 |
 |
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
The Book of Acts
|
BIBLE STUDY ACTS 18:1-28 REVIEW: In chapter 17, the details of Paul’s ministry in the cities of Thessalonica and Beroea in many ways are repetitions of what had happened in other cities previously: 1) he would enter the Jewish synagogue and argue with them from the scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah; 2) some Jews and also Greeks became believers; and 3) many of the other Jews – upset with Paul’s preaching – stirred up a mob against him. Paul must have been an “in-your-face” kind of person. As Pastor Josh stated, Paul – just as with his earlier sojourns with Barnabas – seems to attract the brunt of the animosity. Indeed, it was noted that while Silas and Timothy were able remain in Beroea Paul had to go all the way to Athens. Paul began his time in Athens the same way as he did everywhere – by arguing in the synagogue with the Jews there. But the main aspect that Luke focuses upon was his discussion with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers at the Areopagus. In his address to them, he adapts his message to their cultural context. Instead of quoting from the scriptures, Paul instead tries to invite his hearers to learn more about “the unknown god” – the creator of everything – and then to learn more about the man (Jesus) whom this God had raised from the dead. As Pastor Josh noted, even though Paul adapts his message to the culture of his hearers he does make a bold and challenging proclamation – even calling them to repentance. May this also be for us in our witness – that we both understand and accept the culture context but yet also be bold and fearless in our proclamation of Christ. CHAPTER 18:1-11 “Founding the Church at Corinth” “After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and, because he was of the same trade, he stayed with them, and they worked together – by trade they were tentmakers. Every Sabbath he would argue in the synagogue and would try to convince Jews and Greeks.” Although it is not explicitly stated, it seems to me (Pastor George) and various commentators that Paul’s witnessing in Athens was mostly a failure. He had tried to use philosophy and “wisdom” to teach the Athenians, and it had not worked. Only a had few joined him and became believers. We know from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians that he apparently had arrived in Corinth from Athens in a somewhat despondent mood and decided to not use that method again. As he states in 1 Cor. 2:1-5 – “When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.” Corinth was a port city situated on a four-mile wide isthmus between two seas. It had been destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C.E., but had been restored by Julius Caesar as a Roman colony in 46 B.C.E. In 27 B.C.E. it became the capital of the province of Achaia. Because of its location, Corinth had become a major commercial center – and its population was extremely cosmopolitan. Corinth, being a port city, also had gained a reputation for immorality. A well-know expression in the ancient world for “raising hell” was “to corinthicize”! The emperor Claudius had expelled the Jews from Rome in the year 49 C.E. (according to a historian named Suetonius, because they had been creating disturbances “at the instigation of Chestus” – apparently a reference to preaching about Jesus to the Jews at Rome.). It appears that Aquila and Priscilla were already believers before coming to Rome, since there is no mention of Paul’s converting them. Indeed, perhaps Paul had already heard about them previously and had sought them out. He was on his own with no means of financial support, so he went to stay with them and help them in their trade of tentmaking. (According to The Interpreter’s Bible commentary, goat-hair cloth, used for tents, was a notable export from Paul’s native province of Cilicia. Others, however, note that the Greek word translated as “tentmaker” actually means “leather-worker” – and that Paul was a skilled craftsman.) Finally, we note that Paul did what he normally had done in every city he visited – he would go to the synagogue each Sabbath to argue and try to convince Jews and Greeks. “When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with proclaiming the word, testifying to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus. When they opposed and reviled him, in protest he shook the dust from his clothes and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” Then he left the synagogue and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God; his house was next door to the synagogue. Crispus, the official of the synagogue, became a believer in the Lord, together with all his household; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul became believers and were baptized. One night the Lord said to Paul in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to harm you, for there are many in this city who are my people.” He stayed there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.” The NRSV translation that Paul “was occupied with proclaiming the word” when Silas and Timothy arrived is not a very good one. A better translation is that when they arrived, Paul “began to be absorbed with proclaiming the word.” - that is, after the arrival of his helpers he laid aside his manual labor and began to devote full time to evangelizing activity. When Paul is opposed by the Jews, he makes a solemn declaration that he will now go to the Gentiles. This is the second time he has done this (see Acts 13:46-47) – and it will be repeated by him again at the end of Acts (Acts 28:28). Obviously, this does not mean that Paul will not evangelize among the Jews in the future (he does!) – but it serves to legitimize his ministry among the Gentiles. In