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’s Memorial Day (celebrated holiday in the not-so-united States).
Flags for freedom flown for feasting leaders of the free world or drawn to half staff for some politically offensive act of violence by an ungodly man.
Hardly a memorial to any who have died for the freedom of any man or woman who suffers the ravages of war and injustice in an evil world of the year of our Lord 2022.
Therefore, claimer of Christ, communicant of the Church, Evangelical Patriot who claims the crusade of christian UNDER GOD, it must be US who have failed in our pursuit of freedom, liberty and most of all righteousness as an example to our fellow man (that is, creating being in the image of the Lord God).
Paul speaks to the Jews of his day, but his question about freedom applies to US, WE THE PEOPLE who use GOD and claim CHRIST in those times when it is most politically expedient to claim TRUTH.
The Truth of Freedom
Although men and women may fight for it, be maimed by it, flee from it and even die for it; liberty and freedom have little to do with ever-changing currents of political action in places of providential blessing or demonic deference to rule of some despot.
God in Christ Jesus calls any who would run this race of mortal – yes MORTAL, not immortal LIFE – to not again be yoked in the slavery of sin.
For you were called to be free, brothers and sisters; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.
Galatians 5:13 Christian Standard Bible
For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement:
Love your neighbor as yourself.
But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.
Are WE THE PEOPLE truly ‘ONE NATION under god’ in the Common Era of error led by sinful man recreating US in the image of resconstructed truth?
Roger@TalkofJESUS.com
Do WE THE PEOPLE truly believe, in A.D. [the year of our Lord] 2022:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,
all men are created..
that certain ‘rights’ are endowed by their Creator
That the ‘Bill of Rights’ forbids Congress from both promoting one religion over others NOT promoting FREEDOM FROM RELIGION?
The basis of law is the LAW of God.
A CLAIM under GOD.
WE THE PEOPLE may not memorialize evil as we no longer as a NATION stand faithful anymore than ISRAEL could still claim covenant which they broke long before the REDEMPTION by CHRIST JESUS, the Son of GOD WHO was and IS and will judge all men.
Orthodox? Catholic? Evangelical?
As in Galatia, our CLAIM to Christ is not enough.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar.
I am warning you about these things — as I warned you before — that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him.
An angel brought Peter and a group of faithful Jews from Joppa at the invitation of their Roman occupiers. (What an odd scenario, it would seem.)
The Roman Legion of the Italian Cohort, a highly regarded army of Caesar, has invited not only Peter to his home, but also many friends and family. This scene might look somewhat like a large home church and our host, Cornelius, recounts for all as witness what has recently taken place:
So I ask, for what reason did you send for me?”
Cornelius said, “Four days ago to this hour, I was praying in my house during the ninth hour; and behold, a man stood before me in shining clothing, and he said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your charitable gifts have been remembered before God. Therefore send some men to Joppa and invite Simon, who is also called Peter, to come to you; he is staying at the house of Simon the tanner, by the sea.’
How else would a Roman Legion know where to find a Jew from Galilee traveling in Judea?
33 So I sent men to you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come.
Now then, we are all here present before God to hear everything that you have been commanded by the Lord.”
Let’s just set this amazing scene in context: A Roman leader of men who God has drawn to the salvation that comes from the Jews invited Simon Peter to preach! WE ARE ALL HERE PRESENT BEFORE GOD… It’s an expression of worship. Tell us what the Lord has commanded you.
[Jesus in Capernaum] Now a centurion’s slave, who was highly regarded by him, was sick and about to die. When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders to Him, asking Him to come and save the life of his slave..
..when He was not yet far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to enter under my roof; for that reason I did not even consider myself worthy to come to You; but just say the word, and my servant shall be healed.
Simon Peter, a fisherman of Capernaum, certainly would have been with the Lord Jesus. And the humility of this centurion mirrors the faithful believer, Cornelius, who now bows down to Peter and then invites him to preach.
Do YOU, my fellow 21st century believer, have trouble with Authority such as this? Listen to this and the Lord's response.
“For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under myself; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.”
“I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.
Acts 10:34-35 – Proclamation of Peter of the Gospel for Gentiles
Two Acceptable Conditions to God
Peter now speaks to ‘every nation’ – ethnos– not just Romans (who now rule the land). AND now certainly (according to Peter), not exclusively Jews.
Jesus also uses this word frequently, sometimes translated, ‘gentiles,’ a very hebrew concept of unclean men separatedfrom those circumcised by blood as holy to the Lord God.
Do YOU FEAR GOD, my fellow follower of Christ Jesus?
[Cornelius, a centurion was] a devout man and one who fearedG5399 God with all his household, and made many charitable contributions to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.
“The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of GodG2316 remains on him.” – John 3:36
ACTS of the Apostles speaks of God: θεός more than any book of the Bible θεός – theh’-os168x
“It is this Jesus whom God raised up, a fact to which we are all witnesses. – Acts 2:32 – Peter
The Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) use several words for ‘God,’ this similar to ēl – אֵל
A Gospel History for Roman Brothers and Sisters
36 The word [logos] which He sent [apostellō] to the sons of Israel [Ἰσραήλ“he shall be a prince of God”], preaching peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord [κύριος – From kuros (supremacy)]of all)—
Peter points out first to these Jewish proselytes that GOD anointed Jesus as Lord of all.
you yourselves know the thing that happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
The Apostle Simon Peter then confirms what many have already seen and heard in Jerusalem over these past months.
“We are witnesses of all the things that He did both in the countryside of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They also put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross.
“God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He [become visible] be revealed, not to all the people, but to witnesses who had been chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
“And He ordered us to [proclaim] preach to the people, and to testify solemnly that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.
Atti 10:44-48 Il battesimo dei primi pagani (The baptism of the first pagans)
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been poured out on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God.
—we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty deeds of God.” – Acts 2:11b
Leadership: Responding to the Spirit of God
Then Peter responded,
47 “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”
48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Then they asked him to stay on for a few days.
What a few days it must have been in Caesarea.. as Peter led these first Romans from baptism to go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ the risen Lord!
Cookie Consent
We use cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our site, you consent to cookies.
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests
10 minutes
__utmb
Used to distinguish new sessions and visits. This cookie is set when the GA.js javascript library is loaded and there is no existing __utmb cookie. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
30 minutes after last activity
__utmc
Used only with old Urchin versions of Google Analytics and not with GA.js. Was used to distinguish between new sessions and visits at the end of a session.
End of session (browser)
__utmz
Contains information about the traffic source or campaign that directed user to the website. The cookie is set when the GA.js javascript is loaded and updated when data is sent to the Google Anaytics server
6 months after last activity
__utmv
Contains custom information set by the web developer via the _setCustomVar method in Google Analytics. This cookie is updated every time new data is sent to the Google Analytics server.
2 years after last activity
__utmx
Used to determine whether a user is included in an A / B or Multivariate test.
18 months
_ga
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gali
Used by Google Analytics to determine which links on a page are being clicked
30 seconds
_ga_
ID used to identify users
2 years
_gid
ID used to identify users for 24 hours after last activity
24 hours
_gat
Used to monitor number of Google Analytics server requests when using Google Tag Manager
1 minute
_gac_
Contains information related to marketing campaigns of the user. These are shared with Google AdWords / Google Ads when the Google Ads and Google Analytics accounts are linked together.
