why was Christ's suffering so upsetting to the Jews?

3. Why is Berea's response to the gospel so noteworthy and encouraging?

4. Why was Paul so stirred over Athen's spiritual situation?

5. Why is Paul's sermon on Mars Hill so significant? (vs. 22-24)

 

Copyright © 2012 Bible Lessons International

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

UBS4	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
Paul at Ephesus	Paul at Ephesus	Paul's Long Ministry in Ephesus	Paul in Ephesus	The Disciples of John at Ephesus
19:1-7	19:1-10	19:1-7	19:1-2a	19:1-7
			19:2b
			19:3a
			19:3b
			19:4	Foundation of the Church at Ephesus
			19:5-7
19:8-10		19:8-10	19:8-10	19:8-10
The Sons of Sceva	Miracles Glorify Christ		The Sons of Sceva	The Jewish Exorcists
19:11-20	19:11-20	19:11-20	19:11-14	19:11-12
				19:13-17
			19:15
			19:16-20
				19:18-19
				19:20
The Riot at Ephesus	The Riot at Ephesus		The Riot in Ephesus	Paul's Plans
19:21-27	19:21-41	19:21-22	19:21-22	19:21-22
				Ephesus: The Silversmiths' Riot
		19:23-27	19:23-27	19:23-31
19:28-41		19:28-41	19:28-34
				19:32-41
			19:35-41

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five modern translations. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one main subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

 

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 19:1-7
 ¹It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. ²He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said to him, "No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." ³And he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "Into John's baptism." ⁴Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus." ⁵When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying. ⁷There were in all about twelve men.

19:1 "upper country" This refers to an alternate route through the higher (i.e., elevation) country and to the churches started on Paul's previous missionary activity in South Galatia.

▣ "Ephesus" Michael Magill, NT TransLine, p. 413, #25, has an informative note.

"This was the capital city of Asia, where Paul was forbidden to go in 16:6. He stopped there briefly in 18:19-21, planning to return. Now he spends over two years here, 19:10."

▣ "disciples" The term implies they were believers (cf. v. 2, "when you believed," see Special Topics at 3:16 and 6:5) in Jesus as the Messiah through John the Baptist's messages or possibly through Apollos' preaching.

The Spirit apparently sent Paul by this upper route for the very purpose of helping these "disciples" know and experience the full truth of the gospel.

19:2 "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed" The fact that they are called "disciples" (v. 1) and the statement "when you believed" imply they were believers. This question links (1) the personal reception of the Spirit at the time one believed (aorist active indicative and aorist active participle) and (2) the Spirit's preparatory action, without which no one could even believe (cf. John 6:44,65; Rom. 8:9). There are levels and stages of the Spirit's work (cf. Acts 8:11, 15-17). The book of Acts itself should warn modern interpreters not to be dogmatic in the "necessary" elements and order of salvation. Acts records what occurred, not what should occur every time. Salvation is a personal relationship which involves the whole person, but often this is a progressive experience as the relationship deepens and more scriptural information is understood. See Special Topic at 2:40.

▣ "No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit" John's preaching could not have produced spiritual effect without the Spirit (cf. Rom. 8:6-11; I Cor. 12:3; I John 4:2). John mentioned the Spirit in his preaching (cf. Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:32-33), but it must be remembered that his was a message of preparation, not fulfillment (cf. Isa. 40:3; Matt. 3:3). John was the last OT prophet and transitional preacher and preparer for the coming of the Messiah. He pointed people to Jesus (cf. John 1:19-42).

19:3 "Into what then were you baptized" They were followers of John the Baptist. Apparently they were faithful to the light they had, but needed further clarification about the life, death, resurrection, and ascension (i.e., the gospel) of Jesus, just like Apollos (cf. 18:24-28).

19:3-4 "John's baptism" John's baptism involved repentance and expectation (cf. Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:15). However, it must be consummated by faith in Jesus. From history we know that there were several heretical groups that formed in the first century claiming to be followers of John the Baptist (Recognitions of Clement, chapter 60). Recording this account may have been Luke's way of nullifying the effect of these groups. John's ministry pointed away from himself and to Jesus (cf. John 1:19-42).

19:4 "believer in Him" See Special Topics: Believe at 3:16 and 6:5.

19:5 "They were baptized" See Special Topic at 2:38.

▣ "in the name of the Lord Jesus" Luke describes baptism as "in the name of Jesus" (cf. 2:38; 8:12,16; 10:48). See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE NAME OF THE LORD at 2:21. Matthew describes baptism as "in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (cf. Matt. 28:19). The baptism formula is not the key to salvation, but the heart of the person being baptized. To view the formula as the key is to place the emphasis in the wrong place. Salvation is not the sacramental correctness of a rite, but an entering into a repentant/faith relationship with Jesus. See note at 2:38.

As far as we know, Apollos, who also only knew the baptism of John, was not rebaptized! The Spirit was obvious in his powerful preaching and teaching.

19:6 "Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them" The laying on of hands is often mentioned in connection with the Spirit (cf. 8:16-17; 9:17), but not always (cf. 10:44, see Special Topic at 6:6). The Bible links the Spirit with the believer in three different ways:

1. at the time of belief

2. at the time of baptism

3. with laying on of hands

This diversification should warn us against dogmatism in the matter. Acts is not intended to teach a set pattern, but to describe the dynamic movement of the Spirit.

I must admit that these twelve disciples of John speaking in tongues is surprising to me. Usually in Acts tongues are evidence for the believing Jewish proclaimers that God

1. has accepted a new group or

2. broken down a geographical barrier (see full note at 2:4b)

What new group did these men represent? They were already disciples (cf. v. 1). Why did Luke choose to record this event? He chooses to introduce it with Apollos in chapter 18. This just does not fit the pattern, which probably means that modern interpreters are trying to fit an agenda or interpretive grid over Luke's writing that just does not fit! Maybe this event of speaking in tongues is more like those in Corinth!

There is an interesting variety in the way the NT describes the coming of the Spirit to individuals.

1. came upon (erchomai plus epi), cf. Matt. 3:16; Luke 19:6 [just epi, 2:25]

2. baptized with, cf. Matt. 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; 11:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5

3. descended upon, cf. Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22

4. coming upon (eperchomai plus epi), cf. Luke 1:35; Acts 1:8

5. filled with, cf. Luke 1:15,41,67; Acts 2:4; 4:8,31; 9:17; 13:9,52

6. poured out (ekcheō), cf. Acts 2:17-18,33; 10:45; Titus 3:6

7. received, cf. Acts 2:33,38; 8:15,17,19; 10:47; 19:2

8. given, Acts 5:32; 10:45; 15:8

9. fallen upon (epipiptō), cf. Acts 8:16; 10:44; 11:15

 

▣ "and prophesying" This term has OT connotations of ecstatic behavior (cf. I Sam. 10:10-12; 19:23-24). The context may support this interpretation. However, this term in I & II Corinthians (cf. I Cor. 11:4,5,9; 14:1,3,4,5,24,31,39) implies a bold proclamation of the gospel. It is difficult to define prophecy in the NT. Since the filling of the Spirit is often linked with a bold proclamation of the gospel, this may be the intent of this context also. See SPECIAL TOPIC: NEW TESTAMENT PROPHECY at 11:27.

19:7 "There were in all about twelve men" Twelve is one of several numbers often used symbolically in the Bible, but here it seems to be historical. See Special Topics: Twelve at 1:22 and Symbolic Numbers in Scripture at 1:3.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 19:8-10
 ⁸And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. ⁹But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. ¹⁰This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

19:8 "he entered the synagogue" This was his standard pattern (cf. 9:20; 13:5,14; 14:1; 17:2, 10; 18:4,19,26).

▣ "speaking out boldly" This is a perfect middle indicative. It was one of the results of being "Spirit filled" (cf. 4:13,29,31; 9:28,29; 14:3; 18:26). Paul prays for this very thing in Eph. 6:19.

