2nd missionary journey: Lydia

Acts 16
8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. 9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Lydia Baptized at Philippi
11 Therefore, sailing from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and the next day came to Neapolis,

The term for running a straight course is a nautical term made up of two Greek words: euthus for straight and dromos to run or race. The term means running with the wind without having to tack. Tacking is turning the sails at an angle to the wind in order to go against the wind’s direction. The force of the rudder and keel of the ship work to move the boat against the wind. The zig zagging effect will allow the boat to move a direction against the wind.
Samothrace is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, it lacks natural harbors. It is located between Troas and Macedonia. The Greek word samos means a seaside hill and trake is a name of an ancient people who inhabited the island. The region north of Macedonia was called Thrace.
Neapolis is from two Greek words, neo meaning new and polis meaning city. In English neo is used with such words as neophyte meaning a person new to a skill. The word polis is the root of such words as politics. Considered the seaport of Philippi, this is Paul’s first contact with Europe,



12 and from there to Philippi, which is the [c]foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days.
Paul and his companions would have walked from Neapolis to Phillippi on a well know road Via Egnatia (the ‘Egnatian Way’), It was built by the Romans in the first century BC connecting Byzantium to Dyrrachium a seaport on the Adriatic Sea, leading to Rome.
‘Egnatian Way’
One of cities on the Egnatian Way is Philippi. When the New Testament uses the word foremost, it is not the capital of the region but the first city entered on the Egnatian Way from Thrace.
Philippi was on a fertile plain at the base of Mt Pangaion. Gold and Silver mines fueled the local economy. The area had been under the control of Thracian tribes. In 358 BC Phillip conquered the city which was called Crenides and renamed the city for himself.
He was also called Phillip of Macedon. History remembers him as the father of Alexander the Great. He became king when his brother, King Pardiccas III, died in a battle against the Illyrians. His brother had named him regent when he left for war. When his brother died, he appointed himself king.

He inherited a dire situation from his brother but his improvements to the army included adding the sarissa to the phalanx. The phalanx was a block of men lined up in 16 rows forming a unit for attack and defense. The sarissa was a long spear 13 to 23 ft in length. The sarissa created a “wall of pikes”, and as the first five rows extended their pikes outward toward the advancing enemy the overlapping weapons had a depth of five rows before the first row of men was met.

This successful reorganization lead to Phillip conquering almost all of Greece with the exception of Sparta. Phillip was assassinated at a wedding celebration in 336 BC . Alexandar the Great was made king in his place.

At the ancient nearby city of Aigai, the Greek archaeologist Manolis Andronikos excavated four tombs. Tomb II was untouched by thieves and yielded fabulous treasures of gold and other objects of sophisticated artistic skills. Tomb II was determined to be the tomb of Phillip of Macedon by examining the corpse and identifying the battle wounds described in his history.
Rome conquered Greece, after the battle of Pydna (168 BC) Macedonia was divided into four political regions. Philippi was located in the region of which Amphipolis was the capital. During the Roman civil war in 42 B. C., the Second Triumvirate (Octavius, Antonius, Lepidus) defeated the republicans (Brutus, Cassius) near Philippi. A group of Roman veterans were appointed by Augustus to colonize the city. In return the city was granted the highest honor of jus Italicum. The citizens of Philippi enjoyed the same rights as Roman citizens: the freedom from scourging, from arrest without trial, and the right to appeals to the emperor.
At the head of the city there were two groups of officials, the strategoi, in Greek στρατηγοί or in Latin the praetores duumviri. The English word strategy is derived from the root of this word. These are usually former military men who were given the political and judicial authority over a city. The second group of rulers were called rhabdoucos in Greek ῥαβδοῦχοι or lictors in Latin lictores, those who bear the rod of reproof or the lictor. In Greek rhabdos means rod or a bundle of rods meant to administer justice.
The mob will drag Paul and Silas not into the market place but into the agora which was not a market place but a place of political assembly. (Acts 16:19) The function of the agora was to publicly reward friends of the state and publicly rebuke enemies of the state. Philippi was ruled under this Roman system established by Octavius.
The Agora of Philippi


Acts 16:13
And on the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there.
It was the custom of Paul to go first to the synagogues in each city. These fellow Jews would usually ask a newcomer or traveler to address the congregation. Consequently Paul would exploit this custom for an opening in his evangelical venture. There is no mention of a synagogue in Philippi.
Claudius, a Roman emperor (AD 41-54), expelled the Jews from Rome. Philippi, a Roman colony, may have followed suit and expelled the Jews from Philippi. The only Jews left in Philippi may have been limited to a few women. According to Jewish custom a synagogue was required to have at least 11 men. The shrine of Lydia is located next to the river Zygakti which is close to the archeological site of ancient Philippi.
If only a few women were left, it is reasonable to assume they would meet at a common meeting place near the river, Women would use the river during the work day to wash clothes, retrieve water for the household and to socialize.
The phrase “where prayer is customarily made” is proseuchae. There may have been a circular structure without a roof which were called oratories, or proseuchæ. Tertullian, a church father in the last half of the second century AD, mentions oratories the Jews were using alongside rivers places of fasting and of prayers.
14 Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. 15 And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us.

Lydia was a seller of purple. The name Lydia is a city in ancient Thyatira. She may have been nicknamed after her city. Paul addresses two women in Philippi by the names of Euodia and Syntyche which may have been the name of Lydia.

Selling dye was big business in the ancient world. The rich and the rulers would wear purple put purple in their rugs and tapestries as a display of wealth and status. A drop of dye from the shellfish conchylium was costly beyond the wages of even the middle class. Each shellfish harvested from the sea has only a drop of the dye. Consequently, the dye was expensive to produce. Thyatira was center of the industry of purple dye. Through her contacts in her native land she would import the dye and sell perhaps dyed cloth to the citizens of Philippi. Most garments would only be trimmed with purple dye. “Royal purple” is still a current idiom.

2nd missionary journey: spirit of Python

Paul and Silas Imprisoned
16 Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination (Python) met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-telling.(Manteuomai) 17 This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” 18 And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly [d]annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour. 19 But when her masters saw that their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to the authorities.
The translation “possessed with a spirit of divination” should be translated literally as “having a spirit of Python.” If the spirit was mythical or some sort of metaphor for mental instability, then the spirit could not be cast out by Paul. This was a real spirit. Python is a city at the base of Mount Parnassus. The city is better known as Delphi. The oracle of Delphi was the major oracle of the ancient classical world. This oracle or priestess was consulted by kings and countries before making their most important decisions. Python was considered to be the center of the universe represented by a stone called an omphalos or naval.

