Silas (Acts 15:22,27,32,34,40; 16:19,25,29;

17:4,10,14,15; 18:5) is correctly equated with Silvanus

(1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:19; 1 Pet. 5:12).

Silvanus was a cognomen and, since he was a Roman

citizen (Acts 16:37-38), he also had a praenomen and

a nomen, which are unknown to us. The similarity in

sound between Silvanus and Silas is no accident.

There are many examples of ancient Jews with two

names that were near homophones. Since the choice

of cognomina was generally dictated by convention, it

is likely that the name ‘Silas’ was chosen to match

‘Silvanus’ rather than the other way round.

Silas first appears in Jerusalem (Acts 15:22), but we cannot deduce from this that he was a native of Palestine. Acts 11:19-21 tells us that Jesus was proclaimed to

Hellenists, not by Palestinian Jews, but by men from Cyprus and Cyrene who had

been former residents of Palestine. Paul, Timothy, and Barnabas, who also preached

in Gentile lands, also had Diaspora origins. This suggests that Silas may also have

originated outside Palestine. Bauckham mentions this possibility and observes that,

‘The few Latin names found in ossuaries from the Jerusalem area either certainly or

very plausibly belonged to Jews from the diaspora.’(1) A Diaspora origin would have

given him fluent Greek and the necessary cultural understanding to allow him to bring

his Palestinian Jewish faith to a Greek audience.

Williams confirms that the only certain cases of Palestinian Jews with the name Silas

are the two Jewish commanders mentioned by Josephus. On the other had, she

mentions that ‘Among semites of the Syrian area the name had a certain currency.

Silas was the signum or additional name of the 1st-century Roman client king of

Emesa, Gaius Iulius Samsigeramus’. It is therefore not unlikely that Silas was a

native of Syria. This would explain why he was selected to deliver the letter to Antioch.

He would have had an understanding of the region and may have wished to visit family

and friends.

What are we to make of the name "Silas"? Was it one of his birth names, or did he

take the name when he moved to Palestine? Alternatively, was he given the name by

the apostles? What meaning was ascribed to the name by the apostles?

In Palmyrene inscriptions the name SILAS/SEILAS was probably a Greek rendering of

an Aramaic version of the name "Saul", from the root Shin-Alef-Lamed, meaning "to

ask":

http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Hebrew/heb.cgi?number=07592&version=kjv

Here is the most complete discussion of the etymology of Silas that I have been able

to find:

http://www.cwru.edu/univlib/preserve/Etana/encyl_biblica_q-z/shiloni-silassilvanus.pdf

Perhaps the apostles gave him this name because he zealously asked them lots of

questions, or because he petitioned God, or because he petitioned his compatriots to

faithfulness, or something like that.

But perhaps the name, in this instance, has a completely different Hebrew root.

Perhaps SILAS was Luke's Greek rendering of the Hebrew word Samech-Lamed-Ayin,

"Seh'-lah", which means "Rock". See

http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Hebrew/heb.cgi?search=5553&version=kjv&type=

heb&submit=Find

In the OT the word was used figuratively, as well as literally. For example,

Psalm 18:2:

"The LORD is my rock (seh'-lah), and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my

strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation,

and my high tower."

It is therefore possible that the apostles called Silvanus "Seh'-lah" (rock), in much the

same way that Simon was named "Cephas" (rock), James was named "Oblias"

(bulwark of the people), and Mary was apparently named "Magdalene" (tower).

Alternatively, if Silvanus was already called "Silas", the apostles may have modified or

reinterpreted the name as "seh'-lah". We can see from the case of Barnabas that the

apostles could ascribe a meaning to a name that was different from its scientific

etymology.

Silas was certainly dedicated enough to receive such a faithfulness name. He joined

Paul on his second missionary journey and suffered imprisonment with him. He was a

co-sender of some of Paul's letters, and the only other such co-senders were Timothy

and Sosthenes, who were also victims of persecution, and were

recipients of new names, I believe. He was a prophet and a leader of the

Jerusalem church. He was sent to Antioch by the apostles as one of their

emissaries, so we can assume that he accepted their authority.

(1) Bauckham, ‘Paul and other Jews’ p216

(2) M.H. Williams, "Palestinian Jewish Personal Names in Acts", The Book of Acts in

its First Century Setting Vol 4 The Book of Acts in its Palestinian Setting Ed R.

Bauckham (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids) p 101-2.

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