▣ "three months" This synagogue at Ephesus apparently allowed Paul to preach, teach, and reason with them for many Sabbaths. This in itself shows a degree of openness to the gospel and is a tribute to Paul's God-given abilities.

▣ "the kingdom of God" This is the central theme of Jesus' preaching. It refers to the reign of God in human lives now that will one day will be consummated over all the earth, as it is in heaven (cf. Matt. 6:10). See Special Topic at 1:3.

19:9 "some were becoming hardened and disobedient" All who hear the gospel have a choice (cf. 17:32, 34). This reflects the parable of the sower (cf. Matthew 13; Mark 4). It is the mystery of the iniquity (cf. II Cor. 4:4).

The term "hardened" (sklērunō) is an imperfect passive indicative (disobedient is an Imperfect active indicative), which implies the beginning of an action or a repeated action in past time. This is the very word used in Rom. 9:18 to describe God's hardening of Israel's heart and also the repeated verb in Hebrews 3 and 4 (cf. 3:8,13,15; 4:7) dealing with Israel's hardness of heart during the Wilderness Wandering Period. God does not actively harden the hearts of humans whom He loves and are made in His image, but He does allow human rebellion to manifest itself (cf. Rom. 1:24,26,28) and personal evil to influence His created ones (cf. Eph. 2:1-3; 4:14; 6:10-18).

▣ "speaking evil of the Way before the people" The gospel is so radically different from the exclusivism and performance-oriented mind set of Judaism that there was no common ground possible if the basic tenets of the gospel were rejected.

Luke's recurrent pattern of aggressive Jewish opposition to the gospel continues (cf. 13:46-48; 18:5-7; 19:8-10; 28:23-28).

▣ "the Way" See the notes at 18:25 and 19:23.

▣ "the school of Tyrannus" The codex Bezae, D, from the fifth century, adds that Paul taught from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., when most of the city had a rest period and the building was available. This may be an item of oral tradition. Paul would work at his trade during regular business hours and then teach during the rest period (cf. 20:34).

There have been several theories as to the identification of Tyrannus.

1. He was a sophist mentioned by Suidas. Suidas wrote in the tenth century, but used reputable sources back to classical times. His literary work is like an encyclopedia of political, literary, and ecclesiastical persons.

2. He was a Jewish rabbi (Meyer) who operated a private school for teaching the law of Moses, but there is no textual evidence for this position.

3. This was a building which was originally a gymnasium but later a lecture hall owned by or named after Tyrannus.

Paul had to leave the synagogue and apparently there were too many converts to use a house, so he rented a lecture hall. This allowed him some contact with the population of Ephesus.

19:10 "two years" In 20:31 Paul states the length of his entire time in the province (three years).

▣ "all who lived in Asia heard" This is an obvious hyperbole. Jesus often spoke in overstatements. It is simply part of the idiomatic nature of eastern literature.

SPECIAL TOPIC: EASTERN LITERATURE

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 19:11-20
 ¹¹God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, ¹²so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. ¹³But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, "I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches." ¹⁴Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵And the evil spirit answered and said to them, "I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" ¹⁶And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified. ¹⁸Many also of those who had believed kept coming, confessing and disclosing their practices. ¹⁹And many of those who practiced magic brought their books together and began burning them in the sight of everyone; and they counted up the price of them and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰So the word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing.

19:11 This is not the first time God used extraordinary miracles to confirm His truth and His speaker (cf. 3:1-10; 5:15; 8:6,13; 9:40-42; 13:11-12; 14:8-11). Superstition and occult practices were widespread and entrenched in Ephesus. God, being rich in mercy, allowed His supernatural power and authority, resident in His Messiah, to express itself through Paul to these Satanic-bound people. Oh, the mercy of God!

19:12 "handkerchiefs" These were possibly sweat bands tied around the head during work.

▣ "aprons" This refers to work aprons, somewhat like carpenters' aprons. These healings showed God's compassion, power, and confirmed the gospel and the ministry of Paul.

▣ "the evil spirits went out" Here these demons (cf. Luke 10:17) are called "evil spirits" (cf. Matt. 12:45; Luke 7:21; 8:2; 11:26; Acts 19:12,13,15,16). But Luke also calls them "unclean spirits" (cf. 5:16; 8:7; see Special Topics at 5:3 and 5:16). In Acts 16:16 the demon is called "the spirit of python (divination)." All of these phrases seem to be synonymous.

Paul often speaks of demonic categories like "all rule and authority and power and dominion" (Eph. 1:21), "the rulers and the authorities in heavenly places" (Eph. 3:10), or "against the rulers, against the power, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12). These must refer to some levels of organized demonic spirits. But how, why, where, and who are all speculative because the Bible does not choose to reveal a detailed description of the spiritual realm. It does clearly reveal Christ's power (and His Apostles') over Satan and his kingdom of darkness and death. Jesus' "name" is above every name! Knowing Him brings salvation, peace, wholeness, restoration, and health.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ANGELS IN PAUL'S WRITINGS

19:13-16 "Jewish exorcists" Jewish exorcists were common (cf. Luke 11:19). This context clearly shows that exorcism is not by magic formula (names), but by personal relationship with Jesus. If this passage were not so sad it would be funny! Josephus tells of a Jewish exorcism rite in Antiq. 8.2.5 by one Eleazar, using Solomon's incantations.

19:13 "evil spirits" This refers to the demonic. The NT speaks often of this spiritual reality, but does not discuss its origin or details about its organization or activities. Curiosity, fear, and practical ministry needs have caused much speculation. There is never a gift of exorcism listed in the NT, but the need is obvious. Some helpful books are

1. Christian Counseling and the Occult by Kouch

2. Biblical Demonology and Demons in the World Today by Unger

3. Principalities and Powers by Montgomery

4. Christ and the Powers by Hendrik Berkhof

5. Three Crucial Questions About Spiritual Warfare by Clinton E. Arnold

See Special Topic: The Demonic at 5:16.

19:14 "Sceva, a Jewish chief priest" Modern scholars cannot find this name in any other writings. It is problematic for a Jewish high priest (archiereus) to be in Ephesus. There was a local synagogue, but the only Jewish temple was in Jerusalem. Luke uses this very word several times in his Gospel and Acts for the High Priest and his family in Jerusalem.

Some speculate that this man was somehow connected to the family of the High Priest, or possibly head of one of the twenty-four orders of priests set up by David (cf. I Chr. 24:7-19).

If this man and his sons were priests, it is surprising they did not use YHWH as the powerful name to control the spirits as does the magic or occult.

19:15 "I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul" This first verb is ginōskō; the second is epistamai. They are somewhat synonymous. Both are used often in Acts, but in this context there is obviously a distinction made between this demon's knowledge of Jesus as the Christ and Paul as His spokesperson.

19:17 Luke records this account to show how the Spirit was magnifying (imperfect passive indicative) Jesus (cf. John 14:25; 16:13-14).

19:18 "those who had believed" This is a perfect passive participle. The question is, were they believers in the occult or does this phrase refer to their new belief in the gospel? It is also possible that new believers in the gospel still were initially influenced by their past superstitions. See Special Topic: Greek Verb Tenses Used for Salvation at 2:40.

Previous occultists may have been convinced by what happened to the Jewish exorcists in vv. 13-16. The message of this incident, which showed the power of the person/name of Jesus, spread rapidly (cf. v. 17). These people would have been very conscious of the power of "the name."

▣ "kept coming" This is an imperfect middle indicative.

▣ "confessing and disclosing their practices" The ancient Mediterranean was awash in the occult. It was common belief that revealing one's magical formula made it ineffective. This was their way of repudiating their past occultic activities. There is a type of magic literature famous in the ancient world called "Ephesian writings"! This incident shows the gospel's superiority over the occult (cf. v. 20).

SPECIAL TOPIC: CONFESSION

19:19 "magic" See Special Topic at 8:9.

The "books" (biblous) could refer to large books or small scrolls of papyri on which oaths or curses were written. These were worn as amulets. The huge price shows (1) how superstitious these people were and (2) how the gospel had set them free!

