Silas Series

Silas

Silas and Silvanus were the same people. He was a prophet who worked with Paul.

SILAS (Saint) (SILVANUS) Prophet, Disciple, Evangelist, Missionary, Bishop, and Martyr, Companion of Saint Paul

An essential figure in the apostolic Church and frequent companion of St. Paul. He had two names, Paul (also called Saul), or Silas, a Greek form of the Latin Silvanus. The two names, Silas (used throughout Acts) and Silvanus (found in the Epistles: 2 Cor 1.19; 1 Thes 1.1; 2 Thes 1.1; 1 Pt 5.12), assuredly belonged to the same man.

Silas enjoyed Roman citizenship (Acts 16.37). He is first mentioned as one of the "leading men" of the Church at Jerusalem (15.22). After the Council of Jerusalem, he was selected, together with Judas Barsabbas, as the bearer of the decree of the Council to Antioch (15.27). At Antioch, they encouraged the Christians in their faith and exercised the office of "prophets" (15.32). Silas remained there while Judas returned to Jerusalem (15.34–35). Sometime later, Silas was chosen to accompany Paul on his second missionary journey after the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark (15.40). At Philippi, because they exorcised a girl possessed by a divining spirit, Paul and Silas were poorly treated by the citizens and beaten with rods. They were imprisoned, but a midnight earthquake opened the jail doors. Instead of escaping, they calmed the jailer and converted his whole family. When the city magistrates wanted to release them secretly, Paul and Silas demanded recompense for the unjust treatment accorded them even though they were Roman citizens (16.19–40). They went on to preach the gospel in Thessalonica, but soon the jealousy of the Jews forced them to go on to Beroea (Acts 17.4, 10). Silas stayed with Timothy while Paul went to Athens (17.14). Later they joined Paul in Corinth and were with him when he wrote the two letters to the Thessalonians (1 Thes 1.1; 2 Thes 1.1). There is no record of Silas's further activity with Paul. However, he must have joined St. Peter later, for he served as St. Peter's secretary or even as coauthor of 1 Peter (1 Pt 5.12).

Legend says Silas was the first bishop of Corinth and died in Macedonia.

Silas' Feast: July 13.

Died 65–100 AD

Macedonia

Venerated in Roman Catholic Church

Eastern Catholic Churches

Eastern Orthodoxy

Oriental Orthodox

Anglicanism

Lutheranism

Feast

January 26 (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Episcopal Church)

February 10 (Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod)

July 13 (Roman Martyrology)

July 30 (Eastern Orthodoxy)

July 13 (Syriac, Malankara Calendars)

Attributes

Christian Martyrdom

Silas, or Silvanus (a leading member of the Early Christian community), accompanied Paul the Apostle on his second missionary journey.

Silas is traditionally assumed to be the same as the Silvanus mentioned in the four epistles. Some translations, including the New International Version, call him "Silas" in the epistles. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians mentions Silas as having preached with Paul and Timothy to the Church in Corinth (1:19), and the First Epistle of Peter describes Silas as a "faithful brother" (5:12). Paul, Silas, and Timothy are listed as coauthors of the two letters to the Thessalonians.

There is some disagreement over the original or "proper" form of his name: "Silas," "Silvanus," "Seila," and "Saul" seem to be treated at the time as equivalent versions of the same name in different languages, and it is not clear which is the original name of "Silas," and which is a translation or equivalent nickname, or whether some references are to different persons with identical names. He is consistently called "Silas" in the Acts of the Apostles, but the Roman name Silvanus (which means "of the forest") is always used by Paul and in the First Epistle of Peter (5:12); it may be that "Silvanus" is the Romanized version of the original "Silas," or that "Silas" is the Greek nickname for "Silvanus." Silas is thus often identified with Silvanus of the Seventy. Catholic theologian Joseph Fitzmyer further points out that Silas is the Greek rendition of the Aramaic Seila (?????????), a version of the Hebrew Saul (????????), which is attested in Palmyrene inscriptions.

Silas and Judas are leaders among the brothers, prophets, and encouraging speakers. Silas is first mentioned in Acts 15:22, to return with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch following the Jerusalem Council. Paul selected Silas to accompany him on his second mission after Paul and Barnabas split over an argument involving Mark's participation. During the second mission, he and Paul were imprisoned briefly in Philippi, where an earthquake broke their chains and opened the prison door. Silas is thus sometimes depicted in art carrying broken chains. Acts 16:25-37.

According to Acts 17–18, Silas and Timothy traveled with Paul from Philippi to Thessalonica, where they were treated with hostility in the synagogues by some traditional Jews. The harassers followed the trio to Berea, threatening Paul's safety and causing Paul to separate from Silas and Timothy. Paul traveled to Athens, and Silas and Timothy later joined him in Corinth.