3rd Missionary Trip - Lorin

Luke has an interesting depiction of the miracles: Δυνάμεις οὐ τὰς τυχούσας, powers not commonly happening.
55 The plural form here from δύναμις is usually translated as miracles, e.g., Acts 8:13, 19:11; 1 Cor. 12:10, 29;
Gal. 3:5; and Heb. 2:4 (6 of 119 uses of δύναμις). Luke’s more common depiction is σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα, signs and
wonders, although this terminology stops with chapter fifteen (2:22, 43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 7:36; 14:3; 15:12). 56 The
plural δυνάμεις only surfaces twice in Acts at 8:13 and 19:11. God did the miracles ‘through Paul’s hands’: ὁ θεὸς
ἐποίει διὰ τῶν χειρῶν Παύλου. This is a very Jewish way of describing the occurrence of miracles. 57 Interesting
also is that this way of depicting the occurrence of miracles from God through human hands underscores physical
contact as key to the miracle taking place. In most instances, such contact with diseased individuals would
have been forbidden by Jewish law.
The impact of this outward flow of divine presence through the ministry of the apostle Paul is described in
verse twelve as ὥστε καὶ ἐπὶ τοὺς ἀσθενοῦντας ἀποφέρεσθαι ἀπὸ τοῦ χρωτὸς αὐτοῦ σουδάρια ἢ σιμικίνθια καὶ
ἀπαλλάσσεσθαι ἀπʼ αὐτῶν τὰς νόσους, τά τε πνεύματα τὰ πονηρὰ ἐκπορεύεσθαι, so that when the handkerchiefs
or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.
Both healings and exorcisms are described here, although in the ancient world the distance between these two
phenomena would not have been considered very great. One of the translation challenges here is clear identification
of these two items that had come in contact with Paul’s skin: σουδάρια ἢ σιμικίνθια. 58 The most likely
idea is that both of these were what would be called ‘sweat rags’ in modern terms, one tied around the head as
a sweat band and the other carried much as a handkerchief for wiping off sweat from the face and arms.
Luke’s point is that such items were used to wipe off sweat from Paul’s body and then were used to message
the sick with the consequence of curing diseases and driving out τά πνεύματα τὰ πονηρὰ, evil spirits, one
of Luke’s term for demons. 59 In comparison to Peter’s experience, individuals in Ephesus made physical contact
55 “οὐ τὰς τυχούσας (RSV, ‘extraordinary’) is a Hellenistic expression (frequent in Vettius Valens) which means ‘unusual’ (not
‘singular’ in the sense of ‘exceptions which never recur’).” [Hans Conzelmann, Acts of the Apostles: A Commentary on the Acts of the
Apostles, ed. Eldon Jay Epp and Christopher R. Matthews, trans. James Limburg, A. Thomas Kraabel and Donald H. Juel, Hermeneia—a
Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1987), 163.]
56 “The preaching of the word of the Lord (v. 10) was accompanied, as often in Acts (cf. e.g. 4:29f.), by miracles (here δυνάμεις;
the words σημεῖον and τέρας are not used in this context, or anywhere after 15:12).” [C. K. Barrett, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary
on the Acts of the Apostles, International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2004), 906.]
57 “God himself performed the mighty works, though διὰ τῶν χειρῶν Π.; this is a Semitism, due not to translation but to Luke’s
imitation of biblical (i.e. LXX) language.” [C. K. Barrett, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, International
Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2004), 906.]
58 “σουδάριον translates the Latin sudarium, σιμικίνθιον, semicinctium. The precise meaning is not known with certainty; no
better suggestion is available than the definition of Ammonius (Fragmenta in Acta Apostolorum, ad 19:12; MPG 85, 1576 = Cramer
3:316f.), ἀμφότερα νομίζω λινοειδῆ εἶναι πλὴν τὰ μὲν σουδάρια ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐπιβάλλεται, τὰ δὲ σιμικίνθια ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν
κατέχουσιν, οἱ μὴ δυνάμενοι ὀράρια [= Latin oraria, (pocket) handkerchief] φορέσαι. Thus probably both were sweat-rags, σουδάρια
worn on the head to prevent the sweat from running into the eyes, σιμικίνθια carried in the hand for general mopping up. An alternative
possibility for σιμικίνθιον is apron. In each case the important point would be contact (this is against belt—T. J. Leary, JTS 41 (1990),
527–9) with Paul’s skin. χρώς is not common in prose, but is used in the LXX.” [C. K. Barrett, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary
on the Acts of the Apostles, International Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 2004), 907.]
Also note:
For σιμικίνθιον, ‘apron,’ and σουδάριον, ‘handkerchief,’ compare Ammonius: ‘I think that both are made of linen, except
that the handkerchiefs are worn upon the head, but those not able to wear handkerchiefs hold the aprons in their
hands’ (ἀμφότερα νομίζω λινοειδῆ εἶναι· πλὴν τὰ μὲν σουδάρια ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐπιβάλλεται, τὰ δὲ σιμικίνθια ἐν ταῖς χερσὶν
κατέχουσιν, οἱ μὴ δυνάμενοι ὀράρια [oraria] φορέσαι).
Page 393
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[Hans Conzelmann, Acts of the Apostles: A Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, ed. Eldon Jay Epp and Christopher R.
Matthews, trans. James Limburg, A. Thomas Kraabel and Donald H. Juel, Hermeneia — a Critical and Historical Commentary on the
Bible (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1987), 163.]
59Interestingly, in Luke’s gospel the word for demon, δαιμόνιον, is used 21 of the 69 NT uses, but never used in Acts. What is
common between the gospel and Acts are the expressions τά πνεύματα τὰ πονηρὰ, evil spirits, or τὸ ἀκάθαρτον πνεῦμα, unclean spirit.
Both the singular and plural are used: Luke 4:36; 6:18; 7:21; 8:2, 29; 9:42; 11:24 and Acts 5:16; 8:7; 19:12, 13, 15, 16. In both patterns
Luke adds the negative adjective πονηρὰ or ἀκάθαρτον to clearly identify the spirit as bad. Luke’s seeming preference for these two
terms may possibly reflect his targeted non-Jewish readership since in the Greco-Roman world δαιμόνιον and ἄγγελος were often interchangeable
terms for deities perceived in positive ways in that world. His extensive use of δαιμόνιον in the gospel most often reflects his
following one of his sources, either Mark, the Quelle source or the exclusively L for Lukan only sources.
One should note a pattern that emerges rather consistently between Jesus and these two apostles. The occurrence of miracles
is much more frequent in the early stages of ministry by all three. Toward the end of their earthly lives the accounts of miracles done
by all three taper off significantly or else stop completely. For Jesus see my article “The Miracles of Christ: A Chronological Listing,”
cranfordville.com. For Acts see my article, “Literary Forms in the Acts of the Apostles,” cranfordville.com.