But the Jews stirred up religious and honourable women and the chief men of the city: and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas: and cast them out of their coasts.
οι δε ιουδαιοι παρωτρυναν τας σεβομενας γυναικας και τας ευσχημονας και τους πρωτους της πολεως και επηγειραν διωγμον επι τον παυλον και τον βαρναβαν και εξεβαλον αυτους απο των οριων αυτων
8 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Do you see what those who opposed the preaching did, and to what shamelessness they led the women? "But the Jews," says the writer, "stirred up the devout women and raised a persecution." See: they themselves were also responsible for what the women did. "And they drove them," he says, "out of their borders," not only out of the city, but out of the whole region.
The Jews did not stop with the feeling of envy, but also resorted to action. By "pious women" he means not believing women, but Jewish or Greek women. By "honorable" he means wealthy women. Do you see to what vile deed they inclined the women? They try, with the help of women, to block the path of salvation for people. In this they imitate the ancient deceiver, the devil, who chose Eve as his instrument for blocking mankind's entrance into paradise.
The text calls the rich women devout and honorable, but not believers. They were of Greek or Jewish origin. Moreover, the most wicked demons, imitating him who is the source of all calamities and the transgressor, seek through women to close the path of salvation to people. Through Eve he closed the entrance to paradise to mankind for a time. God Jesus opened it again for those who believe in His name, and He brought them into it. The thief was the first to enter with Him.
Thus Barnabas and Paul, together with the believing Gentiles, left the synagogue and chose another place for the assembly of believers and of those expressing a desire to believe. From there Christianity spread throughout the whole surrounding area. But the Jews succeeded in stirring up the most distinguished inhabitants of the city against them through proselyte women. Through the women's influence on their husbands, they raised an open persecution against Paul and Barnabas, so that they were forced to leave the city.
From Paphos Paul and his companions sailed to the peninsula of Asia Minor and came to Perga in Pamphylia. John Mark returned from there to Jerusalem, while Paul, with his other companions, continued the journey and went deeper into the interior regions of Asia Minor. He came to Antioch of Pisidia.
Here the preaching of the Apostle Paul concerning Christ made a powerful impression on the inhabitants of the city and turned many Jews and Gentiles to Christ.
Yet the majority of the Jews remained deaf to the apostles’ preaching. They even stirred up a disturbance against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of the city.
Therefore the apostles went on farther, shaking off the dust from their feet against them, according to Christ’s commandment (Mt 10:14).
But the Jews were powerful in the city, where they held all trade in their hands. Therefore they even managed to have the Roman authorities take their side. The apostles had to withdraw from Antioch and set out for the city of Iconium. There they could rest from the distress they had endured, because the authority of the Roman propraetor no longer extended there. The disciples whom they left in Antioch "were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit."
"But the Jews," and so forth: the success of the apostolic preaching among the Gentiles of the region stirred still more strongly the envy (v. 45) of the unbelieving Jews and their hatred toward the apostles. They resolved to stop the apostles’ activity in this city by force.
To achieve this purpose they resorted to the help of devout and honorable women, that is, female proselytes belonging to respected families in the city, who had not believed the apostolic preaching.
Out of unreasonable zeal for their new religion, namely Judaism, they were ready to serve as instruments of their leaders, the unbelieving Jews. Through them, by means of their connections in the city, important and influential persons of the city were drawn into the matter, and a persecution was raised against Paul and Barnabas.
Thus here, for the first time, Judaism was joined with paganism in persecuting the preachers of Christianity.
The persecution, however, was limited only to this: Paul and Barnabas were driven out of the city and its surrounding district. It is not evident that any personal cruelty was inflicted on them.
The expulsion of the apostles from Antioch of Pisidia shows that the Jews there were very strong and influential.
Despite the complete devotion to the apostles of some local inhabitants who had become Christians, and despite the favorable disposition of many others, the Jews were able so to influence the rest that they expelled the apostles.
It is true that for this the Jews chose the vilest forces as their shameful instruments: supposedly devout, that is, superstitious women, and insolent rich men.
But for the sowers of the seed this was not a grievous circumstance. They were indeed meant to go to other places, to preach there also, as they themselves had said: "We turn to the Gentiles."
Therefore the persecutors vainly carried their envy to the point of shameless currying favor with unworthy persons, though honorable from a pagan point of view.
"See," says Saint John Chrysostom, "how they, the apostles, when persecuted again, accomplish other great works through zeal, for they begin to act more decisively."
The enemies "try to block the path to salvation for men with the assistance of Hellenic women and rich men, in imitation of the ancient deceiver, the devil, who chose Eve as his instrument for blocking men’s entrance into Paradise."
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 29 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS