Acts 13
New Catholic Bible
Antioch[a]
Paul’s First Missionary Journey[b]
Chapter 13
Barnabas and Paul Sent Out on Mission.[c] 1 In the Church at Antioch, there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 On one occasion, while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set Barnabas and Saul apart for me to do the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, after completing their fasting and prayer, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
4 Having been sent on their mission by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia,[d] and from there they set sail for Cyprus. 5 When they arrived in Salamis,[e] they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues, while John served as their assistant.
At Cyprus Facing a Proconsul and a Magician.[f] 6 When they had traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos,[g] they encountered a magician named Bar-Jesus, who was a Jewish false prophet. 7 He was an attendant of the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a learned man who had summoned Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 However, the magician Elymas (for that is the translation of his name) opposed them in an attempt to prevent the proconsul’s conversion to the faith.
9 Then Saul, also known as Paul,[h] filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at Elymas 10 and said, “You offspring of the devil, you enemy of righteousness, filled with every kind of deceit and fraud, will you never cease to pervert the straight paths of the Lord? 11 Now take note of how the hand of the Lord will strike you. You will be blind, and for a period of time you will not be able to see the sun.” Immediately, he was enveloped in a dark mist, and he groped about for someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he became a believer, having been deeply impressed by the teaching of the Lord.
13 Paul’s Arrival at Antioch in Pisidia.[i]Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and arrived at Perga[j] in Pamphylia. There, John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 Then they went on from Perga and arrived at Antioch[k] in Pisidia.
On the Sabbath, they went into the synagogue and took their seats. 15 After the readings from the Law and the Prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent this message to them, “Brethren, if you have any words of exhortation to offer to the people, please do so.”
16 Paul’s Speech in the Synagogue. Then Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and began to speak, saying, “Listen, men of Israel and you others who fear God![l] 17 The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made our people great while they were dwelling as foreigners in Egypt. With uplifted arm, he led them out, 18 and for about forty years he endured their conduct in the desert.
19 “After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave their land to his people as their inheritance 20 at the end of about four hundred and fifty years.[m] After that, he appointed judges for them until the time of the prophet Samuel.
21 “Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. He reigned for forty years, 22 after which God removed him and raised up David as their king. In commending him, he said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, to be a man after my own heart. He will carry out my every wish.’
23 “From this man’s descendants, God has fulfilled his promise by raising up for Israel a savior, Jesus. 24 Prior to his coming, John had already proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was nearing the end of his work, he said, ‘I am not the one you believe me to be. One is coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to unfasten.’
26 “Brethren, children of the family of Abraham, and those others among you who fear God, we are the ones to whom this message of salvation has been sent. 27 The people of Jerusalem and their leaders failed to recognize Jesus or to understand the words of the Prophets that are read on every Sabbath, and they fulfilled those prophecies by condemning him. 28 Even though they found no basis to justify his execution, they asked Pilate to have him killed.
29 “When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and placed him in a tomb. 30 However, God raised him from the dead, 31 and over a period of many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. These are now his witnesses before the people.
32 “We have come here to proclaim to you the good news—what God promised to our ancestors 33 he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising Jesus up as it is written in the second psalm:
‘You are my Son;
this day I have begotten you.’
34 “God raised him from the dead, never to be subjected to corruption. He declares it in these words, ‘To you I will give the blessings promised to David.’ 35 And he also says in another psalm, ‘You will not allow your Holy One to suffer corruption.’ 36 When David had served God’s purposes during his lifetime, he fell asleep, and he was buried with his ancestors, and he saw corruption. 37 However, the one whom God raised up did not see corruption. 38 “You must understand, brethren, that it is through him that forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you. 39 All those who believe are justified from all the things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses. 40 Beware, then, lest what the Prophets have foretold will happen to you:
41 ‘Look carefully, you scoffers!
Be amazed and perish!
For I am doing a work in your days
that you will never believe
even if someone tells you.’ ”
42 As they were leaving the synagogue, the people urged them to speak further on these subjects on the following Sabbath. 43 After the congregation had dispersed, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.
