Acts 16:1-17:34

ROMAN PROVINCES

Rome's primary administrative division for its overseas territories was that of the province. Although the use of the term province is rare in the New Testament (only in Acts 23:34; 25:1), there are many references to the provinces by name.
The Roman provincial system was set up over subject territories as a means of maintaining peace and collecting tribute. In the NT period (mid-first century A.D.) there were thirty-two such provinces in all. Eleven were designated as senatorial provinces under the jurisdiction of a proconsul, who usually served a one-year term of office.
Senatorial provinces were those territories where the peace was secure, and the proconsul usually had only a small military detachment under his command. In contrast were the twenty-one imperial provinces. These were under the jurisdiction of an imperial legate (or governor) who was appointed by the Roman emperor and served an open-ended term of office.
Full Roman legions (six thousand soldiers) were maintained in imperial provinces, since these were territories along the frontiers of the empire or places where revolt against Roman rule might arise.
In Addition to the provinces were territories under the rule of a client-king, who was loyal to Rome and paid tribute to the empire. Many of the first-century provinces originated as such client-states, which were eventually ceded to Rome by the rulers. Thus Bithynia became a province in 74 B.C. when its king turned it over to direct Roman rule.
In the same manner Pamphylia became a province in 189 B.C.; Galatia, in 25 B.C.; and Cappadocia, in A.D. 17. Other territories were organized into provinces after Rome conquered them in war, such as Macedonia and Achaia in 148 B.C.
The official status of Judea is somewhat unclear. It was a client-state under Herod and his sons but later came under Roman procurators during the ministries of Jesus and Paul. During this period it still may have maintained its client-state status, with the procurator sharing jurisdiction with the Jewish high priest and being subject to the governor of Syria.
After the Roman suppression of the Jewish revolt in A.D. 70, Judea was definitely organized as a Roman imperial province.
One often encounters provincial names in Paul's Letters and in the Pauline portion of Acts. Paul himself was born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, which in his day was a part of the province of Syria. Likewise in Syria were Damascus, where Paul was converted, and Antioch, where the church was located that sponsored him on his missionary journeys.
On his first mission Paul worked in the senatorial province of Crete and converted the Roman proconsul there (Acts 13:12). From Crete, Paul went to Perga in the imperial province of Pamphylia and from there to Lystra, Antioch, and Iconium, all cities in his day belonging to the imperial province of Galatia.
On his second missionary journey Paul worked in the Greek-speaking senatorial provinces of Macedonia and Achaia. Philippi and Thessalonica are located in Macedonia; Athens and Corinth are located in Achaia. The primary focus of his journey was Ephesus, capital of the senatorial province of Asia. Other provinces mentioned briefly in the Acts narrative of Paul's journeys are Bithynia, along the Black Sea, and Lycia, just west of Pamphylia and under joint provincial administration with it.
Paul preferred to use provincial names when referring to these churches rather than the cities where the churches were located "Achaia" was his word for Corinth, and "Asia" was his word for Ephesus. When he spoke of "Macedonia", it was not always clear whether he had Philippi or Thessalonica in mind.
Other NT writers referred to the Roman provinces. First Peter is addressed to the Christians in the provinces of Asia Minor - former Bithynia, Galatia, Asia, and Cappadocia (1:1). Revelation is addressed to seven churches in the province of Asia (1:4). The geographical term "Italy" also appears in the NT (Acts 27:6; Heb. 13:24). Italy is the term used for the territory under direct Roman jurisdiction as distinct from its foreign territories. In the first century all Italians from just north of Florence to the boot of Italy were considered citizens of the city of Rome.

Acts 16:1 Lystra (HBH) The second missionary foray from Antioch began as an attempt to retrace Paul's earlier journey. It led Paul even further away from Palestine, into Greece itself.

