Luke chronicles THIS history of the first mission of the Church at Antioch published sometime around A.D. 60-62.
Many Christians may already have read John Mark’s Gospel written during the A.D. 50’s just a few years after this first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas.
Cyprus was allowed a large amount of autonomy remaining mainly Greek in culture while adopting and adapting Roman customs. No Roman colonies were settled on the island.
The island is prone to earthquakes, several in the centuries prior to this missionary journey
including one as recently as A.D. 16.
Cypress had been an Egyptian (King Ptolemy) part of Roman Cilicia
a gift of Julius Caesar to Cleopatra
After Caesar Augustus defeated Marc Antony and Cleopatra, Rome made it a senatorial province
separate from Cilicia with Nea Paphos as its capitol
5. And when they reached Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews, and they also had John as their helper.
NOTE TWO POINTS HERE:
.. they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews
Luke introduces John Mark as a helper to Barnabas and Saul.
As you can see from the map of cities on Cypress at the time, this mission team would have traveled on land several times to preach the Gospel in synagogues of these Greco-Roman cities on Cypress. Not only was distance a factor in their travel but also mountains which rose to steep heights above the island. This took some time and not just a few days.
In addition to noting last time that Cypress was mostly Greek and Phoenician with a few Jews, previously I pointed out that their ‘additional passenger,’John, is the same John with earlier connections to Peter’s preaching and miracles.
Luke notes that his fellow Gospel writer [John Mark] also begins this mission trip in A.D. 47.
Paphos consisted of the Roman cites of Nea Pafos and Palaipafos on the southwestern coast of the island of Cypress
6 And when they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus…
We'll introduce ourselves to this new character Bar-Jesus who they encounter on this mission shortly, but first let's take a quick look at Paphos.
Paphos
Traveling roads across the whole island would have been a journey of 110 miles along the coast OR perhaps further if they traveled additional routes familiar to Joseph [Barnabas] and others through the mountains to other cities.
New Paphos (Nea Paphos), NW of old Paphos by 7.5 miles has a natural harbor and was built by Augustus of Rome for commerce and governing its Provence of Cypress.
Old Paphos was a centre for Aphrodite’s cult. Aphrodite’s mythical birthplace was on the island.
.. the grove and altar of Aphrodite at Paphos are mentioned in the Odyssey (700 BC).
Archaeology established that Cypriots venerated a fertility goddess in a cult that combined Aegean and eastern mainland aspects before the arrival of the mainland Greeks.
Every spring a festival was held here in honor of the goddess Aphrodite – source
Phoenician merchants from Kition [Cyprus] who gained permission to found at Athens [Greece] a shrine of Aphrodite, whom they presumably looked upon as their ancestral deity Astarte – Aphrodite. READ MORE BELOW:
It has been fourteen years since the Holy Spirit first anointed the saints in Jerusalem to Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel.
Peter is not going to remainin Jerusalem.
Peter commands a continued mission
.. they saw him and were astounded.
ἐξίστημι – amazed – out of their wits (in the wonder of seeing Peter)
Luke once again on this day uses this same description as Pentecost when the Church sees Peter alive and in person, even though they had fully expected Herod to execute the Apostle as he had James.
So they were astounded and marveling, saying, “Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? .. And they all continued in astonishment and great perplexity, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”
Acts of the Apostles 2:7,12 – Pentecost [~A.D.30] when Peter proclaimed Christ crucified and risen from death.
Astonishing that a girl is raised from the dead by Peter in Joppa! Amazing that the Holy Spirit had also filled Samaritans and Roman soldiers in Caesarea as Peter and other disciples of Jesus had reported to the Church in Jerusalem.
And all the circumcised believers who came with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.
Today amazingly, Peter has a command for the Church as the Apostle will address them once more in Jerusalem:
But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he recounted to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison.
Meanwhile, back at Herod’s palace..
Herod Agrippa I had seized Peter during the time of the Passover when great crowds always gathered in Jerusalem as they had years before when the Jews crucified Jesus on a Roman cross.
The king’s recent execution of James had so pleased the Jews that now Herod would kill Peter. (It would be great political theatre for this friend of Rome now gaining some cooperation from the religious parties of Jerusalem.) Herod had a high-security guard of sixteen men watch over Peter during every watch of the night. BUT..
8 Now when Herod saw Jesus, he rejoiced greatly; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. And he questioned Jesus in many words, but He answered him nothing..
11 And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a bright robe and sent Him back to Pilate. Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been enemies with each other.
