In connection with this first miracle of the apostle of Tarsus, it
is mentioned by the historian of the Acts of the Apostles, that Saul
thenceforth bore the name of Paul, and the reader is thence fairly
led to suppose, that the name was taken from that of Sergius Paul,
who is the most important personage concerned in the event; and being
the first eminent man who is specified as having been converted by
the apostle, seems therefore to deserve, in this case, the honor of
conferring a new name on the wonder-working Saul. This coincidence
between the name and the occasion, may be justly esteemed sufficient
ground for assuming this as the true origin of the name by which the
apostle was ever after designated,――which he applies to himself in his
writings, and by which he is always mentioned throughout the Christian
world, in all ages. With the name of “Saul of Tarsus,” there were
too many evil associations already inseparably connected, in the
minds of all the Jewish inhabitants of the east, and the troublesome
character of those prevalent impressions having been perhaps
particularly obvious to the apostle, during his first missionary tour,
he seized this honorable occasion, to exchange it for one that had no
such evil associations; and he was therefore afterwards known only by
the name of PAUL.
Embarking at Paphos, the apostles, after doubling cape Acamas, the most
western point of the island, sailed northwestward, towards the northern
coast of Asia Minor,――and after a voyage of about two hundred miles,
reached Perga, a city in Pamphylia. This place was not a sea-port, but
stood on the west bank of the river Cestrus, about eight miles from the
sea. It was there built by the Attalian kings of south-western Asia,
and was by them made the most splendid city of Pamphylia. Near the
town, and on a rising ground, was a very famous temple of Diana, to
which every year resorted a grand religious assembly, to celebrate
the worship of this great Asian goddess. In such a strong hold
of heathenism, the apostles must have found much occasion for the
preaching of the gospel; but the historian of their Acts gives no
account of anything here said or done by them, and only mentions that
at this place their companion, John Mark, gave up his ministration with
them, and returned to Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas then went on without
him, to the north, and proceeded, without any material delay, directly
through Pamphylia, and over the ranges of Taurus, through Pisidia, into
Phrygia Katakekaumene, where they made some stay at the city of Antioch,
which was distinguished from the great capital of Syria bearing the
same royal name, by being called “Antioch of Pisidia,” because, though
really within the boundaries of Phrygia, it was often numbered among
the cities of the province next south, near whose borders it stood,
and was therefore associated with the towns of Pisidia by those who
lived south and east of them. At this place the apostles probably
arrived towards the last of the week, and reposing here on the
sabbath, they went into the Jewish synagogue, along with the usual
worshiping assembly, and took their seats quietly among the rest.
After the regular service of the day (consisting of the reading of
select portions of the law and the prophets) was over, the minister
of the synagogue, according to custom, gave an invitation to the
apostles to preach to the people, if they felt disposed to do so. It
should be noticed, that in the Jewish synagogues, there was no regular
person appointed to preach, the _minister_ being only a sort of reader,
who conducted the devotions of the meeting, and chanted the lessons
from the Scriptures, as arranged for each sabbath. When these regular
duties were over, the custom was to invite a discourse from any person
disposed or qualified to address the people,――the whole being always
thus conducted somewhat on the plan of a modern “conference meeting.”
