[The posts which follow make extensive use of The Acts of the Apostles, by Madame Cecilia, (Religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham), with an Imprimi potest dated 16 October 1907 (Westminster); Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. (London). With grateful prayers for the author and her team:
REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.]
Acts XVI : 1-10
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[2] To this man the brethren that were in Lystra and Iconium, gave a good testimony.
[3] Him Paul would have to go along with him: and taking him he circumcised him, because of the Jews who were in those places. For they all knew that his father was a Gentile.
[4] And as they passed through the cities, they delivered unto them the decrees for to keep, that were decreed by the apostles and ancients who were at Jerusalem.
[5] And the churches were confirmed in faith, and increased in number daily.
[6] And when they had passed through Phrygia, and the country of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia.
[7] And when they were come into Mysia, they attempted to go into Bythynia, and the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not.
[8] And when they had passed through Mysia, they went down to Troas.
[9] And a vision was shewed to Paul in the night, which was a man of Macedonia standing and beseeching him, and saying: Pass over into Macedonia, and help us.
[10] And as soon as he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, being assured that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
[1] Pervenit autem Derben et Lystram. Et ecce discipulus quidam erat ibi nomine Timotheus, filius mulieris Judaeae fidelis, patre gentili. [2] Huic testimonium bonum reddebant qui in Lystris erant, et Iconio fratres. [3] Hunc voluit Paulus secum proficisci : et assumens circumcidit eum propter Judaeos, qui erant in illis locis. Sciebant enim omnes quod pater ejus erat gentilis. [4] Cum autem pertransirent civitates, tradebant eis custodiri dogmata quae erant decreta ab Apostolis et senioribus, qui erant Jerosolymis. [5] Et ecclesiae quidem confirmabantur fide, et abundabunt numero quotidie.
[6] Transeuntes autem Phrygiam et Galatiae regionem, vetati sunt a Spiritu Sancto loqui verbum Dei in Asia. [7] Cum venissent autem in Mysiam, tentabant ire in Bithyniam : et non permisit eos Spiritus Jesu. [8] Cum autem pertransissent Mysiam, descendeunt Troadem : [9] et visio per noctem Paulo ostensa est : vir Macedo quidam erat stans et deprecans eum, et dicens : Transiens in Macedoniam, adjuva nos. [10] Ut autem visum vidit, statim quaesivimus proficisci in Macedoniam, certi facti quod vocasset nos Deus evangelizare eis.
Notes
1. Derbe and Lystra. St Paul executes his design of visiting the churches where he had preached in company with Barnabas, but, as he travelled by the land route, the order is reversed, and Derbe, the last city in which lie had evangelized on his first journey, he now visits first.
behold. The historian here calls attention to the choice of Timothy, who was providentially designed to replace John Mark. Thus St Paul received “ a gift from heaven, in the place of what he had lost.”
a certain disciple. He was evidently converted during St Paul’s first visit to Lystra, and was then a mere boy, since, some years later, St Paul writes thus to him : Let no man despise thy youth (1 Tim. iv. 12). The name Timothy signifies “one who fears God.” St Paul was greatly attached to St Timothy, his dearest son and faithful in the Lord (1 Cor. iv. 17).
a Jewish woman. St Paul thus speaks of her : Calling to mind that faith which is in thee unfeigned, which also dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and in thy mother Eunice, and I am certain that in thee also (2 Tim. i. 6).
that believed. Hence she was a Christian convert. his father was a Gentile. He was perhaps a proselyte of the gate. The Jews were strictly forbidden to intermarry with the nations of Canaan, and they took this prohibition as applying to the heathen in general. This rule, however, was not so strictly observed out of Palestine.
In the case of a marriage between a Jewess and a Gentile, the child was considered to be of the nationality of the mother. But, conversely, if a Jew married a Gentile, the children were considered as Gentiles. Consequently Timothy ought to have been circumcised on the eighth day, as he was the son of a Jewess. This is not the only occasion on which, in order to avoid schism or scandal, St Paul conformed to Jewish observances, though he emphatically and constantly taught that they were not binding on Christian converts.
