Acts 28
1 After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. 3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. 7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. 9 And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10 They also honored us greatly, and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed. 11 After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. 16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him. 17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” 23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 27 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.” 30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. (Acts 28, ESV Bible)
1 After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold. (Acts 28: 1-2, ESV Bible)
Meliti
Sometime near the end of Tishrei (late October), 59 CE, 276 wet and dripping men pulled themselves up out of the waves on the beach of Malta. Luke says, "We found out that the island was called Malta." Paul and his party found the name of the island especially auspicious. The name sounded like the Hebrew word for "escape" and "refuge."
Given the general drift of the ship on its storm-tossed voyage from Crete, Malta was their last hope of landfall before 200 miles of open sea. Malta is a small island eighteen miles long and eight miles wide, some sixty miles south of Sicily.
Rome had been in possession of Malta for almost two centuries before Paul's arrival. The Romans established a magistrate over the island with the title of "chief man," and several retired soldiers and Roman citizens lived among the Maltese. In Paul's day, Malta was bilingual. Most inscriptions from the first century appear in both Greek and Punic. Most of the population, however, fell into a category that Luke considered “barbarians (barbaros, βάρβαρος)” (Acts 28:2). The word referred to a person who did not speak Greek, but it usually also implied a person uncivilized by Greco-Roman standards.
The native Maltese saw the ship breaking up and the men climbing up out of the water. The survivors staggered ashore, exhausted and shivering in the cold. Many were naked. Though they did not have accommodations on that beach for such a crowd, the Maltesians built a bonfire to provide the survivors some comfort from the wind and rain. Luke says, "The barbarians lit a fire and welcomed us to it because of the cold" (Acts 28:2, Western Text). The men stood about the fire warming themselves, simply grateful to be alive. A few of the natives could speak a little Greek, and Luke queried them about the local situation and prospects for lodging. Paul made himself busy by gathering fuel to feed the fire.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
3 When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were waiting for him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. 7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It happened that the father of Publius lay sick with fever and dysentery. And Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him, healed him. 9 And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10 They also honored us greatly, and when we were about to sail, they put on board whatever we needed. (Acts 28:3-10, ESV Bible)
Miracles on Meliti
As Paul placed a bundle of sticks and branches onto the fire, a viper shot out from the bundle and latched onto the apostle. It hung from his arm by its teeth. Paul shook the viper off and cast it into the fire. All eyes fixed on him, and the natives murmured together and conferred with one another.
Luke asked the Greek-speakers among them to translate. The native Maltese could see that the bitten man had been a prisoner on the ship. His wrists and ankles might have still had irons on them. They speculated that Paul must have committed some terrible crime such as murder. Clearly, the gods had tried to punish him by drowning him in the shipwreck. Since he had avoided that fate, another punishment sprang forth. He could not escape the fate. They said, “Diki (δίκη) has not allowed him to live.” Diki was the Greek goddess of justice, a virgin daughter of Zeus who monitored men and reported injustices to Zeus.
Paul ignored the entire situation and continued to gather firewood. The native Maltese apparently knew that the particular type of viper that had bitten Paul was fatal. (No species of poisonous snakes survive on Malta today.) They anticipated that he would drop dead within a few minutes. He did not. Miraculously, the venom did not harm him.
From the perspective of the locals, the miracle substantiated Paul's innocence. If he had been guilty of some crime, as they first assumed, the poison would certainly have killed him. The Talmud tells a similar story:
In a certain place there was a serpent which was injuring people ...Chanina ben Dosa said, "Show me its hole."... He put his heel over the mouth of the hole. The serpent came out. bit his foot, and it died. He hung the dead serpent over his shoulder and brought it to the beit midrash, and he said, "See my sons, it is not the serpent that kills; it is sin that kills!" In that hour they said, "Woe to the man who encounters a serpent, but woe to the serpent which encounters Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa!" (b.Berachot 33a)
When Paul did not drop dead, the Maltese discarded their previous theory about Paul's guilt and decided that he must be a divine being. This was not the first time Paul had been mistaken for a god. They suspected that he only masqueraded as a human-perhaps testing them to see if they would show appropriate hospitality. The misapprehension probably resulted in even better treatment for Paul and his companions, at least until Paul had the opportunity to correct them.
