Book of Acts

Paul’s Farewell Speech is sometimes considered his “last testament,” even though he does not die for several years. For the Ephesian elders, with whom he had labored for three years, this was the last time they would see Paul. The brief sermon is filled with emotion, and the scene is rather dramatic and climactic. After Acts 20, Paul will be under arrest and in constant danger.

Paul is presented in this speech as a model for the Ephesian elders to follow, not unlike Paul in 1 Thessalonians 2. Paul encourages the elders to devote themselves to the work of the ministry because the Spirit calls them, and they respond to God’s grace; they are not greedy, but are to work hard, just as Paul has.

First, Paul has faithfully fulfilled his calling (20:18-21). The memory of the elders is important to Paul’s point since he will say nothing here that they do not already know. They are to recall how Paul conducted himself while he was in Ephesus. They are asked to remember:

• His humility and tears. Humility was not considered a virtue in the Greco-Roman world, and the word here was used as a pejorative (meaning “slavish”; Witherington, Acts, 616). Yet Paul demonstrated by his own lifestyle that the way to follow Christ is to be a servant of all.
• His severe tests at the hands of the Jews. The plots Paul has in mind may be all the various persecutions he has faced, especially since the Jews in Ephesus are not described as plotting against him in Acts 19. It is possible this is a hint of imprisonment in Ephesus, although that is unclear from this text.
• His lack of hesitation and boldness of speech. This refers to public and private instruction in the school of Tyrannus or the Synagogue.

The core of Paul’s gospel is that both Jews and Gentiles ought to turn to God and have faith in the Lord Jesus.

Now Paul must go on to Jerusalem (20:22-24). A significant theme in the next two chapters is that the Spirit of God compels Paul to go to Jerusalem. This is not a change for Paul since he has already returned to Jerusalem several times. The difference here is that now he knows that he is going to suffer.

Moreover, Paul describes himself as being compelled. The verb appears in the perfect; he has already been compelled when he makes this speech. What is ironic is that the other uses of this word in Acts refer to physical binding during arrest, including Acts 9:2, where Saul desires to bind believers in Jesus and compel them to go to Jerusalem.

While he knows that hardships await him, he is confident that the trip to Jerusalem will allow him to continue testifying to the Grace of God. The trip to Jerusalem is described as “finishing the race,” a phrase found in several Pauline texts (1 Cor 9:24, Phil 3:14, 2 Tim 4:7).

If he does not go to Jerusalem, Paul would consider himself to have not finished what God has called him to do. One wonders, at this point, if he was thinking about the nations coming to Jerusalem in eschatological terms; the gospel going to the Gentiles (and by this point, perhaps certainly the response among the Jews) must be a sign that the kingdom is not going to be delayed long.

Paul then warns the elders of the trials they will soon face (20:25-31). The Holy Spirit appointed the elders to shepherd the flock. This is the same Spirit that compels Paul to go on to Jerusalem. This involves keeping watch over the church to guard it against enemies. But this also involves watching themselves. They are to be worthy shepherds! These “wolves” seek to tear the congregation apart, and at this point may refer to elements in Ephesus, whether Greek or Jewish, that see Christianity as a threat.

Paul then warns of threats that will arise from within the congregation itself.  Since he is using the metaphor of a flock, it is natural that the flock will be attacked by “savage wolves” who seek to destroy it. Perhaps the most disturbing prediction is that these wolves may very well arise from within their congregation – some men will arise, distort the truth, and draw disciples away after them.

Paul’s Final Commission to the Elders (20:32-35). The elders are “committed to God and the word of Grace.”  To be “committed” in this context implies a trust. Paul has entrusted the Gospel of the Grace of God to the elders through his years of service in Ephesus, and it is this trust that they must guard.

Paul uses himself as an example of this kind of selfless service. Since Paul did not intend to profit from the gospel, the elders are not to be motivated by greed (1 Cor 9:12-15; 2 Cor 7:2). Paul emphasizes his self-sufficiency, a crucial point considering the riot in Ephesus was economically motivated. His collection for the Jerusalem church may also have been viewed as a form of greed. This is a claim Paul regularly made, especially in the letters to the Corinthians written from Ephesus. While Paul was refusing gifts from Corinth, he worked hard in Ephesus to avoid being a burden.

Finally, Paul closes with a quote from Jesus’ teaching: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This is a rare quote from Jesus’ teaching in the Book of Acts or in any other “non-gospel,” for that matter. The trouble is that the line does not appear in the Gospels. There is a variation on this line in 1 Clement 2:1, and Sirach 4:31 expresses a similar idea, indicating that the concept was current in the Second Temple period. The line may be drawn from Luke 6:35-38, which expresses a similar idea to this line in Acts, although the wording differs.

On the other hand, it should not surprise us that Jesus said other things outside those collected in the gospels. Both Luke and John indicate that there is far more to be said about Jesus than could be recorded.

What is remarkable about this line is the social implications in a Greco-Roman world.  Reciprocal relationships and extensive social networks characterized the culture of the Roman world. If one gave a gift, then one could expect a gift in return at some point. One tried to develop social status by doing good for people, but only in the context of expecting a return on the investment!  Paul reverses this social pattern by stating that the elders ought to do good because they are called to by the Holy Spirit and have received ultimate grace from God in salvation. They are not to function as a Roman world while executing the task of an elder.

This final scene is full of emotion. Paul is confident that he will not see these elders again (20:36-38). According to some traditions, Paul was released from prison around AD 64 and continued his ministry, but he was unaware of this. He has been warned that he will suffer much in Jerusalem. Romans 15 indicates that Paul plans to continue moving west, possibly establishing himself in Rome before proceeding to Spain. If this was his ultimate plan, then perhaps this farewell can be seen as an indication that he views the church at Ephesus as self-sufficient and no longer needing his careful supervision and guidance. He is now free to move out into new regions.

After teaching in Troas, Paul planned to bypass Ephesus and meet the elders at Miletus, thirty miles from Ephesus (20:13-17). Why did Paul not meet them in Ephesus? Paul wanted to get to Jerusalem as rapidly as possible, so he wanted to avoid Ephesus. Had he stopped in Ephesus, he would have had numerous obligations that would have prevented him from meeting his schedule. He would have lost more time in Ephesus than if he had traveled a bit out of the way and had the elders meet in Miletus. Another possibility is that Paul’s ship was scheduled to stop in Miletus, not Ephesus. One did not book travel on a passenger ship in the ancient world; all travel was on cargo ships, and one was often at the mercy of the cargo schedule.

Is it possible that this meeting in Miletus reflects problems in the churches in Ephesus? Although the date for 1 Timothy is controversial, the letter does indicate that some elders in Ephesus have defected from Paul’s teaching. Paul wrote to Timothy while he was ministering in Ephesus at the time and told him to appoint good elders who would guard both doctrine and practice. This is quite similar to the content of Paul’s speech in Acts 20:18-38. Paul warns these church leaders that an attack on the church will come from insiders, “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (20:28–30).

Miletus Theater from my Turkey Tour, 2022

In the first century, Miletus was one of the most important cities on the southwestern coast of modern Turkey (Ekrem Akurgal, Ancient Civilizations and Ruins of Turkey, trans. John Whybrow and Millie Emre [Istanbul, 1978], 206). Because the city had four natural harbors, it was an ideal location for trade. What is surprising to visitors today is that the site of ancient Miletus is about five miles from the sea. The course of the Meander River has shifted over the years, and the harbors silted up. “The natural philosophers, Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes, the famous historian and geographer, Hekataios, the town-planning architect, Hippodamos, and Isidores, one of the designers of St. Sophia in Istanbul, were all native Milesians.” (Akurgal, 207).

With a population of 50,000 to 60,000 in the first century, the city hosted Augustus in 19 BC. The city built an imperial cult temple during the reign of Caligula (37-41). The city had three marketplaces, one of which was one of the largest agoras in the ancient world (McRay, “Miletus,” ABD 4:826). One of the highlights of visiting Miletus is the Harbor Theater. This theater accommodates approximately 15,000 people, and several inscriptions on the seats reserve them for specific groups. One of them reads, “the place of the Jews and the God-Fearers.” This is significant because it confirms the presence of Jews in Miletus, but also God-fearing Gentiles. Luke mentions God-fearing Gentiles several times in Acts, such as Cornelius (Acts 10:1) or the “devout Greeks” in Thessalonica (Acts 17:4).

