Paul R. Trebilco_Paul and Silas_Servants of the Most High God.pdf

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Journal for the Study of
the New Testament
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Paul and Silas— 'Servants of the Most High God' (Acts
16.16-18)
Paul R. Trebilco
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
1989; 11; 51
DOI: 10.1177/0142064X8901103604
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51
PAUL AND
SILAS—
’SERVANTS
OF
THE
MOST HIGH
GOD’
(ACTS
16.16-18)
Paul R.
Trebilco
Knox
College,
Faculty
of
Theology,
University
of
Otago,
Dunedin,
New
Zealand
Luke
begins
his
story
of
the
arrest
and
imprisonment
of
Paul and
Silas
in
Philippi
by
telling
of
their
encounter
with
the
slave
girl
and
her
owners.
The
pronouncement
Luke
records
as
coming
from the
girl’s lips
is
given
in
Acts 16.17b:
Ouroi
of
äVSpú>1TOl
xazayyE7Jv,ovmv
8ova.o~
tov
OE06
tov
vyriarou eiotv,
oimvES
upiv
656v
crú)’tTlpiaç
The
title
used
for
God
in the
account-6
Oc6~
6
OWtcrcoq
is
a
very
significant
one.
The word
Oytcrcoq
is used
of
Yahweh
in
the
Septuagint,
the
NT,
in
Jewish
Pseudepigrapha
and
by
other
Jewish
authors.
However,
it is
also
used
in
classical literature
and
inscriptions
of
pagan
deities,
most
frequently
of
Zeus.
I will
examine this varied
background
and then ask
what
light
is
shed
on
Luke’s narrative
when
the
range
of
usage
of
the
title
Ü’Vl<J&dquo;tOÇ
is
appreciated.
Pagan
Use
of ÜBjIlCTIOÇ
uyaazoS
was
used
quite widely
in the
ancient world. It is well known
that
in
the
time
of
the Roman
Empire
there
was
a
distinct
trend
towards monotheism and thus
towards the
worship
of
one
god
as
the
supreme
deity.
This trend
was
prepared
for
by
Greek
philosophy
and
promoted
by
the
influence
of
oriental
religions,
and
was
widespread
even
where there
was no
Jewish
influenced
In
addition,
under the
Roman
Empire,
in
parallel
with
the
reality
of
Emperors
with
almost
universal
powers,
some
local
gods
were
thought
of
as
the
supreme
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1. The
52
rulers
of
the
universe.2
Local
gods
seemed
insufficient;
to
be worth
honouring they
needed
to
have
world-wide
authority.
It
was
natural,
therefore,
that the
epithet
’the
Highest’
should be used
by
pagans
to
indicate
that the
god
to
whom
they
were
referring
was,
in their eyes,
the
most
important
god.
Thus the
name
Hypsistos,
or
Theos
Hypsistos,
was
used
of
pagan deities
throughout
the Roman
Empire.3
3
Zeus,
the
most
exalted
god
of
the
Olympion,
was
often
described
as
Z~uS
ü’Vlmoç.4
The cult
of’Zeus
Hypsistos’
was
fully recognized
temple
of
Zeus
Hypsistos
at
Thebes,
a
precinct
at
lasos,
a
priest
at
Mylasa
and
a
cult
association
at
Edessa.1
In
dedications,
Zeus
Hypsistos
is sometimes
called ’Theos
Hypsistos’ or
simply ’Hypsistos’.
Nock
mentions votive
inscriptions
from
a
cult
at
Athens
in
which
we
find
An
u~/tcrc~)
three
tines,
8£0
u~ior~)
twice
and
ù’VimQ.)
eight
times.b
Clearly
the
three
titles
are
treated
as
equivalents
in this
case.
Thus
’Hypsistos’ by
itself
or
’Theos
Hypsistos’
could
be
used
for
Zeus.’
