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Acts 13:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Acts 13:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Antioch[a]
Paul’s First Missionary Journey[b]
Chapter 13
Barnabas and Paul Sent Out on Mission.[c] 1 In the Church at Antioch, there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 On one occasion, while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set Barnabas and Saul apart for me to do the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, after completing their fasting and prayer, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Acts 13:1 Under the impulse of the Spirit and the call of events, the community of Jerusalem finds the main points of its internal fire; it has broken out of the Jewish world to spread the Gospel into the Gentile world. New communities have been founded in which the Spirit stirs up the same internal fire and strong missionary initiative. The cycle of Jerusalem ends with the establishment of the Church at Antioch (Acts 11:19-26). In the second cycle in Acts, this young Church is the point of departure and return for all the stories, replacing Jerusalem as the center for the spread of the Gospel. Henceforth, the action takes place outside of Palestine; the Church now exists independently of the temple and of Jewish life in the Holy Land.
According to the historians of the period, Antioch, a main communications center of the Mediterranean world, was a “hotbed of falsehood.” Two missionary journeys take off from it: the first to Asia Minor (Acts 13:1—14:28), the second as far as Greece (Acts 15:36—18:23). We shall witness the encounter with quite different environments, from Oriental magic to Greek philosophy.
Paul will soon take the initiative in this missionary activity by means of the first two voyages ordinarily called missionary journeys of the Apostle. The Council of Jerusalem is called upon to officially resolve the problem in the community between converts from the Gentiles and converts from Judaism. - Acts 13:1 A missionary undertaking begins that will reach into the heart of Asia Minor. The story dwells at length on the outward journey; the return is told in a few verses, but makes clear that in the interim some Churches have been born that have their own life and personality. The Gospel will be addressed first of all to Jews and then directly to the Gentiles. Is Christianity a complete novelty or Judaism with a new face?
- Acts 13:1 Events suggest the vitality of the community of Antioch, whose importance is also underlined by the list of people available. Paul and Barnabas are chosen to go on mission. The laying on of hands by the community here is not a communication of powers (as in Acts 6:6) but a confirmation of the inspiration of the Spirit.
