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The Book of Acts:
The Message Spreads

Thanks to the modern tools of archaeology, researchers have found much
cultural, historical and geographical background material that supports the biblical account of Paul's trips through the Mediterranean world.

by Mario Seiglie

I

n this issue of The Good News we proceed with our survey of archaeological and historical
findings that verify and illuminate the accounts recorded in the Bible. In our last issue we surveyed the first 12 chapters of Acts, in which the focus is on the exploits of the original apostles.

We pick up the story as the emphasis shifts to the travels of the apostle Paul. How accurate are these accounts? Thanks to the modern tools of archaeology, researchers have found much cultural, historical and geographical background material that supports the biblical account of Paul's trips through the Mediterranean world.

Sergius Paulus, governor of Cyprus

"So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they (the apostles Paul and Barnabas) went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus ... Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man" (Acts 13:4-7, emphasis added throughout).

From Antioch Paul and Barnabas first went to Cyprus, Barnabas's birthplace (Acts 4:36). Historians have confirmed several background details about this account. For example, the Roman orator Cicero mentions in one of his books that Paphos was indeed the Roman headquarters of Cyprus during Roman rule (Ad Familiares, XIII.48).

Also, Luke is correct in mentioning that Cyprus was governed by a proconsul when Paul and Barnabas visited the island. Before A.D. 22 Cyprus had been administered by a direct representative of the emperor, called a propraetor. But after 22 the island's rule was turned over to the Roman senate, whose representatives were called proconsuls. "Annexed by the Romans in 55 B.C.," notes The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, "Cyprus became a senatorial province in 22 B.C., with a governor bearing the title of proconsul, as Acts 13:7 correctly names Sergius Paulus, who received Barnabas and Paul" (1962, Vol. 3, p. 648).

Read the full article at www.gnmagazine.org/issues/gn31/archaeologyacts.htm


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