1st Missionary Trip - Lorin

of this strong accusation with ὦ πλήρης παντὸς δόλου καὶ πάσης ῥᾳδιουργίας...ἐχθρὲ πάσης δικαιοσύνης, you
enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy. In the middle of these two devastating accusations Paul calls
Bar-Jesus υἱὲ διαβόλου. Through Paul’s words Luke informs us of the evil nature of this fellow. And it is on this
basis that he opposes the message of Paul and Barnabas, and thus brings down on himself the divine judgment
of blindness.
Important to consider here is the parallel between this encounter of Paul and a somewhat similar one
by Peter with the Jewish magician Simon Magnus in Samaria (cf. Acts 8:9-24). That God’s power over evil and
magic was present in the ministries of both Peter and Paul is made very clear by Luke. Thus at the outset of
Paul’s missionary work was a demonstration of this power from God in the curse placed on Bar-Jesus by Paul at
Paphos.
The second character in this episode is the Roman proconsul (τῷ ἀνθυπάτῳ) named Σεργίῳ Παύλῳ,
whom Luke also labels as ἀνδρὶ συνετῷ. These terms require examination. His government position is called
ἀνθύπατος 88 because the term proconsul was used to identify
a governor of a senatorial province, over against the
term praefectus or procurator which designated a governor
of an imperial province directly controlled by the emperor. 89
Only Cyprus and Achaia as senatorial provinces are mentioned
by name in the New Testament; the others are imperial
provinces.
His double name was Σέργιος Παῦλος, Sergius Paulus.
90 The difficulty here is that this name never shows up
in any Roman listing of proconsuls located on the island
of Cyprus. This has led to numerous views about this fellow.
91 This doesn’t mean necessarily that Luke had wrong
information; rather, that we just don’t have enough information.
92
88 “ἀνθύπατος, ου, ὁ (ἀντί, ὕπατος; orig. ‘highest’ then ‘consul’; Polyb. et al.; freq. in lit.; Jos., Ant. 14, 236; 244 al.; Mel.; ins [s.
e.g. PHermann, Inschriften von Sardeis: Chiron 23, ’93, 233–48: of an honorand, 211 A.D., pp. 238f ]; pap [incl. Ox 850 verso 15: AcJ])
head of the govt. in a senatorial province, proconsul (s. Hahn 39f; 115; 259, w. lit.). Those mentioned are the proconsul of Cyprus,
Sergius Paulus Ac 13:7, cp. vss. 8 and 12; of Achaia, Gallio 18:12; cp. 19:38; of Asia MPol 3:1; 4; 9:2, 3; 10:2; 11:1; 12:1.—DELG s.v.
ὕπατος. M-M.” [William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early
Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 82.]
89For a helpful discussion see “Roman governor,” Wikipedia.org.
90 “Σέργιος, ου, ὁ Sergius, name of a Roman gens (in its Gk. form in Diod S 12, 24, 1; 12, 43, 1; 14, 19, 1; SIG 646, 16; pap): Σέργιος
Παῦλος ἀνθύπατος proconsul Sergius Paulus Ac 13:7. Attempts to confirm the identity of this official through ins have not proved convincing
(Hemer, Acts 109 n. 17; 166f n. 16). On the principal documents (IGR III, 930, but without the name Sergius, s. HDessau, ZNW
2, 1901, 83 n. 3; Groag, Pauly-W. VI [1909] 1781; for improved rdg. TMitford, ANRW II/7/2 [1980], 1301–4. SEG XX, 302, 10f Κ]
οΐντου Σεργ|[ίου Παύλου ἀνθυπάτου----], which is placed in a restored rdg. under the reign of Gaius [Caligula], not Claudius, by Mitford
p. 1300 n. 54 and 1330 n. 195. A terminal stone in the city of Rome CIL VI 31545 [=ILS 5926; s. Mommsen, ZNW 2, 1901, p. 83, 3]
w. full name ‘L. Sergius Paullus’ but without ref. to Cyprus; two inscriptions fr. Pisidian Antioch [Ramsay, Bearing 150; 153f; GCheesman,
JRS 3, 1913, 262]) s. Hemer above and Boffo, Iscrizioni 242–46.—TZahn, NKZ 15, 1904, 23–41; 189–200; Ramsay, Bearing
150–72; Cheesman, loc. cit. 253–66; AWikenhauser, Die AG 1921, 338–41; Kl. Pauly V 137; Haenchen p. 77 (Eng. tr. 64); DBS XII
693–99.—LGPN I. M-M.” [William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker and Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and
Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 919.]
91 “The identity of this man is admirably discussed by Lake in Begs. 5:455–459; see more recently, and much more briefly, Schneider
(2:121); also B. van Elderen in FS Bruce (1970) 151–6. Lake shows that some inscriptions which appear to refer to Sergius Paulus and
to connect him with Cyprus have been misunderstood and are inapplicable. One inscription (CIL vi. 4, ii. p. 3116, no. 31545) does refer
to one L. Sergius Paulus. It names five men, of whom he is one, as curatores riparum et alvei [Tiberis]. Three are unknown; one, Paullus
Fabius Persicus, was one of the Fratres Arvales, and probably Magister in AD 35. The inscription is dated by a reference to the Emperor
Claudius; it must therefore fall between AD 41 and 54. ‘The name of L. Sergius Paullus suggests that he may be the Sergius Paulus of
Acts. The date would fit admirably if he went to Cyprus soon after being one of the Curators of the Tiber’ (Lake 458). It would of course
be necessary to suppose that his curatorship fell fairly early in Claudius’ principate. van Elderen refers to another inscription which he
thinks to be of greater value than that in CIL. This is to be found in Inscriptiones Graecae ad Res Romanas pertinentes, ed. R. Cagnat,
III 935.” [C. K. Barrett, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, The international critical commentary on the
Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments (Edinburgh: T&T Clark., 2004), 613-14.]
92 “The proconsul at this time was named Sergius Paulus. Although there is no certain archaeological verification of his proconsulship
on Cyprus at this time, several inscriptions might point in that direction.
Page 209
12 Further, the family of the Pauli was an influential Roman
patrician family, producing many officials throughout the empire over a long period, which in itself lends credence to a Paulus as proconsul
of Cyprus.” [John B. Polhill, vol. 26, Acts, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American Commentary (Nashville: