Acts III – Class 1 – The Second Missionary Journey – 15:36 – 18:23
vv. 16:1-5
-- Timothy was one of the most important leaders of the Pauline church.
-- Paul accommodates James’ view and circumcises Timothy who had been raised in a home where
he knew Jewish tradition, but father had not permitted this Jewish identification.
vv. 16:6-10
-- Spirit directs by blocking the way (Plans got changed by God in Cornelius encounter too)
-- Proclamation of good news in response to prayer – like a call for help.
Compare: Psalms 5:2; 9:35; 12:1; 17:2; 18:6; 36:40. Also Acts 21:28; Hebrews 2:18; 4:16
v. 10 – rest of Acts hinges on this text
16:11-40 – Mission to the Philippians -- Note the use of “we”
-- Macedonia had a much smaller Jewish population – hence more “pagan” influences
-- Meeting at riverside may have been to accomplish Jewish water/purification rituals.
Probably no synagogue in the city.
-- Another miraculous liberation
vv. 11-15 – encounters with a different working woman
-- Lydia similar to Cornelius
-- Probably a Gentile – Greek name
-- Seller of purple cloth means she would rub shoulders with city’s rich and famous –
cloth of royalty or wealthy – symbolized power/influence
-- She was probably well to do and missionary lodging place became embryonic church.
vv. 16-18 – exorcism of divining slave girl
-- Compare Mark 1:21-26; cf. Luke 4:41
-- Term “most high God” used for Zeus
-- Girl’s spirit – Pythrian – Pythron recalling the spirit myth of the dragon guarding the Delphi oracle.
-- formula of the exorcism recalls Peter 3:6, 16; 4:10
vv. 19-23 – dispossession of property – a Lukan theme
-- Principle of incompatibility – 2nd charge – no longer enforced in Paul’s day
-- mob is anti-Semitic!
-- no “due process” will haunt the magistrates
vv. 24-34 – the Jailer – complimentary role to Lydia’s
-- personifies God’s grace
-- prison symbolizes battle between good and evil (or Zeus)
-- earthquake during their witness
-- Jailer’s story parallels Paul’s own story
-- confirmation of salvation demonstrated by hospitality as in Lydia’s case
vv. 35-40 
-- Account of Jailer’s salvation sandwiched by episodes of Paul and Silas legal problems.  Picks up v. 23
-- Paul’s response to being let go reflects the honor/shame culture of his world
-- Illegal to imprison without due process a Roman citizen.  Penalty = death
-- Paul’s acceptance of Philippi’s official apology symbolizes his attitude toward Rome in Acts.
Rome cannot subvert God; even the empire must come hat in hand to the prophets of Most High God.
17:1-15 – Conflict and conversion – diaspora Jews
Hints of preaching as rhetoric – and theological differences between believing and non-believing Jews
17:16-34 Paul’s Athenian mission
Athens a free city – respected by Rome
-- no longer a political power place, but still a major center of learning
-- probably 5,000 – 10,000 citizens
-- Altars to unknown gods did exist
-- Speech is one of the three major missionary speeches and only one to unbelievers.
-- If Luke not an eyewitness – certainly drew on Pauline sources
-- famous Athenian curiosity portrayed most serious charge – teaching foreign deities gone
-- poet cited may be a Stoic
Major philosophies in Athens:  
Epicureanism  
+ took name from Epicurus (341- 270 BCE)
+ based on materialistic theory of Democritus
+ even the gods were material in this system
+ pleasure seen as chief end in life
+ but not sensual pleasure – but pleasure of mind – tranquility – free from passion and superstitions
Stoicism
+ somewhat more popular at the time
+ Zeno of Cyprus the founder (340-265 BCE)
+ name from Stoa – painted portico on the northwest side of the Agora
+ Basically panentheists – divine ordering principle in everything
+ god – world analogous to soul -body
+ like Epicureans essentially materialists – even god and soul highly refined matter
Paul’s Corinthian Mission – 18:1-17
First mention of Paul the tentmaker
vv. 1-3 – Claudius did direct Jews to leave Rome in 49 CE due to constant disturbances
Unlikely they all left – 40,000 of them
vv. 4-5 – Paul at work – but probably only because trade matched Priscilla and Aquila –
he does not always do so because he would be confused with the charlatans of the day.
vv. 6-8 – “blood be upon your heads” – compare Ezekiel 33:4
Rift widening – resolve to turn only to the Gentiles – but does not really turn from
Corinthian Jews and has two stunning successes: Crispus and Sosthenes.
vv. 18-23 – Interlude – pilgrimage from Corinth to Antioch