Our Master told His apostles, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you" (Luke 10:19). He had declared over His apostles, "They will pick up serpents, and ... deadly poison, it will not hurt them" (Mark 16:18).
The Roman magistrate over Malta was a man named Publius. Luke refers to him as "the leading man of the island." He had an estate not far from the place where the castaways had washed ashore. Word of the shipwrecked men reached Publius, the "First Man of Malta." He invited the Roman citizens, including Paul and company, to visit his estate and tell their story. He welcomed them and entertained them courteously in Roman fashion for three days. After a month at sea, Paul and his companions enjoyed a hot bath, warm food, and a real bed.
In the course of conversations with the magistrate, Paul learned that Publius had a father sick with "Malta fever," once a common ailment caused by a microbe in the goat's milk. The symptoms included recurring fever and dysentery. Paul offered to pray for healing for the man from the God of the Jews and in the name of his teacher, Yeshua of Nazareth. He explained that his teacher was a famous healer in his native land.
Publius had no objection. Paul went into the room where the sick man was lying. He exchanged a few words with the elderly man, and then Paul placed his hands upon him and asked God to heal him by the name of Yeshua. The man recovered so quickly that everyone attributed it to divine healing.
Stories about Paul, the mysterious Jewish prisoner from the sea, circulated quickly through the small island. Other people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and getting cured. That notoriety gave him ample opportunity to present the God of the Jews and to testify in the name of His Son, Yeshua.
Julius secured lodging for Paul somewhere on the island while they waited for the navigational season to open. The people continued to come to Paul, and he continued to testify and pray for them. The people honored Paul and his companions with gifts and many marks of respect and gratitude. The LORD provided all their needs.
Julius found an Alexandrian grain ship wintering in one of the Maltese harbors and booked passage for himself, his men, and his prisoners. After three months on Malta, they prepared to set sail. Several of the people whom Paul had healed and taught came to see the apostle off as he departed for Rome. Luke says, "When we were setting sail, they supplied us with all we needed." Julius loaded his prisoners and soldiers onto the grain ship, and the enormous freighter raised its sails to catch the west wind. A week later, they put in at Puteoli, in the Bay of Naples. "There we found some brethren, and were invited to stay with them for seven days; and thus we came to Rome" (Acts 28:14).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him. (Acts 28:16, ESV Bible)
Polos Arrives in Roma
The prisoner and his small entourage arrived in the capital city in the early spring of 60 CE, one year after Nero had murdered his mother, Agrippina. Julius discharged Paul into the custody of the prefect of the Praetorian Guard. The Western Text of Acts says, "When he came to Rome, the centurion handed over the prisoners to the garrison commander. Paul found favor with him to stay outside the headquarters, with a soldier to guard him." The prefect had the duty of keeping in custody all accused persons who were to be tried before the Emperor.
In the year that Paul arrived in Rome, the prefect over the Praetorian Guard was a man named Sextus Afranius Burrus. More than just the captain of the guard, Burrus had worked with Nero's mother to secure Nero's place as emperor after the death of Claudius. He and Seneca worked together to tutor the young emperor. During the first eight years of Nero's reign, Burrus and Seneca managed the affairs of the empire while Nero entertained himself.
Burrus acquiesced to Nero's murder of Agrippina and supported him in the decision. Nevertheless, by then, Burrus had also begun to fall from Nero's favor. The emperor chafed under the older man's wisdom and guidance, and he suspected Burrus of plotting against him.
The centurion Julius praised Paul to Burrus and told him about how he had assisted in saving everyone's lives at sea. Paul made a favorable impression. Rather than incarcerating him as a common criminal, Burrus allowed Paul to live in his own rented dwelling. The apostle remained bound by a chain and in the company of a Praetorian guard, but Burrus allowed him the freedom to receive guests and conduct business from a private residence. Paul remarked to the Ephesians, "I am an ambassador in chains."
