107
D 17:13.
But the Jews.
E 17:13.
The stir. The knowledge.
F 17:14.
Paul sent away.
Silas and Timothy remain.
By noting verses 10 and 14 we find that Paul, Silas and Timothy were together at Berea, but that Luke had
evidently stayed behind to continue the work at Philippi. Luke was with the apostle when he was met by the
demon-possessed damsel, for he uses the pronoun `we' (Acts 16:16), but the third person is employed after this until
Luke again joins the apostle as indicated by the reappearance of the `we' at Acts 21:1.
The route taken by the apostle from Philippi to Thessalonica was the one usually followed. We have a document
called the Antonine Itinerary, which gives the length of this journey as one hundred miles; Philippi to Amphipolis 33
miles; from there to Apollonia another 30 miles, and so to Thessalonica 37 miles. We have no record of how long
this journey took, and it is idle to speculate.
The next happening of spiritual importance occurs at Thessalonica, and we accordingly find this city now
brought into prominence. It was ideally situated as a centre from which might be `sounded out the word of the Lord
not only in Macedonia and in Achaia, but also in every place' (1 Thess. 1:8). Its geographical position and political
importance made it a natural point of contact with the whole neighbourhood. On modern maps the city is named
Salonika.
Nothing is said in Acts 17 of the physical condition of Paul and Silas, but a passage in 1 Thessalonians 2 speaks
volumes:
`For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain: but even after that we had
suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as ye know, at Philippi, we were bold in our God to speak unto
you the gospel of God with much contention' (1 Thess. 2:1,2).
The Christian church began in the synagogue and was not separated from it until this second missionary journey
was over (Acts 19:9). So we read in Acts 17:2 that, `as his manner was', Paul went in unto them, and three sabbath
days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures'. The basis of the apostle's reasoning was, therefore, `the Scriptures',
and his method is defined as `opening and alleging', with the object that his hearers might become convinced that
the suffering and risen `Jesus' was truly `the Christ'. We had one glimpse of the apostle's method in Acts 13, and
here we have another. We shall profit by giving it our careful consideration
The word dialegomai, `reasoning', indicates an argument, in which two or more speakers take part, or in which
one speaker argues out the pros and cons in the course of his remarks. The passage before us says that Paul
`reasoned with them out of the Scriptures', and his method is further illuminated by the two words that follow:
`opening and alleging'. The word translated `opening' is dianoigo, `to open thoroughly', and is used literally for
opening a door, and figuratively for opening the understanding. In Acts 16:14 dianoigo is used with reference to the
opening of Lydia's heart, and in Luke 24:32 and 45 we have the example of Christ, Who `opened' the Scriptures,
and then `opened' their understanding. Paul was closely following His Master's footsteps.
`Alleging' is paratithemi, `to place beside'. Its first occurrence in the New Testament is associated with
parables, a mode of teaching in which one thing is placed beside another, because of some resemblance, as for
example :
`The field is the world' (Matt. 13:38).
`Another parable put He forth' (Matt. 13:24).
We have an early use of the word in Exodus 19:7 where Moses `laid before' the people the words of God.
The apostle's `argument', therefore, was two-fold. First he opened up the Scripture and saw to it that the
understanding of his audience was also so far opened that they understood the passage cited, and then by bringing
passage after passage and placing them over against their actual fulfilment - that had only just become history - he
sought to prove that the Messiah of Old Testament prophecy was the Christ he preached, and that, in spite of Jewish
prejudice, `He must needs have suffered' and that He had risen from the dead. Paul's first object was to convince