Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 51 and Acts 25

Sirach 51 – A beautiful psalm of thankfulness and praise – thankfulness for God’s (Wisdom’s) interventions in the writer’s life, praise for all the good that flows from “her.”

“I am determined to put her [God’s wisdom] into practice, I have earnestly pursued what is good, I will not be put to shame. My soul has fought to possess her, I have been scrupulous in keeping the Law; I have stretched out my hands to heaven and bewailed my ignorance of her; I have directed my soul towards her, and in purity have found her; having my heart fixed on her from the outset, I shall never by deserted; my very cored having yearned to discover he, I have now acquired a good possession. In reward the Lord has given me a tongue with which I shall sing his praises” (51:19-22).

Amen!

Acts 25 – Jewish leaders try to get Festus to send Paul up to Jerusalem – they had a plot to ambush and kill him. But Festus keeps Paul in Caesarea and tells them to come down there to make their case against him. He hears the case again, and wanting to win favor with the Jewish leaders, suggests Paul go up to Jerusalem. Paul appeals to Caesar (25:12) and Festus agrees to send him to Rome.

King Agrippa II and his sister Bernice[1] come to Caesarea where Festus puts the case of Paul before him. Festus tells them about the case against Paul and how he told the Jewish leaders that “Romans are not in the habit of surrendering any man, until the accused confronts his accusers and is given an opportunity to defend himself against the charge” (25:16). Agrippa asks to hear Paul so the next day they get their chance. Festus is hoping this will help him understand what exact charge he should attach to Paul when he sends him to Rome.

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[1] Agrippa I (10 BC – 44 AD) was King of the Jews and grandson of Herod the Great. He is the king named Herod in Acts. He was called Agrippa the Great. He was close to Tiberius and Claudius. His son Agrippa II is the one who appears here in Acts 25. He is with his sister Bernice, with whom some say he had an incestuous relationship.

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 50 and Acts 24

Sirach 50 – High Priest Simon II, son of Onias III (220-195 BC) is celebrated. He repaired the Temple. His portrayal of this High Priest seems filled with sensual images that indicate he has actually seen him emerge from the Sanctuary. So perhaps we could put the writer in this 3rd-2^nd century period. He is a “youthful cedar of Lebanon” (50:12). He is not a famous historical figure, so he must just be a man respected by the author in his time.

“And now bless the God of all things, the doer of great deeds everywhere, who has exalted our days from the womb and acted towards us in his mercy. May be grant us cheerful hearts and bring peace in our time, in Israel for ages on ages. May his mercy be faithfully with us, may he redeem us in our time.” (50:22-24). 

If the reader of these words takes them to heart, “if he practices them he will be strong enough for anything, since the light of the Lord is his path” (50:29).

Acts 24 – Five days after Paul is brought to Caesarea, Ananias, the High Priest at the time, and a lawyer named Tertullus come before Felix to present their case against Paul. Tertullus praises the Governor for the peace and reforms he has brought to the region and argues that Paul is a pest who stirs up trouble among the Jews wherever he goes; he is a “ringleader of the Nazarene sect” (24:6).

Paul is asked to defend himself. Paul denies stirring up any trouble, but says it is true he worships “according to the Way” (24:13). He continues to believe “all points of the Law and . . .what is written in the prophets” (24:14). Christianity was not meant in Paul’s eyes to be seen as a NEW religion; it is Judaism fulfilled and complete. He believes in the resurrection of the dead, both good and bad and he tries “as much as they . . . to keep a clear conscience at all times before God and man” (24:16).

Having been away for some years, he says he returned to “bring alms” to his people and “to make offerings” (24:17). It was the “Jews from Asia” (24:19) who are the ones who created the uproar. They are the ones who should be brought before the Governor to make their accusations. “Asia” here refers to the province of Asiana in the Roman Republic – the southwestern part of Asia Minor.

It turns out Felix “knew more about the Way than most people” (24:22). He orders Paul kept “under arrest but free from restriction” (24:23) until Lysias, the commander, can arrive.

A few days later Felix and his wife Drusilla (Jewish) come to hear Paul discuss his faith, “but when he began to treat of righteousness, self-control and the coming Judgment, Felix took fright” (24:25) and sends Paul away. He calls him before him several other times over the next two years, hoping somehow to get money from Paul and gain favor from the Jews.

Finally Felix is replaced by Porcius Festus (c.59-62 AD).

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 48-49 and Acts 23:11-35

Sirach 48 – Elija – A prophet who “arose like a fire” brought famine on the land for the sins committed. He was “taken up in the whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with fiery horses” (48:8-9). And there is an allusion to immortality for those who fall asleep “in love” [of God]. They “too will have life” (48:11).

Then Elisha – He was filled with Elijah’s spirit. “No task was too hard for him, and even in death his body prophesied” (48:13) for that the dead were restored to life.