Burrus did not consider Paul dangerous enough or important enough to warrant the attention of a centurion. He placed him under the guard of a single Praetorian soldier. In keeping with Roman practice, a chain bound Paul to his guard. The guard's shifts lasted about four hours per rotation. Paul probably took advantage of the rotations to introduce the gospel to each soldier (Philippians 4:22).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” (Acts 28:17-22, ESV Bible)
Sixth Defense: Before the Jewish Community in Rome
Paul was in Rome only a few days when he invited the leadership of the Jewish community to hear about his appeal. He needed their support when it came time for the trial before Nero.
The Jews of Rome did not feel warmly about the sect of the Christians. In the year 49 CE, Emperor Claudius became so irritated with disturbances relating to Christus that he expelled the whole Jewish community from the city. Many of the Jews in the community in Rome had only recently returned when Nero came to power and revoked his predecessor's edicts.
The Jewish leadership agreed to meet with Paul. It was in their best interest to know the charges prior to the trial so that they could disassociate themselves from him if necessary.
Paul assumed that envoys from Jerusalem had already arrived with offcial charges accusing him of teaching against the Torah, against the Jewish people, and against the Temple. He began his defense, stating, "Brethren, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans."
He denied teaching or acting against the Jewish people. He denied even violating the "customs of our fathers," that is, the legal rulings and traditions of the sages that became the Oral Torah. In his own words, Paul declares that he did not even breach the oral traditions and customs of Judaism.
Acts 28:17-20 only summarizes what was probably a long and eloquent speech recounting his arrest and trials. Paul assured the Jewish leadership in Rome that he had no intention of denouncing the Jewish people or Judean leadership. (As a Roman citizen, Paul did have the legal option of filing a punitive countersuit against the Judean leadership.) He told them that he appealed to Caesar only because he saw no other way to obtain a fair hearing. He explained that his arrest occurred only because of his faith in "the hope of Israel," that is, the final redemption and the coming of the Messiah (cf. Jeremiah 17:13).
The Jewish leadership assured Paul that they had neither received any letters from the authorities in Judea nor had a delegation come to Rome to lodge charges against him. They had heard nothing at all about Paul's trial. It appeared that the leadership in Judea had simply dropped their case against the apostle.
The Jewish leadership in Rome had not heard of Paul of Tarsus, but they had heard of the sect of the Nazarenes. In Rome, the sect was known by its Greek name: the Christians. The first-century Roman historian Tacitus explains the origin of the name:
[They are] called "Chrestians" by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilate. (Annals 15.44)
The Jewish leadership in Rome told Paul that they had heard bad reports about the Christians in every place. They said, We know that people everywhere are talking against this sect." Their own experience had led to their expulsion from Rome a decade earlier.
The negative reports about the believers included growing concerns about Gentile participation. Romans looked askance at the sect because it lured Roman people to accept the foreign superstitions of the Jews. The Romans reacted by maligning the Christians and spreading malicious rumors. The first-century Roman historian Tacitus describes the Christians of Rome as "depraved ... a most mischievous superstition... hated for their abominations." He further accused them of hatred against humanity (misanthropy), a charge that Romans ordinarily leveled against Jews.
Why would the Romans think of the believers as haters of humanity? When Gentiles became God-fearing believers or proselytes to Judaism, they had to sever many old relationships and practices. They could no longer engage in adoration of the household gods (every family had idols), idolatrous feasts and festivals, and other family, civic, and national functions involving idolatrous worship. They could no longer eat the same food as their family, neighbors, and friends. They no longer participated in certain activities on Sabbaths and festivals. They adopted a different standard of sexual morality that did not approve of relationships and licentiousness common to their family, friends, and neighbors. They tended to cluster together with others like themselves and withdraw from the larger society. From the outside, it appeared that converts to the new Jewish sect turned against family, friends, and society.
As these impressions about believers began to harden, the Jewish community stepped up their campaign to disassociate themselves from the sect. Jewish leaders increasingly wanted to disassociate themselves from the Messianic Jews and God-fearers. They wanted the Roman authorities to make a distinction between Jews and "Christians."
With these concerns in mind, the Jewish leadership asked Paul to explain the sect from his perspective. They arranged to come again at a later time when they could hear Paul out on the matter.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 27 For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.” (Acts 28:23-28, ESV Bible)
To the Goyim
Sometime later, the leaders of the Roman Jewish community returned to hear Paul present his case for Yeshua of Nazareth. Large numbers crowded into the courtyard outside his small home.