In the English translations the Greek word for fortune telling is understated. Manteuomai (Greek . μαντευομένη) is practicing soothsaying but more than this. It is practicing soothsaying under a rave which is speaking and acting like a mad man. In this case a mad woman. The English words maniac and mania are derived from this word. Mania is a behavioral disorder with elevated states of expression and arousal.
What can cause a mania or a rave. Today, someone under a mania is being influence by some type of drug. This oracle entered a trance from observable fumes that originated in the earth an open pit under the seat of the oracle. The oracle and the priests of Delphi claim the god Apollo was being channeled through the priestess.
By definition, an oracle is a medium who provides prophesies as advice to the seeker. The seeker pays for this service. In the West, such services have the reputation of fraud and grifting. The medium is typically representing as being aware of the fraudulent means of these services. The medium at Delphi believed the prophesies were from the god Apollo. A combination of drugs, a deceiving spirit and the reputation of Delphi supported this belief.
The Old Testament treats fortune telling as consulting real demons and forbids any associations with these mediums.
Leviticus 20:6
6 ‘And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.
This word “Python” is a mythical dragon which dwelt at the foot of Mt Parnassus near Delphi. There are several versions of the myth of Python. Python is the male name of the serpent, the feminine name of the serpent is delphyme, from which the name Delphi is derived. A sweet smelling mist arose from the ground which inspired people to prophesy future events. The oracle of Delphi was a priestess who was famous in the ancient world from the prophesies given at Delphi. The dragon guarded the oracle at Delphi as his personal possession from which he received the votive offerings of those seeking knowledge of the future.
A Latin poet holds that Zeus had impregnated Leto with the twin gods Artemis and Apollo. Hera, the wife of Zeus was jealous of Leto. In her wrath she persuaded Python to kill Leto before she gave birth. Leto managed to evade the pursuit of the dragon for many months. When Apollo was born, being four days old, he sought vengeance against the serpent. He found the serpent on the southern side of Mount Parnassus. Using a sacred bow and arrow he slew the dragon. The dragon suffered while his body rotted (Greek puthon, πυθεῖν)
The site became the possession of the god Apollo. A temple of Apollo is found at the site of Delphi.

The priestess of Delphi , was chosen from among the common people. She would sit alone in the inner sanctum of the temple of Apollo. Her tripod seat was over an opening in the earth from which fumes arose. The priests who served in the temple would deliver the requests from the pilgrims and read these requests to the priestess. The legend claims the body of Python fell into the fissure and the fumes were the decompensation of the body.
As a spokeswoman for Apollo the fumes were a mechanism allowing the god to possess her body producing the trance. The trance would causes ravings, a form of ecstatic speech, to come forth from the priestess. The priests would write down the saying and delivered the saying to the waiting pilgrim. Usually the message was in the Homeric style of Greek poetry; dactylic hexameter. Often these raving were clothed in enigmatic speech which the priest could interpret, or the interpretation was left to the client.
The famous Achilles according to legend, sought her prophesy and was told “You will go, will not return and you will die.” Of course, this was the stuff of legend but many real kings and countries sought her advice.
The most famous Delphic oracle was delivered to the King of Lydia called Croesus. Being threatened by the Persians, he consulted the oracle before the war. His prophetic message from the oracle.
If Croesus goes to war, he will destroy a great empire.
He thought he was going to destroy Persia but the great empire that fell was Lydia, his own country. The prophecy was unfalsifiable.
The ecstatic static and the vapors contributed to a short life of a priestess of each priestess. There has been traces of hydrocarbon gases found in the ruins of the temple. Perhaps the trances were triggered by these hallucinogenic gases. Of course, in all these prophetic utterances, there is a lot grifting.
The ecstatic phrases uttered by the prophetess would be retold in the form of ancient Greek poetry, also used by Homer, called dactylic hexameter.
| – u u | – u u | – u u | – u u | – u u | – –
The dash is a long syllable, the u is a short syllable. There are six strophes in a line of poetry. As an example “See the girl, Kiss the girl, fall in love, Get a job, Marry her, real life.”
As in all fortune telling there is a lot of fabrication. The fortune teller is analyzing the seeker to deliver a message the seeker wants. The interpretation is never wrong because the message could be interpreted in different ways. There is a financial reward for the prophecy. The ecstatic utterances would be recast by the priests into the right format and delivered to the seeker in spiritual solemnity.
Many historic kings consulted these priestesses including Xerxes, Phillip II, Alexander the Great, Pompey and Nero. She was respected by the Greeks and the Romans who would consult her before major events such as wars and invasions.
When the New Testament used the term having a spirit of Python, this was not a euphemism for some sort of spiritual battle: a battle of the holy spirit against the spirit of Python. The young girl had an actual spirit that had to be cast out of her body by the exorcism of Paul.

At the Apollo museum is a record of the maxims of Delphi, the first three are:
1) Know yourself
2) Nothing in Excess
3) A pledge brings trouble

2nd missionary journey: archeology of troy

The Archeology of Ancient Troy

Noone believed in the historical Troy as much as businessman Heinrich Schliemann. He devoted his fortune, his marriage and his life to finding Troy and exploiting his discoveries.
A self-made man he was born into a poor family of a minister of the gospel. Starting out as a grocery clerk, a bookkeeper and a cabin boy, he eventually made his fortune from selling indigo and gold dust to military contracting. Retiring at age 36 he was fascinated with the Iliad and with Troy.
In the 1800’s Troas, was considered the perceived site of ancient Troy but the ruins found at Toas were not sufficient for the splendor of the city described in the Iliad. About 3 miles inland from the Aegean Sea and ten miles north of Troas was an ancient mound at Hisarlik. The shoreline was closer to Hisarlk in the millennium BC. Prior to excavating the ruins at Hisartik he divorced his first wife and employed his uncle to find a wife who met some qualifications: black-haired Greek, a women in the Homeric spirit.
At 17 Sophia was chosen from a photograph, the best out of three choices. She spoke Greek, her native language and was able to recite much of the Iliad from memory. She is best known for the photographs made while posing for the discoveries of Schliemann.


Contrary to Troas, Hisarlik had several layers of historical habitation and covered a much broader area. His excavations were begun in 1868 and continued up until his death in 1890. The presumed date of the Trojan War in about 1180 BC , the Aegean Sea had receded since then.
Today’s archeologist concede he may have found the site of the Trojan War but his methods of digging for archelogy have become an example of what not to do. He assumed his city was at the bottom of the Tell and digging through nine layer of excavation he may have destroyed the original site of Troy. Nevertheless, his discoveries sparked an enthusiasm for archeology in the world. He eventually found hoards of golden jewelry which he displayed on the photographs of his second wife.