The people, however, remained unfaithful until they were scattered.

Hezekiah “fortified his city and laid on a water supply inside it; with iron he tunneled through the rock and constructed cisterns” (48:17). Sennacherib invaded, but the people were “delivered” by the hand of Isaiah (48:20).

Isaiah was “Trustworthy in his vision” (48:22). “He revealed the future to the end of time, and hidden things long before they happened” (48:25).

Sirach 49 – Josiah – Memory of him is sweet: “[H]e set his heart on the Lord, in godless times he upheld the cause of religion” (49:3).

Aside from these celebrated men, the people “all heaped wrong on wrong. . .they disregarded the Law of the Most High” (49:4), and so they finally disappeared. “The holy, chosen city was burnt down, her streets were left deserted, as Jeremiah had predicted” (49:6).

Nehemiah is remembered for rebuilding the walls and reestablishing the city.

Then in an apparent retrospect, the author returns briefly to a few names already mentioned: “No one else has ever been created on earth to equal Enoch, for he was taken up from earth. And no one else ever born has been like Joseph, the leader of his brothers, the prop of his people; his bones were honored. Shem and Seth were honored among men, but above every living creature is Adam” (49:14-16).  It’s a little confusing to have this retrospect and puzzling that Adam should now be on the list. Perhaps the author is just celebrating “man” for Adam certainly is mostly remembered for his “fall” and not for any real accomplishment. 

Acts 23:11-35 – The Roman commander who had originally taken Paul into custody when the controversy among Jews of different persuasions had become a threat to the peace now realizes Paul will likely not survive the battle that has broken out. He orders Paul taken to a Roman fort nearby.

Here, in the fort, the Lord comes to Paul and assures him: “Don't be afraid! You have given your witness for me here in Jerusalem, and you must also do the same in Rome” (23:11).

A conspiracy to kill Paul develops among the Jews, involving more than 40 men. They ask to have Paul brought before the Sanhedrin again “to get more accurate information about him” (23:15) – they will kill him then. Paul’s nephew hears about the plot and goes to the centurions. The commander – Claudius Lysias - orders some 300 soldiers to escort Paul to the Governor – Antoninus Felix – in Caesarea. He was Roman Governor between 52 and 59 or 60 AD. He orders Paul to be kept under guard in his headquarters until Paul’s accusers can be sent for.

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 46-47 and Acts 23:1-10

Sirach 46 – Celebrating Joshua, Moses’ successor and one “mighty in war” (46:1).  “He himself waged the wars of the Lord” (46:3). This is not translated as “holy war” and the note to this line says the words really say that the Lord handed enemies over to him [Joshua]. Joshua’s name means Yahweh saves and the Greek for the name is Jesus. Interesting! The text says he “deserved his name” because he “was a great savior of the Chosen People (46:2). He was said to have stopped the sun in its place to keep the day longer.

Then comes Caleb who, with Joshua “did devoted service . . .by opposing the whole community” (46:7). He prevented the people from rebelling. Only he and Joshua were “brought into their inheritance” (46:8), into the land “where milk and honey flow” (46:9).

The Judges are celebrated next. They were men who responded to God’s call and “never turned their backs on the Lord” (46:11).  “May their bones flower again from the tomb” (46:12).

Samuel is next. He was “the beloved of his Lord; prophet of the Lord, he instituted the kingdom, and anointed rulers over his people” (46:13). Even after his death, “he lifted up his voice from the earth in prophecy, to blot out the wickedness of the people” (46:20).

Sirach 47 – Nathan is the next great man, and then David. His victory against Goliath, his addition of music to worship and his many victories over the enemies his people are celebrated. In return the Lord “took away his sins, and exalted his horn forever; he gave him a royal covenant, and a glorious throne in Israel” (47:11).

Solomon was his wise son. He “reigned in a time of peace and God gave him peace all round so that he could raise a house to his name and prepare an everlasting sanctuary” (47:13).  He was loved for the peace he brought. He brought much wealth in and gave his body over to women; he “became [a] slave to [his] appetites” (47:19), profaning his honor, and bringing wrath on his descendants (47:20). The kingdom was split but the Lord did not abandon the “line”.

Rehoboam, “stupidest member of the nation” (47:23) followed, and the people rebelled. Then Jeroboam “made Israel sin” to excess, finally resulting in their being exiled.

Acts 23:1-10 – Ananias, the High Priest, orders him struck [also against the Law in dealing with a Roman citizen]. The Sanhedrin is part Sadducee, part Pharisee. He tells of his Pharisee roots and tells them it “is for our hope in the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial” (23:6). Sadducees did not believe in angels, in the resurrection of the dead or in the retribution of God in the afterlife. The Pharisees do, though, and Paul gets them to support him.