Paul spent the better part of the day explaining and declaring "the kingdom of God." He spent the day teaching from the Torah and the Prophets, presenting proof texts, relating anecdotal evidence, and solemnly testifying about his own experiences. A Roman soldier sat nearby as he discoursed.
As the leaders began to take leave of Paul, he reminded them of the ominous prophecy from the commissioning of the Prophet Isaiah. Paul quoted Isaiah 6:9-10, saying, "The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet" (Acts 28:25).
When God commissioned the Prophet Isaiah, He warned the prophet to expect resistance to his message. He said that the people would hear but not understand; they would see but not perceive: "For the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes; otherwise they might see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them." Rabbi Yeshua used the same passage to explain why He spoke to the people in parables, and John the son of Zebedee quoted the same passage to explain the seeming "Jewish rejection" of Yeshua (Matthew 13:13-15; John 12:37-42). The Isaiah passage anchors an important component of apostolic theology. Paul detected a sovereign purpose behind that failure He believed that God intended to use Israel's rejection of the gospel to extend His salvation to the nations:
I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! (Romans II:II-12)
In His mysterious and unsearchable purposes, God used Israel's temporary rejection of the message as an opportunity to delay the redemption, and lavish the good news of the kingdom on the nations and call them to repentance before the Day of the LORD. Paul concluded, "Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen!"
Some readers interpret Paul's declarations at the end of the book of Acts as the last opportunity the Jewish people had to receive the gospel. They mistakenly suppose that, subsequent to the Jewish community's rejection of Paul's appeal in Rome, God rejected the Jewish nation forever. On the contrary, neither Isaiah nor Paul meant to imply that God had abandoned His people or withdrawn the kingdom from Israel. Paul was simply following his standard protocol of proclaiming the gospel first to the local Jewish community before turning to the local Gentiles. He taught, "It is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Romans I:16). Paul made similar statements in Pisidian Antioch and Corinth without suggesting a sealed fate or the close of a dispensation (Acts 13:46, 18:6). In neither of those texts did Paul's sharp pronouncement indicate that he would henceforth abandon the Jewish people and preach only to Gentiles.
As the Jewish leaders left Paul's rented apartment that day, they left arguing. In Jewish terms, argumentation is a standard device for discussing the Scriptures. They argued over Paul's message and the things of the kingdom. Acts 28:29 does not appear in all manuscripts, but the content of the verse is at least implied a few verses earlier: "Some were being persuaded by the things spoken, but others would not believe. And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving" (Acts 28:24-25).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. (Acts 28:30-31; ESV Bible)
End of the Book
At the end of the book of Acts, Paul declares, "This salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen" (Acts 28:28). That closing remark hints toward the commencement of a successful ministry among the Roman people. Luke remarks that Paul remained in his rented quarters for two full years. He received visitors and preached the kingdom of God. He taught about the Master openly, and no one hindered him. The abrupt ending of the book leaves the reader wondering why Luke closed the narrative at that point. He does not grant any specific stories about Paul's activities in those two years, and he does not mention the outcome of his appeal before the emperor. It seems like a strange and unsatisfying place to conclude the story.
Some scholars believe that Luke originally prepared his first draft of the book of Acts as a legal briefing to present at Paul's appeal. Perhaps he hoped to add more to the manuscript at a later time. For whatever reason, the story ends before the conclusion of Paul's story. The Sent Ones assembles the rest of Paul's story from clues that appear in his later epistles and early church traditions.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
The Prisoner
Paul composed the epistles of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon while serving time incarcerated as a prisoner. He fills the prison epistles with frequent references to his chains. He speaks of himself as "the prisoner of the Messiah Yeshua for the sake of you Gentiles" (Ephesians 3:1) and "the prisoner of the Master" (Ephesians 4:1). He calls himself an "ambassador in chains" for the sake of the "mystery of the gospel" (Ephesians 6:19-20). He asks the readers of his epistles to remember his chains and to pray on his behalf. He references his court trials and defenses. He tells the Philippian believers, "Both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers of grace with me" (Philip-pians 1:7). He boasts that his "imprisonment in the cause of the Messiah" has become known in the elite circles of Rome, and that this has had the effect of encouraging other Roman believers "to speak the word of God without fear" (Philippians I:13-14).