The discovery of what is called Priam’s treasure is disputed. The cache of gold jewelry, silver vases and other objects were dated much earlier than 1180 BC, the supposed date of the Trojan War. He admitted to smuggling the treasure out of Turkey to avoid confiscation from authorities.
What is important, the site of ancient Troy was reluctantly confirmed by archeology that dismissed such legends as pure myth. The suppositions of the dating of the war at Troy and the subsequent dismissal of ancient finds are based on opinions of experts who as a class have
demonstrated to be wrong in the past.

2nd missionary journey: Trojan War

Achilles and the Trojan War
There is in Dio Chrysostom a charming “imaginary conversation” between Philip and Alexander. “How is it,” said the father, “that Homer is the only poet you care for: there are others who ought not to be neglected?” “Because,” said the son, “it is not every kind of poetry, just as it is not every kind of dress, that is fitting for a king; and the poetry of Homer is the only poetry that I see to be truly noble and splendid and regal, and fit for one who will someday rule over men.”
Hatch, Edwin. The Influence of Greek Ideas and Usages upon the Christian Church. Kindle Edition.
The Greek gods were not spiritual entities devoid of emotions, unchanging and unaffected by the world. Love, lust, vanity, and self- delusion ruled the gods as much as the gods ruled men on earth. The chief god of the Greek pantheon was Zeus. Thetis, a sea nymph, become his infatuation. However, prophesy had declared the son of Thetis would be stronger than he father. Whether it was love or lust, the lines between such things were not clear in the Greek myths, Zeus loved his status as chief god more than he loved Thetis.
Even the gods were susceptible to prophecy, the received prophecy surrounding Thetis was concerning her son. Her son would be greater than his father. Zeus had dethroned his father, in the same manner, Zeus could be dethroned by a more virulent god.
If the son of Thetis was impregnated by another god, her son could become more powerful than Zeus. If a human were to marry Thetis, he would be a powerful human but not more powerful than the gods. Zeus arranged for her to marry a human, Peleus.
Often an event of the Greek gods was in an actual place in Greece. Thetis and Peleus celebrated their wedding on Mount Pelion. Almost all of the Greek gods attended the event. There was one goddess who was intentionally not invited; Eris, the goddess of discord. Eris threw a golden apple into the wedding party. The apple was presented as an award “to the fairest.”
Modesty was never a virtue among the gods. Three goddesses claimed the prize: This leads to the first rigged beauty pageant. Three goddesses laid claim to the apple: Aphrodite, the goddess of love, Hera, the queen of the gods, and Athena, the goddess of warfare and wisdom.
It was agreed to present the choice to Paris a prince of Troy. Zeus, the husband of Hera and father of Aphrodite and Athena, wisely refused from settling the dispute. as the chief Olympian, should have mediated the dispute, but knowing better, he had Hermes lead the three goddesses to Paris, the shepherd prince of Troy, to decide the issue. Each goddess also offered a bribe; power, wisdom or love.
Paris chose Aphrodite and love. The most beautiful women on earth was Helen but there was a problem. She was married to Menelaus. When Helen was being courted most of the princes and kings of Greece offered a marriage proposal. In order to avoid bloodshed each king promised to defend the chosen groom from anyone stealing the bride.
Several years after the wedding Paris with the help of Aphrodite would steal Helen away. Paris either seduced or kidnapped Helen from Sparta and fled to Troy. This united the Grecian cities against Troy and lead to an invasion. This was the famous phrase “ a face that launched a thousand ships.”

The greatest of the Greek heroes was Achilles. A son of Thetis and Peleus. Dipping the infant in the river Styx would make Achilles invulnerable to weapons of warfare. The phrase “Achilles heel “ refers to this legend.
Even the gods in their lust for blood partake of the joy of battle by joining the fray in person.
[Aphrodite was wounded by the hero Diomedes in the Trojan War whilst trying to rescue her son Aeneas:] The goddess departed in pain, hurt badly, and Iris wind-footed took her by the hand and led her away from the battle, her lovely skin blood-darkened, wounded and suffering. There to the left of the fighting she found Ares the violent [where Athena had left him], sitting, his spear leaned into the mist, and his swift horses. Dropping on one knee before her beloved brother in deep supplication she asked for his gold-bridled horses : ‘Beloved brother, rescue me and give me your horses so I may come to Olympos where is the place of the immortals. I am in too much pain from the wound of a mortal’s spear-stroke, Tydeus’ son, who would fight now even against Zeus the father.’
So she spoke, and Ares gave her the gold-bridled horses, and, still grieved in the inward heart, she mounted the chariot and beside her entering Iris gathered the reins up and whipped them into a run, and they winged their way unreluctant. Now as they came to sheer Olympos, the place of the immortals, there swift Iris the wind-footed reined in her horses and slipped them from the yoke and threw fodder immortal before them.”
Homer, Iliad 5. 352 ff
Prophecy in the Grecian myths was not foreordained micromanagement. Achilles had a choice to have a glorious short life or to have a dull long life. Achilles chose the short but glorious life.
The Iliad starts during a dispute between the general in charge of the Greeks, Agamemnon and Achilles. Troy was not immediately attacked, the Greeks looted the unwalled villages next to Troy. Agamemnon’s favorite prize of the battles was Chryseis the daughter of a priest of Apollo. The priest appealed to his god, Apollo, the plague the Greeks until his daughter was returned. Reluctantly, Agamemnon returned the girl to her father.
In return, he demanded another prize. Briseis, the concubine of Achilles. Enraged, Achilles refused to fight which led to significant reversals of the Grecian army.
Helen and Menelaus became rulers of Sparta after Tyndareus and Leda abdicated. Menelaus and Helen rule in Sparta for several years until a special guest arrives in Sparta: Paris, part of a Trojan delegation to Sparta.
Meanwhile, Agamemnon almost derailed the Greek campaign by taking Briseis, the concubine of Achilles, after he had to return Chryseis, the daughter of a priest of Apollo, due to the anger of Apollo. Consequently, Achilles in a rage then refused to participate in the war. (This incident is where Homer begins the Iliad.)

Achilles participating in the war had been prophesized to be vital in defeating Troy. In spite of his absence the Achaeans were relatively successful. The Trojans drove back the Greeks to their last fortification around their ships.