Paul's first evangelistic tour went as far as Lystra and Derbe. When Paul and Barnabas left that area of Asia Minor the Jews were so opposed to their ministry that the missionaries had been forced to leave rather hurriedly. Now Paul returned to this area as a foundation for the work that was to be done. Paul's stated purpose for this trip was to strengthen the churches that had been established in the earlier journey. The focus of his visit to Lystra, however, was upon one previously made a disciple in that town: Timothy. Paul accepted the recommendation of the believers in the area and took Timothy as a companion. Paul circumcised Timothy in order to make his presence acceptable to Jewish Christians. This circumcision was justified on the basis that Timothy was, by virtue of his mother's family, Jewish. By the decision of the Jerusalem Council, Timothy's circumcision should not have been necessary; obviously Paul found Timothy's circumcision to be an asset to his ministry.

Acts 16:1-5 See section 3 of "Truth in Action" at the end of Acts.

Acts 16:3 Timothy becomes Paul's disciple and, later, the addressee of the two letters that bear its name.

Acts 16:3 Paul, the greatest defender of the doctrine of salvation through grace, circumcised Timothy (whose mother was Jewish) so he could take him into the synagogues. This wasn't done to fulfill the Jewish ritual, but as a Christian act of acquiescence. It constituted a mature acknowledgment of the fact that social, cultural and even religious differences, should never become more important than the simple message of salvation in Christ. See I Corinthians 9:19-23.

KINGDOM DYNAMICS

Acts 16:6-10 Dreams and visions, LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS. On his missionary journey, Paul planned a journey to the north, to Bithynia. But that night he dreamed about a man who said, "Come to Macedonia and help us" (v.9). Because of this dream or vision, the Apostle changed his route. This manifests a character trait of leaders who are guided by the Holy Spirit. The impious leaders of the world consult the horoscope and diviners, in search of directions for their lives, but pious Christian leaders seek the direction of the LORD 1) through the written Word, the Bible, and 2) through dreams and visions (2:17). Their minds are cleansed of impurity (II Cor. 10:5), and don't conform to the standards of this world, but are transformed by the renewing of their mind (Rom. 12:2). They have to put their sight and affections on the things from above and not on those of the earth (Col. 3:2). For that reason, when the Holy Spirit speaks to them through visions (diurnal mental images) and dreams (revelations during a dream), they hear the message without difficulty (see also Psa. 16:7; Acts 9:10; 10:3,17; 18:9). (Acts 2:22/13:1-3). J.B.

Acts 16:6-40 Philippi (HBH) Paul and his companions had been traveling throughout the western half of Asia Minor, strengthening existing churches and beginning new ones. They traveled all the way to the Black Sea in the north, and Paul wished to enter the Roman province of Bithynia in order to spread the gospel. He was prohibited from doing so by the Spirit. Instead, at the city of Troas (an important city on the western coast of Asia Minor) Paul had a vision of a man from the Greek province of Macedonia, who begged him to come to Greece and "help" the citizens of Macedonia (16:9).

Once again the Spirit had guided the movement of the gospel. Rather than moving toward the northern part of Asia Minor, as Paul desired, the gospel had now been pointed toward the western world.

The narrative changed from third person to first person with 16:10. This begins one of the "we" passages that have been so puzzling to scholars. Some have explained the switch as the use of a source; Luke perhaps had an itinerary of Paul's movements. Others have suggested that the switch from third person to first person was merely a literary device, designed to lend more authority to the narrator. Noting that this "we" section begins and ends with Philippi, the second of the "we" sections begins again when the missionaries return to Philippi (20:5-15), and that Philippi receives a great deal of attention and detail, others have concluded that Luke was a part of Paul's vision and a resident of Philippi.

Luke described Philippi as "the leading city of that district of Macedonia" (16:12). Since Thessalonica was the capital city of the province, Luke's description of Philippi probably was an attempt to show the relative importance of the city. It was a Roman colony that had been given the legal status of an Italian city, a unique honor. The Philippians were proud of their citizenship.

