In the narrative of this journey, given by Luke. the historian. without assigning any reason for so doing. drops the name Saul. and adopts that of Paul. in designating the Apostle. It is proba ble from this, that it was during this journey that the Apostle's change of name actually took place. What led to that change wc can only conjecture; and of conjectures on this point there has bccn no lack. The most probable opinion is that of Beza. Grotius, Doddridge, Kuinocl, etc., that as the Romans and Greeks were in the habit of softening the Hebrew names in pronunciation, and accommodating their form to that of the Latin or Greek (comp. Jason for Jesus, Silvanus for Silas. Pollio for Hind, etc.), they substituted Paulus for 1.71Nt, and the Apostle henceforward adopted the substituted namc as his usual desig nation.
(6) The Council at Jerusalem. Not long after Paul and Barnabas had returned to Antioch, they were deputed by the church there again to visit Jerusalem, to consult the Apostles and elders upon the question. which certain members of the church at Jerusalem had raised in that at Antioch, whether converts from heathenism required to be circumcised, and so become Jews before they could be saved? (See BARNABAS.) The Apostle on this occasion visited Jerusalem for the third time after his conversion; and after the question had been settled by the parties in that city with whom the power to do so lay, he and his com panion returned to Antioch.
(7) Second Missionary Journey. After re storing peace to the church there Paul proposed to Barnabas to undertake another missionary tour, to which the latter cordially assented; but, un happily, on the very eve of their departure, a con tention arose between them, in consequence of Barnabas being determined to take with them his nephew John Mark, and Paul being equally de termined that one, who had on a former occasion ingloriously deserted them, should not again be employed in the work. Unable to come to an agreement on this point they separated, and Paul, accompanied by Silas, commenced his second mis sionary journey, in the course of which, after passing through Syria and Cilicia, he revisited Lystra and Derbe. At the former of these places he found Timothy, whom he associated with Silas, as the companion of his further travels, after he had been ordained by the Apostle and the presbytery of the church of which he was a member (i Tim. iv :W. Paul then passed through the regions of Phrygia and Galatia, and, avoiding Asia strictly so-called, and Bithynia, he came with his companions by way of Mysia to Troas, on the borders of the Hellespont. Hence they crossed to Samothracia, and thence to Neapolis, and so to Philippi, whither he had been sum moned in a vision by a man of Macedonia saying, 'Come over and help us.' After some time spent
in this city they passed through Amphipolis and Apo!Ionia, cities of Macedonia (see MACEDONIA), and came to Thessalonica, where, though they abode only a short time, they preached the gospel with no small success. Driven from that city by the malice of the Jews, they came by night to Berea, another city of Macedonia, where at first they were favorably received by the Jews, until a party from Thessalonica, which had followed them, incited the Bereans against them. Paul, as especially obnoxious to the Jews, deemed it prudent to leave the place, and accordingly re tired to Athens, where he determined to await the arrival of Silas and Timothy. Whilst resid ing in this city, and observing the manners and religious customs of its inhabitants, his spirit was stirred within him, when lie saw how entirely they were immersed in idolatry; and unable to refrain, he commenced in the synagogues of the Jews, and in the market-place, to hold discussions with all whom he encountered. This led to his being take.i to the Areopagus, where, surrounded by perhaps the shrewdest, most polished, most acute, most witty, and most scornful assemblage that ever surrounded a preacher of Christianity, he, with exquisite tact and ability, exposed the folly of their superstitions, and unfolded the char acter and claims of the living and true God. For the purpose of more effectually arresting the at tention of his audience, be commenced by refer ring to an altar in their city, on which he had read the inscription Bei:), to an un known God; and, applying this to Jehovah, he proposed to declare to them that Deity, whom thus, without knowing him (dXvooLvres), they were worshiping.
On being rejoined by Timothy ( Thess.
I), and perhaps also by Silas (comp. Greswell's Dissertations, ii, pp. 31, 32), the Apostle sent them both back to Macedonia, and went alone to visit Corinth, whither they soon after followed him (Acts xviii :5). Here he abode for a year and a half preaching the gospel, and supporting himself by his trade as a tent-maker, in which he was joined by a converted Jew of the name of Aquila, who, with his wife Priscilla, had been expelled from Rome by an edict of the emperor, forbidding Jews to remain in that city. Driven from Corinth by the enmity of the Jews, he, along with Aquila and Priscilla, betook himself to Ephesus, whence, after a residence of only a few days, he went up to Jerusalem, being commanded by God to visit that city, at the time of the ap proaching passover. His visit on this occasion— the fourth since his conversion—was very brief; and at the close of it he went down to Antioch, thereby completing his second great apostolic tour.