Thematic Bible: Antioch


Thematic Bible



Now those who had been scattered by the trouble which arose over Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they preached the word to none except Jews.

and on finding him he brought him to Antioch, where for a whole year they were guests of the church and taught considerable numbers. It was at Antioch too that the disciples were originally called "Christians."

Now in the local church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Symeon (called Niger) and Lucius the Cyrenian, besides Manaen (a foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.

thence they sailed for Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.

Then the apostles and the presbyters, together with the whole church, decided to select some of their number and send them with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. The men selected were Judas (called Bar-Sabbas) and Silas, prominent members of the brotherhood.

When the messengers were despatched, they went down to Antioch and after gathering the whole body they handed them the letter.

he reached Caesarea, went up to the capital to salute the church, and travelled down to Antioch.



he reached Caesarea, went up to the capital to salute the church, and travelled down to Antioch.

but they passed on from Perga and arrived at Pisidian Antioch. On the sabbath they went into the synagogue and sat down; and, after the reading of the Law and the prophets, the presidents of the synagogue sent to tell them, "Brothers, if you have any word of counsel for the people, say it." So Paul stood up and motioning with his hand said, "Listen, men of Israel and you who reverence God. read more.
The God of this People Israel chose our fathers; he multiplied the people as they sojourned in the land of Egypt and with arm uplifted led them out of it. For about forty years he bore with them in the desert, and after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan he gave them their land as an inheritance for about four hundred and fifty years. After that he gave them judges, down to the prophet Samuel. Then it was that they begged for a king, and God gave them forty years of Saul, the son of Kish, who belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. After deposing him, he raised up David to be their king, to whom he bore this testimony that 'In David, the son of Jessai, I have found a man after my own heart, who will obey all my will.' From his offspring God brought to Israel, as he had promised, a saviour in Jesus, before whose coming John had already preached a baptism of repentance for all the people of Israel. And as John was closing his career he said, 'What do you take me for? I am not He; no, he is coming after me, and I am not fit to untie the sandals on his feet!' Brothers, sons of Abraham's race and all among you who reverence God, the message of this salvation has been sent to us. The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their rulers, by condemning him in their ignorance, fulfilled the words of the prophets which are read every sabbath; though they could find him guilty of no crime that deserved death, they begged Pilate to have him put to death, and, after carrying out all that had been predicted of him in scripture, they lowered him from the gibbet and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead. For many days he was seen by those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem; they are now his witnesses to the People. So we now preach to you the glad news that the promise made to the fathers has been fulfilled by God for us their children, when he raised Jesus. As it is written in the second psalm, thou art my son, to-day have I become thy father. And as a proof that he has raised him from the dead, never to return to decay, he has said this: I will give you the holiness of David that fails not. Hence in another psalm he says, thou wilt not let thy holy One suffer decay. Of course David, after serving God's purpose in his own generation, died and was laid beside his fathers; he suffered decay, but He whom God raised did not suffer decay. So you must understand, my brothers, that remission of sins is proclaimed to you through him, and that by him everyone who believes is absolved from all that the law of Moses never could absolve you from. Beware then in case the prophetic saying applies to you: Look, you disdainful folk, wonder at this and perish for in your days I do a deed, a deed you will never believe, not though one were to explain it to you." As Paul and Barnabas went out, the people begged to have all this repeated to them on the following sabbath. After the synagogue broke up, a number of the Jews and the devout proselytes followed them; Paul and Barnabas talked to them and encouraged them to hold by the grace of God. And on the next sabbath nearly all the town gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds they were filled with jealousy; they began to contradict what Paul said and to abuse him. So Paul and Barnabas spoke out fearlessly. "The word of God," they said, "had to be spoken to you in the first instance; but as you push it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, well, here we turn to the Gentiles! For these are the Lord's orders to us: I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the end of the earth." When the Gentiles heard this they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord and believed, that is, all who had been ordained to eternal life; and the word of the Lord went far and wide over the whole country. But the Jews incited the devout women of high rank and the leading men in the town, who stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their territory. They shook the dust off their feet as a protest and went to Iconium. As for the disciples, they were filled with joy and the holy Spirit.

my persecutions, my sufferings ??all that befell me at Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, all the persecutions I had to undergo, from which the Lord rescued me.

But Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived, who won over the crowds, and after pelting Paul with stones they dragged him outside the town, thinking he was dead. However, as the disciples gathered round him, he got up and went into the town. Next day he went off with Barnabas to Derbe, and after preaching the gospel to that town and making a number of disciples, they turned back to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, read more.
strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to hold by the faith, and telling them that "we have to get into the Realm of God through many a trouble."


my persecutions, my sufferings ??all that befell me at Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, all the persecutions I had to undergo, from which the Lord rescued me.

but they passed on from Perga and arrived at Pisidian Antioch. On the sabbath they went into the synagogue and sat down;

But Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived, who won over the crowds, and after pelting Paul with stones they dragged him outside the town, thinking he was dead.


Then the apostles and the presbyters, together with the whole church, decided to select some of their number and send them with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. The men selected were Judas (called Bar-Sabbas) and Silas, prominent members of the brotherhood.