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 45 and Acts 21:26 through Acts 22

Sirach 45 – Moses is celebrated in this chapter. God “gave him commandments for his people and showed him something of his glory” (45:3). God chose him “alone out of all mankind; he allowed him to hear his voice and led him into the darkness; he gave him the commandments face to face, the law of life and knowledge” (45:5-6).

God also made a covenant with Aaron: “He clothed him in glorious perfection and invested him with emblems of authority” (45:8). He gave him bells to wear so the sound of them could be heard in the Temple “as a reminder” (45:11). A great number of ornate embellishments are given to Aaron and his descendants, the priests. He was to give burnt offerings twice every day forever. It is to Aaron that He “entrust[s] . . .his commandments, [and] commit[s] to him the statues of the Law” (45:17). Aaron’s tribe has no share, however, in the lands distributed.

Phinehas is “third in glory because of his zeal in the fear of the Lord, because he stood firm when the people revolted, with a staunch and courageous heart; and in this way atoned for Israel” (45:23).

Acts 21:26-40 - After the seven days required for the purification ceremony, some Jews from Ephesus see him in the Temple and stir up a crowd against him. The conflict becomes pretty widespread – all over Jerusalem – and the Roman cohort finally tries to break it up. A mob screams for Paul to be killed. Paul asks to speak to them.

Acts 22 – He speaks to the crowd in Hebrew [so it says, though the note in my Jerusalem Bible says Hebrew was not used after the Exile – that what Paul spoke was Aramaic].

He tells them his history – born in Tarsus, trained with Gamaliel, a persecutor of the Christians until he has the conversion experience on the road to Damascus: the light [seen by all with him], the voice [heard only by him], being taken to Damascus blind where he meets Ananias who lifts the blindness. He is told he is to be Jesus’ witness to “all mankind.”

He tells of another vision he has after returning to Jerusalem three years after this. He sees Jesus in a trance and is told to go to make believers out of the pagans.  At this, the crowd goes wild again. They go to flog him, and he raises the issue of his Roman citizenship, so he is brought before the Sanhedrin.

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 44 and Acts 21:1-25

Sirach 44 – He turns to the praise of famous men: James Agee got the title of his 1941 book about sharecroppers in the South from this part of Sirach – Now Let Us Praise Famous Men. There have been men of authority, intelligent advisers and prophets, musicians and poets. “Some of them left a name behind them, . . .while others have left no memory, and disappeared as though they had not existed, it is now as though they had never been, and so too, their children after them” (44:8-9).

Among those named are Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses, Aaron, Phinehas, Joshua, Caleb, the judges, Samuel, Nathan, David, Solomon and others will take up the remaining chapters.

Abraham is revered for how he “observed the Law of the Most High” but the Mosaic Law was not given in his time. I wonder what “Law” meant in the mind of the writer when applying it to Abraham’s time – maybe the experiential guidance of the God who Abraham felt had reached out to him and brought him to live by faith. 

Acts 21:1-25 – Paul tears himself away from Ephesus, and goes by sea to Cos, Rhodes, Patara and south of Cyprus to Tyre. He stays a week there, and the people urge him not to go on to Jerusalem. He goes to Ptolemais and stays a day there and then heads to Caesaria where he stays with Philip, the Apostle.

Philip is said to have four virgin daughters who are prophets and they foretell Paul’s fate in Jerusalem, that he will be handed over to pagans, but Paul is ready for this too. They go on to Jerusalem, lodging en route with Cypriot Mnason, a very early convert. They are warmly greeted by disciples in Jerusalem.

He visits with James and the elders. He reports on the ministry he’s done. “Staunch Law keepers” have heard that Paul instructs “all Jews living among the pagans to break away from Moses” (21:21). They want Paul to try to persuade these staunch Jews that he is not trying to undermine Mosaic Law by taking part in a purification vow over seven days and paying for the expenses four men have incurred to do this. They remind him that it was decided that all Christian converts from paganism would observe abstention from things sacrificed to idols, from blood and the meat of strangled animals and from “fornication” or marrying close relatives. Paul does take part in the purification ceremony and pays what they ask him to pay.

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 42 (continued) and 43 and Acts 20:13-38

Sirach 42 (Continued) – God’s Glory: “He has imposed an order on the magnificent works of his wisdom, he is from everlasting to everlasting, nothing can be added to him, nothing taken away” (42:21-22). It is the nature of all things from God that they “go in pairs, by opposites” (42:24).

Sirach 43 – On God’s Glory: “The sun, as he emerges, proclaims at his rising, ‘A thing of wonder is the work of the Most High!’ . . .Great is the Lord who made him, and whose word speeds him on his course” (42:2-4).

