| Acts 14 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Acts 15:22–24 in Latin (left column) and Greek (right column) inCodex Laudianus, written about AD 550. | |
| Book | Acts of the Apostles |
| Category | Church history |
| Christian Bible part | New Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 5 |
Acts 14 is the fourteenth chapter of theActs of the Apostles in theNew Testament of theChristianBible. It records the first missionary journey ofPaul andBarnabas toPhrygia andLycaonia. The book containing this chapter isanonymous but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed thatLuke composed this book as well as theGospel of Luke.[1]
The original text was written inKoine Greek.This chapter is divided into 28 verses.
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:
This chapter mentions the following places (in order of appearance):
The first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas took place about AD 47–48.[5]
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Paul and his companions went out ofAntioch in Pisidia to the east, apparently following theRoman road (Via Sebaste) which connects the Roman colonies of Antioch,Iconium (modern:Konya; 150 kilometres (93 mi) to the southeast) andLystra (30 km further to the southwest).[6] Although the initial responses of bothJews and Greeks in the Iconiumsynagogue is positive (verse 1), the account focuses less on the church's foundation story, and more on the repeated opposition from "unbelieving Jews" or (in theaorist tense) "Jews who had decided against belief" in these cities.[7]
This man's needs and circumstances match those of the man healed byPeter andJohn inActs 3:2.[9] TheologiansMatthias Schneckenburger [de],Ferdinand Christian Baur, andEduard Zeller considered that this narrative originated "from an imitation of the narrative of the earlier Petrine miracle in chapter 3".[10]
The Roman poetOvid told of an ancient legend in whichZeus andHermes came to thePhrygian hill country disguised as mortals seeking lodging. After being turned away from a thousand homes, they found refuge in the humble cottage of an elderly couple. In appreciation for the couple's hospitality, the gods transformed the cottage into a temple with a golden roof and marble columns. All the houses of the inhospitable people were then destroyed. This ancient legend may be the reason that the people treated Paul and Barnabas as gods. After witnessing the healing of the cripple, they did not want to make the same mistake as their ancestors.[12] Ancient inscriptions confirm the existence of the local pre-Greek language ("Lycaonian") in that period, as well as the joint worship of Zeus and Hermes in the area.[13]
With this verse there is an "abrupt return" to summary mode and to the theme ofChristian persecution.[7] Although the stoning of Paul was undertaken by "Jews from Antioch and Iconium",Henry Alford suggests that "they stoned him, not in theJewish method, but tumultuously and in the streets, dragging him out of the city afterwards".[15] Paul refers to the event in2 Corinthians 11:25.[15]
After Paul had been stoned and supposed dead in Lystra (verse 19), he and Barnabas departed the next day for Derbe (Greek:εξηλθεν ... εις δερβην; 100 kilometres (62 mi) to the southeast of Lystra).[6] Manytranslations render this text as 'and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe',[17] implying they traveled within one day, but as it is about 60 miles from Lystra to the likely site of Derbe, Bastian van Elderen has stated that Acts 14:20 must be translated as 'on the next day he set out with Barnabas towards (or for) Derbe'.[18]
From Derbe, Paul and Barnabas began the journey back toAntioch, Pisidia, while consolidation of the newly planted churches along the way: 'strengthening the soul and encouraging believers to remain in the faith (verse 22) in person as Paul later does with his letters (cf.1 Thessalonians 2:14—16;3:2—4).[7] The term "Elders" (Greek:πρεσβυτέρους,presbyterous) is used by Paul as church officials in the Pastoral epistles (Titus 1:5;1 Timothy 5:17,19), along with another termepiskopoi (Acts 20:28; cf.Philippians 1:1).[7]
This section records the conclusion of the journey, tracing the traversed region along the land road until reaching Attalia, where they sailed toSeleucia, the sea port ofAntioch inSyria (verses 24–26). The missionary church received a 'formal report' on the accomplished work (verses 26–27), especially the opening of a 'door of faith' for the Gentiles (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:12).[7]
