An brief overview of places and people of the Pauline Letters

[MrMacSon]

All but one of the letters attributed to Paul, the letter to the Romans, are to places around the Agean Sea or in Asia Minor,* or to or for an associate apostle/disciple ie. Titus, Timothy and Philemon, two of who are associated with or said to be from Asia Minor (Philemon is just associated with a house church).

Romans
Cornith, southern Greece
Galatia,* northern central Asia Minor
Ephesus,* west coastal Asian Minor, made the capital of proconsular Asia by Augustus, 2nd to Rome in the empire
Philippi, east Macedonia/Thrace, Greece
Colossae,* 15km southeast of Laodicea, Phrygia, west Asia Minor : known for an angel cult 1st C AD
Thessalonica, Greece, central Macedonia ( 2 Thessalonians is of dubious authenticity)

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Timothy,* said to be from either Lystra or Derbe in Lycaonia, [southern] central Asia Minor
Titus, said to be from Crete ('Titus' may be Timothy and vice versa)
Philemon (considered one of the seven authentic epistles)

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Companions of Paul in the epistles (not those in Acts unless mentioned in the epistles)

• Timothy : Philippians 2:19–23 : co-author on 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon

• Titus : said to be from Crete : 'Titus' may be Timothy and vice versa
  • even though both Titus and Timothy are said to be long-term close companions of Paul, they never appear together (in common scenes). It is proposed that a number of passages—1 Cor. 4:17, 16.10; 2 Cor. 2:13, 7:6, 13–14, 12:18; and Acts 19.22—all refer to the same journey of a single individual, Titus-Timothy

• Silus/Silvanus : mentioned along with Timothy in 2 Cor 1:19; 1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1 : imprisoned in Philippi with Paul in Acts 15:22-18:5
  mentioned in 1 Peter 5:12
• Aristarchus : described as Paul's "fellow prisoner" and "fellow laborer" in Colossians 4:10 and Philemon 1:24, respectively. Returned with Paul from Greece to Asia (Acts 20:4)
• Barnabas : Galatians 2:1, 9-15 : 1 Cor 9:6
• Epaphras : Colossians & Philemon
• Gaius : a Corinthian : 1 Corinthians 1:14 : Romans 16:23 : Acts 19:29
• Jason 'of Thessalonica' : Romans 16:21
• Sosipater : Romans 16:21 (= Sopater of Acts 20:4?) : of Archaea(?) : Corfu conversions
• Onesimus : Colossians 4:9 (accompanying Tychicus) : Philemon
• Sosthenes : 1 Cor 1:1-2 : Acts 18:12-17
• Tychicus : Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7; Titus 3:12; 2 Timothy 4:12; Acts 20:4
• Erastus : 2 Tim 4:20

• 'Luke' : Philemon 1:24, Colossians 4:14, and 2 Timothy 4:11

Of course Paul met Cephas/Peter, James, and John, but they can hardly be said to have been Paul's missionary companions or to have contributed to his missions

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What can we make of the spatial distribution of the places he wrote to? (sure, some are not consider authentic, especially the pastorals)

• (only one of the letters to places in Asia minor is considered authentic, the one to the Galatians)

• Paul visited Jerusalem, Damascus, and Antioch, and a few other places but does he do more than refer to the Law in his epistles?

But

• nothing says he took information from Galilee (he never mentions Galilee)

• nothing, afaik, says he took disciples or fellow missionaries from Galilee, Jerusalem or Judea
  
  Key companions were Barnabas, Timothy and Titus (?)
  • As noted above:
    But, even though both Titus and Timothy are said to be long-term close companions of Paul, they never appear together in any scene. It is proposed that a number of passages—1 Cor. 4:17, 16.10; 2 Cor. 2:13, 7:6, 13–14, 12:18; and Acts 19.22—all refer to the same journey of a single individual, Titus-Timothy
  • Acts has Barnabas vanish after Acts 15:39, implying their rift over 'John Mark', portrayed negatively in Acts, was permanent

[GakuseiDon]

That's interesting. Looks like none of Paul's travelling companions were identified as Jewish?

[MrMacSon]

Acts 4:36 has

And Joses/Joseph, who was surnamed by the apostles Barnabas* -- which is, having been interpreted, Son of Encouragement / Exhortation / Consolation / Comfort [YLT] -- a Levite, of Cyprus by birth

* apparently literally Son of Prophecy

Barnabas [probably] first appears in Galatians 2 (without explicit reference to his origin):

1 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves. 5 We did not give in to them for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you ...

9 James, Cephas and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. 10 All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along.

11 When Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. 13 The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.

14 When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in[d] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified [etc] ... "

v.3 - Titus was a Greek

[GakuseiDon]

"Even Barnabas was led astray." Yes, good find. So sounds like Barnabas was a Jew.

[MrMacSon]

"Even Barnabas was led astray." Yes, good find. So sounds like Barnabas was a Jew.

I'm not sure: that part seems to be more about actions than about ethnic designations. Clearly Cephas/Peter is a Jew but he's being admonished by Paul for distancing himself from the Gentiles when a [Jewish] circumcision group arrives, or, as the Greek suggests, compelling Gentiles to live like Jews (maybe Cephas wasn't even originally opposing a circumcising group):

Gal 2 : 14b—16

.
14b "... you live like a Gentile ... How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs?

15 “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles 16 know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."
.

I think Barnabas is mostly being criticised in v.13* for also moving away from the Gentiles along with "the other Jews [who had] joined [Cephas] in his hypocrisy" - it's still not clear [to me, at least] what Barnabas' ethnicity is.

Another interesting ethnic dimension that's easily overlooked is Paul's reference in v.15 to Gentile sinners : ethnōn/ἐθνῶν Hamartōloi/Ἁμαρτωλοί

* Gal 2:13b

..καὶ Βαρνάβας συναπήχθη [αὐτῶν] τῇ ὑποκρίσει
even Barnabas was carried away by the hypocrisy [of them]

[Jax]

Personally, I think Cephas and Petros are separate and distinct people. Petros is probably a nickname and was usually given to slingers.

You might find The First Urban Christians by Wayne Meeks an interesting read especially his treatment of the names mentioned in Paul's letters starting at page 55. https://www.amazon.com/First-Urban-Chri ... 0300098618

[andrewcriddle]

Someone with the name Barnabas is probably Jewish.

Andrew Criddle

[Jax]

Someone with the name Barnabas is probably Jewish.

Andrew Criddle

Isn't Barnabas Aramaic? And while possibly a Jewish man's name I get the impression that Barnabas is from Syria.

[andrewcriddle]

Someone with the name Barnabas is probably Jewish.

Andrew Criddle

Isn't Barnabas Aramaic? And while possibly a Jewish man's name I get the impression that Barnabas is from Syria.

Acts says he is from Cyprus. I agree Barnabas could be a pagan Syriac name. But even if we ignore Acts, it is more likely IMO that Paul would have a close colleague in his travels round the Greek speaking Roman Empire who was of Jewish background rather than one of pagan Syrian background.

Andrew Criddle

[Jax]

Someone with the name Barnabas is probably Jewish.

Andrew Criddle

Isn't Barnabas Aramaic? And while possibly a Jewish man's name I get the impression that Barnabas is from Syria.

Acts says he is from Cyprus. I agree Barnabas could be a pagan Syriac name. But even if we ignore Acts, it is more likely IMO that Paul would have a close colleague in his travels round the Greek speaking Roman Empire who was of Jewish background rather than one of pagan Syrian background.

Andrew Criddle

But that is really from Acts and not really born out in Paul's letters.

Not trying to be an obstinate pain in the but, just pointing things out.

Lane