Bar-Jesus

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

In  Acts 13:6 Bar-Jesus is described as ‘a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew’ whom Barnabas and Paul found at Paphos in the retinue of the proconsul in Cyprus. The comparison of him with ‘the modern gipsy teller of fortunes’ is ‘misleading and gives a false idea of the influence exerted on the Roman world by Oriental person-ages like this Magian’ (Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller , 78); nor can he be called an impostor. He was a representative of a class of men, very numerous in that day, ‘skilled in the lore and uncanny arts and strange powers of the Median priests’ (cf. Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols) , article‘Barjesus’), who possessed a familiarity with the forces of Nature not shared by their fellows, and which was commonly regarded as supernatural in its origin. They were both magicians and men of science; moreover, their system presented a religious aspect to the world. The presence of an influential exponent of such a current religious and philosophical system in the train of the comites of a Roman governor was quite natural; nor is there any need to suppose that Sergius Paulus (who was ‘a man of understanding’) was dominated by the Magian in any other sense than that Bar-Jesus had considerable influence and credit with his patron-on influence he was able to turn to his own private advantage. Hearing of Barnabas and Paul as travelling teachers in the island, the governor, a highly educated man, interested in science and philosophy, invited them to his court. He listened with such pleasure to their exposition that it became clear to all his retinue that they were making a marked effect on him. This was a challenge to Bar-Jesus, who had been the dominant religious influence in the court. He took steps to minimize the effect and to retain the governor’s interest in himself and his system. The challenge was accepted by Paul, who superseded Barnabas as the chief Christian protagonist at this point. Special interest attached to the incident as an early but typical case of the meeting of two religious systems; it was the first collision of Christianity with the great religious force of Magianism. The result was a striking manifestation of the superior power residing in the Christian missionary, by which Bar-Jesus was struck blind for a season, and which deeply impressed the proconsul in favour of Christianity.

A phrase occurs in  Acts 13:8 which has caused perplexity: ‘Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation).’ All attempts to explain Elymas as the interpretation of Bar-Jesus have failed. This has been used to discredit the historicity of the narrative. Thus Schmiedel says it suggests the ‘amalgamation of two sources,’ and illustrates the tendency of Acts to establish a ‘parallelism between Peter and Paul’ ( Encyclopaedia Biblica i. 480f.)-a theory urged by Weizsäcker, who considers this portion of Acts ‘is far from being historical’ (i. 275, 239-240), and finds a proof of double authorship in the use of the two names ‘Saul who is also called Paul.’ But Ramsay has explained the latter usage most convincingly. It was the fashion in bilingual countries to have two names, the native and the Greek. Amongst Jewish surroundings Paul’s Jewish name ‘Saul’ was used naturally; but ‘by a marvellous stroke of historic brevity’ (Ramsay, 83) the author sets forth by a formula how in the court of the Roman governor, when the Apostle challenged the system represented by Bar-Jesus, he stood forth as Paul the Roman citizen, a freeborn member of that Greek-Roman world to which he carried his universal gospel. Does not the same explanation hold good for his opponent? Bar-Jesus is a Jewish name-the name of ‘a Jew, a false prophet.’ Elymas is the man’s Greek name. It is the Greek form of an Arab word alîm meaning ‘wise,’ and ὁ μάγος (‘the sorcerer,’ Authorized Versionand Revised Version) is its translation. From the Jewish point of view the encounter was between Saul the Jewish teacher and Bar-Jesus the Jewish prophet. From the wider point of view it was between Paul the Roman citizen who championed Christianity, and Elymas the Greek philosopher and magician. It was not only Bar-Jesus the Jewish false prophet whom Paul blinded, but Elymas the Magian, the representative of that Oriental theosophy which Christianity was destined to meet so often. Luke the historian has special interest in describing the first encounter between the systems, and the signal victory won by the Christian Apostle over one who practised the occult arts. Paul probably shared the opinion of educated Judaism, that magic was associated with idolatry and the realm of darkness, and was therefore to be shunned as demoniacal. This explains the vigour of his denunciation.

Literature.-articles in Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (5 vols) on ‘Barjesus’ (Massie) and ‘Magic’ (Whitehouse), and in Encyclopaedia Biblica (Schmiedel) on ‘Barjesus’; W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller , London, 1895, pp. 73-88 (cf. Was Christ born in Bethlehem? , do. 1898, p. 54); C. v. Weizsäcker, Apostolic Age , i.2 do. 1897, pp. 80, 111, 240, 274; A. C. McGiffert, Apostolic Age , Edinburgh, 1897, pp. 174-176; Expositor’s Greek Testament on ‘Acts,’ 1900, p. 287.

