Acts 13

Acts 13 is the thirteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas to Cyprus and Pisidia. The book containing this chapter is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke. From this point onwards, except for the Council held in Jerusalem (Acts 15), Luke's narrative focusses on Paul, his ministry, and the events of his life.

Text
The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 52 verses.

Textual witnesses
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:
 * Codex Vaticanus (AD 325–350)
 * Codex Sinaiticus (330–360)
 * Codex Bezae (~400)
 * Codex Alexandrinus (400–440)
 * Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; extant verses 2–52)
 * Codex Laudianus (~550)

Old Testament references
The apostle Paul's "potted resume of Israel's history" in this chapter includes a number of Old Testament references:
 * : and
 * : and
 * : Psalm ;
 * : Psalm
 * Acts 13:34: Isaiah 55:3
 * : Psalm
 * : Psalm
 * Acts 13:34: Isaiah 55:3
 * : Psalm

New Testament references

 * Acts 13:33: Hebrews 1:5; 5:5
 * Acts 13:33: Hebrews 1:5; 5:5
 * Acts 13:33: Hebrews 1:5; 5:5
 * Acts 13:33: Hebrews 1:5; 5:5
 * Acts 13:33: Hebrews 1:5; 5:5

Locations
This chapter mentions the following places (in order of appearance):
 * Antioch, Syria
 * Seleucia, i.e. Seleucia Pieria, the port serving Antioch
 * Cyprus: Salamis, Paphos
 * Perga, Pamphylia
 * Jerusalem
 * Antioch, Pisidia
 * Iconium, Phrygia

Timeline
The first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas took place about AD 47–48.

The church in Antioch (13:1–3)
This section opens the account of Paul's first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-14:28) which starts with a deliberate and prayerful step of the church in Antioch, a young congregation established by those who had been scattered from persecution in Jerusalem and has grown into an active missionary church. Paul's mission was not his own initiative, but was undertaken at the command of the Holy Spirit (verses 2, 4), with the framework of prayer and fasting forming an inclusio at the end of this first journey.

Verse 1

 * Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers:
 * Barnabas,
 * Simeon who was called Niger,
 * Lucius of Cyrene,
 * Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and
 * Saul.

This Lucius of Cyrene is thought to be the same person as mentioned in, or the same as Luke, the writer of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Heinrich Meyer observes that:"The order of the persons named is, without doubt, such as it stood in the original document: hence Barnabas and Saul are separated; indeed, Barnabas is placed first (the arrangement appears to have been made according to seniority) and Saul last; it was only by his missionary labours now commencing that the latter acquired in point of fact his superiority."

Verse 2

 * As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

Verse 3

 * Accordingly, after fasting and prayer, they placed their hands on them and dismissed them.

This ritual of laying on hands relates to the two apostles being commissioned for a specific task: it is not an ordination.

Journey from Antioch to Cyprus (13:4–5)
The first main destination of the missionary journey is the island of Cyprus, Barnabas' home area (Acts 4:36). There were already believers who scattered due to the persecution in Jerusalem (Acts 11:19), but Barnabas and Saul came on a mission ('sent out by the Holy Spirit', verse 4) to visit formal meeting-places of Jewish communities they pass through (verse 5) to preach the gospel.

Verse 4

 * So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.


 * "They": Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:2)

The governor and the guru (13:6–12)
The account of Saul/Paul displaying the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit (verse 9) that led a proconsul into faith (verse 12) parallels Simon Peter's encounters with Simon Magus, and with Ananias and Sapphira. Paul sharply denounced Elymas using a prophetic language (verses 10–11) that resulted in the latter's blindness using words echoing Paul's own experience in.

Verse 6

 * Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus,

It is noted from his failure to recognize the truth of gospel (verse 8) that Elymas is a 'false prophet', using the term magus (verses 6, 8), which is always in negative sense in the book of Acts.

Verse 7

 * who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.

The correct Greek title (anthupatos, proconsul) is used for a governor of a senatorial province. A 'Sergius Paulus' is mentioned in a Roman inscription as a holder of an office in Rome under Claudius (at about the same period) and his family also seems to have a tie to Pisidia.