44 Paul’s Speech to the Gentiles. On the next Sabbath, almost the entire city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and with blasphemy they contradicted whatever Paul said. 46 Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God should be proclaimed to you first. However, since you have rejected it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so has the Lord commanded us to do, saying,
‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles
so that you may bring salvation
to the farthest corners of the earth.’ ”
48 When the Gentiles heard this, they were delighted, and they praised the word of the Lord. All those who were destined for eternal life became believers. 49 Thus, the word of the Lord continued to spread throughout the entire region.
50 However, the Jews incited the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city. As a result, a campaign of persecution was stirred up against Paul and Barnabas, and they were driven out of the territory. 51 And so they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium.[n] 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Footnotes
- Acts 13:1 Under the impulse of the Spirit and the call of events, the community of Jerusalem finds the main points of its internal fire; it has broken out of the Jewish world to spread the Gospel into the Gentile world. New communities have been founded in which the Spirit stirs up the same internal fire and strong missionary initiative. The cycle of Jerusalem ends with the establishment of the Church at Antioch (Acts 11:19-26). In the second cycle in Acts, this young Church is the point of departure and return for all the stories, replacing Jerusalem as the center for the spread of the Gospel. Henceforth, the action takes place outside of Palestine; the Church now exists independently of the temple and of Jewish life in the Holy Land.
According to the historians of the period, Antioch, a main communications center of the Mediterranean world, was a “hotbed of falsehood.” Two missionary journeys take off from it: the first to Asia Minor (Acts 13:1—14:28), the second as far as Greece (Acts 15:36—18:23). We shall witness the encounter with quite different environments, from Oriental magic to Greek philosophy.
Paul will soon take the initiative in this missionary activity by means of the first two voyages ordinarily called missionary journeys of the Apostle. The Council of Jerusalem is called upon to officially resolve the problem in the community between converts from the Gentiles and converts from Judaism. - Acts 13:1 A missionary undertaking begins that will reach into the heart of Asia Minor. The story dwells at length on the outward journey; the return is told in a few verses, but makes clear that in the interim some Churches have been born that have their own life and personality. The Gospel will be addressed first of all to Jews and then directly to the Gentiles. Is Christianity a complete novelty or Judaism with a new face?
- Acts 13:1 Events suggest the vitality of the community of Antioch, whose importance is also underlined by the list of people available. Paul and Barnabas are chosen to go on mission. The laying on of hands by the community here is not a communication of powers (as in Acts 6:6) but a confirmation of the inspiration of the Spirit.
- Acts 13:4 Seleucia: this was Antioch’s seaport, 16 miles to the west. Cyprus: the Gospel had already been preached there (see Acts 11:19f).
- Acts 13:5 Salamis: a town on the east coast of Cyprus.
- Acts 13:6 The problem preoccupying some spiritual authorities once again comes to the fore: What is Christianity’s relation to magic? Luke once again dissociates the Church from the magical arts practiced at the time (see Acts 8:18-24).
- Acts 13:6 Paphos: a town 100 miles west of Salamis.
- Acts 13:9 Known as Paul: Saul drops his Hebrew name and uses his Roman name, Paul, to show that he has entered fully into his mission to the world of the “nations.” Henceforth, he will also be mentioned before Barnabas, his companion in missionary activity.
- Acts 13:13 Christianity came into being within Judaism and brought the history of Israel to its conclusion. Therefore, the proclamation of the word must follow that same order: it is to be addressed first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles (see Acts 11:19-20). Only at the end of Acts will the mission be aimed directly at the Gentiles without first passing through the synagogue (see Acts 28:28). This sermon of Paul is delivered to Jews and follows the pattern of early Christian preaching that has already characterized the discourses of Peter.
- Acts 13:13 Perga: the capital of Pamphylia, which was a province of Asia Minor, 80 miles long and 20 miles wide, between the provinces of Lycia and Cilicia on the southern coast of Asia Minor.
- Acts 13:14 Antioch: a city 110 miles from Perga strategically situated for commerce, which was a Roman colony and had a large Jewish population. Pisidia: a district north of Pamphylia that was 120 miles long and 50 miles wide.
- Acts 13:16 Others who fear God: Gentiles who accept the beliefs and moral principles of Judaism without becoming members of the Jewish people by circumcision.
- Acts 13:20 Four hundred and fifty years: this could also refer to the period of the Judges until the time of the prophet Samuel.
- Acts 13:51 Iconium: an important crossroads and center of agriculture in the province of Galatia.
