Acts 14

Acts 14 is the fourteenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. This chapter tells the story of the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas. They visited places such as Phrygia and Lycaonia. Their journey helped spread the teachings of Jesus and share Christianity with new communities. The book of Acts, including this chapter, is believed by many to have been written by Luke, who also wrote the Gospel of Luke. This chapter shows how early Christians faced challenges and shared their beliefs with people in different lands.

Text

This chapter of the book was written in Koine Greek and has 28 verses.

Some old copies of this text include:

In Greek:

• Codex Vaticanus (AD 325–350)
• Codex Sinaiticus (330–360)
• Codex Bezae (~400)
• Codex Alexandrinus (400–440)
• Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450)
• Codex Laudianus (~550; complete)

In Latin:

• Codex Laudianus (~550; complete)
• León palimpsest (7th century; verses 21–28 exist)

The story in this chapter connects to parts of the old books, like Genesis 1:1 and Psalm 146:6. It also links to later writings such as Revelation 14:7.

Locations

This chapter talks about several places where important events happened. Some of these places are Iconium in Phrygia, Lystra and Derbe in Lycaonia, Antioch, Pisidia, Perga in Pamphylia, Attalia, and Antioch in Syria. These cities were important stops during the travels of Paul and Barnabas.

Timeline

The first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas happened around the years AD 47 to 48. They traveled to places like Phrygia and Lycaonia to share their message.

Preaching in Iconium (verses 1-7) and Lystra (verses 8–20)

Paul and his friends traveled from Antioch in Pisidia to the east along the Roman road (Via Sebaste). They went to Iconium and then to Lystra. At first, both Jews and Greeks in Iconium listened to their message, but some Jews who did not believe caused trouble.

At Lystra, Paul helped a man who had never been able to walk. The people were very surprised and said in their own language that the gods had come down to them like people. This reminds us of an old story about Zeus and Hermes visiting the area long ago.

Later, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium came and turned the crowd against Paul. They attacked him and dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead. But after his friends stood by him, Paul got up and continued his journey with Barnabas to Derbe the next day.

Returning to Pisidia (verses 21–23)

After leaving Derbe, Paul and Barnabas went back to Antioch, Pisidia. On the way, they visited the new churches they had started. They helped and encouraged the believers to stay strong in their faith. Paul later did the same in his letters, as mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 2 and 1 Thessalonians 3.

Paul used the word "Elders" to describe church leaders. This word is also used in other writings such as Titus 1:5 and 1 Timothy 5, along with another term found in Acts 20:28 and Philippians 1:1.

The journey home from Pisidia to Syria (verses 24–28)

Paul and Barnabas went back home after their travels. They walked until they came to a city named Attalia. There, they got on a ship to sail to Seleucia. This city was close to Antioch in Syria. When they arrived, they met with the church and told them all about their journey. They shared how they had helped many new people believe.