Barnabas and Saul get hands on.

[seekeroftruth]

Acts 12: 25 When Barnabas and Saul had finished their mission, they returned from Jerusalem, taking with them John, also called Mark.​

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Acts 13:1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.​

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I'm sure some people will get this right away.... me... not so much. I think this is about the church sent Saul and Barnabas to start another mission.

According to what I found, there are a few interesting characters in these few verses.

• There's Barnabas, who was also called Joseph. He was a Levite. That means he was a Jew from the tribe of Levi. Could have been a priest in the Temple, chosen to be a teacher in the new Christian Church.
• Simeon called Niger, was apparently from Nigeria.... a black man.
• Lucius of Cyrene is rumored to be Dr. Luke, the author of the Gospel and Acts. I don't see any proof, but it makes sense, I guess. Lucius & Luke....
• Manaen was brought up with Herod. Manaen became a teacher in the church. Herod got a belly full of worms and died.
• And there was Saul, the murderer turned Christian Missionary.

While these men were working, fasting, and praying.... Barnabas and Saul were called by the Spirit to do Mission work. I don't see any dancing flames or flaming fingers writing on the wall. I do see some interesting characters working together to a common goal. When so many interesting characters can get together with a common goal, based on feeding, healing, and teaching the Word to the world, well that's just miraculous... right?

Barnabas, the Levite and Saul, the murderous Greco Roman Jew are setting out to spread the Word.

I've witnessed a ceremony in a church, when the church sent a young man off to Seminary. They "laid hands". All the deacons of the church gathered around the guy and put a hand on his head or shoulder and then they prayed. What Pomp! It's the agreement that should get our attention, the Spirit led them to an agreement, not the "laying of hands". Couldn't it just have been, they shook hands on the agreement? When five men as diverse as these five guys were, agree on one thing, it's miraculous, right? Just asking...



I'm an old woman with an online Bible and some online Commentary. I was raised in the Baptist Church. I've been through the Bible a couple times on this forum.... but I still don't have a clue. I'm not particularly fond of Saul or Peter. I don't trust them. But I'm just an old woman, learning. So now, hopefully, I will see Saul and Peter in a different light. I hope so.

 

[SamSpade]

- Lucius of Cyrene is rumored to be Dr. Luke, the author of the Gospel and Acts. I don't see any proof, but it makes sense, I guess. Lucius & Luke....

My old church had a conjecture that they found - plausible.

Whatever Luke's origin was - still believed by scholars to have been Syria - if the "we" passages in the Book of Acts ARE in fact, Luke referring to his physical presence on Paul's journeys - then -

They start right after Paul arrives in Troas. continue after Paul's vision to come to Macedonia, persists until arrival in Phillipi - and ends.
Conjecture: Luke was a resident or otherwise JOINED Paul at Troas, and stayed with him until after Lydia's conversion. Oft suggested conjecture is that he married Lydia. It's just wild speculation, but I suppose if true, it would be strong motivation to NOT continue with Paul.

"We" picks up again many years later, when Paul comes BACK through Phillipi. They sail back across to Luke's old stomping grounds on the west coast of Turkey, in Miletus. They stop there.
Conjecture: Luke goes - basically - to his home there after leaving Phillipi. Church suggested that Lydia died, and he had no reason to stay.

"We" again returns in Chapter 21, and ends in Caesarea - Syria.
Conjecture: Luke is back home.

Finally, he appears at the end, when Paul goes to Rome. He is mentioned in Colossians and Philemon - so it is likely he went to Rome with Paul and remained until Paul's beheading.

 

[Kinnakeet]

My old church had a conjecture that they found - plausible.

Whatever Luke's origin was - still believed by scholars to have been Syria - if the "we" passages in the Book of Acts ARE in fact, Luke referring to his physical presence on Paul's journeys - then -

They start right after Paul arrives in Troas. continue after Paul's vision to come to Macedonia, persists until arrival in Phillipi - and ends.
Conjecture: Luke was a resident or otherwise JOINED Paul at Troas, and stayed with him until after Lydia's conversion. Oft suggested conjecture is that he married Lydia. It's just wild speculation, but I suppose if true, it would be strong motivation to NOT continue with Paul.

"We" picks up again many years later, when Paul comes BACK through Phillipi. They sail back across to Luke's old stomping grounds on the west coast of Turkey, in Miletus. They stop there.
Conjecture: Luke goes - basically - to his home there after leaving Phillipi. Church suggested that Lydia died, and he had no reason to stay.

"We" again returns in Chapter 21, and ends in Caesarea - Syria.
Conjecture: Luke is back home.

Finally, he appears at the end, when Paul goes to Rome. He is mentioned in Colossians and Philemon - so it is likely he went to Rome with Paul and remained until Paul's beheading.

That is a long journey i hope he had planty of miller lite

 

[SamSpade]

That is a long journey i hope he had planty of miller lite

Most Bibles have maps of Paul's journeys in the back, and he made several. As long as they were, if he was not on a ship - they were on FOOT.

So, yeah, lots of walking.