It
seems
that
with the
trend
towards
monotheism,
the
god
Zeus
Hypsistos
could
gradually
come
to
be
given
the
general,
elevated but less
colourful title
8£àç
u~ytazo5.g
Nock
concludes
that
where Zeus
Hypsistos
and
’Theos
Hypsistos’
occur
side
by
side,
the
Zeus
form
was
the
earlier and
9
’Theos
Hypsistos’
may
be
an
uno8icial
synonym
for
him.9
However,
dedications
or
inscriptions
to
’Theos
Hypsistos’
are on
occasions
clearly
to
deities other than
Zeus,
or are
made
to
an
unnamed
deity
who
was
worshipped
under this
general
name.
Nock
points
out
that:
in
some
places.
For
example,
we
know of
a
A
dedication
was
addressed
to
the
gods
and
not
to
the
public,
and
therefore
there
was
not
in
antiquity
that
need,
which
a
modem
man
might
feel,
for
the avoidance of
ambiguity;
circumlocutions
were
used which
were
intelligible
only
to
the dedicant...
or
the
god
was
not
named
at
all.10
thus
not
important
to
the dedicant that others
understood
exactly
to
which
god
he
or
she
was
referring.
Hence the
same
title
can
be
used
for
a
number of
different
gods.
For
example
in
Syria
’Theos
Hypsistos’
[and
also ’Zeus
Hypsistos’ll]
was
used
to
refer
to
the local Baal
of
a
region,
who
was
often
a
mountain
god. 12
In
Lydia,
’Thea
Hypsiste’
was
used
for
some
form
of
the Mother
goddess. 13
In
Egypt, Hypsistos
was
used
as
an
epithet
of Isis.l4
Further
examples
could be
given. Clearly,
’Theos
Hypsistos’
or
’Hypsistos’
can
designate
a
whole
range
of
exalted
deities. 15
was
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unauthorized distribution.
It
53
of
uyuazoS
In
the
Lxx,
u~icrco<;
occurs over
110
times,
particularly
in
the
Psalms.
Apart
from
a
few
topographical
references,
it is
always
used
to
denote
Yahweh,
and
is
generally
the translation
of
lP7~’
or
~’~L~.16
Whilst there
was no
one
standardized
form
of
usage
of Ü’VlO&dquo;tOÇ
in
the
Lxx,
it
occurs
most
frequently
in
the
phrase
6
Ü’VlO&dquo;tOÇ- ’the
Most
High’-and
quite
often
in the
phrases
6
6EOs
6
6ytaroq
[on
occasions
without the
articles]
and
Kuptos
6
6yt(TToq.1’
Hypsistos
is
found
particularly frequently
in
some
of
the later
writings
of
the
l..xx.
After
Kuptos
it is the
most
common
divine
name
used
in
Sirach.
Hypsistos
occurs
regularly
in
various books
of
the
Pseudepigrapha,
often
simply
as
Ü’VlO&dquo;tOç.18
It
is
found
particularly
frequently
in
the
Testaments
of the
Twelve Patriarchs.
For
example,
in
T.Ash. 5.4
we
.
_
2. The
Jewish
Use
-.
read:
za,S
tvtokd~
rou
Oyi(TTou
E~E~r~oa
Kara
rraaav
icrxúv
llou.19
The
usage
of
’Hypsistos’
in
Joseph
and Aseneth is
very
interesting.
Theos
Hypsistos
occurs as
a
title
for
God
when
pagans
are
addressed
by
Jews,
or
by
the
’heavenly
man’. Thus
the
heavenly
man
pronounces
a
blessing
on
the
seven
virgins:
c6,koy~aF-t
Úllåç
6
6EOS
6
ÜBjIl<TIOÇ
ciq
rov
ctic,)vcx
)Cp6vov. 20
to
The
title
also
occurs
when pagans
are
Thus
in
8.2
Aseneth
greets
Joseph:
speaking
Jews
of Yahweh.