On this day, the minister, noticing two grave and intelligent-looking
persons among the worshipers, joining devoutly in the service of God,
and perceiving them to be of a higher order than most of the assembly,
or perhaps having received a previous hint of the fact that they
were well-qualified religious teachers, who had valuable doctrines to
communicate to the people,――sent word to them, “Brethren! if you have
any word of exhortation for the people, say on.” Paul then,――as usual,
taking the precedence of Barnabas in speaking, on account of his own
superior endowments as an orator,――addressed the meeting, beginning
with the usual form of words, accompanied with a graceful gesticulation,
beseeching their favor. “Men of Israel! and you that fear God! give
your attention.” The two different classes of persons included in
this formula, are evidently, first, those who were Jews by birth
and education, and second, those devout Gentiles who reverenced the
God of Israel and conformed to the law of Moses, worshiping with the
Jews on the sabbath. Paul, in his sermon, which was of considerable
length, began in the usual form of an apostolic discourse to the
Jews, by recurring to the early Hebrew history, and running over the
great leading events and persons mentioned in their sacred writings,
that might be considered as preparing the way for the Messiah. Then,
proceeding to the narration of the most important points in the history
of the new dispensation, he applied all the quoted predictions of
the inspired men of old, to the man Christ Jesus, whom they now
preached. The substance of his discourse was, that in Jesus Christ were
fully accomplished those splendid prophecies contained in the Psalms,
concerning the future glories of the line of David; and more especially
that by his attested resurrection he had fulfilled the words spoken
by the Psalmist, of the triumphs of the “Holy One” over the grave
and corruption. Paul thus concluded,――“Be it known to you therefore,
brethren, that through this man is preached to you forgiveness of sins;
and every one that believes in him is justified from all things, from
which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Beware therefore,
lest that come upon you which is spoken by the prophets,――‘See! you
despisers! and wonder and be amazed; for I will do a work in your days,
which you shall not believe, even if one should tell it to you.’” These
denunciatory concluding words are from the prophet Habakkuk, where he
is foretelling to the Israelites of his day, the devastating invasion
of the Chaldeans; and the apostle in quoting them, aimed to impress
his hearers with the certainty of similar evils to fall upon their
nation,――evils so tremendous, that they might naturally disbelieve the
warning, if it should give them the awful particulars of the coming
ruin, but whose solemn truth they would, nevertheless, too soon learn
in its actual accomplishment. These words being directed in a rather
bitter tone of warning to the Jews in particular, that portion of the
audience do not appear to have been much pleased with his address; but
while the most of them were retiring from the synagogue, the Gentiles
declared their high satisfaction with the discourse, and expressed
an earnest desire that it might be repeated to them on the next
sabbath,――a request with which ministers in these modern times are very
rarely complimented by their congregations. After the meeting broke
up, many of the audience were so loth to part with preachers of this
extraordinary character, that they followed the apostles to their
lodgings. These were mostly the religious proselytes from the heathen
who worshiped with the Jews in the synagogue, but some even of the
Jews were so well satisfied with what they had heard, that they also
accompanied the throng that followed the apostles. Paul and Barnabas
did not suffer this occasion to pass unimproved; but as they went along,
discoursed to the company, exhorting them to stand fast in the grace
of God. They continued in the city through the week, and meanwhile the
fame of their doctrines and their eloquence extended so fast and so
far, that when on the next sabbath they went to the synagogue to preach
according to promise, almost the whole city came pouring in, along with
them, to hear the word of God. But when the Jews, who had already been
considerably displeased by the manner in which they had been addressed
the last sabbath, saw the multitudes which were thronging to hear these
new interlopers, they were filled with envy, and when Paul renewed
his discourse, they openly disputed him,――denied his conclusions, and
abused him, and his doctrine. Paul and Barnabas, justly indignant at
this exhibition of meanness, that thus set itself against the progress
of the truth among the Gentiles, from whom the Jews, not content with
rejecting the gospel themselves, would also exclude the light of the
word,――boldly declared to them――“It was necessary that the word of God
should be first spoken to you; but since you have cast it off, and thus
evince yourselves unworthy of everlasting life,――behold, we turn to the
heathen. For thus did God command us, ‘I have set thee for a light to
the _heathen_, that thou mightest be for their salvation, even to the
uttermost part of the earth.’” And the heathen hearing this, rejoiced,
and glorified the word of the Lord, and many of them believed, to their
everlasting salvation. And the word of God was spread throughout that
whole country; but the opposition of the Jews increasing in proportion
to the progress of the faith of Christ, a great disturbance was raised
against the apostles among the aristocracy of the city, who favored
the Jews, and more especially among the women of high family, who were
proselytes; and the result of the commotion was, that the apostles
were driven out of the city. Paul and Barnabas, in conformity to the
original injunction of Jesus to the twelve, shook off the dust of their
feet, as an expressive testimony against them,――and turning eastward,
came to another city, named Iconium, in Lycaonia, the most eastern
province of Phrygia.
Lycaonia is a province of Asia Minor, accounted the southern
part of Cappadocia, having Isauria on the west, Armenia Minor
on the east, and Cilicia on the south. Its chief cities are
all mentioned in this chapter xiv. _viz._, Iconium, Lystra, and
Derbe. They spake _in the Lycaonian tongue_, verse 10, which is
generally understood to have been a corrupt Greek, intermingled
with many Syriac words.――Horne’s Introduction.
