Journeys of paul the third journey and afterward

The Mission Journeys of St. Paul
The Third Journey...and afterward

A “Lessons To Go” Bible Study
by Mark S. Pavlin

Part 1
Strengthening
the Churches

 Targeted synagogues of the Diaspora
 Cyprus – Attalia - Pisidian Antioch
Iconium – Lystra – Derbe – Perga
 No explanation as to why they went
to these towns (area known to Paul?)
 Curiously, they did not “complete the
circuit” (return to Antioch) by going
through Paul’s home town of Tarsus
 Luke records a “formal” declaration of
“turning” to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46)
 The text of Acts takes on a “tone” of
“triumph” as the new faith grows
despite opposition.
 Paul and Barnabas spend about 2 years traveling through the
center of Galatia (Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey)
Review: the first journey

The second journey through Macedonia and Achaia

CITY EVENT PERSON(S)
PHILIPPI Christianity enters Europe
(actually might have already
been there, esp. in Rome)
Lydia
THESSALONICA Strong church established,
received first Pauline epistle
Mysterious
Jason
BEREA “Many Jews believed” “noble Bereans”
ATHENS Brief stay, not much done
besides a little sightseeing
Philosophers
CORINTH Strong church established while
he worked at his trade
Priscilla &
Aquila, Gallio
EPHESUS Not much, promised to return Synagogue Jews
Second journey summary

 Account given in Acts 15:36 to Acts 18:22
 No itinerary other than to “visit the brethren in every city where
we proclaimed the word of the Lord and see how they are” (15:36)
 Silas accompanied Paul but not Barnabas or Mark; Paul later
picked up Timothy and (it is assumed) the author
 The Spirit draws them unmistakably into Macedonia which results
in the first Christian converts and churches in (what is now) Europe
 Asia Minor is not neglected – historical records suggests that
many other “prophets” spread the Way throughout that region
 Churches founded include those to which Paul writes the letters
we prize: Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth (but none to Athens)
 Paul goes to synagogues where he find converts and conflicts;
also preaches to passers-by from his marketplace booth
 Result: churches end up consisting mostly of non-Jewish Greeks.
Second journey highlights

Paul the Apostle,
ceiling mosaic,
Chapel of St.
Andrew, Ravenna,
Italy (ca. 495)
Notes
 Not Paul alone – Barnabas, Timothy, Mark,
Silas, Priscilla, Aquila, Erastus, and others
 Not missionaries in the sense of trying to
“convert” people, Paul driven to proclaim
(kerygma) “good news” (euanggelion)
 No formal organization of Christianity yet
(churches, bishops, creeds, etc.); still just a
sect of Judaism headed by elders
 Not journeys – travel, certainly, but familiar territory
(e.g. Cyprus was home for Barnabas, central Asia
Minor was “the neighborhood” for Paul and Timothy)
 Not travel to uncivilized foreign lands ; e.g. Ephesus
and Corinth were populous centers of trade, culture
 Not entirely rough; Roman army routes and regular
shipping lanes; difficult, yes, but relatively safe.

Third journey begins without fanfare
After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there [about the
years AD 54-56] and traveled from place to place throughout the region
of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples…..
Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus… {where
he} entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months,
arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.

Lectures (and letters?)
Paul apparently stayed in Ephesus for maybe 5 yrs, probably traveling
to the interior cities Magnesia, Tralles, Pergamon, Sardis, Thyatira,
Smyrna, and Philadelphia (but not Colossae and Laodicea- see next).
He possibly was imprisoned for a time (we have no details) and wrote
letters to the churches (e.g. Philippians, Philemon) at this time. If so
most were not preserved and copied and so are lost.
Some of them were obstinate, refusing to
believe and publicly maligning the Way. So
Paul… took the disciples with him and had
discussions daily in the lecture hall….
(some manuscripts add “between the hours of 11
am to 4 pm” i.e., siesta time)
Since this went on for two years all Jews
and Greeks living in the province of Asia
heard the word of the Lord. - Acts 19:9-10

