ActesChapitre 14

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In Iconium they went as usual into the Jewish synagogue and spoke so effectively that a great number of both Jews and Greeks came to faith.

But the Jews who refused to believe stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

So they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in reliance on the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders.

The people of the city were divided: some sided with the Jews, others with the apostles.

When the Gentiles and Jews, together with their leaders, made a move to mistreat them and stone them,

they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding region,

and there they went on preaching the gospel.

In Lystra a man was sitting who had no strength in his feet. He had been lame from birth and had never walked.

He was listening as Paul spoke. Paul looked straight at him, saw that he had faith to be healed,

and said in a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet!" And the man jumped up and began to walk.

When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, "The gods have come down to us in human form!"

They called Barnabas Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

The priest of Zeus, whose temple stood just outside the city, brought bulls and garlands to the gates, intending to offer sacrifice along with the crowds.

But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:

"Men, why are you doing this? We are only human beings, with the same nature as you. We bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them.

"In past generations he let all the nations go their own ways,

yet he did not leave himself without witness: he did good, giving you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness."

Even with these words they barely restrained the crowds from sacrificing to them.

Then Jews came from Antioch and Iconium. They won over the crowds, stoned Paul, and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead.

But when the disciples gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.

They preached the gospel in that city and made many disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch,

strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to remain firm in the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said.

They appointed elders for them in each congregation and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe.

Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia,

and after preaching the word in Perga they went down to Attalia.

From there they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now completed.

On their arrival they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

And they stayed there a long time with the disciples.

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Résumé2

Chapitre 14

Main Theme: Paul and Barnabas preach the gospel amid opposition and establish churches in Asia Minor.

Content: In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas preach in the synagogue, and many Jews and Greeks come to faith, but opponents create division. They flee to Lystra and Derbe, where the healing of a lame man leads the people to want to worship them as gods—Barnabas as Zeus and Paul as Hermes. The apostles reject this and point to the living God who is the Creator. Jews from Antioch and Iconium stone Paul, but he survives. On their return journey, they strengthen the disciples, appoint elders in the churches, and teach that the way into God’s kingdom goes through many trials.

Key Words/Images:

Zeus and Hermes: Pagan gods whom the people mistakenly identified with the apostles, illustrating the cultural conflict in missionary work.
Stoning: Paul was stoned and left for dead, but rose again—a testimony to the apostles’ endurance in suffering.
Elders (presbyteroi): The apostles appointed leaders in each church, demonstrating early church organization.
Trials: The apostles’ teaching that the way into God’s kingdom goes through many hardships.

Contexte historique

Historical and Cultural Context for Acts 14

Places

Iconium (vv. 1–6) was a prosperous city in the southern part of the Roman province of Galatia, located at a fertile oasis along the trade route between east and west. The city had a significant Jewish population with its own synagogue, as well as a large Greek-speaking population. Archaeological findings show that the city had an active religious life with several temples.

Lystra (vv. 6–20) was located about 30 kilometers south of Iconium and was a Roman colony founded by Augustus in 6 B.C. as a military outpost. The city had fewer Jews than Iconium, and the population consisted mainly of native Lycaonians who spoke their own language (Λυκαονιστί, v. 11). Inscriptions found in the area confirm the worship of Zeus and Hermes, and an altar dedicated to "Zeus before the city" has been discovered near the presumed site of the ancient city.

Derbe (vv. 6, 20–21) was located farthest southeast on the route, near the border of Cilicia. The city was identified in 1956 through an inscription at Kerti Höyük. It was the last city Paul and Barnabas visited before turning back, and it lay strategically at the border of Roman territory.

People

The lame man in Lystra (vv. 8–10) had been lame from birth and had never walked. Paul saw that he had faith to be healed, and the healing triggered the crowd’s reaction that gods had come down.

Priest of Zeus (v. 13) represented the official cult of Zeus in Lystra. His quick response with bringing oxen and garlands shows that worship of visiting deities was an established part of the city’s religious practice.

Events and Customs

Worship of Zeus and Hermes (vv. 11–13) has a specific local background. The Roman poet Ovid tells in Metamorphoses (8.611–724) the legend of Philemon and Baucis, an elderly couple from exactly the Phrygia/Lycaonia area who received Zeus and Hermes disguised as travelers, while everyone else rejected them. The gods rewarded them and punished the inhospitable. This myth explains why the people in Lystra reacted so strongly—they did not want to repeat their ancestors’ mistake by rejecting gods in human form. That Barnabas was identified as Zeus (the supreme god) and Paul as Hermes (the messenger of the gods) "because he was the one speaking" (ἡγούμενος τοῦ λόγου), fits with Hermes’ role as the god of speech and eloquence.

Preparations for sacrifice (v. 13) with oxen and garlands (ταύρους καὶ στέμματα) were standard practice in Greco-Roman sacrifices. The oxen were decorated with wool garlands, and the priest from the temple of Zeus "before the city" (πρὸ τῆς πόλεως)—a common location for main temples—led the ceremony at the city gates. This was a significant public ritual that required an immediate response from the apostles.

Tearing clothes (v. 14, διαρρήξαντες τὰ ἱμάτια) was a Jewish practice expressing deep grief or disgust over blasphemy. By doing this, Paul and Barnabas clearly demonstrated their rejection of the worship.

Key Terms

Λυκαονιστί (lykaonisti, v. 11) refers to the local Lycaonian language, which belonged to the Anatolian languages and was different from Greek. That the crowd spontaneously switched to their mother tongue in their excitement shows that Greek was a second language for many in the area. This also explains why Paul and Barnabas first understood what was happening when they saw the concrete preparations for sacrifice.

Χειροτονήσαντες (cheirotonēsantes, v. 23) literally means "to stretch out the hand" and was used concerning the appointment or election of leaders. In Greek city-states, the word was used about voting by raising hands. Here it describes the ordination of elders (πρεσβύτεροι) in each congregation—a practice that combined Jewish synagogue structure with the emerging Christian church order.

Chapter-Specific Findings

Archaeological excavations and epigraphic findings from the Lycaonia region confirm Luke’s accuracy. An inscription from the 2nd century A.D. found at Sedasa near Lystra mentions "priests of Zeus" and shows the continuing significance of the cult of Zeus in the area. Another inscription from the same region is dedicated to "Zeus before the city" (corresponding to Greek πρὸ τῆς πόλεως), which directly confirms Luke’s description of the temple of Zeus "before the city" in verse 13. These findings show that Acts reflects authentic local religious conditions in first-century Lycaonia.

Personnages4

Paul4 Hermes1 Barnabas3 Zeus1

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Chronologie4