Paul believed that God had sent him to Rome to testify before Caesar on behalf of the Master. Yeshua Himself appeared to Paul, saying, "As you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also ... you must stand before Caesar" (Acts 23:I1, 27:24). As Roman sentiment turned ever more sour against the sect of the Christians, God gave Paul the opportunity to speak before Caesar in defense of the entire assembly of Yeshua. The disciples in Rome realized that God had placed Paul in the capital as an advocate for the gospel and ambassador for their cause, "appointed for the defense of the gospel" (Philippians I:16).
During the two years that Paul waited for a hearing before Caesar, he became famous among the elite palace guard. Ten thousand specially selected soldiers constituted the Praetorian Guard. They provided the emperor's personal bodyguard and the military defense of the city. They enjoyed unique privileges and wielded political power of their own. Emperors carefully courted and maintained the favor of the praetorian guards. They had the power to take down emperors and install new ones, and since they held military control over the city, they could impose their will by force. Most of the time, they remained fiercely loyal to the reigning emperor and their sworn duties to Rome, but when the Praetorian Guard turned against an emperor, they could initiate a regime change very quickly.
Some of the praetorian guards assigned to guard Paul became God-fearers and even believers. Others did not adopt the foreign religion of the Jews, but they grew to respect the prisoner and his school of disciples. His amazing stories about the crucified Jew who rose from the dead and all his stories about miracles, healings, and adventures filled the long hours of guard duty. The guards assigned over Paul began to talk about the Jewish prisoner against whom no charges had been filled but who had nevertheless appealed his case to Caesar. It made for interesting conversation:
Now I want you to know, brethren, that my circumstances have turned out for the greater progress of the gospel, so that my imprisonment in the cause of the Messiah has become well known throughout the whole praetorian guard and to everyone else. (Philippians 1:12-13)
As word about Paul's presence spread throughout the palace, he began to have contact with members of Caesar's household. In his epistle to the Philippians, he sends greetings from believers in the household of Caesar Nero:
The brethren who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar's household. (Philippians 4:21-22)
That does not imply that some of Nero's family members had become believers. "Caesar's household" refers to the whole staff of the palace and the imperial civil service. It included palace officials, secretaries, administrators, accountants, consultants, and those who were responsible for the daily administration of the empire. It also included the small army of servants, servers, and domestic slaves who serviced the palace.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Chavurah in Romi
Timothy arrived in Rome a few months after Paul did. He brought Paul reports about various communities. His arrival gladdened Paul's heart. Timothy helped Paul with his correspondence by co-writing several epistles. According to the salutations, Timothy co-wrote the prison epistles with Paul.
Paul told the Philippians that he would send Timothy to visit them in Macedonia, but he wanted Timothy to remain with him in Rome at least until he could be certain about the outcome of his trial before Caesar:
I hope in the Master Yeshua to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition ... Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; and I trust in the Master that I myself also will be coming shortly. (Philippians 2:19, 23-24)
In his epistle to the Philippians, he praised Timothy, "I have no one else of kindred spirit ... for they all seek after their own interests" (Philippians 2:20-21). He knew that Timothy would be "genuinely concerned" for the welfare of the Macedonian believers.
Others around Paul might not have been as selfless as Timothy, but he did have a few other kindred spirits with him in Rome. His faithful companions Luke and Aristarchus had stayed with him during the two years of his incarceration in Caesarea, and they traveled with him all the way from Caesarea to Rome. They shared his shipwreck on Malta, and now they lived with him in the capital city. In all, they demonstrated their loyalty to their teacher by devoting more than five years of their lives to serving him like personal servants. Paul referred to both of them as his fellow workers. Aristarchus was also his "fellow prisoner." Luke was "the beloved physician." Tychicus of Ephesus arrived seeking Paul. Tychicus was one of the delegates that Paul brought with him to Jerusalem. He almost certainly carried greetings, letters, gifts, and news from the congregation in Ephesus and other communities around Asia Minor. Tychicus remained with Paul in Rome for a short while before returning to Asia with letters for the believers in Ephesus and the Lycus Valley.