Iconium was the capital of Lycaonia, and is mentioned by the Grecian
and Roman writers, before and after the apostolic times, as a place
of some importance; but nothing definite is known of its size and
character. It appears, at any rate, from the apostolic record, that
this flourishing city was one of the numerous centers of the Jewish
population, that filled so much of Asia Minor; and here, according
to their custom, the apostles made their first communication of the
gospel, in the Jewish synagogue. Entering this place of worship, they
spoke with such effect, that a great number both of Greeks and Jews
were thoroughly convinced of the truth of the Christian doctrine, and
professed their faith in Jesus. But, as usual, there was in Iconium
a great residue of bigoted adherents to the Mosaic faith, who could
appreciate neither the true scope of the ancient dispensation, nor the
perfection of gospel truth; and a set of these fellows undertook to
make trouble for the apostles, in the same way that it had been done
at the Pisidian Antioch. Not having power or influence enough among
themselves to effect any great mischief, they were obliged to resort
to the expedient of exciting the ill-will of the Gentile inhabitants
and rulers of the city, against the objects of their mischievous
designs,――and in this instance were successful, inasmuch as “they made
their minds disaffected against the brethren.” But in spite of all
this opposition, thus powerfully manifested, “long time they abode
there, speaking boldly in the Lord,” who did not fail to give them the
ever-promised support of his presence, but “gave testimony to the word
of his grace, and caused signs and miracles to be done by their hands.”
The immediate effect of this bold maintenance of the truth was, that
they soon made a strong impression on the feelings of the mass of the
people, and created among them a disposition to defend the preachers
of the word of heavenly grace, against the malice of their haters. The
consequence of course was, that the whole city was directly divided
into two great parties, one for and the other against the apostles. On
one hand the supporters of the Jewish faction were bent upon driving
out the innovators from the city, and on the other, the numerous
audiences, who had been interested in the preaching of Paul and
Barnabas, were perfectly determined to stand by the apostles at
all hazards, and the whole city seems to have been on the eve of a
regular battle about this difference. But it did not suit the apostles’
scheme to make use of such means for their own advancement or defence;
and hearing that a grand crisis in affairs was approaching, in the
opposition of the Jewish faction, they took the resolution of evading
the difficulty, by withdrawing themselves quietly from the scene of
commotion, in which there was but very little prospect of being useful,
just then. The whole gang of their opponents, both Gentiles and Jews,
rulers and commonalty, having turned out for the express purpose of
executing popular vengeance on these odious agitators, by abusing and
pelting them, the apostles, on getting notice of the scheme, moved off,
before the mob could lay hands on them, and soon got beyond their reach,
in other cities.
These fugitives from popular vengeance, after having so narrowly
escaped being sacrificed to public opinion, turned their course
southward, and stopped next on their adventurous route at the city of
Lystra, also within Lycaonia, where they preached the gospel, and not
only in the city and its immediate vicinity, but also throughout the
whole surrounding region, and in the neighboring towns. In the progress
of their labors in Lystra, they one day were preaching in the presence
of a man who had been lame from his birth, being in exactly the same
predicament with the cripple who was the subject of the first miracle
of Peter and John, in the temple. This unfortunate auditor of Paul and
Barnabas believed the word of truth which they preached; and as he sat
among the rest, being noticed by the former apostle, was recognized as
a true believer. Looking earnestly on him, Paul, without questioning
him at all as to his faith, said to him at once, in a loud voice, “Rise,
and stand on thy feet.” Instantly the man sprang up, and walked. When
the people saw this amazing and palpable miracle, they cried out, in
their Lycaonian dialect, “The gods are come down to us in the likeness
of men.” Struck with this notion, they immediately sought to designate
the individual deities who had thus honored the city of Lystra with
their presence; and at once recognized in the stately form, and solemn,
silent majesty of Barnabas, the awful front of JUPITER, the Father
of all the gods; and as for the lively, mercurial person attending
upon him, and acting, on all occasions, as the spokesman, with such
vivid, burning eloquence,――who could he be but the attendant and
agent of Jupiter, HERMES, the god of eloquence and of travelers? Full
of this conceit, and anxious to testify their devout sense of this
condescension, the citizens bustled about, and with no small parade