Helen is weaving, Paris approaches and Eros is above in a chariot. Their eyes meet…..

The desperate Greeks appealed to Achilles to return to battle which he refused. His close friend Patroclus disguised himself in the armor of Achilles which succeeded in driving back the Trojans. Hector the son of King Priam of Troy, the brother of Paris, killed Patroclus stopping the advance.

The gods predestined Achilles to die in the war. They would use Achilles mother Thetis to bribe Achilles back into the war. She delivered a shield and new armor forged by a god to the tent of Achilles. This was the ultimate sacrifice of his mother, because she knew Achilles would die if he returned to battle. Wanting revenge and loving the shield Achilles returned to battle.

The glory or war and the lust for booty is a value that supersedes the life of an individual the ultimate love of a mother for her child. The Christian values of love for one’s neighbor and the love of parents for their child has no place in these Greek values.






In the battle that followed the greatest hero of the Greeks, Achilles met the greatest hero of the Trojans, Hector in battle. Achilles humiliated Hector, killing him and dragging his corpse around the city of Troy three times. In another battle Apollo would guide Paris’ poisoned arrow into Achilles heel, killing Achilles.
The contest between the two armies was at a standstill until Odysseus proposed the Trojan horse which tricked the Trojans, The Trojans brought the horse into their city. The spied hidden in the horse by stealth opened the gates of Troy, the Greek army entered and massacred the Trojans.
The culture, life, the aspirations and the motivations of a people or culture are not only influenced by their religion but are inspired from their religious myths of their heroes and gods. Instead of the self-sacrificial love of a crucified savior. Who died for us offering his won life on behalf of ours. Our culture could be the Greek model of gods caught up in lust and self- glorification. Too often Christians are not thankful of the traditions of Christianity handed to us by both Protestant and Catholic fathers. We are entangled in the details of the vices of men who have not lived up to the traditions handed to them but have abused their power for personal ambitions. Then when looking at this hypocrisy we abandon these traditions for the Greek traditions which threaten our culture and life.

2nd missionary journey: paul’s commission

Paul’s Secondary Missionary Journey
In dealing, therefore, with the problem before us, we must endeavor to realize to ourselves the whole mental attitude of the Greek world in the first three centuries of our era. We must take account of the breadth and depth of its education, of the many currents of its philosophy, of its love of literature, of its skepticism and its mysticism. We must gather together whatever evidence we can find, not determining the existence or measuring the extent of drifts of thought by their literary expression, but taking note also of the testimony of the monuments of art and history, of paintings and sculptures, of inscriptions and laws. In doing so, we must be content, at any rate for the present and until the problem has been more fully elaborated, with the broader features both of the Greek world and of the early centuries.

Hatch, Edwin. The Influence of Greek Ideas and Usages upon the Christian Church


Paul at Troas

Troas was the staging point of two of the most influential philosophies of the Western World. Paul has been herded by the Holy Spirit to a small outcropping on the west coast of Asia Minor next to the Aegean Sea. Troas was the suspected site of the ancient city of Troy. From the writings of Paul the Western Church both Protestant and Catholic would form from the letters of Paul, the theology of Christianity. Whether by intention or not this is the same site where Alexander the Great would stage his conquest of the East.

In 334 BC, Alexander the Great crossed over the Dardanelles, a narrow strait separating Asia from Europe in modern Turkey. Before Alexander was Great he paused in his battle plans to visit Troas. He was about to lead his army in the four decisive battles against the Persian empire: Granicus, Issus, Gaugamela and Persian Gate which would place Alexander in an empire that would span modern day Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. 43,000 foot soldiers and 6,000 horsemen would conquer a Persian army of 2,000,000 men.
However, all these accomplishments were preceded by a visit to Troas. Troas was the site of ancient Troy. This was the proper place to pay tribute to Achilles the glorious hero of Greek mythology. Modern people call the Greek classics a mythology but to the Greeks these gods and these ancient battles were real. Alexander would pour oil on and place garlands over the tombs. Animals would be sacrificed, and the gods and the souls of dead warriors would be appeased.



Too often, the conflict between Paul and the Greek gods is overlooked or minimized in the Christian commentaries. The incentives of making offerings to these Greek gods and the disincentives of insulting these gods is demonstrated in the book of Acts. Paul and Barnabus could actually be worshipped by pretending to follow these gods, while insulting the gods could result in stoning. This was evident in Acts 14 when Paul healed a crippled man in Lystra. The citizens believed the gods had come down in human form. From the names given to the apostles, Zeus and Hermes, these were the gods of the Greek pantheon.
Acts 14
11 Now when the people saw what Paul had done, they raised their voices, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!” 12 And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

Paul had been visiting the cities of his first missionary in Asia Minor. As he moved west in Asia he is herded to a projection of Asia Minor into the Aegean Sea. To the north is the strait of the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmara, to the south is coastal plain that is bounded by the Ida mountain range, in the east and the Aegean Sea in the west. From Troas the natural route would be north to the political regions of Mysia and Bithynia. This was not the plan of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 16
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. 7 After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. 8 So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
Paul’s new weapon
Acts 13
38 Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; 39 and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Jesus was crucified somewhere between April 18, 29 AD and April 3, 33AD. The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 was in 49-50 AD. In this span of two decades the conflict between the method of salvation was not resolved. Is it necessary for Gentile Christians to be circumcised and to keep the law in order to be saved? For the two years prior to the council Paul and Barnabus had traveled through Asia Minor preaching the gospel, everyone who believes is justified and saved. A person does not have to be circumcised or keep the law of Moses to be saved.
The law of Moses in the Old Testament is explained in the first five books of the Bible referred to as the Torah has over 600 individual laws. Keeping kosher and Circumcision are the two most observed laws. In Acts 10, the abolition of the kosher food laws was revealed to Peter. The keeping of the law of Moses including circumcision was not abolished.
Acts 15:1
And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

Paul’s whole ministry including the churches he established in Perga, Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe were threatened by a group of Jewish Christians from the church of James. Did Paul feel threatened?
Acts 15
2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them
Galatians 2
2 And I went up [a]by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain. 3 Yet not even Titus who was with me, being a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised. 4 And this occurred because of false brethren secretly brought in (who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage),
Litotes is an ironic understatement. What is meant by a negative understatement is the exaggerated opposite. No small dissension or dispute means there was great dissension and dispute. What was at stake? The Gentiles might be brought into the bondage of lawn. If the Jerusalem council went against Paul, he and Barnabus would have return to all the churches of Asia Minor and reconvert them to a different gospel.
But instead, this was a victory for Paul. He could return to all the churches of Asia Minor and reinforce his gospel with the blessings of the church of Jerusalem, and authorities of the Church, James, John and Peter. However the church of Jerusalem with James, John and Peter still had a strong faction insisting on circumcision and keeping the law.
Acts 21
20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law; 21 but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.
25 But concerning the Gentiles who believe, we have written and decided that they should observe no such thing, except that they should keep themselves from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.”
James did not correct this circumcision faction but he offered a compromise. If Paul would go through the Mosaic law of the Nazarite, this participation would be a demonstration of Paul’s observance of keeping the law. This did not go well as Paul was thrown into prison and eventually sent to Rome.
Paul a man of destiny
Acts 13
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.
Galatians 2
2 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and also took Titus with me. 2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated to them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to those who were of reputation, lest by any means I might run, or had run, in vain.
Acts 15
28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:
Acts 16
6 Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia.