Ruins of a the colon-
naded main street of
ancient Laodicea. The
site of ancient Colossae
has not been excavated.
According to verses in the Epistle to the Colossians, Paul did not go
(reasons unknown) to Colossae or Laodicea:
”You learned it from Epaphras... a faithful minister of Christ on our
behalf and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.” - Col. 1:7-8
“I want you to know how hard I am contending for you and for those
at Laodicea, and for all
who have not met me
personally.” - Col. 2:1

Healings
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul. Even handkerchiefs and
aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, their illnesses
were cured, and the evil spirits left them. - Acts 19:11-12
The Acts account takes on a legendary tone in the next section,
detailing “remote” healings, a quirky story of an evil spirit that
refuses to be exorcised, and the burning of valuable sorcery scrolls.
Many of those who believed
came and openly confessed
what they had done. Some
who had practiced sorcery
brought their scrolls... and
burned them in public.
- Acts 19:18-19

But overall his work did not go well in Ephesus. He faced opposition
from other Jewish Christians and might have been imprisoned during
this time if this was when he wrote the letter to Philemon:
When he wrote to the church at Corinth, he used a colorful metaphor
for his struggles (or do you think that he fought real wild animals?):
Returning later to Asia Minor (see Acts 20), Paul deliberately avoids
Ephesus and, instead, sends for the church elders and says to them:
You know how I lived the whole time I was with you… I served the
Lord... amidst severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.
Struggles in Ephesus?
Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother to Philemon
our beloved fellow worker... and the church in your house.” - Ph.1:1
If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than
human hopes, what have I gained?” - 1Cor. 15:32

After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem after
passing through Macedonia and Achaia.
Travel plans
No explanation in Acts for this odd but apparently compelling
decision. He tells us later that he is led by the Holy Spirit
(20:22) but others (21:4, 11) are inspired to prevent his going.
Rom. 15:24-28 suggests he planned to take up a collection for
the church in Jerusalem by taking a long looping detour
through the relatively wealthy parts of Macedonia and Greece.
“After I have been there,” he said,
“I must visit Rome also.”
- Acts 19:21
Of course Paul would want to
preach in the capital of the Empire.
If so, why didn’t he just go there
straight from Greece (sail from
Corinth, perhaps, route at left)?

He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus*, to Macedonia while
he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer. But about that time
there arose a great disturbance about the Way. - Acts 19:22-23
Was there a fourth missionary journey?
Paul had a firm plan to go to Spain from Rome. He writes (Rom. 15:24-
28), in part: “I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain (Σπανίαν)
and to be helped on my journey there by you...”
*Rom. 16:23 mentions a person named Erastus but it is unlikely to be
the same person since he was a financial manager in Corinth.
Acts doesn’t say so but maybe he made the trip. But Clement, by
tradition 3rd bishop of Rome, wrote this (ca. AD 100):
“He {Paul} taught righteousness to all the world and after reaching
the furthest limits of the west and bearing his testimony before
kings and rulers, he passed out of this world…” - 1Clem. 5

A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis,
brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there.
He called these together along with workers in related trades and said,
“You know, friends, that we receive a good income from this business.
You see how this fellow, Paul, has convinced and led astray large
numbers of people in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of
Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.
Christianity is bad for business
There is danger not only that our trade
will lose its good name, but also that the
temple of the great goddess Artemis will
be discredited; and the goddess (who is
worshiped throughout the province of
Asia and the world) will be robbed of her
divine majesty.” - Acts 19:24-27

Artemis (Diana)
 One of the most venerated pagan
deities of the ancient world
 Goddess of the hunt, wild animals,
wilderness, childbirth, virginity and
young girls
 Bringer/reliever of disease in women
 Depicted carrying a bow and arrows
 Daughter of Leto by Zeus
 Older twin sister of Apollo
 Hunting companion of Orion
 Ever-virgin
Roman artwork of the 1st-2nd century,
found in Italy, Louvre, Paris