2. gave a good testimony. About four or five years had elapsed since his conversion, and during this time Timothy was conspicuous for his virtue and piety.
It was necessary that a minister of the Gospel should be an example of the faithful, in word, in conversation, in charity, in faith, in chastity (1 Tim. iv 12), as St Paul once reminded Timothy. Thus the deacons were men of good reputation (supra, vi. 3).
3. to go along. Better, ‘‘ to go forth ” (ἐξελθειν).
he circumcised him. In doing this St Paul did not act against the decision of the Council, which only applied to Gentiles, whereas Timothy was a Jew. If he had not submitted to this rite, the Jews would have looked upon him as an apostate from the Law of Moses..
On a previous occasion, when St Paul took Titus with him to Jerusalem, he refused to allow him to be circumcised because Titus was a Gentile, and therefore not obliged to submit to this Jewish observance.
4. the cities. Iconium and Pisidian Antioch, and probably Tarsus and some others.
they delivered unto them the decrees. Although this letter was only addressed to the faithful of Antioch (in Syria), Syria, and Cilicia, yet, as Lycaonia was thickly peopled by Jews, the same difficulties might arise ; hence the apostle made known the decision in all these cities. This is the last time the apostolic decree is mentioned. We may infer that, of the numerous copies which were made of it, St Luke used one when compiling the Acts.
5. And the churches were confirmed, etc. This was the result of St Paul’s preaching and of the promulgation of the decree.
The controversy had several important results : —
1. The bond of union which existed between the church in Jerusalem and the branch churches was strengthened.
2. Great numbers of conversions followed, since the disciples increased in number daily, the barrier of Jewish observances now being removed, conversions were more numerous among the Gentiles.
This verse has a parallel in ch. ix. 31, and both describe a time of rest, peace, and increase after a season of trouble or persecution.
6. Phrygia. This was the central district of the peninsula of Asia Minor. According to Josephus, a great many Jews settled there in the time of the Machabees.
The boundaries of Phrygia, never clearly defined, varied greatly at different epochs. The term Phrygia connotes an ethnological distinction rather than a geographical area. At the time of St Paul’s visit, Phrygia was not a Roman province. In the New Testament only three cities of this district are mentioned — Colossus, Laodicca, and Thyatira.
Galatia. This province was so called from the Gauls who invaded Asia Minor in 300 B.C. It became a Roman province under Augustus. The inhabitants spoke a Celtic dialect, and retained that mobility and emotional character which distinguishes the Celtic races.
The principal cities of Galatia were Ancyra, the capital, Tavium, and Pessinus. St Paul doubtless visited these cities, since he probably founded the Galatian churches on this occasion, and on his third missionary journey he revisited these Galatian and Phrygian disciples. (See infra, xviii. 23.) St Luke omits all that concerns the apostle’s work in Galatia ; perhaps he knew that information on this subject could be found in St Paul’s epistle to the Galatians.
St Paul probably refers to tins visit in his epistle the Galatians, and speaks of his illness when among them, and of their generous sympathy. Cf. You knew how through infirmity of the flesh, I preached the gospel to you heretofore ; and your temptation in my flesh you despised not, nor rejected, but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus (Gal. iv. 13-14),
were forbidden by the Holy Ghost. This proves that they had preached in Galatia and Phrygia (see also xviii. 23). It is not stated how the prohibition was made known.
to preach the word in Asia. Though forbidden to preach on this occasion, St Paul went to Proconsular Asia on his third journey, and remained two years in Ephesus, the chief city. Cf. They who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Gentiles (infra, xix. 10).
7. into Mysia, — i.e. on the borders of Mysia. They had arrived “ over against” (κατα την Μυσιαν) Mysia, one of the districts of proconsular Asia, in which the Holy Spirit had forbidden them to preach.