A man is justified by works

Romans 3
²⁸ Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 

James 2
²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

On face value alone, these are terms are direct contradictions.  The Romans man is justified apart from works and the James man is justified by works.  In order to reconcile these two statements theologians usually use some form of equivocation.  Justification in Romans is not the same as justification in James or faith is not the same as faith in James.

The Expositors Bible Commentary denies the faith in Romans as the same type of faith as in James.

that he speaks of false profession of faith: Can faith save him?… This is the same as though he had said, that we do not attain salvation by a frigid and bare knowledge of God, which all confess to be most true; for salvation comes to us by faith for this reason

“James 2,”  Bible Hub, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, accessed August 28, 2023, https://biblehub.com/library/calvin/commentaries_on_the_catholic_epistles/james_2_14-17.htm

Calvin claims there is a difference in the meaning of righteousness between James and Romans.

That we may not then fall into that false reasoning which has deceived the Sophists, we must take notice of the two fold meaning, of the word justified. Paul means by it the gratuitous imputation of righteousness before the tribunal of God; and James, the manifestation of righteousness by the conduct,

“James 2,”  Bible Hub, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, accessed August 28, 2023, https://biblehub.com/commentaries/calvin/james/2.htm

The dispensationalist understanding is the two positions represent a change in dispensation between Paul and James.  The elect are saved by faith alone in Paul’s dispensation and the elect are saved from a combination of faith and works in the dispensation of James.

In order to justify the dispensational position in is necessary to demonstrate:

1. There is a change in dispensation
2. Paul claims a man can be justified by faith alone without works.
3. James is not concerned with an ineffective faith but with a justification that is produced by works
4. The righteousness in Romans and the righteous in James leads to salvation.

There is no question of the change in dispensation.

Ephesians 3
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2 if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3 how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery…  5 which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men,.. 6 that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, …8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all see what is the (dispensation) fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 

Paul was given a dispensation which was secret in other ages and untraceable in the Old Testament.  Instead of Israel being a priest nation now the Gentiles and Jews are equal.  There is no longer a need for a priest mediator between man and God.  One of the aspects of this new dispensation is the method of salvation.  This is a change between the ministries of Peter and James versus Paul.

The discourse in James 2:14 to James 2:26 is concerned with salvation.  The format is two questions but the form does not imply doubt as to the assertion.  The premise is a hypothetical person who has faith but not any works.  This leads to the theme of this discourse.  Can such a faith without works be effective in his salvation?  The conclusion of these two premises is explained in verse 17 such faith is dead or ineffective in salvation.

The context of James 2:14-26 is the how faith must be mixed with works in order to effect salvation.  The meaning of faith without works is dead is simple.  Faith is ineffective to salvation unless works are added to the mix.  This is summed up in verse 14 “if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?”  This is a loaded question.  The answer is given in the context.

The necessity of works is reinforced through the example.  In the context of verses 15 to 16, the premises are explained.  A pretend spiritual person pronounces his faith in a proposition, “go in peace, keep warm and well fed.”   This faith is not  enough. Aa devout person will do deeds that meets their physical needs.  This faith without proper works is dead. 

James does not believe a person without works is able to demonstrate his faith apart from works.  No works, no righteousness and no salvation.The critical text reads “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”  The majority text should be translated “Show me your faith by your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”  The critical preposition is by is from ek (εκ) compared to without choris  (χωρις ).  There are just four critical texts for “without” dating from the 4^th and 5^th Centuries.  (BACא)  By the counts of some scholars there are over 475 majority texts.  The majority of these texts are dated from the tenth to eighteenth centuries.  I agree with the majority text.  This agrees with the context, it is a taunt.  Show me your faith from your works and I will show you my faith from my works. 

The critical text translation, show me your faith without works is nonsense.  “Without works” is not a thing to be seen.  It is similar to proving a negative in logic.  Of course this could be the reason James is provoking this insult by showing the irrationality of the opponent.

Abraham was justified by works in the offering of Isaac.  It was possible to justify Abraham by faith alone in Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4:3. This was not imputed righteousness that leads to salvation which is sealed unto the day of redemption.  (Eph 4:30)  This Old Testament righteousness could be lost.

Psalm 51:11 NKJV

Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

In Genesis 20 after the righteousness obtained by faith in Genesis 15,  Abraham allowed King Gerar to take Sarah into his haram.  Abraham explained his fear of being killed and his wife being taken away from him was his reason for lying about Sarah’s marital status.  The Scriptures does not explicitly accuse Abraham losing his righteousness but perhaps God had some doubts about his faith.  Nevertheless God has learned something He did know before.

Genesis 22:12

for now I know that you fear God

The question being explored is not “does works without faith save.”  The question is explained in verse 22. Faith working together with works completes the requirements for salvation.  The verb is a compound word (sunergo, συνηργει) the preposition with combined with verb working. These two ideas faith and works are working together to produce a faith that is perfected in bringing salvation. 

The culmination of this evidence is asserted in verse 24, “a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. “

The righteousness in Romans and the righteous in James leads to salvation

Faith without works is dead, or unable to bring salvation.

¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 

²⁶ For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.  

In order to be effective faith must be completed by works.  These works together with faith justifying a person as fit for salvation.

²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 

²² Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 

²⁴ You see then that a man is justified by works

²⁵ Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works 

The whole context of James 2:14-26 is salvation.  This is not a lessor salvation, faith or righteousness than Paul proclaims.  This is a righteousness that leads to salvation and a faith that is effective for salvation.  James 2:14

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?