Uproar When they heard this, they were
furious and began shouting: “Great
is Artemis of the Ephesians!” Soon
the whole city was in an uproar.
The people seized Gaius and
Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling com-
panions from Macedonia, and all of
them rushed into the theater
(ruins, left).
Paul wanted to appear before the
crowd, but the disciples would not
let him.
Even some of the officials of the
province, friends of Paul, sent him
a message begging him not to
venture into the theater.
- Acts 19:28-31

The assembly was in confusion… people did not even know why they
were there… Alexander [of the Jews]… motioned for silence to make a
defense… but they all shouted in unison for about two hours, “Great is
Artemis of the Ephesians!”
The city clerk quieted the crowd… “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the
world know… Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of great Artemis…?
... Undeniable... [so] you ought to calm down and not do anything rash.
“… these men here… have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our
goddess. If Demetrius… [has] a grievance against anybody, the courts are
open and there are proconsuls.
If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a
legal assembly… we are in danger of being charged with rioting… we
would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no
reason for it.” He [then] dismissed the assembly.
Rescued by a bureaucrat
- Acts 19:32-41

When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples. After
encouraging them, he said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.
Claes Brouwer, St. Paul Boarding a Ship for Jerusalem; Taking Leave
of the Elders of Ephesus, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague, 1430
Paul leaves town

The Christian is tasked to call others to a deeper relationship with God.
Call, but not coerce. Paul’s work in Ephesus was frustrated but not
fruitless. The city became a major center of Christian scholarship and
influence. It was, especially, associated with the Apostle John.
So, do not use words like “success” or “failure” – ask “Did I serve?”,
“Was I faithful”, and “Did I love?”
Tradition holds that the
John the Evangelist
spent his last years in
and around Ephesus
and was buried there.
Some 300 years after, a
small chapel was con-
structed over the grave-
site. The Church of St
John was enlarged to an
imposing basilica during
the region of Emperor
Justinian (527 -565).

Encouraging Macedonia
Paul traveled
through that area
{Macedonia} speak-
ing many words of
encouragement to
the people and
finally arrived in
Greece (Achaia)
where he stayed
three months.
- Acts 20:1-3

While in Macedonia and Greece
Paul probably went to the house-
churches he started on his 2nd journey
along the Via Egnatia, at Troas, Philippi,
Thessalonica, and Berea.
Acts provides no details. Why not?
• Luke did not know what happened
(not likely – see next)
• Nothing much happened (unlikely,
given Paul’s combative personality)
• Luke wanted to focus on move-
ments not (boring) pastoring
• The churches had problems incon-
sistent with this upbeat account
• Luke was short of papyrus (it was
expensive or because his dog ate
some of his scroll).

Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to
sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia.
He was accompanied by:
 Sopater, who was from Berea
 Aristarchus and Secundus, from Thessalonica
 Gaius, who was from Derbe
 Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus, all from the province of Asia.
These men went on ahead and waited for us* at Troas. But we sailed
from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread and five days
later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
Retreat through Macedonia
- Acts 20:3
- Acts 20:4-6
Plot to do what? Arrest Paul, murder him? There could not have been
many Jewish people of influence wherever he was. Again, Acts provides
no details of plot, how he learned of it, or why he couldn’t sail for Syria.
* First person narration resumes here.

On the first day... when we were gathered together to break bread,
Paul talked with them... he prolonged his speech until midnight....
A young man... sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul
talked still longer.... he fell down from the third story and was... dead.
Remarkable resurrection
- Acts 20:7-12
Nowhere in Acts is its legendary tone more apparent than in this account
of the revivification of a man whose death is the result of a long sermon.
Paul went... and taking him
in his arms, said, “Do not be
alarmed, for his life is in
him.” .... And they took the
youth away alive and were
not a little comforted.

