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The Church in Antioch

19 Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews.(A) 20 But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists[a] also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus.(B) 21 The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord.(C) 22 News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion,(D) 24 for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord.(E) 25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,(F) 26 and when he had found him he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they met with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called “Christians.”(G)

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Footnotes

  1. 11.20 Other ancient authorities read Greeks

Activity in the Church at Antioch

19 Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen[a] went as far as[b] Phoenicia,[c] Cyprus,[d] and Antioch,[e] speaking the message[f] to no one but Jews. 20 But there were some men from Cyprus[g] and Cyrene[h] among them who came[i] to Antioch[j] and began to speak to the Greeks[k] too, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus. 21 The[l] hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed[m] turned[n] to the Lord. 22 A report[o] about them came to the attention[p] of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas[q] to Antioch.[r] 23 When[s] he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true[t] to the Lord with devoted hearts,[u] 24 because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a significant number of people[v] were brought to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch.[w] So[x] for a whole year Barnabas and Saul[y] met with the church and taught a significant number of people.[z] Now it was in Antioch[aa] that the disciples were first called Christians.[ab]

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Footnotes

  1. Acts 11:19 sn The phrase over Stephen means in connection with Stephen’s death. See Acts 8:1b-3.
  2. Acts 11:19 tn Or “finally reached.” The translations “went as far as” and “finally reached” for διῆλθον (diēlthon) in this verse are given in L&N 15.17.
  3. Acts 11:19 sn Phoenicia was an area along the Mediterranean coast north of Palestine.
  4. Acts 11:19 tn Grk “and Cyprus,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.sn Cyprus was a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.
  5. Acts 11:19 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). This was probably the third largest city in the Greco-Roman world (Alexandria in Egypt was the second largest, and Rome the largest) and was the seat of government in Syria. Five miles away was a major temple to Artemis, Apollo, and Astarte, major pagan deities.
  6. Acts 11:19 tn Grk “word.”
  7. Acts 11:20 sn Cyprus was a large island in the Mediterranean off the south coast of Asia Minor.
  8. Acts 11:20 sn Cyrene was a city on the northern African coast west of Egypt.
  9. Acts 11:20 tn Grk “among them, coming to Antioch began to speak.” The participle ἐλθόντες (elthontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  10. Acts 11:20 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
  11. Acts 11:20 sn The statement that some men from Cyprus and Cyrene…began to speak to the Greeks shows that Peter’s experience of reaching out to the Gentiles was not unique.
  12. Acts 11:21 tn Grk “And the.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
  13. Acts 11:21 tn The participle πιστεύσας (pisteusas) is articular and thus cannot be adverbial. It is adjectival, modifying ἀριθμός (arithmos), but has been translated into English as a relative clause (“who believed”).
  14. Acts 11:21 sn Again, the expression turned is a summary term for responding to the gospel.
  15. Acts 11:22 tn Grk “Word.”
  16. Acts 11:22 tn Grk “was heard in the ears,” an idiom. L&N 24.67 states that the idiom means “to hear in secret” (which it certainly does in Matt 10:27), but secrecy does not seem to be part of the context here, and there is no particular reason to suggest the report was made in secret.
  17. Acts 11:22 tc ‡ Most mss read the infinitive “to travel” after “Barnabas.” διελθεῖν (dielthein) is found before ἕως (heōs) in D E Ψ 33 M and some versional mss. It is lacking in P74 א A B 81 1739 and some versional mss. Although the infinitive with ἕως fits Lukan style, it has the appearance of a scribal clarification. The infinitive has the earmarks of a Western expansion on the text and thus is unlikely to be autographic. NA28 has the infinitive in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.
  18. Acts 11:22 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19. Again the Jerusalem church exercised an oversight role.
  19. Acts 11:23 tn Grk “Antioch, who when.” The relative pronoun was omitted and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.
  20. Acts 11:23 tn BDAG 883 s.v. προσμένω 1.a.β has “remain true to the Lord” for προσμένειν (prosmenein) in this verse.sn He…encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord. The call to faithfulness is frequent in Acts (2:40; 14:22; 15:32; 16:39; 20:1-2).
  21. Acts 11:23 tn Grk “with purpose of heart”; BDAG 869 s.v. πρόθεσις 2.a translates this phrase “purpose of heart, i.e. devotion” here.
  22. Acts 11:24 tn Grk “a significant crowd.”
  23. Acts 11:26 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
  24. Acts 11:26 tn Grk “So it happened that” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
  25. Acts 11:26 tn Grk “year they”; the referents (Barnabas and Saul) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
  26. Acts 11:26 tn Grk “a significant crowd.”
  27. Acts 11:26 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
  28. Acts 11:26 sn The term Christians appears only here, in Acts 26:28, and 1 Pet 4:16 in the NT.