These propositions were demonstrated:

1. There is a change in dispensation
2. Paul claims a man can be justified by faith alone without works.
3. James is not concerned with an ineffective faith but with a justification that is produced by works and leads to salvation.
   
   How is it possible for James to quote Genesis 15:6 to use as justification for salvation by works and not by faith alone and Paul to quote Genesis 15:6 as justification for salvation by faith alone without works?
   
   James 2:20 is a lead into the argument of verses 20 to 24. He is seeking to prove faith without works is ineffective. It does not lead to salvation. In order to prove his contention he mentions the well-known account of the offering of Isaac. In Jewish rabbinic terms this is known as the binding of Isaac, the Akedah. This is a Hebrew term for the word bound in Genesis 12:9. The conclusion of the failed sacrifice of Isaac was the confirmation of God’s faith in Abraham “Now I know that you fear God.”
   
   The conclusion of this argument in verse 23 is “scripture is fulfilled when it says Abraham believed God and was reckoned to him as righteousness.” This is the reference to Genesis 15:6 which does not mention works but faith in the promise of a son to Abraham. James is not referring to this verse as a proof text of faith and works working together to provide salvation. James is saying God’s faith in Abraham found in Genesis 15 is confirmed by the works of the Akedah.
   
   When Paul refers to Genesis 15:6 in Romans 4 “but Abraham believed God and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness” , this was a time when righteousness was reckoned to someone apart from works. When Paul refers to righteousness, he is referring to a righteousness that leads to salvation and sealed unto the day of redemption, In Paul’s dispensation there is a righteousness that leads to salvation.
   
   Romans 5:9
   Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
   
   In the dispensation lead by James there is a righteousness that could be lost and regained that in combination with works lead to salvation.

¹

Nacham in Old Testament with Niphil binyan God repents

Genesis 6:6 And it repented the LORD1

Genesis 6:7of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made2

Exodus 32:12anger and change Your mind about3

Exodus 32:14And the LORD repented of the evil4

Judges 2:18of the judge: for it repented the LORD5

1 Samuel 15:11 It repenteth me that I have set up6

1 Samuel 15:29will not lie nor repent: for he [is] not a man,

1 Samuel 15:29he [is] not a man, that he should repent

1 Samuel 15:35nd the LORD repented that he had made Saul7

2 Samuel 24:16 it, the LORD repented him of the evil,8

1 Chronicles 21:15beheld, and he repented him of the evil,9

Psalm 90:13O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.10

Psalm 106:45 for them his covenant, and repented according to the multitude11

Psalm 110:4hath sworn, and will not repent,12

Isaiah 1:24 Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries,

Isaiah 57:6a meat offering. Should I receive comfort in these?

Jeremiah 4:28I have purposed [it], and will not repent, neither will I turn back13

Jeremiah 15:6 thee; I am weary with repenting.14

Jeremiah 18:8from their evil, I will repent of the evil15

Jeremiah 18:10not my voice, then I will repent of the good,16

Jeremiah 20:16overthrew, and repented not: and let him hear

Jeremiah 26:3way, that I may repent me of the evil,17

Jeremiah 26:13and the LORD will repent him of the evil18

Jeremiah 26:19and the LORD repented him of the evil19

Jeremiah 42:10you, and not pluck [you] up: for I repent me of the evil20

Ezekiel 24:14neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways,

Joel 2:13kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.21

Joel 2:14[if] he will return and repent, and leave22

Amos 7:3he LORD repented for this: It shall not be, saith23

Amos 7:6The LORD repented for this: This also shall not be, saith24

Jonah 3:9will turn and repent, and turn away25

Jonah 3:10and God repented of the evil,25

Jonah 4:2kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.27

Zechariah 8:14the LORD of hosts, and I repented not:

Genesis 24:67Genesis 38:12Exodus 13:17Judges 21:6Judges 21:152 Samuel 13:39Job 42:6Psalm 77:2Jeremiah 8:6Jeremiah 31:19

Ezekiel 14:23Ezekiel 31:16 Ezekiel 32:31Ezekiel 14:22and their doings: and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil

Jeremiah 40

Jeremiah 39

¹³ So Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard sent Nebushasban, Rabsaris, Nergal-Sharezer, Rabmag, and all the king of Babylon’s chief officers; ¹⁴ then they sent someone to take Jeremiah from the court of the prison, and committed him to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, that he should take him home. So he dwelt among the people.

Jeremiah 40

40 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all who were carried away captive from Jerusalem and Judah, who were carried away captive to Babylon.

There is a little bit of controversy about the story of the release of Jeremiah.  Is Chapter 39 describing a first release of Jeremiah in Jerusalem and then Jeremiah is rounded later to be brought in chains to Ramah, a place somewhere approximately 5 miles north of Jerusalem.  Chapter 40 would describe a second release of Jeremiah at Ramah. 

What is more probable Jeremiah is describing the same event.  The Chapter 39 description has less detail than the Chapter 40 description.  The book of Jeremiah is a collection of essays by Jeremiah.  The Chapter 40 introduction is necessary because the Chapter 39 description was not necessarily in the mind of the reader before the essays were collected and formed in the final book of Jeremiah.

The army of Nebuchadnezzar took captive the survivors in Jerusalem at a staging area in Ramah north of Jerusalem.  Jeremiah was among the survivors. He had been found in the courtyard in Jerusalem brought in chains to Ramah.  At Ramah the captains of the Babylonians were tasked with deciding the fate of the survivors. 

Either the Babylonians were familiar with Jeremiah, by a spy network in the besieged city or through the testimony of deserter who fled Jerusalem before the conquest.  Jeremiah was considered an ally of Babylon and afforded certain privileges.  He was released from custody and allowed to decide his own fate.

The first verse says “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord.” What follows in Chapter 40 is not a prophesy from Jeremiah.  It seems to be just a narrative of the final days after the fall of Jerusalem.  In the context the words of the captain of Nebuchadnezzar is not considered a word from God.  However in context the words of the captain are exactly what Jeremiah has been preaching for some twenty years.  The Lord has brought doom on Jerusalem because they have continued in their sin and not repented. 

Jeremiah 18

7 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, 8 if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. 9 And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, 10 if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.

God through Jeremiah is constantly warning Israel to repent of their evil ways and turn onto God or God will destroy them.  Israel is the evil nation whom God is threatening to destroy.  The hope of God is that Israel will repent of their evil ways so God can turn back his prophesied wrath against Israel.

Jeremiah 26

3 Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings.

There is a limit to God’s patience, he will eventually bring the evil upon his people that he had promised.