Down the Ionian coast
ASSOS
Luke sailed, Paul
walked from Troas
to
Assos
to
Lesbos
to
Chios
to Samos
to Miletus
(by passing
Ephesus)

Aristotle led a group of philosophers who made novel observations in zoology
and biology. And he married the King’s daughter! After Persians attacked Assos
and Hermias was captured and killed, Aristotle fled back to Macedonia.
Assos, Turkey, was known
as the place Aristotle went
after “graduating” from
Plato’s Academy (Athens).
He was welcomed by King
Hermias and allowed to
open an Academy there.
Island hopping
- Acts 20:13-14
We sailed for Assos…to take
Paul aboard. He… was going
there on foot …he met us…
we… went on to Mytilene.

 Seat of a metropolitan
bishop of the Orthodox
church.
 Produces olives, ouzo
and sardines
 Home of famous
poets Sappho and
Alcaeus and the
statesman Pittacus.
Mytilene, Lesbos
Lesbos is the 3rd largest Greek island (630 mi2) but lies only 3.4 miles
south of Assos, Turkey. Mytilene is its capital and only major city.

{The} next day we… arrived off Chios (or Kios)… - Acts 20:15a
The 5th largest of the Greek islands, 5 mi off the Turkish coast; a port
for merchant shipping, produces a unique mastic gum; location of
11th century monastery Nea Moni, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The day after that we crossed to Samos ...
Samos is an island in the Aegean Sea south
of Chios, north of Patmos, separated by only
1 mile from mainland Turkey.
In ancient times Samos was a rich, powerful
city-state. It was the site of the Heraion of
Samos, a temple to the goddess Hera (ruins,
right), now a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
and of the Eupalinian aqueduct, a marvel of
ancient engineering.
It was the birthplace of the philosopher and
mathematician Pythagoras, the philosopher
Epicurus, and the astronomer Aristarchus,
the first person to propose that the Earth
revolves around the sun.
- Acts 20:15b

... and on the next, arrived at Miletus.
Greek city on the western coast of Anatolia, formerly a seaport off the
delta of the Maeander River, abandoned as the harbor area filled with silt,
after the 14th century.
In the mid 6th century BC, Miletus was considered the greatest and
wealthiest of Greek cities, an important center of philosophy and science,
home to such men as Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes.
- Acts 20:15c
Paul evidently returned later to Miletus and left Trophimus, one of his travelling
companions, there to recover from an illness (see 2Tim. 4:20).

End of Part 1

Part 2
To Rome and Beyond

A reminder about Acts as a source of hard information
Acts is a book of both:
(a) vivid details about a selected few of Paul’s adventurers
(b) no information about most of his evangelical work.
We learn about a few other
incidents from references in
Paul’s letters (see, e.g. 1Cor.
15:29-32 & Rom 16:7), but it is
an open and much-debated
question as to how much of
the book is re-imagined and
embellished.

…Compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not
knowing what will happen to me there. Acts 20:22
Part 1 ended with Paul sailing
down the Ionian coast intent
on getting to Jerusalem ASAP.

Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the
province of Asia because he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if
possible, by the day of Pentecost. {Here, again, the text provides no
explanation. Was Paul afraid of re-igniting a riot in the city?}
{So, from Miletus} he sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.
When they arrived, he said to them:
“You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from
the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord
with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe
testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.
You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that
would be helpful to you but taught you publicly and from
house to house.” - Acts 20:16-20
With the elders of Ephesus

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit
has made you overseers*. Be shepherds of the church of God…
I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come among you…
Even from your own number men
will arise and distort the truth in
order to draw away disciples after
them. - Acts 20:28-30
Parting pastoral advice
Did the things that worried
Paul and Luke come true?
Do the same things worry
Christian churches today?
*Greek ἐπισκόπους (episkopous), later, “bishops.” As a formal title of the head
of one or more churches, this term was a development in organized
Christianity of the late 1st and early 2nd century, well after the time of Paul.

