Silas, Paul's second fiddle

Once, when New York Philharmonic conductor Leonard Bernstein was asked what is the instrument in the orchestra most difficult to play, he answered, "Second fiddle." How hard it must be to play consistently in the concert master's shadow. Silas was Paul's second fiddle throughout the second and third missionary journeys.

Silas is an enigmatic biblical figure. He must have been outstanding, for the leaders of Jerusalem appointed him to accompany Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch after the conference on circumcision. Luke (the author of Acts) says he was a prophet, and upon arriving in Antioch, he "said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers" (Acts 15:32).

In Acts 16 – 18, Silas becomes a major character in the drama, joining Paul on his second missionary journey, staying behind in Macedonia to nurture the spiritual babies Paul was forced to leave too soon. After that, Silas mysteriously slips out of sight. Luke never mentions him again in Acts; nor do Paul's letters after those early years.

Silas must have kept on serving behind the scene, where he probably made a big difference. He resurfaces only once, when Peter remarks, "With the help of Silvanus, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you..." (1 Peter 5:12). Some scholars believe that it was Silas who gave First Peter its eloquent language. Second Peter has the rough grammar and wording that are more like what we would expect from an unschooled fisherman like Simon Peter.

What would Paul have accomplished without this man Silas? Would all of his "concertos" have been as beautiful, or would they even have occurred at all? It is hard to say. Because Silas was willing to play second fiddle, his contrapuntal harmonies enhanced Paul's melodies, creating a full-length duet to God's glory. God, give us more men and women with the humility and dedication of Silas!

—Steve Singleton
DeeperStudy.com

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Paul mentions Silas along with Timothy in the opening of both his epistles to the Thessalonian Christians (1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1), for the two coworkers were with Paul when he first came to the city of Macedonia, and they stayed behind in that region when Paul had to flee for his life (Acts 17:13-15). Paul uses Silas's Latin name "Silvanus," just like Peter does (1 Peter 5:12).

This is consistent with another little detail recorded when Paul defends himself against the charges, beating, and false imprisonment he and Silas suffered in Philippi. He says, "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we [not "I"] are Roman citizens...." The next verse confirms that Paul was not just using an editorial "we": "When they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens...." (Acts 16:37 and 38).

The Greek in these verses simply says "Romans," but the context is clearly referring to citizenship rather than residency. Later on in Acts, the subject of Paul's citizenship comes up again (Acts 22:25-29). In this short paragraph the term "Roman" refers to Roman citizenship three times before the actual Greek word for citizen (politeia) occurs (v. 28). There the commander interrogating Paul, after learning that he is a Roman (citizen), tells him, "I had to pay a big price for my citizenship," to which Paul replies, "But I was born a citizen."

In the mid-first century, Roman citizenship carried with it certain privileges, including certain rights unafforded to non-citizens. The special status that citizenship carried with it made it easier for Paul and Silas to carry the gospel across the empire and probably gave them credibility with people of the upper classes in provincial cities. As we have already seen it also gave them certain legal rights, rights that Paul had occasion to use again (see Acts 23:27; 25:10-11).

Later on Roman citizenship lost its special status, as successive emperors conferred citizenship on more and more inhabitants of the Roman Empire, culminating in Emperor Caracalla's decree that gave it to all free men of the realm (212 CE).

Recommended to purchase:

F. F. Bruce. The Pauline Circle (1985).

Silas, along with Barnabas, John Mark, Timothy, Titus, and Luke are among the men who at one time or another served as Paul's coworkers. Bruce gives brief portraits of these and several more, summarizing what the New Testament reveals of each man, and what early church traditions can add.

A. N. Sherwin-White. The Roman Citizenship (1980).

Recommended for online reading:

Wikipedia. "Roman Citizenship."