Barnabas: With Saul on Cyprus
In my last post, I mentioned how parts of Saul’s story mirrors elements of the life of Moses and how Barnabas was similar to Aaron’s.
This symbolism continues on through Acts.
After Paul antagonises the Hellenistic Jews, he flees Jerusalem and goes to Tarsus. This is similar to Moses leaving Egypt after killing the Egyptian guard, while protecting the Hebrew slave.
After sometime, Barnabas, on hearing new converts have accepted Jesus in Antioch, he goes to find Paul in Tarsus. He brings him to Antioch to help build the local church.
In the story of the Exodus, we see Aaron is sent by God to get Moses and bring him to Egypt. This is echoed with Barnabas.
Exodus 4 v 27
The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.
Saul and Barnabas go to Cyprus
After some time, Paul and Barnabas embark on their first missionary trip. They take John Mark, the writer of the Gospel, with them.
The first place their begin to preach is in Cyprus, Barnabas’s home island. They go straight to the local synagogues and then travel the whole island. It is likely that Barnabas, a Cypriot Jew, would have been known by the local synagogues.
Eventually, they come to Paphos and are summoned to meet the local Roman ruler, Sergius Paulus. He desires to hear the Gospel. In attendance with him, is a Jewish magician called Bar-Jesus. In the next verse, Luke refers to him as Elymas, the sorcerer.
It turns out that there is good archaeological evidence for Sergius Paulus and we can even chart is career.
Bar-Jesus, or ‘Son of the God who saves’, is clearly a false prophet, as only Jesus is the true Son of God. The definition of his other name, Elymas, is more complex to unpick.
Elymas does not appear to be a Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek name. The word has links to the Arabic word for ‘wise’, which might link to the word, sorcerer. But why would a Jew on Cyprus be named after an Arabic word.
My favourite theory is that ‘Elymas’ is a sarcastic phrase meaning, ‘If only he could!’. So this false prophet’s name would read, ‘Son of the god who saves, if only he could’.
Child of the Devil
Saul attacks Bar-Jesus, by accusing him of being a ‘Child of the Devil’ and full of deceit and trickery. He then prophesies that this false prophet will be blind for three days. Bar-Jesus instantly becomes blind.
This links to Moses’s story. Moses and Aaron meet with Pharoah and perform miracles in front of him. Pharaoh’s magicians copy the first two miracles, but are unable to replicate the others.
In Exodus 10, we see one of the miracles is darkness coming across the land for three days. This links in with the blindness of Bar-Jesus.
Also, whereas Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, Sergius Paulus was amazed by the apostle’s teaching.
Birth of a Goddess
Paphos was the birth place of Venus. In Roman culture, she was not only the goddess of love and fertility, but also victory.
We see in Exodus 12, how God explains the death of the first born was a judgement on the gods of Egypt.
Exodus 12 v 12
On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.
Was this place name mentioned by Luke to show God’s victory over the Roman gods?
The Victory of Salamis
Salamis was the place they first landed in Cyprus. Salamis was renowned in Greek history as the place where a great battle was fought and was the turning point of the war against the Persians. By mentioning they first landed at Salamis, Luke was announcing Christ’s victory. Educated Greek and Roman readers were probably more than aquatinted with the history of the 2nd Persian invasion of Greece and therefore would understand what Luke was intimating.
Saul to Paul
In this story, we see Saul addressed as Paul for the first time. There are several theories about why this happened. I personally believe that Saul was his Jewish name, but Paul was his Greco-Roman name. As Paul would now be engaging more with the Roman world, it would make more sense to use this name.
The Exodus and Acts Connection
We see the Exodus story is about how a new nation is born.
Equally, in Acts, God is making the Church in the same mould. Or as Peter describes it:
1 Peter 2 v 9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.