Acts 13:1-15
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.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 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.