“From your own number men will arise and distort the
truth in order to draw away disciples after them.”
 In Christianity today, there are thousands of denominations. They
differ in policies, doctrines, practices, and histories. Is this diversity
a good thing or a scandal? Did they get along in the past? Today?
 What is what Acts refers to as “the truth”? Who decided in the past
what constituted “orthodoxy” (correct belief)? Who decides today?
 When is deviation from orthodoxy enough to become “heresy”?
For Paul, it was “Judaizers”; for 2nd century churches, it was Gnostics,
Ebionites, Marcionites; later it was Gnostics, Manichees, and Arians
 Is “distortion of the truth” by people “from your own number” still
troublesome today? Or are the more serious internal threats to
Christianity of a different sort?
What do you think?

Now I commit you to God and
to the word of his grace, which
can build you up and give you
an inheritance among all those
who are sanctified.
I have not coveted anyone’s
silver or gold or clothing.
You yourselves know that
these hands of mine supplied
my needs and the needs of my
companions.
You say, ‘I am rich; I have
acquired wealth and do not
need a thing.’ But do you not
realize that you are in fact
wretched, pitiful, poor, blind
and naked?
Buy from me gold refined in
the fire, so you can become
rich; and white clothes to
wear, so you can cover your
shameful nakedness; and
salve to put on your eyes, so
you can see.
- Message to the church
at Laodicea - Rev. 3:17-18
- Acts 20:1-3
Parting pastoral advice (continued)

 Live a life of virtue in harmony with nature
 Avoid false judgments of what was valuable, especially much in
society that is worthless custom and convention
 Reject the push of culture to grasp for wealth, power, & fame
 Live a simple life free from all possessions
 Live as though the world belonged equally to everyone
 Seek happiness in rigorous training and use of reason
First taught explicitly by a student of Socrates in the 5th century BC
 Made most famous by Diogenes of Sinope in Athens
 And by Crates of Thebes who gave away his large fortune so he
could live a life of poverty (like St. Francis of Assisi)
 Spread with the rise of Imperial Rome
 Cynics would beg and preach throughout the cities of the Empire
 Gone by 5th century AD; Christianity adopted many of its ideas.
Are Christians Cynics?

When Paul had fin-
ished speaking, he
knelt down with
them and prayed.
They all wept as
they embraced him
and kissed him.
What grieved them
most was his state-
ment that they
would never see his
face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
What do you think? This passage is more sentimental than the travel-
ogue passages in the rest of Chap. 20. Has the author indulged a bit too
much in melodrama? Or is this hinting that the author knew about Paul’s
martyrdom (it has long been a puzzle that Acts never mentions it)?
- Acts 20:36-38

We put out to sea and sailed
straight to Kos.
 Size: 25 x 8 miles
 Population 31,000
 2.5 miles off Turkey
 Home of Greek
physician Hippocrates
 Was a busy, well-
fortified trading port
- Acts 21:1-3
Next hop: to the island of Kos
Paul now sails south on the Aegean
Sea along the coast of Asia Minor,
probably as a paying passenger on
a small trading boat.

The next day we went to Rhodes.... From
there to Patara… We found a ship crossing
over to Phoenicia and went on board… After
sighting Cyprus and passing south of it… we
sailed on…. (and) landed at Tyre. We sought
out the disciples there and stayed with them
seven days.
Patara was a busy port on
the S.W. mainland of Asia
Minor), an early stronghold
of Christianity and the
birthplace of St. Nicolas.
- Acts 21:1-3
Paul sails on to Syria
Paul could have continued in this way
along the south coast of Asia Minor to
Antioch, but he instead embarked on a
larger sea-going ship in Patara, one that
could sail out of sight of land for at least
short distances on the prevailing west
wind, so as to head straight for Syria.