News about Paul's imprisonment in Rome reached the congregation at Philippi through Paul's co-worker Epaphras (Epaphroditus) of Colossae. The wealthy household of Lydia and the other disciples at Philippi loaded Epaphras with a generous financial contribution and care package for the apostle. Paul thanked the Philippian believers: "You have done well to share with me in my affliction ... I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God" (Philippians 4:14, I8).
Epaphras arrived in Rome in bad health from the hazards of the journey, sick and near death. Paul said, "Indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow" (Philippians 2:27). Paul further wrote, "Hold men like him in high regard; because he came close to death for the work of Messiah, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me" (Philippians 2:29-30).
As Epaphras recovered from his illness, he cheered Paul and Timothy with news about the formation of congregations at Colossae and Laodicea. He also expressed his concerns about the new proto-Gnostic teachings that he had encountered in Colossae. Paul decided to compose epistles to the Lycus Valley congregations, but he elected not to send Epaphras with them. Instead, he wanted Epaphras to travel directly to the Macedonian congregations with the epistle to the Philippians:
I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need; because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. (Philippians 2:25-26)
Others joined Paul in Rome as well. Paul's epistles mention a Jewish believer named Yeshua, who went by the Roman name Justus, and another disciple named Demas. To Paul's surprise, John Mark, the cousin of Barnabas arrived in Rome and sought him out. Two decades had passed since John Mark first left Jerusalem in the company of Barnabas and Paul. On their first journey into the interior of Anatolia, John Mark abandoned the apostles at Perga. When Barnabas later wanted to take John Mark along again, Paul objected sharply, and the two apostles went separate ways.
That was all a long time ago. The years had matured John Mark and knocked off Paul's sharp edges. All was forgiven. In Philemon 24, Paul lists Mark as one of his fellow workers. He made plans to dispatch Mark to the congregations in Anatolia. (Perhaps to see if Mark would go into the interior this time? Perhaps a sharp edge remained?) He told the Colossian brethren to receive him: "If he comes to you, welcome him" (Colossians 4:10). Later, during his last imprisonment, Paul described John Mark as "useful to me for service" (2 Timothy 4:11).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
The Fugitive
In the same year that Paul arrived in Rome, a powerful earthquake shook the Lycus Valley. The city of Colossae, only sixteen miles upstream from the Hierapolis, suffered heavy damage from the earthquake as well. Eusebius says that the quake destroyed Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. The smaller and less affluent city of Colossae lacked the prestige and wealth to rebuild in a significant manner. The earthquake marked the beginning of the city's decline.
If our chronology of events is correct, Philemon of Colossae hosted the Colossian assembly in his home at the time of the quake. This same Philemon had a slave named Onesimus (Ὀνήσιμος), which means “useful.” It sounds like a good name for a slave, but Onesimus did not want to be useful to Philemon. Sometime around the time of the earthquake, perhaps taking advantage of the confusion caused by the quake, Onesimus fled from his owner. Apparently, he took some valuables from the house before he left.
Onesimus fled from Philemon and immediately became a fugitive and a hunted man. For some reason, he found his way from the Lycus Valley all the way to Rome. In those days, all roads really did lead to Rome.
Escaped slaves posed a common problem in the Roman world. An escaped slave had little chance of finding refuge in normal society. They were easy to single out. Roman law punished those who might harbor them, and their owners typically offered a bounty for the return of a slave.
Onesimus might have come to Rome to seek out Epaphras-the godly man who had shown him kindness and taught him about the one true God. Perhaps he had come to Rome with hopes of disappearing into the anonymity of a large, urban center far from home. If so, Epaphras ruined his hopes by recognizing his friend's slave in the streets. However it happened, Epaphras brought the escaped slave to Paul.
Paul spoke to Onesimus about the gospel and introduced him to his Master. Onesimus exchanged his hopeless freedom for the hope of service to King Messiah. Paul adopted the escaped slave as one of his own disciples.
