Who was Silas in the Bible?
Silas appears suddenly in the book of Acts as one of the men Jerusalem trusted to carry a difficult decision, and within a few chapters he is in a Philippian jail singing. His story runs from the Jerusalem church to Paul's second missionary journey, and on into letters written by both Paul and Peter — which raises the question of what kind of man the early church leaned on when things got hard.
A leader and prophet from Jerusalem
He is first met as a man of weight in the Jerusalem assembly, chosen to carry the church's ruling that Gentile believers were not obliged to keep the law of Moses.
Morrish Bible DictionaryA "chief man" among the brethren and a prophet. He was sent to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas, after the council of the church at Jerusalem about Gentiles keeping the law. He accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey, and was imprisoned with him at Philippi. Acts 15:22-40; Acts 16:19-25, 29; Acts 17:4-15; Acts 18:5. The name is a shortened form of SILVANUS.
His title in Acts 15 has been read carefully. Being a "chief man" did not make him a local officer:
William KellyThus in Acts 15:2, 32 we hear of the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, and of Judas and Silas as chief men or guides among the brethren; but these are also described as "prophets," and so they exhorted freely at Antioch, and are never viewed as "elders". "Gift" is in the unity of the body of Christ, and might therefore be exercised as freely in one place as in another. An elder was a local charge.
Why Paul chose him
When Paul and Barnabas separated over whether to take John Mark, Paul's replacement choice was not random. Silas had already shown where his heart lay when he was free to return home to Jerusalem and stayed instead:
J. N. DarbyBarnabas takes Mark and goes to Cyprus. Now Mark was his relative, and Cyprus his own country. Paul takes Silas, who had preferred the work to Jerusalem instead of Jerusalem to the work, and departs. From his name we may believe that Silas was a Hellenist.
The manner of their sending out has been noted as significant. The believers publicly backed them:
William KellyIt seems plain that Barnabas, loved as he was, failed at this moment to carry the conscience of his brethren with him. Paul on the other hand was once more given, and Silas with him, that mark of united recommendation to the grace of the Lord, which he and Barnabas enjoyed on their first mission to the Gentiles from Antioch (Acts 13:2-3; Acts 14:26). It is almost needless to remark how unfounded is the assumption that "ordination" is in question here.
Beaten and singing at Philippi
Silas is remembered most for one night. He and Paul were flogged and locked in the inner prison — and what came out of them turned the prison into a testimony:
Edward DennettCast into prison, with their backs still sore from the stripes of their persecutors, like the apostles Peter and John, they rejoiced that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ, and about midnight they were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. It was a new thing for such a sound to be heard in that prison-house. Satan had roused the city against these servants of the Lord, and thought he had gained a great victory by securing their imprisonment. But God would be glorified over the adversary.
His background mattered legally, too. When the magistrates tried to release them quietly, both men could stand on their rights:
Church HistorySilas, or Silvanus, first comes before us as a teacher in the church at Jerusalem; and probably he was both a Hellenist and a Roman citizen like Paul himself (Acts 16:37). He was appointed as a delegate to accompany Paul and Barnabas on their return to Antioch with the decrees of the council.
Named alongside Paul in his letters
Silas is not treated as an assistant in Paul's writing. He is named in the opening line of both Thessalonian letters:
Leslie M. GrantOnly in the two letters to the Thessalonians does Paul include the names of his two co-workers, Silas and Timothy, in his address to them. Also only in these does he refrain from designating himself in any way: as "an apostle," or "a servant," or "a prisoner." Therefore he is not here giving an authoritative communication of the mind of God (as an apostle)... but as one on the same level with them, he takes delight in their faith, love, and hope.
The letter carrier for Peter
The name Silvanus reappears at the close of Peter's first letter. Commentators differ on whether this is the same man — one reference work says plainly that "whether Peter refers to the same person is not known" — while others take the identification and draw something striking from it:
William KellyIt is of interest to learn that Silas, or Silvanus, the fellow-labourer of Paul in Achaia and Macedonia was the messenger through whom Peter sent his first letter to the saints of the Dispersion. Once Peter had himself been far from faithful to the Christian truth of liberty for Gentile as for Jew that believed the glad tidings; and Paul withstood him to the face... Now Peter writes fearlessly to confirm with his apostolic testimony the yet bolder and deeper witness which the apostle of the uncircumcision had borne in Asia Minor, through one who was in his estimate as in Paul's a faithful brother, a suited link between them.
Summary
- Trusted — Jerusalem picked him as a "chief man" and prophet to carry its ruling on Gentile freedom to Antioch.
- Chosen — Paul took him because he "preferred the work to Jerusalem instead of Jerusalem to the work," and the church commended them to God's grace.
- Beaten — at Philippi his prayers and hymns at midnight turned Satan's apparent victory into God's glory, and the prisoners heard it.
- Named — Paul put him in the opening line of both Thessalonian letters, standing level with the Thessalonians rather than over them.
- Linking — as "a faithful brother" carrying Peter's letter, he joined the two great apostles' testimony together.