And then there is the moon, “always punctual, to mark the months and make division of time” (43:6). And the “glory of the stars makes the beauty of the sky” (43:9). The rainbow praises its maker and all the wonders of nature – the lightning, the clouds, thunder and wind, snow and hoarfrost. “He swallows up the mountains and scorches the desert, like a fire he consumes the vegetation. But the mist heals everything in good time, after the heat falls the reviving dew” (43:21-22).

Those who ply the seas tell of its wonders, and “all things hold together by means of his word” (43:26).

“Exalt the Lord in your praises as high as you may—still he surpasses you. Exert all your strength when you exalt him, do not grow tired—you will never come to the end. Who has ever seen him to give a description? Who can glorify him as he deserves?” (43:30-31)

Acts 20:13-38 - They went by sea from Assos to Mitylene and the next day to Chios and then on to Miletus. They avoid Ephesus, so as not to get delayed, but the elders of the church in Ephesus met him in Miletus where he delivered this sermon – his third in Acts [see chapters 13 and 17 for the others]: He speaks of himself already as a “prisoner” (20:22) who is going to Jerusalem unsure of what will happen. He is sure imprisonment await him there, but “life to me is not a thing to waste words on, provided that when I finish my race I have carried out the mission the Lord Jesus gave me—and that was to bear witness to the Good News of Gods grace” (20:24).   

He speaks of his worry that “even from . . .[the leaders of the church[ there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them” (20:30).  He leaves them in tears, believing he will not see any of them again. Wish I knew exactly what he thought they were going to say.

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 41-42 and Acts 20:1-12

Sirach 41 – On Thoughts of Death: “O death, your sentence is welcome to a man in want, whose strength is failing, to a man worn out with age, worried about everything, disaffected and beyond endurance” (40:3-4).

But we should not fear death in any case. It is “the sentence passed on all living creatures by the Lord” (40:4). 

Reputation: “Be careful of your reputation, for it will last you longer than a thousand great hoards of god. A good life lasts a certain number of days, but a good reputation lasts for ever” (41:12-13).

Sense of Shame: There are also many things it is right to be ashamed of: “licentious behavior” before your father and mother, of “wrong-doing” before a judge, of “impiety” before the people, etc, etc. (41:16-26). There are many details here but little profundity.

Sirach 42 – But there are also things to be glad of – being honest, making honest money, keeping firm discipline over your children, etc. 

Acts 20:1-12 – Paul leaves for Macedonia, going by land, I think. From Macedonia, where he spends three months, and he writes his Letter to the Romans. He wants to return to Syria by ship but he is convinced that a plot against him by the “Jews” makes an overland trip through Macedonia safer. He is accompanied by seven others from all over the region.

They go to Troas where they meet Luke again. Luke comes by ship from Philippi. The first day of the Jewish week had become the Christians day to assemble – but it began in Jewish tradition the evening before. Paul preaches a sermon that went on until the middle of the night (20:7). A young man named Eutychus was next to a window, grew drowsy and fell asleep, falling out of the window and down three floors. He seems dead, but Paul revives him. Then he continued his talk until daybreak.

 

A father loses sleep over his daughter no matter what her stage in life is. A few nasty things are said about women.

Then he turns to the awesomeness of nature – God’s great work: “He has imposed an order on the magnificent works of his wisdom, he is from everlasting to everlasting, nothing can be added to him, nothing taken away” (42:21-22). It is the nature of all things from God that they “go in pairs, by opposites” (42:24).

aily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 40 and Acts 19

Sirach 40 – On Fear of Death: A “heavy yoke lies on the sons of Adam from the day they come out of their mother’s womb, till the day they return to the mother of them all. What fills them with brooding and their hearts with fear is dread of the day of death” (40:1-2).

Life is all “fury and jealousy, turmoil and unrest, fear of death, rivalry [and] strife” (40:4). 

Despite this pessimism, the writer believes in the end “all bribery and injustice will be blotted out” (40:12).  

Acts 19 – While Apollos is in Corinth, Paul goes back to Ephesus by land. The issue there is the one introduced with Apollos – whether believers there have just received the baptism of John or if they also have received the Holy Spirit. The baptism of repentance that John administered is not enough; there must also be a spirit-given faith in the one who came after John – Jesus Christ. Whether there is another water-baptism in Jesus’ name is not clear. It may just have been a laying on of hands to impart the Holy Spirit. The sign of it is the 12 or so believers speaking in tongues and prophesying.

In what may be from a different source, the next verses talk about Paul’s return to Ephesus and his preaching about the Kingdom of God [this may be connected with belief in the messianic purpose of Jesus].  After three months or so, there begins to be a division in the church there. Paul ends up taking his followers to another location. He lectured daily from 11 to 4 over a period of two or three years. It is from Ephesus that he writes the Letters to the Corinthians, Galatians and Philippians. Miracles are reported to have occurred from contact with Paul and even from things touched by him. Even exorcists start using Jesus’ name in their magic – a number of infamous incidents came from the group and people were “impressed” [it’s all pretty unclear].  In the end, though, use of magic is rejected and all the magic books are burned by those who once used them [not by their opponents].

