Editing Silas

{{short description|1st century AD Christian saint and bishop}}
{{about|the first century figure from early Christianity}}
{{For|other saints named Silvanus|Silvanus (disambiguation){{!}}Silvanus}}
{{religious text primary|date=December 2022}}
{{Infobox saint
|honorific_prefix=[[Saint]]
|name=Silas
|image=Michael Václav Halbax - St Paul and Silas in Prison - O 2303 - National Gallery Prague (cropped).jpg
|caption=Detail from ''Michael Václav Halbax: Saint Paul and Silas in Prison'' by {{ill|Michael Václav Halbax|cs}}, c. 1700
|titles=Apostle, Disciple, Missionary, Bishop, and Martyr
|birth_place=
|death_date= 65–100 AD
|death_place=[[Macedonia (Greece)|Macedonia]]
|feast_day={{Plain list|
* January 26 ([[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]], [[Episcopal Church (USA)|Episcopal Church]])
* February 10 ([[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]])
* July 13 ([[Roman Martyrology]])
* July 30 ([[Eastern Orthodoxy]])
* July 13 (Syriac, Malankara Calendars)
}}
|beatified_date=
|beatified_place=
|beatified_by=
|canonized_date=
|canonized_place=
|canonized_by=
|major_shrine=
|attributes=[[Christian martyrs#Degrees of martyrdom|Christian Martyrdom]]
|patronage=
|issues=
|suppressed_date=
|venerated_in={{Plain list|
* [[Roman Catholic Church]]
* [[Eastern Catholic Churches]]
* [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodoxy]]
* [[Oriental Orthodox]]
* [[Anglicanism]]
* [[Lutheranism]]
}}
}}

'''Silas''' or '''Silvanus''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|s|aɪ|l|ə|s}}; [[Koine Greek|Greek]]: Σίλας/Σιλουανός; fl. 1st century AD) was a leading member of the [[Early Christian]] community, who according to the [[New Testament]] accompanied [[Paul the Apostle]] on his second missionary journey.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://dailyprayer.us/lesson.php?day=1004 |title = Notes on 1 Peter |access-date = 2012-05-20 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151003214711/http://dailyprayer.us/lesson.php?day=1004 |archive-date = 2015-10-03 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

==Name and etymologies==
''Silas'' is traditionally assumed to be the same as the ''Silvanus'' mentioned in four epistles. Some translations, including the [[New International Version]], call him "Silas" in the epistles. Paul, Silas, and Timothy are listed as co-authors of the two New Testament letters to the Thessalonians, though [[Authorship of the Pauline epistles|the authorship is disputed]]. The [[Second Epistle to the Corinthians]] mentions Silas as having preached with Paul and Timothy to the church in Corinth ({{Bibleverse-nb||2 Corinthians|1:19|NRSV}}), and the [[First Epistle of Peter]] describes Silas as a "faithful brother" ({{Bibleverse-nb||1 Peter|5:12|NRSV}}).

There is some disagreement over the original or "proper" form of his name: "Silas", "Silvanus", "Seila", and "Saul" seem to be treated at the time as equivalent versions of the same name in different languages, and it is not clear which is the original name of "Silas", and which is a translation or equivalent nickname, or whether some references are to different persons with equivalent names. He is consistently called "Silas" in the [[Acts of the Apostles]], but the [[Latin|Roman name]] ''[[Silvanus (name)|Silvanus]]'' (which means "of the [[forest]]") is always used by Paul and in the First Epistle of Peter ({{Bibleverse-nb||1 Peter|5:12|NRSV}}); it may be that "Silvanus" is the Romanized version of the original "Silas",<ref name="Dunn2003">
{{cite book
 |editor-last=Dunn |editor-first=James D. G. |editor-link=James Dunn (theologian)
 |year=2003
 |title=The Cambridge Companion to St.&nbsp;Paul
 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]
 |location=[[Cambridge]], UK
 |isbn=0-521-78155-8
 |page=21
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNXPGiKx-mkC
 |via=Google Books
}}
</ref> or that "Silas" is the [[Greek language|Greek]] nickname for "Silvanus".<ref name="Dunn2003"/> Silas is thus often identified with [[Silvanus of the Seventy]]. Catholic theologian [[Joseph Fitzmyer]] further points out that ''Silas'' is the Greek rendition of the [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] ''Seila'' ({{lang|arc|שְׁאִילָא}}), a version of the Hebrew ''Saul'' ({{Script/Hebrew|שָׁאוּל}}), which is attested in [[Palmyra|Palmyrene]] inscriptions.<ref>
{{cite book
 |editor-first=Joseph J. |editor-last=Fitzmyer
 |year=1998
 |title=The Anchor Bible: The Acts of the Apostles
 |page=[https://archive.org/details/actsofapostlesan00fitz/page/564 564]
 |place=New York
 |publisher=Doubleday
 |isbn=0-385-49020-8
|url=https://archive.org/details/actsofapostlesan00fitz/page/564
 |url-access=registration  |via=Internet Archive
}}
</ref>

==Biblical narrative==
Silas is first mentioned in {{bibleverse||Acts|15:22|NKJV}}, where he and [[Judas Barsabbas]] (known often as 'Judas') were selected by the church elders to return with Paul and [[Saint Barnabas|Barnabas]] to Antioch following the Jerusalem Council. Silas and Judas are mentioned as being leaders among the brothers, prophets and encouraging speakers. Silas was selected by Paul to accompany him on his second mission after Paul and Barnabas split over an argument involving Mark's participation. It was during the second mission that he and Paul were imprisoned briefly in [[Philippi]], where an earthquake broke their chains and opened the prison door. Silas is thus sometimes depicted in art carrying broken chains.<ref>[http://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/los/July/30-01.htm The Holy Disciples from the Seventy]</ref> [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%2016:25-37&version=NIV Acts 16:25-37].