▣ "burning them in the sight of everyone" These were very expensive and sought after books and parchments. Their burning was these new believers' public repentance and profession of faith in Christ, not "the powers"!

19:20 The gospel message is personified (i.e., the word of the Lord) and summarized. Luke's summaries help us divide Acts into six sections (cf. 6:7; 9:31; 12:24; 16:5; 19:20; 28:31).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 19:21-22
 ²¹Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome." ²²And having sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

19:21

NASB"Paul purposed in the spirit"
NKJV"Paul purposed in the Spirit"
NRSV"Paul resolved in the Spirit"
TEV, NJB"Paul made up his mind"
TEV (footnote)"Paul, led by the Spirit, decided"

Here is a combination of God's sovereignty and mankind's freewill. It is uncertain whether this use of the term "spirit" refers to:

1. the Holy Spirit or

2. the human spirit (cf. 7:59; 17:16; 18:25; Rom. 1:9; 8:16; I Cor. 2:11; 5:4; 16:18; II Cor. 2:11; 7:13; 12:18; Gal. 6:18; Phil. 4:23).

If it is the Holy Spirit, this is another example of divine leadership combined with appropriate human response.

Luke often has a brief comment to introduce events which occur later in his account. It is surely possible that Luke has Paul deciding to go to Jerusalem as a result of God's leading (i.e., die, v. 21; see full note at 1:16), not as the result of the riot caused by Demetrius and the guild of silversmiths in Ephesus (cf. vv. 23-41).

▣ "I must also see Rome" Paul needed (dei) to visit the church at Rome (cf. 9:15; Rom. 1:10) on his way to Spain (cf. Rom. 15:24, 28). He wanted them to know him and support his mission work. He also wanted to add his blessing/gift to their situation.

19:22 "Erastus" There is a man by this name mentioned in Rom. 16:23. He is called the city treasurer of Corinth. This name occurs again in II Tim. 4:20. It may refer to the same person, but this is uncertain.

▣ "he himself stayed in Asia for a while" The gospel had gloriously spread, affecting and converting the province (cf. I Cor. 16:9).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 19:23-27
 ²³About that time there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way. ²⁴For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; ²⁵these he gathered together with the workmen of similar trades, and said, "Men, you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. ²⁶"You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all. ²⁷"Not only is there danger that this trade of ours fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even be dethroned from her magnificence."

19:23 "the Way" This was the earliest designation for Christianity. It speaks of the OT concept (ex. Ps. 1:1,6; 5:8; 25:4,8,9,12; 27:11; 37:5,7,23,34; 119:101, 105) of lifestyle faith (cf. Acts 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14,22; also possibly 18:25-26).

19:24 "silver shrines" This refers to small silver images (1) of the Temple of Artemis or (2) the meteorite which looked like a multi-breasted woman. Archaeology has found many silver images of this goddess, but none of the shrine (temple) itself. It was one of the seven wonders of the world. See note at 18:19, #4.

▣ "Artemis" The Artemis who was worshiped at Ephesus is not to be identified with Diana of the Roman pantheon. This goddess is closer to Cybele, the mother goddess. This religious practice had much in common with the fertility cults of Canaan (see M. R. Vincent, Word Studies, vol. 1, p. 271).

▣ "was no little business" This persecution had an economic basis (cf. vv. 25,27). See full note on Luke's purposeful understatements (i.e., litotes) at 12:18.

▣ "craftsmen" From this Greek word we get the English word "technician." In the ancient Mediterranean world guilds or associations of craftsmen were very popular and powerful. Paul would have been a part of the tent-making guild.

19:26-27 This gives us an insight into the success and permeation of Paul's ministry in Asia.

▣ "that gods made with hands are not gods at all" This reflects the OT concept of the vanity of idolatry (cf. Deut. 4:28; Ps. 115:4-8; 135:15-18; Isa. 44:9-17; Jer. 10:3-11).

19:27 There are numerous passages in Greek literature of the first century that mention Artemis of the Ephesians. Apparently there were thirty-nine separate cities of the Mediterranean world which were involved in the fertility worship of this mother goddess.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 19:28-41
 ²⁸When they heard this and were filled with rage, they began crying out, saying, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" ²⁹The city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed with one accord into the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from Macedonia. ³⁰And when Paul wanted to go into the assembly, the disciples would not let him. ³¹Also some of the Asiarchs who were friends of his sent to him and repeatedly urged him not to venture into the theater. ³²So then, some were shouting one thing and some another, for the assembly was in confusion and the majority did not know for what reason they had come together. ³³Some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly. ³⁴But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single outcry arose from them all as they shouted for about two hours, "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" ³⁵After quieting the crowd, the town clerk said, "Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven? ³⁶So, since these are undeniable facts, you ought to keep calm and to do nothing rash. ³⁷For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. ³⁸So then, if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint against any man, the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. ³⁹But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly. ⁴⁰For indeed we are in danger of being accused of a riot in connection with today's events, since there is no real cause for it, and in this connection we will be unable to account for this disorderly gathering." ⁴¹After saying this he dismissed the assembly.

19:28 This verse shows how closely the ancient world held religion and local traditions. Many people made their daily living in ways connected to the local pagan temples.

▣ "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians" This fertility goddess was often called "the Great." This may have been the temple's worship slogan.

19:29 "rushed. . .into the theater" The ruins of this very large Roman amphitheater still remain today. It held between 25 and 56 thousand people (estimates differ).

▣ "with one accord" Acts often uses the phrase "one accord" to describe the unity and fellowship of believers (cf. 1:14; 2:1,46; 4:24; 5:12; 8:6; 15:25), but also of how evil can unite (cf. 7:57; 12:20; 18:12). Unity itself is not the goal. It is the purpose of the unity which is crucial!

▣ "Gaius" He was from Derbe (cf. 20:4). This was a very common name, so definite identification is difficult (cf. I Cor. 1:14; III John 3).

▣ "Aristarchus" He was from Thessalonica (cf. 20:4; 27:2; Col. 4:10-11; Phil. 2:4).

19:30 "the disciples would not let him" Paul was a strong-willed man! However, he allowed other believers to influence some decisions (cf. v. 31).

19:31 "some of the Asiarchs" This term means "local elected officials," but was used in several senses. This is another technical term for local political officials used so accurately by Luke. Apparently they had become believers also, or at least friends of Paul. Again Luke shows that Christianity was not a threat to the local governmental authorities. It is verses like this one that cause some commentators to surmise that Acts was written to be read at Paul's trial in Rome. Again and again the church came into conflict with Jews, but not with government!

19:32 "the assembly" This is the same Greek word (ekklesia) used for the church. In Acts 19:32,39, and 41 it refers to an assembly of townspeople.

The early church chose this term because of its use in the Septuagint for "the assembly of Israel." See Special Topic: Church (ekklesia) at 5:11.

▣ "the majority did not know for what reason they had come together" It was a typical mob scene.

19:33 "Alexander" The local Jews wanted it to be understood that they were a separate group from these itinerant Christian missionaries, but it backfired on them. Whether this is the same man mentioned in II Tim. 4:14 is uncertain, but I Tim. 1:20 makes it doubtful.

▣ "having motioned with his hand" This was a cultural way of seeking silence so that one could speak (cf. 12:17; 13:16; 19:33; 21:40).

▣ "a defense" We get the English term "apology" from this Greek term, which referred to a legal defense. Luke used this verb often (cf. Luke 12:11; 21:14; Acts 19:32; 24:10; 25:8; 26:1,2,24) and the noun in Acts 22:1 and 25:16.

19:34 This shows either (1) the anti-Semitism of the Greco-Roman world or (2) this crowd's anger at Paul's ministry.

19:35 "the town clerk" This was the chief civil official, who acted as liaison with the Roman government in these cities with famous temples. The term is grammateus. It is used most often in Acts for Jewish scribes (cf. 4:5; 6:12; 23:9). In the Septuagint it referred to Egyptian leaders who submitted records to higher authorities (cf. Exod. 5:6) and to Jewish officers (cf. Deut. 20:5).