brought out a solemn sacrificial procession, with oxen and garlands,
headed by the priests of Jupiter, and were proceeding to offer a
sacrifice in solemn form to the divine personages who had thus veiled
their dignity in human shape, when the apostles, horror-struck at this
degrading exhibition of the idolatrous spirit against which they were
warring, and without a single sensation of pride or gratitude for this
great compliment done them, ran in among the people, rending their
clothes in the significant and fantastic gesture of true Orientals,
and cried out with great earnestness, “Sirs! what do you mean? We also
are men of like constitutions with yourselves, and we preach to you
with the express intent that you should turn from these follies to
the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea, and all that is in
them.――He, indeed, in times past, left all nations to walk in their
own ways. Yet he left himself not wholly without witness of his being
and goodness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and
fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” With
these words of splendid eloquence and magnificent conception bursting
from their lips in the inspiration of the moment,――the apostles,
with no small ado, stopped the idolatrous folly of the Lystrans, who
probably felt and looked very silly, when the mistake into which they
had been drawn by a mere mob-cry, was shown to them. Indignant, not
so much at themselves, who alone were truly blamable for the error, as
against the persons who were the nobly innocent occasions of it,――they
were in a state of feeling to overbalance this piece of extravagance
by another,――much more wicked, because it was not mere nonsense, but
downright cruelty. When, therefore, certain spiteful Jews came to
Lystra from Antioch and Iconium, from which places they had been
hunting, like hounds, on the track of the apostles, and told their
abusive lies to the people about the character of these two strange
travelers, the foolish Lystrans were easily persuaded to crown their
absurdity by falling upon Paul, who seemed to be the person most active
in the business. Having seized him, before he could slip out of their
hands, as he usually did from his persecutors, they pelted him with
such effect that he fell down as if dead; and they, with no small
alacrity, dragged him out of the city as a mere carcase. But the mob
had hardly dispersed, when he rose up, to the great wonder of the
brethren who stood mourning about him, and went back with them into
the city. The whole of this interesting series of events is a firm
testimony to the honesty of the apostolic narrative, exhibiting,
as it does, so fairly, the most natural, and at the same time, the
most contemptible tendencies of the human character. Never was there
given such a beautiful illustration of the value and moral force of
public opinion! unless, perhaps, in the very similar case of Jesus, in
Jerusalem:――“Hosanna,” to-day, and “Crucify him,” to-morrow. One moment,
exalting the apostles to the name and honors of the highest of all the
gods; the next, pelting them through the streets, and kicking them out
of the city as a nuisance. The Bible is everywhere found to be just so
bitterly true to human nature, and the whole world cannot furnish a
story in which the character and moral value of popular movements are
better exhibited than in the adventures of the apostles, as recorded by
Luke.
Acts xiv. 12. “It has been inquired why the Lystrans suspected
that Paul and Barnabas were Mercury and Jupiter? To this it may
be answered, 1st. that the ancients supposed the gods especially
visited those cities which were sacred to them. Now from
verse 13, it appears that _Jupiter_ was worshiped among these
people; and that Mercury too was, there is no reason to doubt,
considering how general his worship would be in so commercial a
tract of Maritime Asia. (Gughling de Paulo Mercurio, p. 9, and
Walch Spic. Antiquities, Lystra, p. 9.) How then was it that the
priest of Mercury did not also appear? This would induce one
rather to suppose that there was no temple to Mercury at Lystra.
Probably the worship of that god was confined to the _sea-coast_;
whereas Lystra was in the interior and mountainous country. 2. It
appears from mythological history, that Jupiter was thought to
generally descend on earth accompanied by _Mercury_. See Plautus,
Amphitryon, 1, 1, 1. Ovid, Metamorphoses, 8, 626, and Fasti,
5, 495. 3. It was a very common story, and no doubt, familiar
to the Lystrans, that Jupiter and Mercury formerly traversed
Phrygia together, and were received by Philemon and Baucis.
(See Ovid, Metamorphoses, 8, 611, Gelpke in Symbol. ad Interp.
Acts xiv. 12.) Mr. Harrington has yet more appositely observed,
(in his _Works_, p. 330,) that this persuasion might gain
the more easily on the minds of the Lycaonians, on account of
the well-known fable of Jupiter and Mercury, who were said to
have descended from heaven in human shape, and to have been
entertained by Lycaon, from whom the Lycaonians received their
name.