XaipOtq KOPLE
EÙÀOYTlIlEVE
’C(~
6EC~
r(~
v~riarc~.21
Clearly Hypsistos
was
considered
appropriate,
in
such
a
context,
as a
name
for
God
which could
be
put
in the
mouth
of
pagans in
Jewish
literature.22
Thus the
Jewish Pseudepigrapha
show that
’Hypsistos’
was
used
as
a
way
of
designating
Yahweh
in
the intertestamental
period.
Philo
uses
6wtcyroq,
although quite
rarely.
Often
he
is
simply
quoting
the
LXX;23
he
does
not
use
the
term
much when
writing
freely.
The
following
passages
are
noteworthy:
(1)
In L.A.
3.82,
Philo
seems
<uixious
to
guard
against
a
polytheistic
or
syncretistic interpretation
of
the
phrase
’the Most
High’
in
Gen.
14.18,
and also
betrays
an
awareness
that
other
gods
are
called ’the
Most
High’:
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unauthorized distribution.
54
For
he
[Melchizedek]
is
priest
of
the
Most
High
[zou
ydp uBjficrtou
tativ
i£pEÚç4]
not
that there is any
other
not
Most
High-for
God
being
One ’is in heaven
above and
on
earth beneath
and
there
is
none
besides
Him’
[Deut. 4.39].
(2)
In
Leg.
278
Agrippa
writes
to
Gaius:
I
was
born,
as
you
know,
a
Jew.
Jerusalem
is
my
home
where
stands
the
holy
Temple
of
the Most
High
God.
wording
in
Flac.
46,
likewise
addressed
to
non-
Jews.
Thus,
as we saw
with Joseph
and Aseneth,
’the
Most
High
God’
was a name
for
Yahweh which
was
considered
as
appropriate
when
addressing
non-Jews.
(3)
Philo,
in
reporting
the orders of both
Julius
Caesar and
Augustus
with
respect
to
Jewish
sacrifices refers
to
the
Jewish
God
as
’the
Most
High
God’.25
Schilrer
thought
that the
term
6
Ü’Vl<TIOÇ
6EOS
served
the Roman authorities
as a
way
to
describe the
Jewish
God.26
However,
Philo does
not
profess
to
quote the
Emperors
verbatim
and it
is
probable
that he
is
using language
which he
thought
was
acceptable.
It
is
not,
therefore,
evidence that the Roman
authorities
used
the
term
as an
offcial
designation
for
Yahweh,
and
there
is
no
other evidence
from
the
period
to
suggest
this.
In
addition,
uses
Philo
similar
in
view of the
term’s
use
for other
deities,
there
is
no sense
in which it
can
be
thought
of
as
an
oi~cial
designation
for
Yahweh
in his
people’s
dealings
with
foreign
rulers. 27
We
see,
therefore,
that
Philo is
generally
cautious
about the
use
of
the
term
and
is
anxious
to
avoid
misunderstanding.
The title
was
perhaps
too
’loaded’ with
meaning
for
pagan readers
for
Philo
to
use
it
freely.
Indeed
in view
of
the
pagan usage
outlined
above,
the
term
would
not
even
imply
monotheism
for
a
pagan
reader.
It
would
rather
simply
suggest
the creation
of
a
hierarchy
in
their
pantheon.
This
must
have
limited
its
usefulness
for
a
writer like Philo. He does
use
it,
however,
albeit
in
a
very
limited
way,
when
speaking
to
non-
Jews
of
the
Jewish
God,
or
when he
wants to
have
non-Jews,
whose
words he
purports
to
give,
refer
to
Yahweh
in
a
comprehensible
way.
only
when
quoting Augustus’
favour of
the
Jews. Augustus
writes:
Josephus
uses
the
term
decree
in
the
Jews
may
follow their
own
customs...
just
as
they
followed
them
in the
time
of
Hyrcanus,
high
priest
of
the
Most
High
God
[dpXteptWq
OE06
uBjficrtou ]2S
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© 1989 SAGE Publications. All rights reserved. Not for commercial use or
unauthorized distribution.

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