▣ "city of the Ephesians is guardian of the temple" The word for guardian is literally "temple sweeper" (neōkos, temple warden). This had become an honorific title, although originally it referred to the lowest temple servants.

▣ "the image which fell down from heaven" It was apparently a meteor shaped like a woman with many breasts. This was a perfect idol for a fertility cult. The term "heaven" is literally "which fell from Zeus (dios)."

19:37 The cause of the riot had no true basis and, therefore, was liable for Roman judicial discipline (cf. v. 40).

19:38-39 "let them bring charges against one another" Let them go through the proper channels provided for complaints. These two verses also have two first class conditional sentences.

19:38 "proconsuls" There were two kinds of Roman provinces, those controlled by the Emperor and those controlled by the Senate (Augustus, Acts of Settlement, 27 b.c.). The Roman provinces were governed by

1. senatorial provinces governed by proconsuls or propraetors

2. imperial provinces governed by legatus pro proetors

3. other lesser or problem provinces governed by praefectus

4. free cities governed by local leaders, but under Roman guidelines

5. client states like Palestine governed by local leaders, but with limits and restrictions

Ephesus was in a Senatorial province and thereby had a "proconsul." Proconsuls are mentioned three times:

1. Sergius Paulus, Cyprus, Acts 13:7-8,12

2. Annaeus Gallio, Achaia, Acts 18:12

3. no specific name, but the category, Ephesus, Acts 19:38

 

19:39-41 "assembly" This is the word ekklesia, which was used by the Greek city-states for a town assembly. It came to be used for the gathered church because in the Septuagint it translated the Hebrew term for "assembly" (Qahal).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Are we to view vv. 2-6 as a proof-text for

a. rebaptism of some believers

b. the laying on of hands to receive the subsequent blessing of speaking in tongues?

2. Define prophesying (v. 6).

3. Why does Acts record Paul's encounter with both Apollos and these twelve disciples of John the Baptist?

4. Are vv. 11-12 normative for the church in all ages and cultures? Why/why not?

5. Why is exorcism not included in the lists of spiritual gifts?

6. Why are believers not given more biblical information on this subject?

7. What was the purpose of these miraculous events? (cf. v. 17)

 

Copyright © 2012 Bible Lessons International

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

UBS4	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
Paul's Journey to Jerusalem	Warnings on the Journey to Jerusalem	Paul Returns to Palestine	Paul Goes to Jerusalem	The Journey to Jerusalem
		(20:7-21:14)
21:1-6	21:1-14	21:1-6	21:1-6	21:1-6
21:7-14		21:7-14	21:7-11	21:7-14
	Paul Urged to Make Peace	Paul's Conformity to Judaism	21:12-13	Paul's Arrival in Jerusalem
			21:14
21:15-16	21:15-25	21:15-16	21:15-16	21:15-16
Paul Visits James			Paul Visits James
21:17-26	Arrested in the Temple	21:17-26	21:17-25	21:17-25
	21:26-36		21:26	21:26
Paul Arrested in the Temple		Paul's Arrest and Defense	Paul is Arrested in the Temple	Paul's Arrest
21:27-36		(21:27-22:29) 21:27-36	21:27-29	21:27-29
			21:30-36	21:30-36
Paul Defends Himself	Addressing the Jerusalem Mob		Paul Defends Himself
21:37-22:5	(21:37-22:21)	21:37-40	(21:37-22:5) 21:37a	21:37-40
			21:37b-38
			21:39
			21:40-22:2

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five modern translations. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one main subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

 

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

This chapter is surprising in what is not said! There is no mention of Paul's emphasis on a contribution from the Gentile churches to the Jerusalem church.

James D. G. Dunn, Unity and Diversity in the NT, pp. 272-278, makes in interesting conjecture that there was tension between James (known for his allegiance to the traditions of Judaism) and Paul over the place of the Oral Traditions in the life of a believing Jew.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 21:1-6
 ¹When we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran a straight course to Cos and the next day to Rhodes and from there to Patara; ²and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail. ³When we came in sight of Cyprus, leaving it on the left, we kept sailing to Syria and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload its cargo. ⁴After looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem. ⁵When our days there were ended, we left and started on our journey, while they all, with wives and children, escorted us until we were out of the city. After kneeling down on the beach and praying, we said farewell to one another. ⁶Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home again.

21:1 "ran a straight course" This is a nautical term meaning to sail a direct course (cf. 16:11). Luke was very familiar with sailing terms (cf. v. 3). Most of the "we" sections of Acts involve sailing.

▣ "Cos" The name means "summit." It is the name of both an island and its largest city. This island was the home of Hippocrates (fifth century b.c.) and it was the site of a large medical school. It was a free state considered to be part of the Roman province of Asia. It was located about forty miles south of Miletus.

▣ "Rhodes" This is also the name of an island and its chief city. This commercial island was famous for (1) its roses and (2) its university, which specialized in rhetoric and oratory. In the past (29 b.c.) it was world famous for its bronze, 104' tall colossus of a man that stood by the harbor. The statue functioned as a lighthouse.

▣ "Patara" The Western family of Greek manuscripts (cf. P⁴¹, D) and some Old Latin versions add "and Myra" (most likely an addition from 27:5), which was the chief port for ships to Syria. The UBS⁴ gives the shorter reading an "A" rating (certain).

Patara was a coastal city in Lycia. It was famous for its oracle of Apollo, which at one time rivaled even Delphi.

21:2 "and having found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia" This must have been a larger ship. The smaller ships hugged the coastline. This ship saved them a lot of time by taking a direct route.

21:3 "came in sight of Cyprus" This must have brought thoughts of Barnabas and the first missionary journey.

▣ "Tyre" This was the coastal capital of Phoenicia.

21:4 "the disciples" There was a church in this city which was probably started after the persecution of Stephen (cf. 8:4; 11:19). In this period believers would seek out other believers to stay with (cf. vv. 7,16).

▣ "telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem" This refers to the presence of prophets in this local congregation (cf. 20:23; 21:10-12). Their message concerning persecution was true and yet apparently Paul's trip was God's will (cf. v. 14). Jesus, through Ananias, had told Paul about his life's work (cf. Acts 9:15-16). Suffering would be part of it, but also he would witness to kings.

21:5 "After kneeling down on the beach and praying" This is a beautiful picture of Christian love and concern. It may have been a special service, like 20:32,36.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 21:7-14
 ⁷When we had finished the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and after greeting the brethren, we stayed with them for a day. ⁸On the next day we left and came to Caesarea, and entering the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him. ⁹Now this man had four virgin daughters who were prophetesses. ¹⁰As we were staying there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹And coming to us, he took Paul's belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, "This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.'" ¹²When we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³Then Paul answered, "What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." ¹⁴And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, "The will of the Lord be done!"

21:7 "Ptolemais" This city was named after Alexander the Great's general who ruled in Egypt and was an ancestor of Ptolemy II who built this city in 26 b.c. This is the only natural port on the Palestinian coast. In the OT it was called Acco (cf. Judges 1:31). Today it is called by its Crusader name, Acre.

▣ "the brethren" In Acts this is synonymous to "disciples" (cf. vv. 4,16). It designated believers in Jesus Christ.

▣ "we stayed with them" See note at v. 4.

21:8 "we left" Whether they left by land or sea is uncertain.

▣ "Caesarea" This is the Roman headquarters of Palestine. It was a coastal city with a small manmade harbor. Philip the Evangelist lived here (cf. 8:40).

▣ "the evangelist" This term is surprisingly used only three times in the NT (cf. Eph. 4:11 and II Tim. 4:5). We are not certain exactly what this ministerial gift encompassed. The term itself means "one who proclaims the gospel."

▣ "who was one of the seven" This refers to the Jerusalem church's problem of complaining of unfair food distribution by the Greek-speaking widows. The church elected seven men to handle this need. All of them had Greek names. These seven were powerful preachers. They were the first to catch the worldwide vision of the gospel (cf. Acts 6).