The situation with Onesimus created a difficult problem for Paul and Epaphras. The solution required a delicate strategy. On the one hand, they may have felt that they had a biblical obligation to protect Onesimus. The Torah forbids returning an escaped Jewish slave to his master:
You shall not hand over to his master a slave who has escaped from his master to you. He shall live with you in your midst, in the place which he shall choose in one of your towns where it pleases him; you shall not mistreat him. (Deuteronomy 23:15-16)
On the other hand, Roman law forbade aiding and abetting a fugitive slave. Furthermore, Philemon would certainly find out that they had his slave. What would he say when he learned that the Apostle Paul harbored that thief and fugitive? The situation might breach Paul's relationship with Philemon and the assembly at Colossae that met in his home. It could damage the integrity of the gospel.
Paul thought the matter through carefully and discussed the dilemma with both Onesimus and Epaphras. He explained that he did not want to jeopardize his pending trial and the potential growth of the congregation in Colossae by association with a fugitive. At the same time, he could not and would not turn Onesimus over to the authorities or force him to go back to Colossae. The Torah did not allow for that option. Nevertheless, the Torah did not prohibit Onesimus from voluntarily returning to his master.
Paul urged the fugitive to return and repair the relationship. He said that, for his part, he would compose a letter to Philemon, beseeching him to pardon Onesimus and to give him his liberty. Paul explained that Onesimus could travel back to Colossae, not as a returning slave, but as a disciple of Paul traveling along with Paul's messenger Tychicus of Ephesus.
In his letter to Philemon, Paul explained that Onesimus had come to him, repented, and become a disciple. Paul admitted that he felt reluctant about sending Onesimus back to Colossae. He considered keeping the young man in Rome, where Onesimus could serve him as a disciple in the ministry of the gospel. He did not want to do that, however, without Philemon's consent. He told Philemon to receive the escaped slave back, not as a returning slave, but as a beloved brother in the Master. Paul wrote, "I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me" (Philemon 10-11).
Paul pressured Philemon to grant him a favor by giving Onesimus his freedom. He said, "If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me. But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account; I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well)" (Philemon 17-19).
In addition to his requests on behalf of Onesimus, Paul also told Philemon that he anticipated receiving Nero's pardon soon. After that, he planned on visiting. He told Philemon to prepare a guest room. He hoped to follow up on the work of Epaphras in Colossae, Laodicea, and Hierapolis. He closed the letter to Philemon with greetings from John Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Mail Call
In the same mailbag, Paul sent letters to the congregations at Ephesus, Colossae, and Laodicea. The letter to the Ephesians summarized Paul's teachings about the relationship between Jewish believers and God-fearing Gentiles. Some scholars believe that Paul used the letter to the Ephesians as a generic epistle for general circulation among his congregations.
The letter to the Colossians attempted to deflect the influence of the proto-Gnostic heresy, which Epaphras had recently encountered in those congregations. Paul refuted the hierarchical angelology and asceticism taught by the mystics, and he warned the Colossian believers against accepting the hollow philosophical ideas of men. He told the believers in Colossae to also read the letter he sent to Laodicea.
Likewise, he told the Laodiceans to read the letter he wrote to the Colossians: "When this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read my letter that is coming from Laodicea" (Colossians 4:16). He told both congregations about Epaphras concern for them: "For I testify for him that he has a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis" (Colossians 4:13). Unfortunately, the letter to Laodicea does not survive.
Tychicus and Onesimus set out from Rome carrying Paul's letters to their destinations. We do not know how the story ended. Did Philemon agree to grant Onesimus his freedom?
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Onisimos of Efsos
In the early second century, Ignatius of Antioch addressed an epistle to the Ephesians in which he three times referred to their bishop by the name of Onesimus. Might he have been the same Onesimus?
The Bishop Onesimus might be the reason that Paul's letters appear in our New Testament. It seems reasonable to believe that, after Philemon freed him, he gave Onesimus the letter to keep with his papers of manumission. Perhaps Onesimus continued to travel with Tychicus and began to collect copies of Pauline letters. How else could such a personal letter as Philemon have entered the ecclesiastical collection-unless Onesimus himself was the one who put the collection together?
The thought invites further speculation. If Onesimus became the elder over the community in Ephesus-taking up that mantle after the death of John-then he stood in a position to encourage the public reading of Paul's letters in the assemblies of Asia Minor. Philemon's "useless" fugitive slave might have been responsible for both the preservation and the elevation of Paul's letters. The story of Onesimus might be the story of how Paul's letters ended up in the Bible in the first place.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.