Paul decided to return to Jerusalem through Macedonia and Achaia and then plans to go to Rome He stays for a while, though, sending Timothy and Erastus ahead to Macedonia. A serious conflict arises “in connection with the Way” (19:23). A silversmith with a big business in making shrines to Diana stirs up those dependent on the trade against Paul. Two of Paul’s friends – Aristarchus and Gaius – are taken by a mob. He wants to appeal to people but believers are afraid of the response if he goes to the “theatre” [the lecture room of Tyrannus, where he taught]. It apparently is an argument between the Jews and Christians. Alexander speaks for the Jews. The crowd starts chanting support for Diana. The Temple of Diana (associated in Ephesus with Artemis) was one of the wonders of the ancient world, opened in 550 BC. Diana was Apollo’s twin sister. The crowd is finally convinced to leave and take their objections to the “regular assembly” of the town (19:41).

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 38-39 and Acts 18

Sirach 38 – On the Balance of Faith in God and Faith in the Knowledge of Men: “The Lord has brought medicines into existence from the earth, and the sensible man will not despise them. . . He uses them to heal and to relieve pain” (38:4-6).

“My son, when you are ill, do not be depressed, but pray to the Lord and he will heal you . . . The let the doctor take over—the Lord created him too—and do not let him leave you, for you need him. Sometimes success is in their hands, since they in turn will beseech the Lord to grant them the grace to relieve and to heal, that life may be saved” (38:9-14).

On Mourning: “Let grief end with the funeral; a life of grief oppresses the mind. Do no abandon your heart to grief, drive it away, bear your own end in mind . . . Remember my doom, since it will be yours too; yesterday was my day, today is yours” (38:20-22).

On Leisure’s Role in Productive Crafts: The Jerusalem Bible note says this is similar to an Egyptian text called Satire on Trades. It is the fact that some people have leisure time that makes the search for wisdom possible. The ploughman’s “mind is fixed on the furrows he traces” (38:26). 

Sirach 39 – On Scholars: “[T]he man who devotes his soul to reflecting on the Law of the Most High” (39:1).  He studies the ancient writings, he serves the princes and travels, and he “has experienced human good and human evil” (39:5).  He prays and if God determines it, “He will be filled with the spirit of understanding . . . and in prayer give thanks to the Lord” (39:6-7).

Praise to God and His Works: “As his blessing covers the dry land like a river and soaks it like a flood, so wrath is his legacy to the nations, just as he has turned fresh waters to salt” (39:22-23).

All the bad things are made by God to punish. Here I struggle. Too many good people suffer terrible crosses. It is not all so simple. Still I can say “yes” to these words: “All the works of the Lord are good, and he will supply every want in due time. You must not say, ‘This is worse than that’, for everything will prove its value in its time. So now, sing with all your heart and voice, and bless the name of the Lord!”(39:34-35).

Acts 18 – From Athens, Paul goes on to Corinth, and meets Aquila whose family is from Pontus on the Black Sea. Previously in Italy, Aquila and wife Priscilla fled because of the edict of Claudius expelling Jews from Rome. Like Paul, they are tentmakers, so he stays and works with them. Sabbath days are times for debate in the synagogues. Paul and Timothy arrive and Paul spends all his time proclaiming the gospel of Christ.

When the Jews reject him, he feels free to go to the pagans. A great many are converted including the head of the synagogue – Crispus – and Paul stays on for 18 months. Ray Brown notes that Paul writes I Thessalonians from Corinth; it is “the oldest preserved Christian writing” (311). Corinth is the capital of Achaia, and when Gallio becomes proconsul, the Jews try to bring Paul before the tribunal, accusing him of promoting a worship that is against the law. Gallio ultimately refuses to involve himself in this internal conflict. The reference to Gallio permits us to date Paul’s stay in Corinth to the years 51-52 AD.

Paul leaves for Syria along with Aquila and his wife. They arrive in Ephesus and go their separate ways. Paul debates in the synagogue but does not stay. He promises to return and leaves, sailing to Caesarea. I think the geography here is messed up. It talks about him sailing to Caesaria but then going through Galatia to Antioch. He couldn’t have done both.

The story goes back to Ephesus and says that Apollos came there and preached about Jesus – accurately apparently – but somehow he “had only experienced the baptism of John” (18:25). Aquila and Priscilla give him further instruction “about the Way” (18:26). He then goes over to Achaia  [Corinth] where he “helps the believers considerably by the energetic way he refuted the Jews in public and demonstrated from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ” (18:28).