Jeremiah 15 

Therefore I will stretch out My hand against you and destroy you;
I am weary of relenting!

The word of the captain of the guard is exactly what God had been promising to do to Israel.   It is a confirmation of the call of Jeremiah.  The word is coming through a nonbeliever.  

This has happened before.  Balaam said in Numbers 23¹⁹ “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do?.  He prophesies doom for Balak and victory for Israel. 

2 Chronicles 35²¹ But he sent messengers to him, saying, “What have I to do with you, king of Judah? I have not come against you this day, but against the house with which I have war; for God commanded me to make haste. Refrain from meddling with God, who is with me, lest He destroy you.” 

Josiah was prophesied to die in peace but Josiah decided to fight a war that was none of his business.  He warned by God through Pharoah Necho to stay out of the war but with arrogance he decided to fight against Pharoah Necho.  Josiah lost his prophesied promise from God through his arrogance.

2 Chronicles 34

²⁸ “Surely I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace;

Jeremiah 40

² And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him: “The Lord your God has pronounced this doom on this place. ³ Now the Lord has brought it, and has done just as He said. Because you people have sinned against the Lord, and not obeyed His voice, therefore this thing has come upon you. ⁴ And now look, I free you this day from the chains that ^[a]were on your hand. If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you. But if it seems wrong for you to come with me to Babylon, remain here. See, all the land is before you; wherever it seems good and convenient for you to go, go there.”

Sometimes when a foreign army occupies a country, the crops are destroyed, the fields are salted, the and the land is unable to recover because of the ravages of the army.   This is not what happened in the Babylonian occupation.  There was a combination of depopulation and means of production that the poor people left behind were able to gather in abundance.  The threat to the remnant of Israel was not the means of production and the resulting wealth.  The threat was from the enemies of Israel who envious of that wealth. 

For this reason the remnants of Jerusalem had to ally with a strong leader who could protest them and their interests.  The logical resource would be Gedaliah who was appointed governor over Judah.  Gedaliah was the grandson of Shaphan the scribe (2 Kings 22) who participated in the find of the Book of the law during the reign of Josiah.  His son Ahikam who was Gedaliah’s father saved Jeremiah from the people when they sought to kill Jeremiah.  (Jer. 26:24)  Gedaliah had connections to the ruling class in Jerusalem and was allied with Jeremiah. 

Jeremiah 40

¹¹ Likewise, when all the Jews who were in Moab, among the Ammonites, in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, ¹² then all the Jews returned out of all places where they had been driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in abundance.

During the siege of Jerusalem some Judeans hid in the caves of Israel and others  fled to neighboring countries to escape.  Perhaps some served as vigilantes against Babylon during the siege.  After the armies of Babylon left a Jerusalem that was burned and torn down, some of these refugees returned to Judah and naturally allied themselves with Gedaliah. 

Although Gedaliah was a good political choice for Nebuchadnezzar he was not very good in judging the character of the people he was overseeing.  Some people who had sought refuge from the Babylonians might owe some favors to the kings in the lands where refuge was obtained.  In addition there might be some deep seated hatred of Babylon who had killed so many people and destroyed Jerusalem. 

Jeremiah 40

¹³ Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, ¹⁴ and said to him, ^[c]“Do you certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to murder you?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them.

¹⁵ Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “Let me go, please, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he murder you, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?”

16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely concerning Ishmael.”

Johanan perhaps from his own spies determined the real intentions of Ishmael.  The political naivete of Gedaliah will lead to his own death and the death of many other Jews. 

Jeremiah 41

Now it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal ^[a]family and of the officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. And there they ate bread together in Mizpah. ² Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, arose and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. ³ Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is, with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.

A leader of one of the raiders against Babylon who had not joined the defenders inside the walls of Jerusalem, aligned his band with Gedaliah.  According to his intel Ishmael was conspiring with the king of Amman to assassinate Gedaliah.  Gedaliah dismissed the accusation in wanton display of incredulity and self- deception. 

The assassination was planned when Gedaliah was dining at his table and unprepared for an assault against his person.  Ishmael the invited guest murdered his host with just ten other men, although Gedaliah had a protection squad of Chaldeans and the friendly presence of other Judeans.  was caught off his guard and was defenseless.  Perhaps Ishmael  was armed and the people surrounding Gedaliah had no weapons available during the feast. 

In Zechariah 7:5 the reference to the fast of the seventh month seems to be a reference to this murder which was in the seventh month.  The people mourned the death of Gedaliah during the captivity.  Gedaliah was responsible for more than just his own death.  The text refers to all the Judeans with Gedaliah at Mizpah and the all the Chaldean there as well.  Then eighty men come from various parts of Israel on a pilgrimage, in a blood lust of greed and exploitation Ishmael kills all but ten of these men.  He does not even give them a decent burial but throws their corpses in a well.  This murderous rampage seems more than simple revenge against Babylon.  It indicates an avaricious appetite for wealth and power against people innocent of conspiring with Babylon.

Often David is  portrayed by Christian scholars as paranoid in such verses as

Psalm 38

¹² Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.

Psalm 40

¹⁴ Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion
Who seek to destroy my ^[a]life;
Let them be driven backward and brought to dishonor
Who wish me evil.

Psalm 41

⁵ My enemies speak evil of me:
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
⁶ And if he comes to see me, he speaks ^[c]lies;

From the couches of the commentators who dwell in secure countries with police and secure borders this may be paranoia but the history of the Bible and secular history is abundant in assassinations of kings and governors.

Sennacherib king of Assyria was assassinated in 681 BC.

³2 Kings 19

⁶ So Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went away, returned home, and remained at Nineveh. ³⁷ Now it came to pass, as he was worshiping in the temple of Nisroch his god, that his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer struck him down with the sword; and they escaped into the land of Ararat. Then Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.

Asa King of Judah in 870 BC

1 Kings 16

⁸ In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha became king over Israel, and reigned two years in Tirzah. ⁹ Now his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him as he was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, steward^[c] of his house in Tirzah. ¹⁰ And Zimri went in and struck him and killed him in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.

Nadab King of Israel 909 BC

1 Kings 15

²⁵ Now Nadab the son of Jeroboam became king over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah, and he reigned over Israel two years. ²⁶ And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, and walked in the way of his father, and in his sin by which he had made Israel sin.

²⁷ Then Baasha the son of Ahijah, of the house of Issachar, conspired against him. And Baasha killed him at Gibbethon

Amon King of Judah 641 BC

2 Kings 21

¹⁹ Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah. ²⁰ And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh had done. ²¹ So he walked in all the ways that his father had walked; and he served the idols that his father had served, and worshiped them. ²² He forsook the Lord God of his fathers, and did not walk in the way of the Lord.