Reference to Godfearers in the Miletus Theater

On his journey back to Jerusalem, Paul stops in Troas to meet with the church in a marathon teaching session (20:7). During this long night of teaching, a young man named Eutychus falls from an upper window and dies, but Paul raises him back to life. What is the point of the death and resurrection of Eutychus?

Giacinto Gimignani – san paolo resuscita eutico a troade (1639)

Troas was a Roman colony and a significant city for travelers.  The city is at a crossroads, connecting Smyrna, Ephesus, and Miletus to the east, and Neapolis to the north. Like most cities in the Aegean Paul visited, the imperial cult was present from 23-21 B.C. In this case, the Roman consul Sextus Apuleius was venerated in the cult prior to the time of the Empire. Augustus granted the city the status of a Roman colony. Approximately 44% of inscriptions in Troas are in Latin, and among the 144 persons mentioned in these inscriptions, 121 are identified as Roman citizens (Schnabel, Early Christian Mission, 2:1249). The city declined after Constantinople was founded in 330. By the sixth century, the city’s harbors were silted up, and the site was abandoned. The ruins are known as Eski Stamboul (Eskistambul) or Old Stamboul.

The book of Acts does not indicate when this church was founded. The best guess is that Paul founded the church during his second missionary journey, but he was unable to stay long (2 Cor 2:12-13; 2 Tim 4:13). How long did Paul teach? “The time was early May (if we build on v. 16). Workmen (apart from indoor household servants) should have been free from their work by 7 or 8 p.m.” (Barrett, Acts, 2:951). It was a workday, even if a sabbath for the Jews. People worked all day, gathered for a meal in someone’s home, and listened to Paul teach for several hours.

While Paul is teaching, a young man named Eutychus falls asleep and falls from a window. The name Eutychus means “good luck,” so there is some irony in the story since “Lucky” has a bit of bad luck (or he was lucky because Paul was there to heal him). In verse 9, Luke describes him as a young man (νεανίας, neanias), typically between 9 and 14 years of age. In 20:12, he is referred to as a boy (παῖς, pais). This word can refer to a slave so that he might have been older.

The fact that he falls from the third story may indicate the social status of this group. This is the second story above the ground, what Americans call the second floor (Witherington, Acts, 607). If this is an insula or an apartment, then the group’s social level is low. This is a tenement building, rather than a home for a wealthy family. The adjective τρίστεγος (tristegos) describes a building on three levels (e.g. Josephus, War 5:220); τὸ τρίστεγον means the highest of three floors. The better houses in antiquity were one-story buildings. The poor lived in cheap, multi-level apartment houses (Barrett, Acts, 2:954).

Scholars often point out similarities between this miracle and Elijah (1 Kings 17:17-24) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:32-37).  There are several verbal parallels in the Greek version of Kings. Since several of these words do not appear in other resurrection stories, it suggests Luke modeled this story after the Elijah and Elisha. What would be the point of such a connection? Luke’s gospel has several allusions to Elijah and Elisha (Luke 4:24–26, for example).

After he falls, Paul embraces him, raising him from the dead. What is remarkable is that they return to the upper floor and share a meal. Paul continues teaching until daybreak (20:11) and then departs for his next stop, Miletus. Charles Talbert notes that the Romans were suspicious of nighttime meetings, as they appeared to be a political conspiracy (Talbert, Reading Acts, 183-85). Indeed, people staying up and talking through the night would look very suspicious to local authorities. Later, Christians will be accused of all sorts of bad behaviors because these kinds of night meetings.

What is the point of the story of Eutychus falling to his death, only for Paul to revive him? For some readers, there is the symbolic value of a man raised from the dead and sharing a meal. Richard Pervo says that denying that this story is “a celebration of the Eucharist in an upper room on Sunday that climaxes in the return of a dead person in the morning has any symbolic reference would border on absurdity” (Acts, 513). Let me embrace the absurdity and deny that Luke intended this as a symbolic allusion to the Last Supper and the early Christian practice of Communion (Eucharist). Luke intended this to mirror Peter’s raising of Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:36-43) and Jesus’ raising of the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17). Luke connects Paul with both Peter and Jesus in his description of this miracle (Malina and Pilch, Social-Science Commentary on the Book of Acts, 144).

What do you think Luke was trying to communicate by retelling this story about Eutychus?

Bibliography: Wilson, Mark. “Eutychus in Troas: The Architecture and Archaeology of his Fall.”  Biblica 101.2 (2020): 231-47.