Philippi did not have a synagogue. Instead, those Jews who wished to worship met outside the city for prayer. In the case of Philippi, many of these were women. Paul and his companions sought out these women "on the Sabbath" and spoke to them (16:13). A woman named Lydia (or perhaps from the province of Lydia) and her household responded in faith to Paul's message. Their baptism established the church in Philippi. The church was increased through the addition of the Philippian jailer and his family. Paul and Silas were in jail, accused of rebellion against Roman law. GOD gave them the opportunity to escape (a clear parallel to Peter's experience in Acts 12), but they chose, instead, to lead the jailer and his family to salvation.

Two things should be noted about Paul's ministry in Philippi. First, the church was very influential in the ministry of Paul. It was strategically located, and the members of the church had significant social and economic influence. Second, the charges against Paul and Silas were serious. Here was another barrier to the spread of the gospel; Christians could not be accused of rebellion against Roman religious and social customs. The conversion of women in Philippi added an element of uncertainty to the proceedings. As soon as the magistrates had a chance to review the charges, Paul and Silas were released (16:36). Paul found it necessary however, to make sure that he and Silas were fully exonerated of any accusation of wrongdoing. The success of his mission demanded that the gospel be recognized as legitimate by the Roman government.

Acts 16:7 Luke doesn't indicate how the Spirit communicated his will to the missionaries. It must have been through internal impulses, prophetic inspirations, or external circumstances.

Acts 16:9 Macedonia is in the northern part of Greece, including the cities of Philippi and Thessalonica, where Paul directed three of his epistles.

Acts 16:11 This verse opens the section in which the first person of the plural is used, indicating that Luke had joined the mission and now offered a first-hand testimony.

Acts 16:13 Since the Jewish law required the establishment of a synagogue when the male population of any locality surpassed 10 persons, the absence of an institution of this type in Philippi indicates the existence of a very small Jewish population.

Acts 16:13 PLACES OF PRAYER (Manners & Customs of the Bible by James M. Freeman; pub. 1972 by Logos International)
"We went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made." Many writers suppose that there is reference here to the Jewish custom of having proseuchae, or places of prayer, distinct from synagogues, and in locations where there were no synagogues. Though some commentators deny the reference to the custom in this passage, yet the existence of the custom itself is undeniable. The proseuchae were places for prayer outside of those towns where the Jews were too poor to have synagogues, or were not permitted to have them. They were generally located near the water for the convenience of ablution. Sometimes a large building was erected: but frequently the proseucha was simply a retired place in the open air or in a grove.

Rivers seem to have been favorite places of resort for GOD's people. In captivity they assembled "by the rivers of Babylon". Psalms 137:1. Ezekiel speaks of being among them "by the river of Chebar." Ezekiel 1:1. Daniel was "by the river of Ulai" when he beheld one of his visions, (Dan. 8:2) and he saw another when he was "by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel." Daniel 10:4. Dr. Pusey quotes from a decree of the Halicarnassians, which gave leave "that those of the Jews who willed, men and women, should keep the Sabbaths, and perform their rites according to the Jewish laws, and make oratories by the sea according to their country's wont." - PUSEY on Daniel, pp. 110, 111.

Acts 16:16 The slave girl had a spirit of divination, or, literally, "a spirit, a python", which would become something inspired by Apollo, the god who was worshiped in Python (Delphi).

Acts 16:17 The demon who was in the girl spoke the truth, but in a taunting way. See Mark 1:24,25.

Acts 16:18 Why Paul delayed to deliver the girl is uncertain. Perhaps he was aware of the danger that this act could represent for the mission.

Acts 16:19-21 This was Paul's first confrontation with Roman officials. The new Christian group didn't constitute a threat to Roman peace. The accusations were false, and Paul and Silas were completely exonerated by Roman justice (verses 34-39).

LITERARY RICHES
Acts 16:24 mandate (KJV-charge), parangelia; Strong #3852: A general order, instruction, ordinance, precept or directive. The term is self-explained according to the context. The authorities of the jail ordered the jailer to put Paul and Silas in prison (v.24). The religious authorities of Jerusalem had prohibited the apostles from preaching in the name of Jesus (5:28). Paul makes a charge to the Thessalonians (I Thess. 4:2). Parangelia is the charge that Paul makes to Timothy (I Tim. 1:5,18).