fact, it is apparent from his letters to the Corinthians that most of the people who became part of the church Paul founded there were Gentiles – and not the “God-fearing” Greeks who would attend synagogue services of the Jews – but were rather direct converts from paganism. That is why this church later would have issues such as problems with various factions (1 Cor. 3); sexual immorality (1 Cor. 5, 7); lawsuits (1 Cor. 6); and whether to eat food offered to idols (1 Cor. 8). Be that as it may, Luke mentions that Paul left the synagogue and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God (God-fearer) – not necessarily to stay there (he probably continued to lodge with Aquila and Priscilla), but to emphasize that this house became the meeting place of the new Christian community (instead of the synagogue). Indeed, Luke – to heighten the irony – specifically mentions that this new meeting place was located next door to the synagogue and that even the official of the synagogue, Crispus, became a believer together with all his household. (Crispus is later mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:14.) Finally, Luke notes that Paul again had a vision from Jesus to instruct and encourage him (as before perhaps before in Acts 16:7), and that Paul stayed in Corinth for about a year and six months (probably much longer than he had originally intended). CHAPTER 18:12-17 “Impartial Roman Justice” “But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal. They said, “This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the law.” Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of crime or serious villainy, I would be justified in accepting the complaint of you Jews; but since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I do not wish to be a judge of these matters.” And he dismissed them from the tribunal. Then all of them seized Sosthenes, the official of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of these things.” Lucius Junius Gallio was the elder brother of Seneca, a famous Roman senator. Seneca wrote that “Even those who love my brother Gallio to the utmost of their power do not love him enough,” and also “No man was ever as sweet to one as Gallio is to all.” Gallio began to serve as proconsul of Achaia in 51 C.E. – and it seems apparent that Paul’s Jewish opponents thought that a new governor might yield to pressure (as Pilate had from Jesus’ accusers). Gallio, however, is obviously not like Pontius Pilate was. He knew that Paul was not guilty of any infraction again Roman law, and he refused to use the power of his office to intervene against him. Even though the Jews then seized Sosthenes (later mentioned in 1 Cor. 1:1), Gallio refused to get involved in what he saw as being a strictly religious dispute among various Jewish sects. Some have condemned Gallio for not helping Sosthenes, but it seems likely that Luke simply wants to emphasize again that Gallio is truly impartial. CHAPTER 18:18-23 “End of the Second Missionary Journey and Beginning of the Third” “After staying there for a considerable time, Paul said farewell to the believers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut, for he was under a vow. When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, but first he himself went into the synagogue and had a discussion with the Jews. When they asked him to stay longer, he declined; but on taking leave of them, he said, “I will return to you, if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. After spending some time there he departed and went from place to place through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.” Luke’s account of Paul’s visit to Ephesus, Caesarea, Jerusalem, and Antioch is curiously brief and vague. In many aspects it parallels Luke’s more extensive account of Paul’s return to Jerusalem following his third missionary journey in chapters 20 and 21. The details are sparse but significant. First, Luke states that Paul was accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila (note that in this case her name is listed first). We can surmise by their omission that Silas and Timothy stayed behind in Corinth. Cenchreae was the eastern port of Corinth. The cutting of his hair was a Nazirite vow (Num. 6:1-21). During the days of a Nazirite vow a person was to abstain from all wine and anything produced by the grapevine, nor go near a corpse. At the end of the vow, the person was to shave his/her consecrated head at the tent of meeting (later the temple) and offer a special offering. The terminology used by Luke is rather ambiguous – but apparently Paul was beginning a Nazarite vow when he had his hair cut and then completed the vow (not recounted by Luke on this trip) when he came to Jerusalem. Luke later tells about Paul going through the purification rite and paying the offering (for himself and four others) at the completion of his third missionary journey in Acts 21:23-26). The account as a whole seems to illustrate that Paul – even though he by now was actively evangelizing among Gentiles – was still a faithful Jew. He takes a Nazirite vow; he has a discussion (not “argument” this time!) with the Jews at Ephesus (they even ask him to stay longer!); he goes to Jerusalem and greets the church there (thus showing his continuing fellowship with them and specifically James). After greeting the church in Jerusalem Paul then returns to his “home church” in Antioch and spends “some time” there. Finally, Paul begins his third and final missionary journey by returning to the regions of Galatia and Phrygia in Asia Minor – where he had previously founded communities of believers. (Later, he would move on to Ephesus where he will stay for nearly three years; then to Macedonia again; then back to Troas; and then finally back to Miletus, Tyre, Caesarea, and then to Jerusalem.)