21:9 "had four virgin daughters. . .prophetesses" Remember Luke has a special concern for women. We need to rethink our position on women in leadership positions (cf. Joel 2:28-32; Acts 2:16-21) in the church based on all of NT evidence. See Special Topic: Women in the Bible at 2:17. A book that has helped me in this area is Gordon Fee, Gospel and Spirit.

Church tradition says that they moved to Asia Minor (Phrygia) and that his daughters lived long and served God to a very old age. We learn this tradition from Eusebius' quotes from both Polycrates and Papias (cf. Eccl. Hist. 3:31:2-5).

21:10 "a prophet named Agabas" There are at least two ways to understand this term.

1. in the Corinthian letters this refers to sharing or proclaiming the gospel (cf. I Cor. 14:1)

2. the book of Acts mentions prophets (cf. 11:27-28; 13:1; 15:32; 21:10, even prophetesses, 21:9)

The problem with this term is, how does the NT gift of prophecy relate to OT prophets? In the OT prophets are the writers of Scripture. In the NT this task is given to the original twelve Apostles and their helpers. As the term "apostle" is retained as an ongoing gift (cf. Eph. 4:11), but with a changed task after the death of the Twelve, so too, is the office of prophet. Inspiration (see Special Topic at 13:1) has ceased; there is no further inspired Scripture (cf. Jude v. 20). New Testament prophets' primary task is proclamation of the gospel, but the also show how to apply NT truths to current situations and needs. See Special Topic: Prophecy in the NT at 11:27.

21:11 Agabas, like the OT prophets Jeremiah and Exekiel, acted out his revelation.

21:12 "began begging him" This is an imperfect active indicative. It can mean (1) to begin an action or (2) a repeated action in past time.

21:13 It is hard to balance this prophetic action with Paul's sense that going to Jerusalem was God's will (cf. v.4).

▣ "the name of the Lord Jesus" See SPECIAL TOPIC: THE NAME OF THE LORD at 2:21.

21:14 "The will of the Lord be done" This is a present middle imperative, used in the sense of a prayer. God did have a plan and purpose for Paul's life. Paul felt he knew God's will even in the face of specific and recurring prophecy about the problems which lay ahead. Paul must have felt that these prophecies were for his spiritual and mental preparation and not a prohibition.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE WILL (thelēma) OF GOD

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 21:15-16
 ¹⁵After these days we got ready and started on our way up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came with us, taking us to Mnason of Cyprus, a disciple of long standing with whom we were to lodge.

21:15 "we got ready" The King James Version has "took up our carriages" (NKJV has "packed"). This is a graphic word used of travel preparation and is found only here in the NT.

▣ "Jerusalem" It was about 64 miles away.

21:16 "Mnason" This was a Jewish Christian from Cyprus (like Barnabas). He would have been one of the Hellenistec Jews, like the Seven of Acts 6. Apparently he had been a believer from the early days; possibly Luke interviewed him for his Gospel while staying in Palestine during Paul's imprisonment at Caesarea.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS INTO ACTS 21:17-23:30

A. BRIEF OUTLINE OF ACTS 21:17-26:32 (Paul's imprisonment and defense both in Jerusalem and Caesarea.)

1. Riot and arrest at the Temple 21:17-40

2. Paul's defense before the mob 22:1-22

3. The Roman Interrogation 22:23-30

4. The Sanhedrin Interrogation 23:1-10

5. The conspiracy to murder Paul 23:11-35

6. Paul before Felix 24:1-23

7. Paul before Felix and Drucilla privately 24:24-27

8. Paul before Festus 25:1-12

9. Paul before Agrippa II and Bernice 25:13-26:32

 

B. COMMON ELEMENTS OF PAUL'S DEFENSE

 

Common Elements	Paul before Mob	Paul before Sanhedrin	Paul before Felix	Paul before Festus	Paul before Agrippa II
1. His Jewish Background	22:3		24:14,17-18		26:4
2. His Pharisaic training and zeal	22:3	23:6-9	24:15,21		26:5-8
3. His Persecution of "The Way"	22:4-5				26:9-11
4. His Personal testimony of his conversion	22:6-16				26:12-16
5. His Call to specific ministry by God	22:17-22				26:17-23

C. COMPARISON OF SADDUCEES AND PHARISEES

 

	SADDUCEES	PHARISEES
Origin Name Means  Social Status Scriptural Question Theology	Maccabean Period "Zadokities"? Priestly Aristocracy Written Law only (especially Genesis through Deuteronomy)  Conservative – just the opposite of Pharisees, who were accused of being influenced by Zoroastrianism (cf 23:8)	Maccabean Period "Separated Ones"? Middle Class Laymen All of the Oral & Written Law plus the Prophets and Writing sections of the OT canon Progressive  – highly developed angeology  – belief in life after death     and resurrection  – very structured rules for daily life

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 21:17-26
 ¹⁷After we arrived in Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. ¹⁸And the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. ¹⁹After he had greeted them, he began to relate one by one the things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. ²⁰And when they heard it they began glorifying God; and they said to him, "You see, brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed, and they are all zealous for the Law; ²¹and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs. ²²"What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. ²³"Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; ²⁴take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law. ²⁵"But concerning the Gentiles who have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication." ²⁶Then Paul took the men, and the next day, purifying himself along with them, went into the temple giving notice of the completion of the days of purification, until the sacrifice was offered for each one of them.

21:17 It was a good sign that the Jerusalem believers gave Paul and these Gentile converts a hearty welcome (cf. Luke 8:40; 9:11; Acts 2:41; 18:27; 21:17; 24:3; 28:30), but there was also prejudice in the Jerusalem church (cf. vv. 20-21).

21:18-19 "Paul went in with us to James" There is no special mention here of the gift from the Gentile churches (cf. 24:17). Paul made a similar report to James in 15:12. James is the half-brother of Jesus and the respected leader of the Jerusalem Church (cf. Acts 12:17; 15:13).

21:18 "and all the elders were present" Notice that there is no mention of the Apostles. Apparently they were on mission trips out of the country, or maybe they were dead. This use of the term "elders" reflects its Jewish usage (cf. 4:5,8,23; 6:12; 11:30; 15:2,4,6,22,23; 16:4; 23:14; 24:1,25; 25:15; Heb. 11:2; James 5:14), not its later use by the church for pastors (cf. 14:23; 20:17,18,23; I Tim. 5:17,19; Titus 1:5; I Pet. 5:1; II John 1; III John 1).

21:19 Some commentators think that Paul received a cool reception and that the money from the Gentile churches was not appreciated. Here is their line of reasoning.

1. Paul stayed at a Hellenistic Jew's home, not one of the leaders of the Jerusalem church.

2. There is no expression of gratitude for the gift. It is not even mentioned.

3. The leadership immediately tell Paul how disliked he is among thousands in the Jerusalem church.

4. The church is never said to have supported Paul in prison or at his trials.

It must be said that there was conflict and confusion about Paul's message and mission. However, v. 19 seems to be positive to me!

21:20 "how many thousands there are among the Jews" What a wonderful witness of the power of the gospel and the love of God to Jewish people in Jerusalem. There was a believing Jewish remnant. May be Zech. 12:10 has been fulfilled!

▣ "who have believed" This is a perfect active participle (see Special Topics at 3:16 and 6:5). This surely implies true saving faith. One can be saved without complete understanding and even despite misunderstanding of all theological issues, (cf. Acts 1:6; Luke 19:11).

Paul would characterize these as "weak" Christians (cf. Rom. 14:1-15:13; I Cor. 8; 10:23-33). He would bend over backward to encourage them, as long as their "weakness" did not affect the gospel (the Judaizers of Galatians).

▣ "they are all zealous for the Law" This shows the large number of converted Pharisees, zealots, or Essenes. However, conversion did not remove their religious bias. These were similar to the Judaizers of Galatians. It is remarkable how Paul loved and supported "weak" believers, but would not tolerate "false teachers" or those who misrepresented the gospel.

