Acts 13:1

1. Spirit-commissioned Mission of Barnabas and Paul from Antioch , Acts 13:1-3 .

1. There were… at Antioch How they came there, the whole five, from Jerusalem, is pleasantly narrated in Acts 11:19-30. The twelfth chapter is mainly an episode. The present chapter recommences or would had it begun as it should at Acts 12:24 the main narrative.

Prophets Inspired utterers, whether of prediction, doctrine, or exhortation.

Teachers Expositors of biblical or doctrinal truth specially endowed by nature or grace, 1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11.

Barnabas The leader of the five founders of the Antiochian Church. Each of the five was a man of mark.

Simeon… Niger Simon the negro, as it might with scarce an impropriety be rendered; for the literal Greek phrase, Simon the called Niger, seems to imply an epithet rather than a name; an epithet in Latin, signifying black, and, doubtless, referring to Simon’s country and colour. Now, as we are told (Acts 11:20) that some of these Christians from Jerusalem were Cyrenians, we have a strong ground for suspecting that this was the very Simon, the Cyrenian, who bore the Saviour’s cross. Luke’s omission to call up this reminiscence, as he has that connected with Manaen, may have arisen from the fact that the well known surname of Simon amply identified him to his contemporaries. He may have been a member of the Pentecostal Church through its seven years’ life.

Lucius of Cyrene See our note on Acts 6:9. Alford, Wordsworth, and most later commentators decide, without giving reasons for it, that Lucas is identical not with Lucius, but with Lucanus. There is no philological reason that we are able to discover why it may not be identical with either and both. The root of the name is Lux, light; of which Lucanus, Lucius, and Lucilius are adjective forms, signifying luminous, and actually appearing in our English word lucid. So Wetstein quotes Varro as saying, Qui mane natus dicereter Manius; qui loci Lucius He born at dawn is called Manius; by daylight, Lucius. Alford objects that it is improbable that Paul would call the same man at one time Lucius, and at another Lucas. But the senior apostle was variously called Simon, (and Simeon, Acts 15:14,) Cephas, and Peter, doubtless, usually with some reasons for the discriminations. (See note on Acts 13:9.) So it will be found that our historian is called Lucius in his Roman relations, and Lucas in his Greek.

Wordsworth refers for his authority to Bentley’s Latin Epistola ad Millium; but our own examination of that very learned treatise discloses rather a proof than a disproof of the identity of Lucius and Lucas. The only matter touching on this point we can there find is a full list of examples of parallel names. One example is precisely in point. Λεοντιος , Leontius, Λεοντας , Leontas, is an exact instance of the identity of the terminations ιος , ius, and ας , as, such as we have in Λουκιος , Lucius, and Λουκας , Lucas.

The coincidences between Lucius and Luke are very decisive. Lucius is a prophet and a teacher, and so is Luke, being a preacher and an evangelist. Lucius is at Antioch; Luke was so permanently at Antioch as to be very generally held by ecclesiastical writers an Antiochian. Lucius, at Corinth, joins Paul in his salutations, (Romans 16:21,) but Luke had preceded Paul at Corinth as the bearer of his epistle thither. (2 Corinthians 8:18.) It was in writing to Rome that Paul uses the Roman form of the name; it was in writing at Rome (his Acts) that Luke here uses the Roman form. Luke here records his name because he is giving the exact list of the authorizers of this first regular Christian mission.

By this view we see that Luke, who professes that in his Gospel he had to use others as eyewitnesses, is in his Acts essentially an eyewitness, we may say, throughout the whole. He was in Palestine from the resurrection to the dispersion of the Pentecostal Church. He is now at Antioch, where his history centres, to the end of the fifteenth chapter. From this present verse to its end this book might be entitled The Acts of Paul; and this concentrating upon Paul was because he was for the rest of his life closely identified with him; and he was so identified because he was a Gentile evangelist, and Paul was apostle to the Gentiles. The result of all these facts is, that the authenticity of the book of Acts is set in a most resplendent light, and the full dimensions of Luke’s life and character are strikingly drawn out. (See notes on Luke 24:13; Acts 6:9; Acts 16:10.) Scholars of eminent name have maintained this identity, such as Grotius, Poole, Lightfoot, Wetstein, and Stuart. [We are indebted for a confirmation and extension of our impressions on this subject to “Horae Lucanae, by Mr. H.S. Baynes, London,” a new work received while revising the proofs of this volume.]

Cyrene See note on Acts 6:9.

Manaen Hebrew Manahem, the name of a king of Israel, (2 Kings 15:14.) There was, according to Josephus, an Essene of this name who foretold to Herod the Great his future attainment of the crown, and was ever held in great honour by Herod after he became king. Quite likely this was a son of that associated with Herod Antipas, as the former was favoured by the first Herod. Manaen is probably an instance of one who passed from Essenism to Christianity, (see note on Matthew 3:7,) and became one of the saints in Herod’s household. (See note on Matthew 14:2.)

Brought up with The foster-brother. That is, either his mother was nurse of Herod Antipas, so that both were nourished at the same breast, or he was his mate, associated, as was often the case, to incite the young prince to good conduct. It was singular that such a man should, while Herod was in his dismal exile in Lyons, be in this great metropolis a Christian teacher.

And Saul The man of the most singular antecedents, and of the most brilliant future, comes last, as far the youngest and the latest converted. The last shall be first.

It was about A.D. 45, fifteen years from the founding of the Pentecostal Church, when Paul was near forty years of age, that this primitive initiation of Christian missions took place.