But certain individuals came down from Jerusalem and taught the brothers that "unless you get circumcised after the custom of Moses you cannot be saved." As a sharp dispute and controversy sprang up between them and Paul and Barnabas, it was arranged that Paul and Barnabas, along with some others of their number, should go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and presbyters at Jerusalem about this question. The church sped them on their journey, and they passed through both Phoenicia and Syria informing the brothers, to the great joy of all, that the Gentiles were turning to God. read more.
On arriving at Jerusalem they were received by the church, the apostles and the presbyters, and they reported how God had been with them and what he had done. But some of the believers who belonged to the Pharisaic party got up and said, "Gentiles must be circumcised and told to observe the law of Moses." The apostles and the presbyters met to investigate this question, and a keen controversy sprang up; but Peter rose and said to them, "Brothers, you are well aware that from the earliest days God chose that of you all I should be the one by whom the Gentiles were to hear the word of the gospel and believe it. The God who reads the hearts of all attested this by giving them the holy Spirit just as he gave it to us; in cleansing their hearts by faith he made not the slightest distinction between us and them. Well now, why are you trying to impose a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we ourselves could bear? No, it is by the grace of the Lord Jesus that we believe and are saved, in the same way as they are." So the whole meeting was quieted and listened to Barnabas and Paul recounting the signs and wonders God had performed by them among the Gentiles. When they had finished speaking, James spoke. "Brothers," he said, "listen to me. Symeon has explained how it was God's original concern to secure a People from among the Gentiles to bear his Name. This agrees with the words of the prophets; as it is written, After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent, its ruins I will rebuild and erect it anew, that the rest of men may seek for the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by my name, saith the Lord, who makes this known from of old. Hence, in my opinion, we ought not to put fresh difficulties in the way of those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but write them injunctions to abstain from whatever is contaminated by idols, from sexual vice, from the flesh of animals that have been strangled, and from tasting blood; for Moses has had his preachers from the earliest ages in every town, where he is read aloud in the synagogues every sabbath." Then the apostles and the presbyters, together with the whole church, decided to select some of their number and send them with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. The men selected were Judas (called Bar-Sabbas) and Silas, prominent members of the brotherhood. They conveyed the following letter. "The apostles and the presbyters of the brotherhood to the brothers who belong to the Gentiles throughout Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: greeting. Having learned that some of our number, quite unauthorized by us, have unsettled you with their teaching and upset your souls, we have decided unanimously to select some of our number and send them to you along with our beloved Paul and Barnabas who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. We therefore send Judas and Silas with the following message, which they will also give to you orally. The holy Spirit and we have decided not to impose any extra burden on you, apart from these essential requirements: abstain from food that has been offered to idols, from tasting blood, from the flesh of animals that have been strangled, and from sexual vice. Keep clear of all this and you will prosper. Goodbye." When the messengers were despatched, they went down to Antioch and after gathering the whole body they handed them the letter. On reading it the people rejoiced at the encouragement it brought; and as Judas and Silas were themselves prophets, they encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many a counsel. Then after some time had passed the brothers let them go with a greeting of peace to those who had sent them. -- Paul and Barnabas, however, stayed on in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord along with a number of others.


Now in the local church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Symeon (called Niger) and Lucius the Cyrenian, besides Manaen (a foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.

thence they sailed for Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On their arrival they gathered the church together and reported how God had been with them, what he had done, and how he had opened a door into faith for the Gentiles.


Now those who had been scattered by the trouble which arose over Stephen made their way as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they preached the word to none except Jews. Some of them, however, were Cypriotes and Cyrenians, who on reaching Antioch told the Greeks also the gospel of the Lord Jesus; the strong hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number believed and turned to the Lord. read more.
The news of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they despatched Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God he rejoiced, and encouraged them all to hold by the Lord with heartfelt purpose (for he was a good man, full of the holy Spirit and faith). Considerable numbers of people were brought in for the Lord. So Barnabas went off to Tarsus to look for Saul, and on finding him he brought him to Antioch, where for a whole year they were guests of the church and taught considerable numbers. It was at Antioch too that the disciples were originally called "Christians." During these days some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch, one of whom, named Agabus, showed by the Spirit that a severe famine was about to visit the whole world (the famine which occurred in the reign of Claudius). So the disciples put aside money, as each of them was able to afford it, for a contribution to be sent to the brothers in Judaea. This they carried out, sending their contribution to the presbyters by Barnabas and Saul.


thence they sailed for Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On their arrival they gathered the church together and reported how God had been with them, what he had done, and how he had opened a door into faith for the Gentiles. They spent a considerable time with the disciples there.


But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face. The man stood self-condemned. Before certain emissaries of James arrived, he ate along with the Gentile Christians; but when they arrived, he began to draw back and hold aloof, because he was afraid of the circumcision party. The rest of the Jewish Christians also played false along with him, so much so that even Barnabas was carried away by their false play. read more.
But I saw they were swerving from the true line of the gospel; so I said to Cephas in presence of them all, "If you live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, though you are a Jew yourself, why do you oblige the Gentiles to become Jews?" ??15 We may be Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners,'


Now in the local church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Symeon (called Niger) and Lucius the Cyrenian, besides Manaen (a foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.


Now in the local church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Symeon (called Niger) and Lucius the Cyrenian, besides Manaen (a foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch) and Saul.


But Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived, who won over the crowds, and after pelting Paul with stones they dragged him outside the town, thinking he was dead. However, as the disciples gathered round him, he got up and went into the town. Next day he went off with Barnabas to Derbe, and after preaching the gospel to that town and making a number of disciples, they turned back to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, read more.
strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to hold by the faith, and telling them that "we have to get into the Realm of God through many a trouble." They chose presbyters for them in every church, and with prayer and fasting entrusted them to the Lord in whom they had believed.