21:21 "they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses" The phrase "having been told" reflects the Hebrew idiom "re-echo," which implies oral teaching. This is combined with the present tense verb (teaching) to show that the Jews in Jerusalem had repeatedly been told about Paul's activity in a biased sense. These charges were more serious than preaching to Gentiles, which caused so much trouble (cf. Acts 15).

The term "to forsake" is a strong term which comes into English as "apostasy" (cf. II Thess. 2:3). The theological issue related to how believing Jews should relate to the OT was not yet settled! In some sense this mirrors the issues of "Messianic synagogues"!

21:23 "We have four men who are under a vow" Apparently these were members of the church. This refers to a limited Nazarite vow (cf. Num. 6:1-8). Paul had earlier taken a similar vow (cf. 18:18). We are very uncertain about the details of this limited vow (cf. Nazir 1:3).

21:23-25 This passage gives us insight into Paul's view about Jewish Christians' relationship to the Mosaic Law. Paul may have continued to observe Jewish traditions (cf. 18:18; 20:6), at least when trying to evangelize Jews (cf. I Cor. 9:19-23). This is possibly an affirmation of Messianic Jewish fellowships in our day.

21:24 "pay their expenses" Paul may not have taken a Nazarite vow himself at this point, but paid for the required sacrifice for the others. The rabbis taught that it was a great honor to pay for the Nazarites vow (Ned. 10a).

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAZARITE VOW

▣ "shave their heads" The Nazarite vow is discussed in Numbers 6. Those who took permanent vows were not allowed to cut their hair. However, the temporary vow was characterized by the shaving of the head at the end of the time period. This verse shows how Paul tried to conform to the culture to which he was trying to preach (cf. I Cor. 9:19-23; 10:23-33).

21:25 "we wrote" This refers to the official statement of the Jerusalem Council (cf. Acts 15:19-20, 28-29). This document mainly removed the ritualistic and dietary barriers between believing Jewish and believing Gentile groups in mixed churches of the diaspora (outside Palestine). It, however, did not relate to believing Jews' relationship to the Mosaic Covenant.

21:26 "went into the temple" This is what would cause the trouble, not solve it!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 21:27-36
 ²⁷When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from Asia, upon seeing him in the temple, began to stir up all the crowd and laid hands on him, ²⁸crying out, "Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people and the Law and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place." ²⁹For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple. ³⁰Then all the city was provoked, and the people rushed together, and taking hold of Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. ³¹While they were seeking to kill him, a report came up to the commander of the Roman cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. ³²At once he took along some soldiers and centurions and ran down to them; and when they saw the commander and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. ³³Then the commander came up and took hold of him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains; and he began asking who he was and what he had done. ³⁴But among the crowd some were shouting one thing and some another, and when he could not find out the facts because of the uproar, he ordered him to be brought into the barracks. ³⁵When he got to the stairs, he was carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the mob; ³⁶for the multitude of the people kept following them, shouting, "Away with him!"

21:27 "Jews from Asia" Paul's old enemies had come to Jerusalem for the feast also. Now Paul was on Judaism's turf.

21:28 "this is the man who preaches" These Asian Jews interpreted Paul's preaching as against Judaism instead of fulfilling the OT promises. These charges are similar to the ones made against Stephen (cf. 6:13). Paul himself may have stated this; he surely agreed with this Jewish theological position (cf. 22:20) before his Damascus encounter with Christ. The message of Christ undermined the legalism and ritualism of popular first century Judaism! This is seen not only in Paul's universalism—salvation available to "all men"—but also the theological assertion of exclusivistic salvation only in and through faith in Christ.

▣ "he has even brought Greeks into the temple" This supposed incident would have occurred in the Court of Israel, where the Nazarite vows were performed in the southeast corner. It was lawful for the Gentiles to enter the outer court of the Temple only. This was a false charge (cf. v. 29).

21:29 "Trophimus the Ephesian" These Jews from Asia (Ephesus) knew both Paul and Trophimus and had earlier planned Paul's death (cf. 20:3). Now they saw their opportunity to play on Jewish racial biases and have Paul killed (cf. vv. 31,36).

21:30 "the doors were shut" This was apparently the gate between the Court of Israel and the Court of the Women. The Temple had its own police force of Levites who kept order. This action was to

1. keep the Temple from being defiled

2. keep Paul from trying to return to the Temple for safety

These Jews acted in exactly the same manner as did the mob at Ephesus (cf. Acts 19).

21:31 "the commander of the Roman cohort" This is literally a leader of a thousand. This would be the highest-ranking official in the Roman army (equestrian) who was stationed in Jerusalem during feast days when the population swelled to three times its normal number. His job was to keep order.

▣ "the cohort" They lived in Fortress Antonia, which overlooked the Temple Court. It was built by Herod the Great as a palace, but was used by the Romans as a military headquarters (cf. Josephus, Wars 5.5.8).

21:32 "some soldiers and centurions" A centurion was literally the leader of a hundred. The Fortress Antonia overlooked the Temple area. It was heavily garrisoned, especially during feast days.

21:33 "to be bound with two chains" This could mean (1) hands and feet or (2) between two Roman soldiers. Apparently the soldiers thought he was an insurrectionist (cf. v. 38).

21:34-35 This shows the violence and frenzy of the mob (cf. v. 30).

21:35 "the stairs" These stairs that ran from the Fortress Antonia into the temple area had been alluded to in v. 32, "ran down." There were two sets of these access stairs, each going into a different division of the temple. The Romans wanted to quell any rioting quickly. Feast days were often days of nationalistic unrest.

21:36 "Away with him" These are the same words which were shouted at Jesus (cf. 22:22; Luke 23:18; John 19:15). There are many parallels between the treatment of Paul and Jesus by the Jews and Romans.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 21:37-40
 ³⁷As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the commander, "May I say something to you?" And he said, "Do you know Greek? ³⁸"Then you are not the Egyptian who some time ago stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?" ³⁹But Paul said, "I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no insignificant city; and I beg you, allow me to speak to the people." ⁴⁰When he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, motioned to the people with his hand; and when there was a great hush, he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, saying,

21:37 "Do you know Greek" The Colonel was surprised that Paul spoke Koine Greek because he apparently thought that Paul was an Egyptian insurrectionist that he had heard about (cf. v. 38 and Josephus' Antiq. 2.13.5; 20.8.6). This Egyptian rebellion occurred between a.d. 52-57.

21:38 "men of the Assassins" This is sicarii, a Latin term for assassins or dagger men. They are often called "zealots" in the NT (cf. Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). They were a group of Jews committed to the violent overthrow of the Romans.

A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, vol. 3, p. 382, mentions that this very word was used by Josephus to describe this Egyptian insurrectionist's followers (cf. Josephus, Wars 2.13.5; Antiq. 20.8.6,10).

21:39 "a citizen of no insignificant city" This is an idiom (litotes, see note at 12:18), which Paul used to assert his citizenship in a world-class university town. The text does not say if the Roman officer was impressed.

21:40 "he had given him permission" This commander still wanted to know what this was all about!

▣ "motioned to the people with his hand" This was apparently a well known hand gesture for silence so that a person could speak (cf. 12:17; 13:16; 19:33; 21:40; 26:1). This may have been a rhetorical gesture that Paul learned while studying rhetoric at Tarsus.

▣ "he spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect" Paul spoke to the mob in Aramaic (the Jews had learned to speak Aramaic during their years under Persian rule). This quieted the mob for a period (cf. 22:2).

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. If prophets in every city told Paul not to go to Jerusalem, why did he go?