 

The blacksmith, the potter and other workers “put their trust in their hands, and each is skilled at his own craft” (38:31). But for all their hard work and the necessity of having them to build our towns, they “are not remarkable for culture or sound judgment, and are not found among the inventors of maxims. But they give solidity to the created world, while their prayer is concerned with what pertains to their trade” (38:34).

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 37 and Acts 17:15-34

Sirach 37 – On False Friendships: “[S]ome friends are only friends in name. Is it not a deadly sorrow, when a comrade or a friend turns enemy?” (37:2)

On Advisers: “Any adviser will offer advice, but some are governed by self-interest” (37:7). You should always know what the interests of your advisers are, so you can properly judge their advice.

“Do not consult a woman about her rival, or a coward about war, a merchant about prices, or a buyer about selling, a mean man about gratitude, or a selfish man about kindness, a lazy fellow about any sort of work. . .[b]ut constantly have recourse to a devout man, whom you know to be a keeper of the commandments, whose soul matches your own, and who, if you go wrong, will be sympathetic” (37:11-12).

“Stick to the advice your own heart gives you; no one can be truer to you than that” (37:13). And “beg the Most High to guide your steps in the truth” (37:15).

Real Wisdom: “Reason must be the beginning of every activity, reflection must come before any undertaking. Thoughts are rooted in the heart, and this send out four branches: good and evil, life and death, and always mistress of them all is the tongue” (37:16-18).

Another bit on eating moderately follows.

Acts 17:15-34 - Paul waits in Athens, and Luke gives us a great account of the historic context Paul faced in this great city, “the center of culture, philosophy, and art” (Brown 311) at this time. He is revolted at the idolatry of the city – debating not only with the usual Jews and God-fearers in the synagogue but with anyone he met in the streets. Epicurian and Stoic philosophers debate him. They invite him to the Council of the Areopagus. The writer notes that the people living in Athens LOVED to discuss all the latest ideas – this is cool.

Paul makes this argument to them: He says he’s been “admiring [their] sacred monuments” (17:23) – and especially the altar inscribed “To an Unknown God.”  He then tells them the God he preaches IS this God. “Since the God who made the world and everything in it is himself Lord of heaven and earth, he does not make his home in shrines made by human hands . . .From one single stock he not only created the whole human race . . .but he decreed how long each nation should flourish . . .And he did this so that all nations might seek the deity, and by feeling their way towards him, succeed in finding him. Yet in fact he is not far from any of us, since it is in him that we live, and move, and exist, as indeed some of your own writers have said” (24-28). I can’t tell you how I love and appreciate these words; it so captures my own experience of feeling the pull of the Creator in my life.

While God permitted men to worship false gods in the past, when we were ignorant, “now he is telling everyone everywhere that they must repent, because he has fixed a day when the whole world will be judged, and judged in righteousness, and he has appointed a man to be the judge. And God has publicly proved this by raising this man from the dead” (17:29-31). Some laugh at Paul when he says this, but he wins some too, including Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris.

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 36 and Acts 17:1-14

Sirach 36 – Jerusalem Bible note says the prayer here “reveals the sentiments of pious Jews about the year 190 just before the Maccabaean revolt” (1085). As a teacher of history, I find the Maccabaean revolt interesting to contemplate. In a way it was a revolt of very conservative religious leaders who were fed up with the dissolution of strict Jewish culture and practice. The young people of their day were fascinated by and drawn to the “worldly” values and universalism of the Hellenists. Probably most Quakers today would not have felt any sympathy for the Maccabaeans. They were the religious conservatives of their day.

The author here asks God to extend his realm beyond the Jews to all nations. “Let them acknowledge you, just as we have acknowledged that there is no God but you, Lord” (36:4).

“Rouse your fury, pour out your rage, destroy the opponent, annihilate the enemy” (36:6).

“Show compassion on your holy city . . .Bear witness to those you created in the beginning [the Patriarchs?], and bring about what has been prophesied in your name. Give those who wait for you their reward, and let your prophets be proved worthy of belief” (36:12-15).

“The man who takes a wife has the makings of a fortune [or ‘the best of possessions’], a helper that suits him, and a pillar to lean on . . .when a man has no wife, he is aimless and querulous [‘a tramp and a wanderer’]” (36:24-25).

Acts 17:1-14 – Mission to Thessalonika - They pass through Amphipolis and Apollonia on their way to Thessalonika, where there was a synagogue. They stay for three weeks, presenting their message, using arguments from scripture (17:2) to show that Jesus was the Christ. A number of Jews, Greek fellow-worshippers and some wealthy women are converted – Aristarchus is one. Some members of the synagogue, however, are angry and stir up the city. They accuse Paul and the others of trying to claim Jesus as a rival emperor (17:7).