And on an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel and sitting on the judgment seat, began delivering an address to them [an audience of representatives from Tyre and Sidon]. And the assembly kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”
And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.
Marcus Julius Agrippa I - b. 10 B.C. d. A.D. 44
P.S. Soon, Manaen, who had grown up with Marcus Agrippa in the court of Tiberius Caesar Augustus, will join the Apostle Paul and many disciples of the Way in Antioch, from where they will lead the Church on missions into the all the world, proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Apostle Simon Peter
.. he recounted to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said,
“Report these things to James and the brothers.”
Then he left and went to another place.
Of course the James to whom Peter refers is NOT the first martyred Apostle James, but the biological half-brother of Jesus who is now a disciple of the Way after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension.
Even though Saul no longer persecutes the Church, King Herod and the Jews of Jerusalem still pursue the Apostles.
We will not see Peter for some time until after A.D. 44
Peter certainly could have returned to Capernaum to be with his wife and family. But the Apostle will return to Jerusalem at times as we will see later in Acts of the Apostles.
And when Herod had searched for him and had not found him, he examined the guards and ordered that they be led away to execution.
But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied.
Acts of the Apostles 12:24, after Peter escaped from Jerusalem in ~AD 44 after proclaiming the Gospel of the risen Christ Jesus for fourteen years.
25 And Barnabas and Saul [Paul] returned to Jerusalem, fulfilling their ministry, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark.
Then what happened to Peter?
For Your Information (Peter’s witness and leadership continues after this astounding event in Jerusalem):
All dates approximate. Source for most is Rose Guide to the Book of Acts.
AD 44-48 – The predicted famine [Acts 11] during the reign of Claudius takes place; Barnabas and Saul of Tarsus will bring a collection from the churches to Jerusalem for distribution.
AD 49 – A council of Church leaders, including Peter, meet in Jerusalem [Acts 15].
This, of course, is five years after Peter has left Jerusalem after being freed by an angel.
AD 49 – Luke, who has recorded Peter’s Gospel and the acts of the Apostles (so far) departs Jerusalem with Paul on his second missionary journey.
AD 50 – John Mark, who had accompanied Paul for part of his first missionary journey, writes his Gospel.
AD 64-65 [twenty years after Peter escapes Herod]- Peter writes two letters to the Church
Sometime after a Jewish revolt in AD 66,Nero will execute Peter and many others in Rome.
Jesus said to them, ” “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. – Gospel of Mark 16:15
ACTS of the Apostles will continue on mission, God-willing, for your comments and witness of the 21st c. Church. - RH
Of all places the Apostles would not have ever thought the risen Christ would anoint yet another Apostle, a road to Damascus likely would have been the last place to come to mind.
Jesus had led them to places beyond Galilee (now formally a part of Syria under the administration of Rome for the readers of ACTS) like Tyre and Sidon.
Jews had built synagogues in many cities of the Roman Empire. By the time Saul studies in Jerusalem and now pursues disciples of Jesus in his zeal for the LORD, the politics of Rome, Jerusalem and the major cities of Syria, Galilee, Samaria and Judea are not-so-delicately intertwined.
Syria Cilicia Phoenice
Damascus, of course, was of strategic importance to Rome in governing all of Syria including Jerusalem and the cities of the eastern Mediterranean.
Tarsus, Damascus & the eastern administrative shore of Syria under Rome
The Roman prefects / procurators of Judea were directly subordinate to the Syrian governor.
In particular, the Legate of Syria was the next authority in complaints against the governor of Judea, as can be seen from the lawsuit brought by the Jews against Pontius Pilate to Lucius Vitellius in AD 36 and the Samaritans brought before the legate Gaius in AD 51
Click above for translations in English, Ukrainian and Russian.
On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria.
Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him.
Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.
..went to the high priest and asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus..
Meanwhile, in Damascus..
10 There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias..
Many Jews (including these Christian followers of the Way) lived in Damascus, a city with multiple synagogues. [v.2] These included a disciple named Ἰούδας [Judas, a common name of that time] [v.11].
From terrorizing Jews in Judea & Samaria to the road to Damascus
To the Roman Citizen born in Tarsus, Damascus will be a familiar stop along the roads from Jerusalem.
Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
Acts 9:4b NASB – JESUS to Saul of Tarsus along the road to Damascus
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”
“I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told to you what you must do.”
Acts of the Apostles 9:5b-6 NASB, Response of the Lord to Saul of Tarsus with command for his leading into Damascus
7 The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one.
Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus.
Prayer and Fasting
9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
ACTS of an Apostle to the gentiles + to be continued...