“But it has been further inquired why they took Barnabas for
Jupiter, and Paul for Mercury. Chrysostom observes, (and after
him Mr. Fleming, Christology Vol. II. p. 226,) that the heathens
represented Jupiter as an old but vigorous man, of a noble and
majestic aspect, and a large robust make, which therefore he
supposes might be the form of Barnabas; whereas Mercury appeared
young, little, and nimble, as Paul might probably do, since
he was yet in his youth. A more probable reason, however, and
indeed the true one, (as given by Luke,) is, that Paul was so
named, _because he was the leading speaker_. Now it was well
known that Mercury was the god of eloquence. So Horace, Carmen
Saeculare, 1, 10, 1. Mercuri facunde nepos Atlantis Qui feros
cultus hominum recentum Voce formasti cantus. Ovid, Fasti,
5, 688. Macrobius, Saturnalia, 8, 8. Hence he is called by
Jamblichus, de Mysteriis, θεὸς ὁ των λόγων ἡγεμὼν, a passage
exactly the counterpart to the present one, which we may render,
‘for he had led the discourse.’” (Bloomfield’s Annotations, New
Testament, Vol. IV. c. xiv. § 12.)
“They called Paul Mercury, because he was the chief speaker,”
verse 12. Mercury was the god of eloquence. Justin Martyr says
Paul is λόγος ἑρμηνευτικὸς καὶ πάντων διδάσκαλος, _the word;
that is, the interpreter and teacher of all men_. Apology ii. p.
67. Philo informs us that Mercury is called Hermes, ὡς Ἑρμηνέα
καὶ προφήτην τῶν θειων, _as being the interpreter and prophet of
divine things_, apud Eusebius, Praeparatio evangelica, Lib. iii.
c. 2. He is called by Porphyry παραστατικὸς, _the exhibitor or
representor of reason and eloquence_. Seneca says he was called
Mercury, _quia ratio penes illum est_. De Beneficiis, Lib. iv.
cap. 7.――Calmet, Whitby, Stackhouse.
All this pelting and outcry, however, made not the slightest impression
on Paul and Barnabas, nor had the effect of deterring them from the
work, which they had so unpropitiously carried on. Knowing, as they did,
how popular violence always exhausts itself in its frenzy, they without
hesitation immediately returned by the same route over which they had
been just driven by such a succession of popular outrages. The day
after Paul had been stoned and stunned by the people of Lystra, he left
that city with Barnabas, and both directed their course eastward to
Derbe, where they preached the gospel and taught many. Then turning
directly back, they came again to Lystra, then to Iconium, and then
to Antioch, in all of which cities they had just been so shamefully
treated. In each of these places, they sought to strengthen the faith
of the disciples, earnestly exhorting them to continue in the Christian
course, and warning them that they must expect to attain the blessings
of the heavenly kingdom, only through much trial and suffering. On
this return journey they now formally constituted regular worshiping
assemblies of Christians in all the places from which they had before
been so tumultuously driven as to be prevented from perfecting their
good work,――ordaining elders in every church thus constituted, and
solemnly, with fasting and prayer, commending them to the Lord on whom
they believed. Still keeping the same route on which they had come,
they now turned southward into Pamphylia, and came again to Perga. From
this place, they went down to Attalia, a great city south of Perga,
on the coast of Pamphylia, founded by Attalus Philadelphus, king of
Pergamus. At this port, they embarked for the coast of Syria, and soon
arrived at Antioch, from which they had been commended to the favor of
God, on this adventurous journey. On their arrival, the whole church
was gathered to hear the story of their doings and sufferings, and to
this eager assembly, the apostles then recounted all that happened to
them in the providence of God, their labors, their trials, dangers,
and hair-breadth escapes, and the crowning successes in which all these
providences had resulted; and more especially did they set forth in
what a signal manner, during this journey, the door of Christ’s kingdom
had been opened to the Gentiles, after the rejection of the truth
by the unbelieving Jews; and thus happily ended PAUL’S FIRST GREAT
APOSTOLIC MISSION.
Bishop Pearson here allots three years for these journeys of the
apostles, viz. 45, 46, and 47, and something more. But Calmet,
Tillemont, Dr. Lardner, Bishop Tomline, and Dr. Hales, allow two
years for this purpose, viz. 45 and 46; which period corresponds
with our Bible chronology. (Williams on Pearson.)