4OurMembers_StSilas

St. Silas - a Synopsis:

One of the leaders of the Church of Jerusalem, Silas was sent with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch to communicate the decisions of the Council of Jerusalem to the Gentile community in Syria.
When Paul and Barnabas quarreled over John Mark, Silas was chosen by Paul to accompany him on his second missionary journey to Syria, Cilicia, and Macedonia.

Silas was beaten and imprisoned with Paul at Philippi,
was involved with Paul in the riot of Jews at Thessalonica that drove Paul and Silas from the city to Beroea,
remained at Beroea with Timothy when Paul left, but rejoined him at Corinth.
The Silvanus mentioned with Timothy by Paul and who helped him preach at Corinth is believed to be the same as Silas, since Silvanus is a Greek variant of the Semitic Silas.

Silvanus is also mentioned as the man through whom Peter communicated and is considered by some scholars to be the author of the Epistle of Peter. Tradition says he was the first bishop of Corinth and that he died in Macedonia. His feast day is July 13th.

M a i n:

There are a few sidekicks in the New Testament that have also been forgotten. One of those is Silas.

Silas was a leader in the early church who traveled with the apostle Paul.

Where Do We First See Silas in the Bible?

Silas, also known as Silvanus, makes his first appearance in Acts 15. There we read that he is a teacher in the church in Jerusalem. Silas, because he was such a well-respected and influential leader, was chosen by the Jerusalem Council to communicate their decision to the believers in Antioch upon this vital matter of Gentile inclusion.

He must have made an influence upon the apostle Paul, because when Paul began his second missionary journey, Silas was one of those he chose as a companion (Acts 15:40-41).

What Do We Know about Silas?

We know that Silas enjoyed Roman citizenship (Acts 16:37) but as one of the "leading men" of the church of Jerusalem he undoubtedly was of Jewish ancestry as well. Acts also refers to him as a "prophet" and one who "risked his life for the sake of the Lord" (Acts 15:26).

There is not much information given about Silas' background. Most of what we know comes from the New Testament and his missionary journeys with the apostle Paul.

Silas' Missionary Journeys

Silas wasn't the first choice for Paul's missionary journey. He had originally intended to continue along with his friend Barnabas. But there arose a great dispute among them over what to do with the young John Mark. Barnabas took Mark with him and went off to Cyprus but "Paul chose Silas and departed" to Syria and Cilicia with the goal of strengthening the churches there.

Timothy joined the group in Lystra and the three (Paul, Silas, and Timothy) went through Phrygia, Galatia, and Troas. While in Philippi both Paul and Silas were dragged before the leaders of the city, beaten, and eventually imprisoned (Acts 16:19-24, 1 Thess. 2:2).

Silas is also with Paul in Thessalonica, where there was quite the uprising of Jews from Thessalonica. It is here that Silas and Paul seem to have parted ways at least for a season. Paul went to Athens and Silas, along with Timothy, stayed in Macedonia. It seems that Timothy rejoined Paul while Paul was still in Athens, but it isn't clear that Silas rejoined at that time.

In Acts 18 Silas rejoined Paul in Corinth. While here Silas "preached" (2 Cor. 1:19) and also was part of writing Paul's Thessalonian correspondence (1 & 2 Thessalonians). This letter was written while they were all in Corinth. After Paul leaves Corinth we see nothing more of Silas.

There is a Silvanus (likely the same Silas) who makes an appearance in 1 Peter 5:12. There Peter says, "with the help of Silas…I have written you briefly." This means that Silas was either the bearer of the letter, that he had a part in writing the letter, or he was the amanuensis of the letter.

What Did Silas Do to Help Grow the Early Church?

Silas was instrumental for the spread of the gospel in the early church. Silas would have also been vital to the establishment of the churches in Macedonia (like Philippians).

He also had an extensive ministry in Corinth. He would have stayed in that city with Paul for a year and half. And many believe that he ending up stayed in Corinth even longer. Some early church tradition places Silas as the first bishop to Corinth. He is belived to have died in Macedonia and his feast day is July 13th.

What Happened to Silas?

As mentioned earlier, we do not know exactly what happened to Silas. Scripture is silent on the end of Silas' story. But church history places him as one of the first bishops of Corinth. Others place Silas with Peter in Rome as a trusted companion of the apostle.

Another theory is that Silas is the author of Hebrews. Silas was a Jewish believer so he would have been well equipped to understand all of the Levitical rituals throughout the letter. He also was a coworker with Paul, so that could explain some of the Pauline thought and language in the letter. As one of the "church leaders" it's certainly plausible that a letter by him would have been well received.

Ultimately, what happened to Silas is the same thing that will happen to all such men and women who are united to Christ and spill out their life in service to Him.
"Well done, good and faithful servant."
That is the history to which Silas would likely be the proudest.

Click to go back