2. How were/are believing Jews to relate to the Mosaic Covenant?

3. Was the Asian Jews' charges against Paul in v. 28a true?

4. Does this commander's comment (v. 38) imply that few Jews knew Greek or that he thought Paul was an Egyptian?

 

Copyright © 2012 Bible Lessons International

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

UBS4	NKJV	NRSV	TEV	NJB
Paul Before the Council	The Sanhedrin Divided	Paul Before the Sanhedrin	Paul Before the Council	His Appearance Before the Sanhedrin
22:30-23:5	22:30-23:10	(22:30-23:10) 22:30-23:5	(22:30-23:11)	(22:30-23:11)
			23:1-3	23:1-5
			23:4
			23:5
23:6-10		23:6-10	23:6	23:6-10
			23:7-9
	The Plot Against Paul	Paul is Sent to Caesarea	23:10
23:11	23:11-22	23:11	23:11	23:11
The Plot Against Paul's Life			The Plot Against Paul's Life	The Conspiracy of the Jews Against Paul
23:12-22		23:12-15	23:12-15	23:12-15
		23:16-22	23:16-18	23:16-22
			23:19
			23:20-21
			23:22
Paul Sent to Felix the Governor	Sent to Felix		Paul is Sent to Governor Felix	Paul Transferred to Caesarea
23:23-30	23:23-35	23:23-25	23:23-25	23:23-25
		23:26-30	23:26-30	23:26-30
23:31-35		23:31-35	23:31-35	23:31-35

READING CYCLE THREE (from "A Guide to Good Bible Reading")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five modern translations. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one main subject.

1. First paragraph

2. Second paragraph

3. Third paragraph

4. Etc.

 

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 23:1-5
 ¹Paul, looking intently at the Council, said, "Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day." ²The high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth. ³Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?" ⁴But the bystanders said, "Do you revile God's high priest?" ⁵And Paul said, "I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"

23:1

NASB, NRSV"looking intently at"
NKJV"looking earnestly at"
TEV"looked straight at"
NJB"looked steadily at"

See full note at 1:10. Luke uses this term often. Here he uses it of Paul. Paul uses it only in II Cor. 3:7,13.

▣ "the Council" See Special Topic: Sanhedrin at 4:5.

▣ "Brethren" Paul calls Jews "brothers" several times (13:26,38; 22:1,5; 23:1,5,6). The Jews call Paul brother in 13:15. Ananias called him brother in 9:17, as does the church in Jerusalem in 21:20.

However, Jewish believers are also called by this title (e.g., 9:30; 10:23; 11:1,12; 12:17; 15:3,7,13,22). The word is linked with "disciple" in 11:29; 18:27. It is also used of Greek believers in 16:2,40. Thus the term is ambiguous and must be linked to a specific text and group.

▣ "I have lived my life. . .before God" This is a perfect middle (deponent) indicative of politeuō from which we get the English word political or policy. This term is used with the connotation of a citizen (cf. Phil. 1:27). Paul is asserting that he has faithfully discharged the responsibilities of being a member of Judaism before God.

NASB"a perfectly good conscience"
NKJV"in all good conscience"
NRSV"a clear conscience"
TEV"my conscience is perfectly clear"
NJB"a perfectly clear conscience"

Paul uses the term "conscience" often in the Corinthian letters (cf. 4:4; 8:7,10,12; 10:25,27,28,29; II Cor. 1:12; 4:2; 5:11). It refers to that moral inner sense of what is appropriate or inappropriate (cf. Acts 23:1). The conscience can be affected by our past lives, our poor choices, or by the Spirit of God. It is not a flawless guide, but it does determine the boundaries of individual faith. Therefore, to violate our conscience, even if it is in error or weak, is a major faith problem.

The believer's conscience needs to be more and more formed by the Word of God and the Spirit of God (cf. I Tim. 3:9). God will judge believers (i.e., weak or strong, cf. Rom. 14:1-15:13) by the light they have, but all of us need to be open to the Bible and the Spirit for more light and to be growing in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

▣ "before God up to this day" Paul makes this same assertion in II Cor. 1:12; II Tim. 1:3. He does admit that he did covet (cf. Rom. 7:23, esp. v. 7). His theological argument in Romans 1-8 is based on every person's violation of law and conscience (cf. 3:9-23; 4:15; 5:20).

23:2 "The high priest Ananias" In Hebrew his name would be Hananiah. This is not the same as the Ananias of Luke 3:2, John 18:13, or Acts 4:6, but a later one (Ananias, son of Nebedaeus or Nedebacus) who was appointed by Herod Chalcis, who reigned from a.d. 48-59 (Josephus, Antiq. 20.9.2).

The writings of Josephus tell us much about this High Priest.

1. when he became High Priest, Antiq. 20.5.2; Wars, 2.12.6.

2. when he and his son (Ananus) were sent in bonds to Rome, Antiq. 20.6.2

3. when he was killed by insurrectionists along with his brother, Wars 2.17.9

Josephus is often our only ancient contemporary source for Jewish events and persons in Palestine.

▣ "to strike him on the mouth" This was a sign of blasphemy (cf. John 18:22).

23:3 "God is going to strike you" This is recorded in great detail in Josephus, Wars 2.17.9.

▣ "you whitewashed wall" It is uncertain exactly what Paul was saying.

1. the Jews used this metaphor for hypocrisy (cf. Matt. 23:27)

2. it could be an allusion to Ezek. 13:10-15

 

▣ "in violation to the Law" This may be an allusion to Lev. 19:15. Also see John 7:51.

23:5 "I was not aware brethren, that he was high priest" The theories for Paul's not knowing are his

1. poor eyesight

2. not being familiar with him because Paul had been gone from Jerusalem for several years

3. not recognizing the High Priest because he was not wearing his official robes

4. he did not know who spoke

5. the inappropriateness of his actions (i.e., sarcasm)

 

▣ "for it is written" Paul shows he knows and respects the Law by quoting Exod. 22:28.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 23:6-10
 ⁶But perceiving that one group were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, Paul began crying out in the Council, "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!" ⁷As he said this, there occurred a dissension between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. ⁸For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all. ⁹And there occurred a great uproar; and some of the scribes of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly, saying, "We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" ¹⁰And as a great dissension was developing, the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them and ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.

23:6 "perceiving" Paul may have realized that he could not get a fair hearing from this Sadducean high priest.

▣ "Sadducees" See Special Topic at 4:1.

▣ "Pharisees" Paul had been a Pharisee (cf. 26:5; Phil. 3:5-6) from a family of Pharisees. See Special Topic at 5:34.

▣ "I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead" Paul threw out a theological issue that the Sadducees and Pharisees disagreed about. The Sadducees denied the afterlife, while the Pharisees affirmed it (cf. Job 14:14; 19:23-27; Isa. 25:8; 26:19; Dan. 12:2). This set the two factions of the council against each other (cf. vv. 7-10).

23:7 "the assembly was divided" This term's basic meaning is "to tear" (cf. Luke 5:36; 23:45). It came to be used metaphorically of division within groups (cf. Acts 14:4; 23:7). The division between these two Jewish sects was always just under the surface. Paul fanned the flames.

23:8 "nor an angel, nor a spirit" Verse 8 is a comment by Luke on his source. Does this phrase imply there are two categories of spiritual beings or one? The origin of both is biblically ambiguous, but Heb. 1:5,13, and 14 imply they are the same.

What the Sadducees denied was the dualism of good and evil spiritual beings (Zoroastrian dualism). The Pharisees had elaborated the OT concept into rigid Persian dualism and even developed a hierarchy of angelic and demonic (seven leaders of each). The best source I have found for first century Jewish angelology is Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Appendix XIII.

23:9

NASB"there arose a great uproar"
NKJV"there arose a loud outcry"
NRSV"then a great clamor arose"
NJB"the shouting grew louder"

This same phrase is found in the Septuagint of Exod. 12:30 (also note Exod. 3:7; 11:6; Esth. 4:3; Isa. 58:4; 65:19). The word "cry" (kraugē) is also in Matt. 25:6; Luke 1:42; Eph. 4:31; Heb. 5:7; Rev. 21:4. Only context can determine the kind of loud "cry" (i.e., positive or negative).

Another emotional word "to argue heatedly" (diamachomai) is also used in the LXX in Dan. 10:20. Paul's comment caused a loud, emotional confrontation, which is exactly what he wanted!

▣ "the scribes" These were the legal experts in both the oral (Talmud) and written law (OT). Most of them were Pharisees.

