or Tom who, within the family circle, would be Isaac or Moses. The custom has indeed

provided a joke in an illustrated Yiddish paper. Moreover, the names adopted by the Jew

are contemporaneous with his times.  In Persian and Babylonian times we have

"Nehemiah" and "Belteshazzar":  under Greek influence we have such a name as

"Philip". In Roman times we have "Justus", "Niger" and "Pricilla". In the Middle Ages

we find Jews bearing the name "Basil" or "Leo". (For a fuller treatment of the subject

see Zunz Namen der Juden). Jerome refers to the Roman custom of adopting the name of

a country that had been conquered, such as Scipio, who, having conquered Africa, took

the name Africanus. Certainly there is intentional emphasis upon the Gentile convert's

name here. There is every likelihood that, as Paul was a freeman, his family took the

name of some Roman family immediately associated with this freedom. So, from this

time onward, the apostle is known as Paul; never again is he called by the old Hebrew

name, which, with his old self and past, was dead and buried.

The remaining part of the story of this journey centres chiefly in Antioch of Pisidia,

and in it occurs the first record of an address by Paul. We have no inkling as to the mode

of guidance in the itinerary, but as the nearest land was the mainland of Asia Minor, and

as travelers in those days had little option regarding the chartering of vessels, the most

natural thing was, that finding a vessel about to leave for Perga in Pamphylia, the apostles

should accept the fact as sufficient guidance, believing, most assuredly, that a "work" had

been mapped out for them, and that guidance as well as grace was theirs.

At Perga a sad thing happened.

Ergon, work, ergazomai, to work, occur seven times in the narrative: