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By Tyson Thorne

July 30, 2014
 
 

ProphetsAntioch large

The events recorded in Acts 11.27-.30 is one of the most historically attested passages in the New Testament. There were many famines that rolled across the Roman Empire between 45 to 48 AD during the reign of Emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus (known by all as simply "Claudius"). The famine referred to here was in the earlier part of that time frame and was mentioned by Josephus in his book Antiquities XX.

The people of Judea found a friend in Helena, queen of Adiabene. Being at Jerusalem at that time, she procured corn from Alexandria and figs from Cyprus for the poor. Modern archeologists have found the sarcophagus of Queen Helena and it is on display at the Israel Museum.

One of the hallmarks of the church throughout the book of Acts is its response to the needs of others. In Acts chapter four we read of Christians in Jerusalem taking in new believers who were in town for Pentecost and providing food and clothing for them. Here we see the church responding even before there was a need! Believing the word of the prophet Agabus, they collected assistance funds and sent it on to Jerusalem in anticipation of the coming crisis.

Possibly the most interesting aspect of this passage, however, is about the prophets it mentions that traveled to Antioch. We’re not told how many made the journey, only that one of them had a vision of the future. What about the others? We are left to assume that they received no visions, which is okay. Although most people think of prophets as people who see the future, the truth is the majority of the prophet’s job has nothing to do with predictions.

The nation of Israel historically had three offices: prophet, priest and king. While only one king would rule at a time, there were thousands of priests and a good number of prophets as well. We learn from 2 Kings 2.15 that there existed a Prophet’s Guild in the city of Jericho. Some prophets were appointed to the king’s court, others traveled throughout Israel to minister to the people. Still others received word from God and were instructed to do things that would land someone today in an asylum. Isaiah was instructed to lay down in the streets of Jerusalem naked and throw dust on himself. Another was told to marry a prostitute knowing in advance she would never be faithful to him to demonstrate Israel’s relationship with God. Some were involved in the music of the temple. The most common function of the prophet is to proclaim God’s message, which was more often about judgment than about visions or dream interpretations.

What I wonder about the men spoken of in Acts 11 is whether they were recognized as prophets by the temple or nation of Israel or only by the new Christian movement? If these were national prophets then the Messiah movement had impacted not only the priests but also the prophets. How difficult would it be for a recognized prophet to disagree with the official stance of the temple priests about the Messiah? Perhaps it was this tension that drove these men to Antioch.