- Acts 21:4-14
Are we there yet? Not quite.
Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on
to Jerusalem. (Why did Paul ignore this inspired
warning?)
When it was time to leave we left and continued
on our way. All of them... accompanied us out of
the city... there on the beach we knelt to pray.
We boarded the ship... and landed at Ptolemais
(later, Acco or Acre)... we greeted the brothers
and sisters and stayed with them for a day…
Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and
stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one
of the Seven {deacons}.
And when {Paul} would not be dissuaded, we
gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

After this we started on our way up to Jerusalem. Some of the disciples
from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to...where we were to
stay. When we arrived... the brothers and sisters received us warmly.
Paul greeted them
and reported in
detail what God had
done among the
Gentiles through
his ministry.
- Acts 21:15-19
The end of the third journey
View of modern Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives
The next day Paul and the rest
of us went to see James. All of
the elders were present.

 Paul apparently spent a long time (years) in Ephesus, so
the term “third journey” is a misnomer; Acts provides few
details of the trip
 Details given in Acts dwell almost entirely on Paul’s dif-
ficult departure from Ephesus, which included a riot led
by a silversmith
 He went on to strengthen the churches (ecclesia) in Asia
Minor, Macedonia and Greece while also (maybe) gath-
ering funds to help the (destitute?) Jerusalem church
 The account does not record the planting of any new
churches but does tells us of his plans to travel to Rome
and Spain yet...
 ...emphasizes (reasons unexplained) Paul’s insistence to
get to Jerusalem ASAP, despite premonitions of danger
there.
Thethirdjourneyinreview

SUBJECT TO PEOPLE OF ISRAEL TO GREEKS & ROMANS
Person of Jesus Messiah Son of God
Special Blessedness Fulfilled promises Anastasis (life again)
All are welcome Jews first Gentiles, all
Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian,
Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. - Col. 3:11
All Things New Respect Torah but
Jesus > than Moses
Love more than ethics
of philosophers
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves
with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. - Col. 3:12
Apocalypse (world’s
consummation)
Jesus is sign, assurance
that “the Day” is here
World being re-made,
all faithful to be saved
Kerygma undergoes change with culture

Although consideration of the remaining chapters of the Book of Acts
is not part of the present study, a few comments are in order:
 Paul causes a ruckus and gets himself arrested. Consistent with
other happenings in the book, this is a result of a plot of “the Jews”
 He is (again) protected by his citizenship which entitles him a trans-
fer to Rome in accord with his demand, “I appeal to Caesar” (25:11)
 Trials before Judean Governor Felix, his replacement (ca. 60 AD)
Festus, and Galilean puppet-ruler, Herod Agrippa II are dramatic
settings for the author to have Paul to present the kerygma.
 The author devotes more chapters to the story of how Paul got to
Rome (7½) than to of all 3 missionary journeys combined (7)...why?
 The book ends abruptly as if Paul’s arrival in Rome was the goal of
his ministry. It does not say anything about his further journeys (if
any) or his (likely) martyrdom.
The rest of Acts

[Local Jewish leaders in Rome] arranged to meet Paul… and even larger
numbers came to... where he was staying.
He witnessed... from morning to evening… from the Prophets he tried to
persuade them about Jesus. Some were convinced... others would not
believe. They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul
had made this final statement:
“The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your ancestors when he said
through Isaiah the prophet, “‘Go to this people and say, “You will
be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing
but never perceiving.”… Therefore I want you to know that God’s
salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”
- Acts 28:23-29
The abrupt end of Acts
As he has throughout his book, our author here emphasizes that
because Jewish leaders and, through them as representatives, all
Jews everywhere are unreceptive to the message of salvation in
Jesus, they are, from now on, not the only “people of God”.

Church tradition holds that Paul suffered martyrdom in
Rome, perhaps in the year AD 64. Because he was a Roman
citizen, he was not crucified, but was, instead, beheaded.
- Acts 28:30-31
Last line of Acts
Acts closes without even a hint that Paul
traveled anywhere again. It is as if the
author wrote more but the text was lost.
For two whole years Paul stayed
there in his own rented house,
welcoming all who came to him.
He proclaimed the kingdom of
God and taught about the Lord
Jesus Christ—with all boldness
and without hindrance.

The martyrdom of St. Paul
Tacitus reported that a great fire erup-
ted in Rome the night of July 18, AD 64.
Emperor Nero blamed the extensive
devastation on Christians and had many
executed, perhaps including Paul.