Verse 9

 * However, Saul (who is the same as Paul), full of the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes on him

The change of name from Saul (a Hebrew name) to Paul (Latin name; verse 9) is appropriate as he moved deeper into "Gentile territory", and very common for diaspora Jews to have Greek or Latin names alongside their Hebrew names.

Verse 12

 * Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Luke presents Sergius Paulus as the first Gentile ruler to believe the gospel. Unlike Cornelius (Acts 10:2), there is no evidence that Sergius attended the temple or was a God-fearer. This pagan government official was amazed at the power of God and believed the truth.

Journey from Cyprus to Pisidia (13:13-52)
It is customary for Paul to start his mission by visiting the local synagogue (verse 14). Paul's sermon in a synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia (13:16—41) serves as the centerpiece of a long and tightly constructed travel-and-mission account, moving into new places (13:13-14, 51; 14:6-7), then successively going back retracing each stage of the journey (14:21, 24–26). All the sites visited by Paul on this journey eventually fall within the territory of the Roman province of Galatia in the first century, so it could be assumed that 'these are the churches Paul addresses in the Epistle to the Galatians'.

Verse 13

 * Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.

This John, also mentioned in verse 5, was John Mark, the nephew of Barnabas (Acts 12:25). Whatever the trouble was between Paul and John Mark, it was enough for Paul not to want John Mark to accompany him on a later journey, which caused a rift between Paul and Barnabas. John Mark would prove faithful later in Paul's ministry (see 2 Timothy 4:11). <!--

Verse 14

 * The others went on from Perga and arrived at Antioch in Pisidia. There they went into the synagogue on the Sabbath and took their seats.

Verse 15

 * After the reading of the Law and the prophets, the synagogue leader sent them this message — 'Friends, if you have any helpful words to address to the people, now is the time to speak.' 

Verse 16

 * So Paul rose and, motioning with his hand, said: 'People of Israel and all here who worship God, hear what I have to say.

Verse 17

 * The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors, and during their stay in Egypt increased the prosperity of the people, and then ‘with uplifted arm brought them out from that land.

Verse 18

 * For about forty years 'he bore with them in the desert'; then, after destroying seven heathen nations in Canaan, he allotted their land to this people

Verse 19

 * after destroying seven heathen nations in Canaan, he allotted their land to this people —

Verse 20

 * For about four hundred and fifty years. In later times he gave them Judges, of whom the prophet Samuel was the last.

Verse 21

 * And, when they demanded a king, God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years.

Verse 22

 * After removing him, he raised David to the throne, and bore this testimony to him — 'In David, the son of Jesse, I have found a man after my own heart, who will carry out all my purposes.' 

Verse 23

 * It was from this man's descendants that God, in accordance with his promise, gave Israel a Savior — Jesus;

Verse 24

 * John having first proclaimed, before the appearance of Jesus, a baptism on repentance for all the people of Israel.

Verse 25

 * As John was drawing towards the end of his career, he said 'what do you suppose that I am? I am not the Christ. But there is "one coming" after me, whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.' 

Verse 26

 * Brothers and sisters, descendants of Abraham, and all those among you who worship God, it was to us that the message of this salvation was sent.

Verse 27

 * The people of Jerusalem and their leaders, failing to recognize Jesus, and not understanding the utterances of the prophets that are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.

Verse 28

 * They found no ground at all for putting him to death, and yet demanded his execution from Pilate;

Verse 29

 * and, after carrying out everything written about him, they took Jesus down from the cross, and laid him in a tomb.

Verse 30

 * But God raised him from the dead;

Verse 31

 * and he appeared for many days to those who had gone up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, and who are now witnesses for him to the people.

Verse 32

 * We also have good news to tell you, about the promise made to our ancestors

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Verse 33

 * God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm:
 * ‘You are My Son,
 * Today I have begotten You.’

Citing, which is also quoted and used for exposition in Hebrews 1:5; 5:5.

Verse 34

 * And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead,
 * now no more to return to corruption,
 * he said on this wise,
 * I will give you the sure mercies of David.

Citing Isaiah 55:3