CHAPTER 18:24-28 “The Ministry of Apollos” “Now there came to Ephesus a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria. He was an eloquent man, well-versed in the scriptures. He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord; and he spoke with burning enthusiasm and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately. And when he wished to cross over to Achaia, the believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. On his arrival he greatly helped those who through grace had become believers, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.” Luke here “digresses” by introducing us to the ministry of Apollos. He was a native of Alexandria, Egypt. Alexandria was one of the great centers of Judaism with about one million Jews. As William Barclay notes in his Daily Study Bible commentary, Alexandria was the city of scholars. It was there that the Old Testament was translated into Greek (the Septuagint). Many of the Jewish scholars believed in the allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament. They believed that not only did the Old Testament record history but also that every recorded event had an inner meaning. As Barclay notes, Apollos because of this background would be exceedingly useful in convincing the Jews, for he would be able to find Christ all over the Old Testament and to prove to them that the Old Testament looked forward all the time to his coming. Luke states that at first Apollos “knew only the baptism of John.” He will also have another section on “John’s baptism vs. baptism in the name of Jesus” in chapter 19:1-7 immediately following this. Some Bible scholars believe that this means that he (and the “disciples” in Acts 19:1-7) were followers of John the Baptist rather than Jesus. More likely in my (Pastor George) opinion, the distinction is between John’s simple “baptism of repentance” and being baptized “in the name of Jesus” and then receiving the Holy Spirit. In other words, even though Apollos knew about and “taught accurately the things concerning Jesus”, he had not yet fully received the power of the Holy Spirit which came through being baptized in Jesus’ name. THAT is what Priscilla and Aquila helped him to understand (and presumably, then baptized him “in the name of Jesus”). SIDE-POINT: Note that in Acts, there is no mention of Trinitarian baptism. Baptism is always done “in the name of Jesus” and is also always connected with the gift of the Holy Spirit (see Acts 2:38). Luke almost casually mentions Apollos’ ministry in Achaia (Corinth). We know from 1 Corinthians that Apollos became a very important leader in the church there. When addressing the issue of factionalism in that church, Paul mentions that some claimed to “belong to Apollos” (1 Cor. 1:12); and then later he and Apollos are both God’s servants working together (1 Cor. 3:1-9). SIDE-POINT #2: The author of the New Testament book of Hebrews is unknown, but Martin Luther was of the opinion that Apollos was probably the author. I (Pastor George) share that opinion, because it is certainly a work of one who was very familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures (as Apollos was) – and could also see “inner meanings” concerning Jesus as the Messiah in them (as Apollos certainly did). We do not know for certain whether Apollos actually wrote Hebrews, but we DO know that he was certainly a major leader in the early church, especially in Corinth and probably throughout the entire known world. -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
|
||||