Martyrdom of Paul from The Acts of Paul
This is, however, not what happened according to The Acts of Paul, a
late 2nd century text preserved only in disconnected fragments.
In it Nero is enraged when he learns that there are people in Rome
who claimed that another king, Christ “destroys all kingdoms under
heaven and he alone shall remain in all eternity and there will be no
kingdom that escapes him.”
After torturing his former
cupbearer who is raised from
the dead by Paul and thereby
becomes a believer, Nero
“issued an edict that Christians
and soldiers of Christ that are
found should be executed”

From The Acts of Paul (continued)
“Among the many {Christians} Paul also was arrested.”
Nero interrogates Paul who responds by calling him to join them in
serving Christ. “If you become his subject and beseech him you shall
be saved. For in one day he will destroy the world.”
Paul then says, “Caesar, I live not
merely for a short time for my king.
If you have me executed, I promise
I will rise again and appear to you.
For I will not be dead but alive to
my king, Christ Jesus.”
Nero’s response is to order Paul’s
beheading.

While many philosophers were assembled with the Emperor, Paul
came... ‘I am not dead but alive in my God. But upon you, unhappy
From The Acts of Paul (conclusion)
“Turning toward the east Paul lifted up his hands... prayed at length...
{then} he bent his neck... When the executioner cut off his head, milk
splashed {out} ...When Nero heard of it he was amazed...”
The next day, Longus, a Roman
prefect and Cetus, a Roman cen-
turion find Paul praying at his own
grave with his friends Titus and
Luke. The Romans profess their
faith. “Upon hearing this Titus and
Luke gave them joyfully the seal in
the Lord” and the account ends.
one, many evils and great punish-
ment will come.’...”

 Ca. 250 yr. later, Emperor Constantine built the Basilica of St. Paul
Outside the Walls on that spot
 Was expanded under Emperors Valentinian (375) and Theodosius
(386) who also
installed mosaics.
 Pope Gregory the
Great (590–604) had
the basilica exten-
sively modified.
 The pavement was
raised to place the
altar directly over
Paul's tomb.
Honoring his burial place
After Paul’s death (however it came about), friends buried
his remains and marked his gravesite in some way.

Cardinal Montezemolo, Archpriest of the
Basilica, shows the passageway through which
one side of St. Paul's stone coffin is visible.

 Bible scholars agree that Paul personally wrote seven NT epistles
(Rom., 1&2Cor., 1Thes., Phil., Gal. and Philemon) but dispute
whether others attributed to him are genuine Pauline writings
 The genuine letters are important and interesting because they
are personal, revealing aspects of Paul’s personality
 Few genuine letters from other church leaders are extant (four
“Apostolic Fathers” are Justin, Polycarp, Ignatius, Clement)
Paul lives on in his letters
 Most NT writings are either
anonymous (e.g. Hebrews) or
pseudoepigraphic (e.g. James,
2Peter) and were attributed to
a prominent Christian leader
 No matter who wrote what,
all are no less canonical and
authoritative.

Paul was an irresistible hero for later
writers to incorporate into their stories,
all now considered legendary.
These include the Acts of Paul (cited
above), the Apocalypse of Paul, the Acts
of Paul and Thecla, 3rd Corinthians, the
Epistle to the Laodicians, and the
Correspondence of Paul and Seneca.
Paul lives on in his legends
These works are valuable for what they tell us about the growth of
thought and practice in the early Church if not for anything reliable
about the life of Paul.
E.g., 3rd Corinthians is a strongly-worded refutation of Gnostic ideas.
As the author writes in the name of Paul: “I delivered over to you the
teachings I received from the apostles... Anyone who transgresses
these things is bound for the fire...whom you should reject.”

End of Part 2

This concludes our study of the missionary adven-
tures of St. Paul. If you found it a blessing, why not
select another study from the extensive “Lessons
To Go” collection available on SlideShare.

Journeys of paul the third journey and afterward

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