SPECIAL TOPIC: SCRIBES

▣ "this man" The use of this noun phrase in this context shows it is not automatically a negative phrase.

▣ "suppose" This is a partial or incomplete first class conditional sentence. These scribes were asserting that Paul had seen something from the spiritual realm, but exactly what they were not sure. Their immediate and forceful defense of Paul shows how biased they were for their own group. Apparently they disliked Sadducees more than a supposedly renegade Pharisee.

Because this is an incomplete grammatical structure, the Textus Receptus, following the uncial Greek manuscripts H, L, and P, adds, "Let us not fight against God," which is taken from Acts 5:39.

23:10 "ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force" Twice now the Roman government had saved Paul's life in Jerusalem. No wonder Paul saw the government as a minister of God (cf. Romans 13). This may relate to "the one who restrains" in II Thess. 2:6-7.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 23:11
 ¹¹But on the night immediately following, the Lord stood at his side and said, "Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also."

23:11 "the Lord stood at his side" Here is another personal vision to encourage Paul (cf. 18:9-10; 22:17-19; 27:23-24). Paul was not a man without discouragement and doubt.

▣ "Take courage" This is a present active imperative. This is the only use of this term in Luke's writings. Paul must have shared this with Luke. Jesus uses the term several times (cf. Matt. 9:2,22; 14:27; John 16:33).

▣ "you must witness at Rome also" It was God's will for Paul to be imprisoned so that he might appear before Caesar. The gospel will be preached in Rome (cf. 19:21; 22:21)!

For "must" see full note at 1:16.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 23:12-15
 ¹²When it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. ¹³There were more than forty who formed this plot. ¹⁴They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, "We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. ¹⁵"Now therefore, you and the Council notify the commander to bring him down to you, as though you were going to determine his case by a more thorough investigation; and we for our part are ready to slay him before he comes near the place."

23:12-15 This paragraph informs us of the assassination pact of some of the Jews. This is another premeditated murder (cf. v. 21) like the one the Jews planned for Jesus.

23:13 "more than forty" Forty is a Jewish idiom for a long, indefinite period of time, but here it is used of persons, so it is probably literal. See Special Topic: Numbers in Scripture at 1:3.

23:14 "the chief priests and the elders" This was an abbreviated way of referring to the Sanhedrin. See Special Topic at 4:5.

NASB"we have bound ourselves under a solemn oath"
NKJV"we have bound ourselves under a great oath"
NRSV"we have strictly bound ourselves by an oath"
TEV"we have taken a solemn vow"
NJB"we have made a solemn vow"

These English translations are an attempt to translate a cognate idiomatic phrase, "with a curse we curse ourselves." These oath-takers did not kill Paul. I wonder if they starved to death? Apparently the oral tradition allowed a way out of these blood oaths. See Special Topic following.

SPECIAL TOPIC: CURSE (ANATHEMA)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 23:16-25
 ¹⁶But the son of Paul's sister heard of their ambush, and he came and entered the barracks and told Paul. ¹⁷Paul called one of the centurions to him and said, "Lead this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him." ¹⁸So he took him and led him to the commander and said, "Paul the prisoner called me to him and asked me to lead this young man to you since he has something to tell you." ¹⁹The commander took him by the hand and stepping aside, began to inquire of him privately, "What is it that you have to report to me?" ²⁰And he said, "The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down tomorrow to the Council, as though they were going to inquire somewhat more thoroughly about him. ²¹"So do not listen to them, for more than forty of them are lying in wait for him who have bound themselves under a curse not to eat or drink until they slay him; and now they are ready and waiting for the promise from you." ²²So the commander let the young man go, instructing him, "Tell no one that you have notified me of these things." ²³And he called to him two of the centurions and said, "Get two hundred soldiers ready by the third hour of the night to proceed to Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen." ²⁴They were also to provide mounts to put Paul on and bring him safely to Felix the governor. ²⁵And he wrote a letter having this form:

23:16 "the son of Paul's sister" We have many questions about Paul's family, but it is shrouded in silence. How he knew of the plan is also unknown. He was possibly a Pharisee also.

23:21 This attack would have also involved the killing of the Roman guards!

23:23 The contingent of troops to accompany Paul was apparently either (1) 200 infantry, 70 cavalry, and 200 lancers or (2) 200 lancers and 70 cavalry. The western family of Greek manuscripts has a long descriptive addition (cf. NKJV).

▣ "the third hour" This is obviously Roman time. They started counting the night at 6 p.m. This would be 9 p.m.

▣ "Caesarea" This was the headquarters for the Roman occupational forces in Palestine.

NASB, NKJV,
NRSV, TEV"spearmen"
NJB"auxiliaries"
REB"light-armed troops"
NASB
(footnote)"additional mounts" or "pack animals"
NEB"bowman"

The meaning of the term dexiolabos is uncertain. It is literally "one posted or armed on the right side" (dexios). It refers to

1. some type of light armed soldier (bow or spear)

2. one who is bound to prisoners on the right side

3. one who holds a second horse

4. one who is on the flank

So many options show that moderns do not exactly know the meaning.

23:24 "Felix" The Roman historian Tacitus (Histories 5:9, Annals 12:54) called Antonius Felix cruel and lustful. He gained his position through his brother, Pallas (both of whom were freed slaves), who was a close friend to Emperor Claudius. He served as the eleventh procurator of Palestine from a.d. 52-59.

23:25 "form" See Special Topic: Form (tupos) at 7:43.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 23:26-30
 ²⁶"Claudius Lysias, to the most excellent governor Felix, greetings. ²⁷When this man was arrested by the Jews and was about to be slain by them, I came up to them with the troops and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman. ²⁸"And wanting to ascertain the charge for which they were accusing him, I brought him down to their Council; ²⁹and I found him to be accused over questions about their Law, but under no accusation deserving death or imprisonment. ³⁰When I was informed that there would be a plot against the man, I sent him to you at once, also instructing his accusers to bring charges against him before you."

23:26-30 This is the required letter of explanation of Paul's case by the officer in charge (cf. 25:12ff). It states the flow of the events, but does so in such a way as to make Lysias look good.

23:26 This is the verse in which we are told the Chiliarch's name.

23:29 This verse fits Luke's pattern of showing that Christianity and its leaders, when accused before governmental officials, were always acquitted and deemed innocent. Rome had nothing to fear from "the Way"!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 23:31-35
 ³¹So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris. ³²But the next day, leaving the horsemen to go on with him, they returned to the barracks. ³³When these had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him. ³⁴When he had read it, he asked from what province he was, and when he learned that he was from Cilicia, ³⁵he said, "I will give you a hearing after your accusers arrive also," giving orders for him to be kept in Herod's Praetorium.

23:31 "brought him by night to Antipatris" This city was built by Herod the Great and named after his father, Antipater II. This was a very long march of possibly 30-40 miles. The exact site of the city is uncertain. The reason the foot soldiers returned (cf. v. 32) at this point is because

1. this was primarily a Gentile area

2. the topography was open and flat, so there was little danger of surprise attack

 

23:33 "the governor" This is literally "procurator." Luke is very precise in his titles for local and Roman officials.

23:34 "asked from what province he was" This was to ascertain jurisdiction. Since Paul was also from an Imperial Province Felix could try the case. There were three divisions of jurisdiction in the Roman Empire:

1. Imperial (Caesar)

2. Senatorial

3. local (like the Herods)

 

23:35 "after your accusers arrive" This should have been the Jews from Asia who accused Paul in the Temple of bringing a Gentile into the restricted Jewish area. The fact that they did not appear should have resulted in a dismissal of the charges. But, as often happens, local politics affects justice!

▣ "kept in Herod's Praetorium" The Romans were kind to Paul while he was in their custody (cf. 24:23). Paul stayed in a palace built by Herod the Great, which had previously been used for his personal residence, but now had become Roman Headquarters.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Compare Paul's defenses and list the common elements.

2. Did Paul see himself as a faithful Jew?

3. Do we know anything about Paul's extended family from Acts?

 

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