Ray Brown points out that the “charges” brought against Paul “resembles the list of charges against Jesus before Pilate in Luke 23:2—a list found only in Luke” (310). The charges against Jesus are inciting people to revolt, opposing the payment of tribute to the Roman emperor and claiming to be a king (Christ). Here Paul is accused with the entire Christian community of “turning the whole world upside down” and breaking “every one of Caesar’s edicts by claiming that there is another emperor, Jesus” (17:6-7).

Paul and Silas are sent away to Beroea (just south of Thessalonika) where they find the Jews more accepting. Every day “they studied the scriptures to check whether it was true” (17:11). Interesting this searching of the Old Testament – they will find so much in their to link Jesus to the narrative in multiple ways. Interesting also that Luke points out so directly that many women – apparently quite influential and wealthy in this region – are drawn to the message of Paul and Silas. The angry people from Thessalonika come after them, and Paul moves further south to Athens while Silas and Timothy remain for a while.

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 34-35 and Acts 16:19-40

Sirach 34 – On Dreams: “As well clutch at shadows and chase the wind as put any faith in dreams. Mirror and dream are similar things: confronting a face, the reflection of that face” (34:2-3).

“[D]reams have led many astray, and those building their hopes on them have been disappointed” (34:7).

On the Happiness of Those Who Fear the Lord: “Happy the soul of the man who fears the Lord. On whom does he rely? Who supports him? The eyes of the Lord watch over those who love him, he is their powerful protection and their strong support, their screen from the desert wind, their shelter from the midday sun, a guard against stumbling, an assurance against a fall” (34:14-16).

On Sacrifices: they are useless unless they are offered sincerely and not at cost to others.

Sirach 35 – Keeping the Law More Important than Sacrifices: “A man multiplies offerings by keeping the Law; he offers communion sacrifices by following the commandments. By showing gratitude he makes an offering of fine flour, by giving alms he offers a sacrifice of praise” (35:1-2).

“Mercy is welcome in time of trouble, like rain clouds in time of drought” (35:24).

Acts 16:19-40 - They meet a slave girl in Philippi who is a “soothsayer” (Jerusalem Bible note says the term literally means “Python spirit,” and this refers to the python who belonged to the Delphic oracle). She annoys Paul by proclaiming the men’s mission every time she sees them, so he orders the spirit to leave the woman in Jesus’ name (16:18). Her masters drag Paul and Silas to the law courts and accuse them of “causing a disturbance” by advocating practices it was “unlawful for us as Romans to accept or follow” (16:21-22). Jerusalem Bible notes that any kind of proselytizing Romans was unlawful for Jews or Christians. They are scourged and thrown into prison. 

That night, they pray and sing God’s praises, and suddenly there is an earthquake that basically knocks the prison down and results in them being able to go free. Note here again an echo of a similar experience Peter has in Acts 12:3. The jailer, fearing he will be held responsible, starts to commit suicide, but Paul stops him. He asks “what [he] must do to be saved” (16:30). They tell him “’believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your family’” (16:31).

The next day, an officer comes to order their release, but Paul makes a stink about it and says they must come and escort them out. The magistrates do come and beg them to leave the town. Then they go to Lydia’s again and leave from there to go to Thessalonika.

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 33 and Acts 16:1-18

Sirach 33 – On God’s Creative Will: “Like clay in the hands of the potter to mold as it pleases him, so are men in the hands of their Maker to reward as he judges right. Opposite evil stands good, opposite death, life; so too, opposite the devout man stands the sinner” (33:13-14).

On Avoiding Dependency: “Neither to son nor wife, brother nor friend, give power over yourself during your own lifetime. . . . As long as you live and there is breath in your body, do not yield power over yourself to anyone” (33:20).

On Slavery – harsh “wisdom” of a different era here, seemingly like the advice to parents on dealing with their children: “Work your servant hard, and you will know peace of mind; leave his hands idle, and he will start thinking of his freedom” (33:26).

If you have only one slave, “treat him as a brother since you need him as you need yourself. If you ill-treat him and he runs away, which way will you go to look for him?” (33:33)

Acts 16:1-18 – Paul and Silas head north through Syria and Cilicia to Derbe and Lystra. There they meet Timothy whose mother was a Jew and father a Greek. Paul wants him to travel with them. He has him circumcised to make him more acceptable to the Jews of the area. While Paul seriously believed that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised to become part of the Christian community, the son  of a Jewish woman was technically Jewish, so circumcision may have seemed more appropriate to him.

They go farther north and west through Phrygia to Mysia on the upper northwest corner of Asia Minor, but they stop before going into Bithynia (north of them on the Black Sea) – the “Spirit of Jesus would not allow them” (16:7).

They then turn south and go to Troas on the Aegean Sea where Paul has a vision in which a Macedonian appears to him and begs him to come across to them. They arrange passage in the belief that God has called them to go.