Acts 16:24 STOCKS (Manners & Customs of the Bible by James M. Freeman; pub. 1972 by Logos International)
"Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks." Some would understand "stocks" simply a bar of wood to which the feet of the prisoner were chained. Others suppose the instrument to have corresponded to the modern stocks, consisting of a frame of wood in which the two feet, separated far apart, were placed. There were some ancient stocks in which were five holes for fastening feet, hands, and head. In Ceylon, at the present day, an instrument similar to this is used, only the head is allowed to be free.

The use of the stocks is very ancient. See Job 13:27.

Acts 16:25 Paul and Silas rejoiced in the midst of terrible circumstances. As he later wrote to the church that he founded in the city of Philippi, Paul asked from another jail cell: "Rejoice in the LORD always..." (Phil. 4:4).

KINGDOM DYNAMICS

Acts 16:25,26 Praise opens the jailhouse doors, THE PATH OF PRAISE. Study this example about the power of praise, power that is given even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Whipped and incarcerated, Paul and Silas responded singing a hymn of praise, and song directly to GOD's heart. We cannot allow to go unnoticed the relationship between their hymns of praise to GOD and their supernatural deliverance through the occurrence of a strong earthquake. How beautiful it is that the praise that is offered directly to GOD can produce an earthquake that opens the doors of the prison! There were other good results: a man was converted to Christ, his family was saved, and Paul delivered a girl from a spirit of divination. In our days also, joyful praise to GOD will break the chains of oppression. When you are serving GOD, and things don't happen as planned, learn the lesson that this passage offers us. Praise triumphs gloriously! (Matt. 21:16/Eph. 5:18,19) C.G.

Acts 16:26 This is the power of praise in action, although it should be remembered that Paul was in prison on other occasions and this type of spectacular event didn't occur.

Acts 16:27 RESPONSIBILITY OF JAILERS (Manners & Customs of the Bible by James M. Freeman; pub. 1972 by Logos International)
"He drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled." According to the Roman law, if a prisoner escaped, the jailer who had him in charge was compelled to suffer the penalty inflicted on the prisoner. This accounts for the despair of the jailer in this case. He preferred death by his own hands to the death by torture, which probably awaited some of the condemned prisoners whom he supposed to have escaped.

Acts 16:30,31 Luke was not only registering an important moment of the early church, but echoing a universal query and the precise response to that question. You and your house suggests that GOD works in the nuclear family (see Exod. 12:3).

Acts 16:37 This is the first of several occasions in which Paul appeals to his Roman citizenship. A relatively small proportion of the population of the Roman Empire had citizenship, a rare and valuable condition (22,27,28). Paul's insistence on just treatment is to refute the lies of his accusers (v.21).

Acts 16:37 ROMAN CITIZENS NOT TO BE BEATEN (Manners & Customs of the Bible by James M. Freeman; pub. 1972 by Logos International)
"They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison." The treatment of these prisoners, being Roman citizens, was illegal in three different ways: 1. In binding them in the stocks. 2. In beating them. 3. In failing to give them a trial. The Valerial law forbade the binding of a Roman citizen. The Porcian law forbade his being beaten. Cicero, in his celebrated Oration against Verres, asserts that "it is a transgression of the law to bind a Roman citizen; it is wickedness to scourge him. Unheard, no man can be condemned."

This will account for the fear expressed by the magistrates when they heard that the prisoners were Romans. See verse 38. Paul had a similar experience afterward in Jerusalem: "As they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned." Acts 22:25.

Acts 17:1-15 Thessalonica and Berea (HBH) In Thessalonica Paul resumed the missionary pattern established in the first missionary journey. Again his ministry in the synagogue engendered belief on the part of many Jews and Gentiles and opposition from leading Jewish citizens. here, as in Philippi, Paul and Silas were accused of sedition, but they were released and asked to leave the city rather than jailed.