²³ Then the servants of Amon conspired against him, and killed the king in his own house.

Perhaps because of this murder the third deportation of Jews to Babylon occurred.  There were three deportations of Jews to Babylon.  The first deportation was in 597 at the death of Jehoiakim and the surrender of Jerusalem by his son Jehoiachin.  Eleven years later Jerusalem was conquered under Zedekiah 586 BC.  According to Jeremiah 52:30 5 years after the fall of Jerusalem the third deportation occurred.  The timing is consistent with the assassination. 

During the Jewish captivity in Babylon the Jews observed a fast to remember this tragedy (Zech. 7:5; 8:19).

Why was Ishmael able to overcome eighty men with only ten men?  He used deception by pretending grief, even putting on an act of mourning.  He lies to the men by greeting them with a reference to Gedaliah. The pilgrims who may not have been armed were taken by surprise at a vulnerable moment. 

The assassination of Gedaliah was at Mizpah about 5 miles north of Jerusalem.  The eighty pilgrims were from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria between 10 and fifty miles north of Jerusalem.  King Asa had use the defensive works of Ramah, a city of his enemy Baasha, to build the fortified works of Mizpah.  Recent excavations at el- Jib which is s 6 miles northwest of Jerusalem found a large pit  feet deep with steps carved on its sides.  This could have been the pit mentioned at Mizpah. 

Once Johanan was informed of the murders committed by Ishmael he initiated a chase of the murderers.  Since Gedaliah had a retinue of captives, he moved slower than Johanan.  He caught up with the captives and Ishmael at the pool of Gibeon. This is not far from Mizpah, it north of Jerusalem and just a few miles from Mizpah. 

The pool is a famous place in the life of David.  Twelve men of David and twelve men of Abner lined up in a duel between the two groups.  Each man drew their swords and killed his rival in one motion, with all twenty-four dying.

It is not readily apparent if there was an actual battle or not but Johanan caused Ishmael to flee and he escaped with 8 men, two short of the original 10. 

Jeremiah 39

Jeremiah 39

Jeremiah 39

 1 In the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army and laid siege to it. 2 And on the ninth day of the fourth month of Zedekiah’s eleventh year, the city wall was broken through. 3 Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon.

Zedekiah has been resisting Nebuchadnezzar for eighteen months.  The food is gone, the wall is breached, he is looking at princes of Babylon sitting at a gate just a few feet away from his last line of defense.  Jerusalem did not have a single wall but there are several walls within walls.  These secondary lines of defense were designed to give refuge in case of a breach in the outer wall.  Maybe Zedekiah was on the Temple Mount with a last stand inside the city but now even that temporary security was destroyed with the food supply. The text does not say but there is tunnel underneath the city which leads from the Gihon Springs to the Pool of Siloam.

⁴ So it was, when Zedekiah the king of Judah and all the men of war saw them, that they fled and went out of the city by night, by way of the king’s garden, by the gate between the two walls. And he went out by way of the ^]plain. ⁵ But the Chaldean army pursued them and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho.

This flight happened at night to avoid detection from the Babylonian army surrounding Jerusalem.  The king’s garden is mentioned as being next to the Pool of Siloam was on the southern most part of the Old City.  (Nehemiah 3:15)  When Hezekiah was besieged by the Assyrians in 701 BC the water sources including the Gihon Springs were outside of the city. Where was this gate, the double wall and the king’s garden?

Nehemiah 3:15

15 Shallun the son of Col-Hozeh, leader of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate; he built it, covered it, hung its doors with its bolts and bars, and repaired the wall of the Pool of Shelah[a] by the King’s Garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the City of David.

The Pool of Siloam is a recent archeological find.  In 2004 some workmen were digging a ditch for a drainage pipe but hit a large stone under the dirt.  The stone was carved and looked like a building stone.  Archaeologists Eli Shukrun and Ronny Reich investigated a found a series of steps leading to a pool the size of two football fields.  This was the pool of Siloam.

According to the Bible, King Hezekiah prepared Jerusalem for an impending siege by the Assyrians, by “blocking the source of the waters of the upper Gihon, and leading them straight down on the west to the City of David” (2 Chronicles 32:30). By diverting the waters of the Gihon, he prevented the enemy forces under Sennacherib from having access to water.

2 Chronicles 32:4

⁴ They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings^[a] of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said. ⁵ Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the terraces^[b] of the City of David.

2 Kings 22

²⁰ Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah—all his might, and how he made a pool and a tunnel and brought water into the city—are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 

In 1880 while exploring the tunnel an inscription was found on the walls of tunnel.  It is Hebrew written in an old alphabet.  The inscription read

• 2. the pickaxes one against the other. And when there were only three cubits more to cut through, the men were heard
• 3. calling from one side to the other; [for] there was zedah in the rock, on the right and on the left. And on the day of
• 4. piercing the workmen struck each to meet the other, pickax against pickax. And there flowed
• 5. the waters from the spring to the pool for a space of 200 cubits. And
• 6. cubits was the height over the head of the workmen.

According to the inscription, the workman started from opposite sides of the tunnel and met in the middle which is a technical feat admired by modern geologists. 

The double wall is explained by an older wall protecting the city and an additional wall built around the springs of water.  There was a gate next to the pool which lead to the king’s garden.  Today this gate is under the Dung Gate in modern Jerusalem. 

Zedekiah and his men would have left on foot, perhaps all the horses were killed for food.

2 Kings 25

 ³ By the ninth day of the fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

Zedekiah and his army ran  though the Kidron Valley up the Mount of Olives toward Jericho.  The most direct route to Jericho from the Kidron Valley is eighteen miles.  Today the way is rough under desert conditions.  There is an old Roman road that is fourteen miles from the mountains into the plain of Jericho.  Zedekiah and his army would be fleeing on foot through a desert form at least fourteen miles under hot pursuit by an overwhelming army.

The route is downhill with a vertical displacement of some 3,430 feet.   The Temple Mount in Jerusalem is 2.450 feet above sea level, the summits of the Mount of Olives is  2,710 feet in elevation.  The plain of Jericho lies about 720 feet below sea level.  Most of the distance would have been over rough boulders and gravel sandstone.  At best the trip would have taken about eight hours. Zedekiah although famished would have moved on by desperation.  His sons were captured, perhaps they were with him, but there is no mention of the wives and children.