According to {{bibleverse||Acts|17-18|NKJV}}, Silas and Timothy travelled with Paul from Philippi to [[Thessalonica]], where they were treated with hostility in the [[synagogue]]s. The harassers followed the trio to [[Berea (Bible)|Berea]], threatening Paul's safety, and causing Paul to separate from Silas and Timothy. Paul travelled to [[Athens]], and Silas and Timothy later joined him in [[Ancient Corinth|Corinth]].<ref>{{bibleverse||Acts|18:5|NKJV}}</ref>

These events can be dated to around AD 50: the reference in {{bibleverse||Acts|18:12|NKJV}} to Proconsul [[Lucius Iunius Gallio Annaeanus|Gallio]] helps ascertain this date (cf. [[Gallio inscription]]).<ref>{{Cite book |editor1-last=Cross |editor1-first=F. L. |editor1-link=F. L. Cross |editor2-last=Livingstone |editor2-first=E. A. |editor2-link=Elizabeth Livingstone |title=The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church |date=2005 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |location=[[Oxford]] |edition=3rd Revised |pages=1243–5 |isbn=978-0-19-280290-3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fUqcAQAAQBAJ}}</ref> According to {{bibleverse||Acts|18:6-7|NKJV}}, Paul ceased to attend the synagogue in Corinth as a result of hostility, Silas is not mentioned thereafter in the Acts narrative.

He appears in the salutation of 1 and 2 Thessalonians, and is referred to in 2 Corinthians 1:19. This is as expected, as we read of his involvement in Paul's mission when these cities were visited. He also appears in the conclusion of 1 Peter at 5:12, and is perhaps the amanuensis. Peter says he regards Silas as "a faithful brother".

==Mysticism==
[[Anne Catherine Emmerich]] recounts in her visions that Silas' original name was Sela, and that he was one of the three "secret disciples," along with [[The Shepherd of Hermas#Authorship_and_date|Hermas]], who had later accompanied Jesus on his trip to the Three Kings' homeland near [[Ur]], and thence to [[Heliopolis (ancient Egypt)|Heliopolis]], and whose parents had come with the caravan of the [[Biblical Magi|Three Kings]].<ref name="Emmerich">{{cite book |last1=Emmerich |first1=Anne Catherine |editor1-last=Brentano |editor1-first=Clement |editor2-last=Schmöger |editor2-first=Carl E. |title=The Life of Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations |date=1914 |publisher=Tan |location=Rockford, IL |page=492 |url=https://tandfspi.org/ACE_vol_03/ACE_3_0491_out.html#ACE_3_p0492 |access-date=24 October 2022 |chapter=vol. 3}}</ref>

==Veneration==
Saint Silas is celebrated in the [[Calendar of saints (Lutheran)|Calendar of Saints]] of the [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] and that of the [[Episcopal Church (United States)]] with a [[Lesser Feasts and Fasts|Lesser Feast]]<ref>{{Cite web|title=Holy Women, Holy Men Celebrating the Saints|url=https://diobeth.typepad.com/files/holy-women-holy-men.pdf}}</ref> on [[January 26]] with [[Saint Timothy|Timothy]] and [[Saint Titus|Titus]], and separately on July 13 by the [[Roman Catholic Church]] and February 10 by the [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod]]. Saint Silas is also venerated by the Eastern Orthodox Church on July 30 along with the Apostles [[Silvanus of the Seventy|Silvanus]], [[Crescens]], [[Epenetus of Carthage|Epenetus]], and [[Andronicus of Pannonia|Andronicus]] and on January 4 where he is venerated with all the apostles.

==See also==
* [[Paul the Apostle]]
* [[Agabus]]
* [[Barnabas]]
* [[Manahen]]
* [[Teachings of Silvanus]]: an apocryphal text from the [[Nag Hammadi library|Nag Hammadi Library]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl.html|title=Nag Hammadi Library|website=gnosis.org|access-date=2019-03-25}}</ref> that is attributed to [http://gnosis.org/naghamm/silvanus.html Silvanus/Silas].
* [[St Silas Church (disambiguation)|Churches named after St Silas]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{New Testament people|prophets}}
{{Catholic saints}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1st-century deaths]]
[[Category:1st-century bishops in the Roman Empire]]
[[Category:Biblical apostles]]
[[Category:Christian saints from the New Testament]]
[[Category:People in the Pauline epistles]]
[[Category:Prophets of the New Testament]]
[[Category:Seventy disciples]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:Anglican saints]]