In Berea the atmosphere was more conducive to Paul's gospel. Luke stated that "they received the message with great eagerness" (17:11). Perhaps the most interesting part of this passage is the fact that Greek men believed in Berea, not just women (17:12). Paul was forced to leave Berea as well, due to persecution by Jews from Thessalonica. Leaving Silas and Timothy behind, Paul went south to Athens.

Acts 17:2 Usually Paul began his ministry in a new city with a visit to the Jewish synagogue, which offered a relatively open forum for teaching or discussing current affairs. Although Paul was persecuted by his brothers, the Jews, he could never divest himself of the burden for their souls (see Rom. 9:1-5).

LITERARY RICHES
Acts 17:3 suffer, pascho; Strong #3958: Compare "passion", "passive", "pathos". To be treated in a certain manner, experience mistreatment, insult, violence or indignation, to bear suffering and suffer the abuse of those on the outside. Pascho raises a sad question: "What is happening to me?" In the 42 times that this word appears, it almost always alludes to the suffering of Christ in our favor.

Acts 17:11 This Jews didn't have a closed mind: they received the word with all solicitude. They weren't negligent, but would scrutinize the Scriptures each day.

Acts 17:16-34 Athens (HBH) Athens was a center for learning and philosophy. Luke's characterization of the Athenians in 17:21 as people who "spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas" was a common description. Paul was unwilling merely to wait for Silas and Timothy. He spent his time debating in the synagogue and in the marketplace. Paul's speech on the Areopagus was an attempt to present he gospel in a setting different from any that Luke had described before. This speech is a masterpiece of Hellenistic rhetoric. Paul did not begin with the Old Testament; his starting point was Greek philosophy and literature. Paul and his presentation of the gospel can hold their own, even in the midst of cynical intellectualism. Note also that some who heard Paul were moved to salvation by his speech.

Acts 17:17 DEBATES IN THE MARKET PLACE (Manners & Customs of the Bible by James M. Freeman; pub. 1972 by Logos International)
"Therefore disputed he...in the market daily with them that met with him." The market was not only a place for buying and selling, for hiring and being hired, (see note on Matt. 20:3) but it was also a public resort for all who wished to inquire the news or to hold disputations. For this reason the Pharisees loved to go there, because, amid the crowds assembled, they would receive the ceremonious salutations in which they delighted. See Matthew 23:7; Mark 12:38; Luke 11:43; 20:46.

The Athenian market, or Agora, must not be imagined to be "like the bare spaces in many modern towns, where little attention has been paid to artistic decoration, but is rather to be compared to the beautiful squares of such Italian cities as Verona and Florence, where historical buildings have closed in the space within narrow limits, and sculpture has peopled it with impressive figures." - CONYBEARE AND HOWSON, Life of St. Paul, vol. 1, p. 354.

Acts 17:18 The people of the Roman Empire were characterized by a great diversity of religious beliefs. Epicurianism (which sought tranquility above all things) and Stoicism (which desired to be freed from passions and accept everything in life as an inevitable result of destiny) were popular philosophies. Polytheism (the belief in multiple gods) was common: the city had been "given over to idolatry" (v.16). This philosophers thought that Paul was propagating a religion of two new gods: Jesus and the resurrection. Others, however, accused Paul of babbling. The word originally described someone who picked up refuse in the marketplace. Later, it designated one who selected fragments of doctrine from here and there and mixed them.

LITERARY RICHES
Acts 17:18 babbler, spermologos; Strong #4691: Vulgerism that designates: 1) a bird that picks up seeds; 2) men who wander around the marketplace in an effort to earn a living, picking up anything that could be of use. 3) a charlatan or collector of gossip and false information; 4) a frivolous pseudo-intellectual. Tragically, the super-intellectuals of Mars Hill didn't manage to see in Paul all the qualities that made him a bearer of the truth.