J. E. Roberts.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

BAR-JESUS . The name of ‘a certain Magian, a false prophet, a Jew’ (  Acts 13:6 ) whom St. Paul, on his visit to Cyprus, found in the retinue of Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul. The title Elymas (  Acts 13:8 ) is equivalent to Magus (  Acts 13:6 ), and is probably derived from an Arabic root signifying ‘wise.’ The knowledge of the Magians was half-mystical, half-scientific; amongst them were some devout seekers after truth, but many were mere tricksters. In the Apostolic age such men often acquired great influence, and Bar-jesus represents, as Ramsay ( St. Paul the Traveller , p. 79) says, ‘the strongest influence on the human will that existed in the Roman world, an influence which must destroy or be destroyed by Christianity, if the latter tried to conquer the Empire.’ The narrative implies that the proconsul was too intelligent to be deceived by the Magian’s pretensions, the motive of whose opposition to the Christian teachers is expressed in a Bezan addition to   Acts 13:8 , which states that Sergius Paulus ‘was listening with much pleasure to them.’ In St. Paul’s judgment on this false prophet (  Acts 13:10 ) there is a play upon words: Elymas was full of deceit and not of wisdom; Bar-jesus, i.e. ‘son of Jesus,’ had become a ‘son of the devil.’ This is Pauline (cf.   Philippians 3:2 ).

J. G. Tasker.

Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary

or, according to some copies, BAR-JEU, was a Jewish magician in the island of Crete,  Acts 13:6 . St. Luke calls him Elymas. He was with the pro-consul Sergius Paulus, who, sending for Paul and Barnabas, desired to hear the word of God. Bar-Jesus endeavouring to hinder the pro-consul from embracing Christianity, Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, "set his eyes upon him, and said, O full of all subtilty and mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season;" which took place immediately. The pro-consul, who saw this miracle, was converted. Origen and Chrysostom think that Elymas, or Bar-Jesus, was converted likewise; and that St. Paul speedily restored his sight.

People's Dictionary of the Bible

Bar-Jesus ( Bär'Jç'Sus ), Son Of Jesus. A Jewish magician in Crete, who opposed Paul and Barnabas, endeavoring to prevent Sergius Paulus from embracing Christianity, and was struck blind, "not seeing the sun for a season." This affliction, as the Greek Achlus implies, was rather an obscuration than a total extinction of sight. He is also called "Elymas" = A Magician, A Sorcerer.  Acts 13:6-12.

Smith's Bible Dictionary

Bar-je'sus. (Son Of Jesus). See Elymas .

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

A false prophet, spoken of  Acts 13:6. His name signifies, the son of Jesus.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Acts 13:6 Acts 13:8

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

See Elymas .

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Acts 13:6

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

bar - jē´zus ( Βαριησοῦς , Bariēsoús ): "A certain sorcerer (Greek mágos ), a false prophet, a Jew" whom Paul and Silas found at Paphos in Cyprus in the train of Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul ( Acts 13:6 ). The proconsul was "a man of understanding" (literally, a prudent or sagacious man), of an inquiring mind, interested in the thought and magic of his times. This characteristic explains the presence of a magos among his staff and his desire to hear Barnabas and Saul. Bar-Jesus was the magician's Jewish name. Elymas is said to be the interpretation of his name ( Acts 13:8 ). It is the Greek transliteration of an Aramaic or Arabic word equivalent to Greek magos . From Arabic ‛alama , "to know" is derived ‛alim , "a wise" or "learned man." In Koran, Sur note 106, Moses is called Sāḥir ‛alı̄m , "wise magician." Elymas therefore means "sorcerer" (compare Simon "Magus").

The East was flooding the Roman Empire with its new and wonderful religious systems, which, culminating in neo-Platonism, were the great rivals of Christianity both in their cruder and in their more strictly religious forms. Superstition was extremely prevalent, and wonder-workers of all kinds, whether imposters or honest exponents of some new faith, found their task easy through the credulity of the public. Babylonia was the home of magic, for charms are found on the oldest tablets. "Magos" was originally applied to the priests of the Persians who overran Babylonia, but the title degenerated when it was assumed by baser persons for baser articles Juvenal (vi.562, etc.), Horace ( Sat . i.2.1) and other Latin authors mention Chaldean astrologers and impostors, probably Babylonian Jews. Many of the Magians, however, were the scientists of their day, the heirs of the science of Babylon and the lore of Persia, and not merely pretenders or conjurers (see Magic ). It may have been as the representative of some oriental system, a compound of "science" and religion, that Bar-Jesus was attached to the train of Sergius Paulus.

Both Sergius and Elymas had heard about the teaching of the apostles, and this aroused the curiosity of Sergius and the fear of Elymas. When the apostles came, obedient to the command of the proconsul, their doctrine visibly produced on him a considerable impression. Fearing lest his position of influence and gain would be taken by the new teachers, Elymas "withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith" ( Acts 13:8 ). Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, worked a wonder on the wonder-worker by striking him blind with his word, Thus revealing to the proconsul that behind him was Divine power. Sergius Paulus believed, "being astonished at the teaching of the Lord" ( Acts 13:12 ).

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

( Βὰρ - Ἰησοῦς , Son Of Joshua ) , the patronymic of ELYMAS (See Elymas)

(q.v.) the sorcerer ( Acts 13:6). (See Bar)-; (See Jesus).

Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature

Bar-Je´sus [ELYMAS]