Note that here in verses 9 and 10, the “voice” of the narrator changes from third person (“they”) to first person (”we”); Luke must have joined Paul and Timothy. They go to Neapolis and Philippi, a Roman colony and principal city of the region. Jews in Philippi had no synagogue, so they worshipped near the river. They preach to the women there (16:14), one of whom – Lydia – is a leading woman of the area in the purple dye trade. She and her family converts and she invites Paul, Timothy and Silas to stay with them.

 

Daily Bible Reading: Sirach [Ecclesiasticus] 31-32 and Acts 15

Sirach 31 – On riches: “The sleeplessness brought by wealth makes a man lose weight, the worry it causes drives away sleep” (31:1).

“Remember how bad it is to have a greedy eye; is anything in creation greedier than the eye? That is why it waters on every occasion” (31:13).

On wine: “Wine is life for man if drunk in moderation. What is life worth without wine? It was created to make men happy. Drunk at the right time and in the right amount, wine makes for a glad heart and a cheerful mind” (31:27).

Sirach 32 – On banquets: “Speak, old men, it is proper that you should: but know what you are talking about, and do not interrupt the music (32:4).

Young men should speak only if they have to and no more than twice.

“The sinner waves reproof aside, he finds excuses to do what he wants. A sensible man never scorns a suggestion; a proud and godless man will be immune to fear” (31:27-28).

“Do not venture on a rough road, for fear of stumbling over the stones. Do not be over confident on an even road, and beware of your own children” (32:20-21).

Acts 15 – The controversy over circumcision: Ray Brown was an interesting source for helping me to understand this chapter of Acts. He notes that the circumcision issue was not settled in Acts 11 by Peter’s vision and its apparent lesson that eating and creating community with the uncircumcised was not something offensive to God; they were now facing whole churches made up of Gentiles, not just reconciling association with one or two of them (Brown 305).

In these congregation of Gentiles, the only real tie to Judaism was a “veneration [of] the Jewish Scriptures” and this was a problem for some. Brown points out that maybe the conservatives were correct on this issue – realizing that abandoning all requirements of the Law would mean that Christianity would grow without any real connection to the Jewish community. Paul thought perhaps it was just something temporary, but it turned out to be permanent. The “branch” Paul thought he was “grafting onto” the tree God had started would eventually BECOME the tree.

I find the observations of Brown interesting because there is part of me that believes that the huge divide that exists between Jews and Christians was never meant to be – and maybe even the divide between Christians and Muslims. I have always felt a deep feeling that we are all part of one salvation narrative and that somehow God will one day pull us together some day.

Anyway, returning to Acts, Paul and Barnabas argue with pro-circumcision men who have come from Judea and finally Paul and Barnabas decide to go up to Jerusalem with a few others (Galatians mentions Titus, a former pagan, as one of those who accompanied them) to discuss the issue with the apostles and elders there.

Brown points out that we can compare the account of this visit in Acts with Paul’s more personal account in his Epistle to the Galatians. The following are some comparisons that Brown makes:

·          Acts depicts the meeting as less acrimonious than Paul does in Galatians.

·          Acts seems to accept that the “pillars” of the church would decide the issue; Paul calls them the “so-called pillars”

·          In Galatians, Paul notes that he first laid out his arguments privately – this was smart

·          James is seen as the most important voice in Acts and in Galatians he is seen as the most unpredictable

·          Both Paul’s and Peter’s testimony is “experiential” while James bases his reasoning on Scripture

·          Interesting that no one makes any reference to anything Jesus might have had to say on the issue

·          In the end “koinonia” is maintained

Verses 5-7 tells it like this: certain “members of the Pharisees’ party who had become believers” (15:5) insisted that pagans should be circumcised and keep the whole Law. After the apostles and elders discussed it, Peter stands up and speaks.

Peter says God chose him to learn the Good News of Christ; and he showed his approval of the pagans by giving them the Holy Spirit – not making any distinction between them and the original followers of Christ, the Jewish converts. It would make God angry to impose Mosaic Law on them at this point. They are saved “through the grace of the Lord Jesus” (15:11).

James, the “brother” of Jesus, claims to have the last word, and he says they shall not make things more difficult for the pagans, and that all they need to observe is abstention from foods polluted by idols (sacrifices made to idols), fornication [marriage with close relatives], and the meat of strangled animals or meat with blood in it. They send Paul and Barnabas back with Barsabbas and Silas, and they send a letter. They say they “unanimously” elected delegates to send with Paul and Barnabas and outline the decision.

The community at Antioch is pleased with the decision. The two who came with them return, but Paul and Barnabas stay for a while.

Later they go and visit all the towns where they preached the gospel earlier. Barnabas wants to take John Mark, but Paul objects, angry about his having left them when they were in Pamphylia. Barnabas gets pissed off and goes off with Mark to Cyprus. Paul goes with Silas on his mission.