Acts 17:18 EPICUREANS/STOICS. (Manners & Customs of the Bible by James M. Freeman; pub. 1972 by Logos International)

Epicurus, the founder of the sect which bore his name, was born at Samos about 340 B.C. He early adopted the atomic theory of Democritus, and taught philosophy in Athens for nearly forty years, his place of instruction being a beautiful garden in the heart of the city. According to the Epicureans the universe consists of matter and space. Matter is uncreated and indestructible. It is composed of minute atoms, infinite in number and imperceptible to the senses. These atoms may change in mutual relation and in combination, but they cannot be annihilated. They are perpetually moving in space, and are constantly undergoing transpositions of form, but are regulated by no law save that of blind chance. Epicurus believed in the existence of the gods, but this belief was practically no better than atheism, since he denied that the gods had any part in the operations of nature. There was in his system no room for conscience, no place for moral obligation. Pleasure was the chief object of life. Though it is claimed that the ideal of Epicurus was not pleasure of a degrading nature, and that he taught a strict morality, yet the system inevitable tended to sensuality, and had natural attractions for those who were fond of debasing pleasures. It made no provision for a future life, for it knew of no other life than this. Its creed may be briefly summed up in this: "Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die."
The Stoics were founded by Zeno of Citium in the fourth century before Christ. Their place of meeting was in the "Painted Porch", or Stoa, of Athens, whence they derived their name. They believed in two fundamental principles, the active and the passive. The passive was matter, the active was GOD. They were pantheists, denying the independent existence of the soul, and affirming that all souls were emanations of Deity. They also taught that GOD and man were both alike inexorably subject to Fate. In opposition to the Epicureans they held that men ought to have no regard to pleasure, but to act only for the right. They were not agreed in their views of a future life. Some believed that all souls were absorbed into Deity at death; others that they maintained their separate existence until a general conflagration of the universe took place; others still, that only the good thus maintained a separate existence.

Acts 17:19 The Areopagus, or "Ares Hill" (Mars, according to the Romans), was an open forum for philosophical debate and was located southwest of the Parthenon in the Acropolis.

Acts 17:22 Athens was the religious center of the Greco-Roman world. There were more statues of gods in Athens than in all the rest of Greece. The phrase very religious wasn't praise, but the acceptance of a reality. It could be understood as "very superstitious".

Acts 17:23 In spite of the religiosity, the Athenians ignored the true GOD.

KINGDOM DYNAMICS
Acts 17:23 #1. Who is GOD?, SPIRITUAL ANSWERS. For the answer to this and other difficult questions about GOD and the powerful life in his kingdom, see the article, "Spiritual Answers to Difficult Questions". P.R.

Acts 17:24-31 Paul didn't take his quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures, which were unfamiliar to his Greek audience. For reasons that Luke doesn't explain, the results here were poor (v.34); he neither baptized nor established churches, and there are no letters directed to the Athenians in the New Testament, in contrast with other places where the power of GOD paved the way for his ministry.

KINGDOM DYNAMICS

The unity of mankind, HUMAN WORTH. Here the unity of the human race is clearly established, because it was through Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:20), and later, through the sons of Noah (Gen. 9:19), that the human races and nationalities arose. We all come from one blood, figuratively as well as literally, and the same types of blood are found in all the ethnic groups. Mankind is a universal family. "Don't we all have the same father? Haven't we all believed in the same GOD? (Mal. 2:10). We all form part of a world community. No race or nation has the right to despise or disassociate itself from another race. The Apostle Paul says: "GOD has shown me not to call any man common or unclean...In truth I understand that GOD doesn't make acceptation of persons, but in every nation he who fears him, and does righteousness, is accepted by him" (Acts 10:28,34,35). There are only two categories of human beings: the saved and the unsaved. The other differences, like skin color or cultural aspects, don't count with GOD. To tell the truth, all human beings are related. (Gen. 9:5,6/I Cor. 12:12) C. B.

Acts 17:32 For the Greeks, the idea of the resurrection was something ridiculous, because they believed that death was the liberation of the soul from the prison of the body.