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MACEDONIA

And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, ‘come over to Macedonia and help us.’  (Acts 16:9)

On his return to Galatia, the apostle Paul had planned on expanding his mission to the Roman province of Asia; but receiving an unspecified negative sign sent by the Holy Spirit that barred him from travelling west, he decided to head north to Bithynia and Black Sea coast, only to be prevented again.  Then he was sent a positive sign in the form of a vision, so informing where he was to go.  However, there is good cause to speculate that this was a test for the apostle because, historically, the Macedonians had visited great harm on his people, the Jews and had left a legacy that challenged those who feared God and observed His Holy Law. 

Μακεδονία, Macedonia, was the northern Roman province to the north of Achaia, or Greece. Though to Paul and all Jews, Greeks were interchangeable, Macedonia was not Greece.

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PHILIP

Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.  Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ.  (Acts 8:5)

Philip was a common Greek name, Φίλιππος (Philippos) a compound of philos and hippos, it meant ‘lover (of) horses’, and features several times in the New Testament.  Matthew (14:3) tells us that Herod the Tetrarch’s brother was called Philip and also that one of the twelve disciples is a Philip (10:3).

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GOSPEL (of Christ)

…If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. 

(Galatians 1:9)

Taken from the Anglo Saxon godes spell, ‘good words or speech’ the English language derives the word ‘gospel’.  The Greek word translated ‘gospel’ is εὐαγγελίζεται euangelizetai, stands for the act of good speaking, literally communicating a good message.  And for Paul, the message was sacrosanct and if any choose to deliver a different ‘gospel’, one did so at your eternal peril.

Twice Paul offers this imprecation at the beginning of Galatians.  To Paul it was a serious matter to understand and communicate the gospel without deviation or corruption.

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PROPHET

The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the Lord your God has not permitted you to do so.  The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.   For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, “Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.”

The Lord said to me: “What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. (Deuteronomy 18:14-18)

In the second reading of the Law brought down from Mount Sinai, or Horeb, Moses brings a message from Almighty God.  In this capacity Moses is acting as a ‘spokesman’.  The Hebrew word translated as prophet is נָבִיא nevi and it means just that, one who speaks on God’s behalf.

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