Bithynia. This district lay north-east of Mysia. It was a senatorial province. There were numerous Jewish colonists in Bithynia, and St Peter names Bithynian converts in his first (epistle (i. 1). From a letter of the Roman governor Pliny, we learn that in the second century the Christians were so numerous that idolatry was almost given up in Bithynia.
Spirit of Jesus. St Paul has similar expressions, e.g.—
(а) The Spirit of Christ (Rom. viii. 9).
(b) The Spirit of His Son (Gal. iv. C»).
(c) The Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. i. 19),
The doctrine of the Church concerning the procession of the Holy Ghost is based on these and similar passages. That “the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Son” is an article of the Catholic Faith.
The schismatic Greek Church denies that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Son. Photius, who taught this heresy, was condemned by the Council of Constantinople in A.D. 870. Michael Cerularius consummated the schism in 1054 by rejecting the authority of the Popes.
suffered them not. The apostles were not allowed to trace out their own course of action, which God reserved to Himself to mark out for them. On this occasion there were three supernatural interventions before they knew their destination, which was thus revealed gradually.
We may learn from this that hindrances may come from God when men’s plans, though good in themselves, are not calculated to further the accomplishment of His will,
8. passed through Mysia. Lit. “ they passing by” (παρελθοντες ) in the sense often employed of “ neglecting.” They did not preach there, but they had to journey through this district in order to reach Troas, which lay on the sea-coast.
went down. They descended from the highlands of Mount Ida, which lay due east of Troas.
Troas. The seaport town, not the district of Troas or “ the Troad.” The port was situated at the south-eastern extremity of the island of Tenedos, and was known as ‘‘Alexandria Troas.” It was a Roman “colonia” at this time, and had the “ius Italicum,” i.e. the land was free from taxation.
9. a vision was shewed. It is not certain whether St Paul was asleep or awake. In either case the vision was an objective reality, and not a mere subjective image. The context “ when he had seen” etc., favours the view that St Paul was awake. The vision was evidently an answer to their prayer for guidance.
a man of Macedonia. St Paul recognised him as such by his attire, and the words also plainly indicated his nationality. “ Pass over into Macedonia and help us.”
Pass over into Macedonia. This is the first positive direction after two negative commands.
“Thus was ushered in the most momentous event in the history of Europe, the going forth of the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem to enlighten the nations of the West, and bring them into the fold of Jesus Christ. Paul saw and heard this in a vision in the night. It is not called a dream (Bengel), but was like the vision seen by Ananias (ch. ix. 10), and those seen by Paul (ch. ix, 12, x. 6, xviii. 9). A vision (ὁραμα) is distinguished from a dream (ἐνυπνιον), ch. ii. 17). It is applied to things of a marvellous character seen objectively, as to the Transfiguration (Matt. xvii. 9) and to the burning bush” (Pulp. Comm. Acts, vol. ii.).
10. we sought. St Luke had now joined St Paul and Silas (see Intro., p. 7). St Paul and his company made inquiries as to the vessels which were setting out for Macedonia.
“Observe St Luke’s modesty. He does not say that he joined St Paul at Troas. He glides, as it were, imperceptibly into the apostolic company, and we only know that he was a sharer in its perils and labours by the adoption henceforth of the pronoun we.” (See below, xx. 6.)
As Irenæus remarks, “that Luke was an attendant on Paul, and his fellow-labourer in the Gospel, he himself makes manifest, not in a spirit of boasting, but constrained by the truth itself.” [Hence a possible link between the Blessed Virgin Mary through St Luke to St Paul; Ed.]
to go. better, “ to go forth ” (ἐξελθειν).
being assured. The Greek verb (συμβιβαζοντες ) signifies coming to a conclusion by comparing one thing with another. The same verb is rendered “ affirming ” in ch, ix. 22
God had called. In this narration the three persons of the Blessed Trinity are mentioned (see verses 6 and 7).
us. Hence St Luke also evangelized the Macedonians and other natives of Greece.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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