Who Was Silas, and What Did He Do for the Early Church?

What do Elbridge Gerry, Daniel Tompkins, Hannibal Hamlin, Schuyler Colfax, and Levi P. Morton have in common?

Probably two things. One, unless you’re a big history nerd, you’ve likely never heard of them. Second, they were vice presidents of the United States. Vice president! One heartbeat away from the presidency and today we’ve not even heard of them.

The number two guy can have a tendency to be overlooked. Sidekicks are often the forgotten people in history. There are a few sidekicks in the New Testament that have also been forgotten. One of those is Silas.

Silas was a leader in the early church who traveled with the apostle Paul.

Where Do We First See Silas in the Bible?

Silas, also known as Silvanus, makes his first appearance in Acts 15. There we read that he is a teacher in the church in Jerusalem. Silas, because he was such a well-respected and influential leader, was chosen by the Jerusalem Council to communicate their decision to the believers in Antioch upon this vital matter of Gentile inclusion.

He must have made an influence upon the apostle Paul, because when Paul began his second missionary journey, Silas was one of those he chose as a companion (Acts 15:40-41).

What Do We Know about Silas?

We know that Silas enjoyed Roman citizenship (Acts 16:37) but as one of the “leading men” of the church of Jerusalem he undoubtedly was of Jewish ancestry as well. Acts also refers to him as a “prophet” and one who “risked his life for the sake of the Lord” (Acts 15:26).

The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary tells us a little more about his name:

“Silas would have been his Jewish family name and may represent the Aramaic form of the Hebrew name Saul. Alternatively, Silas may also be a Greek shortened form of Silvanus (like Epaphras for Epaphroditus). The name Silvanus is a Roman cognomen, a Latinized form of Silas. Derived from the Latin silva, meaning “wood,” Silvanus is also the name of a Roman deity, who represents the life-giving force of nature.”

There is not much information given about Silas’ background. Most of what we know comes from the New Testament and his missionary journeys with the apostle Paul.

Silas’ Missionary Journeys

Silas wasn’t the first choice for Paul’s missionary journey. He had originally intended to continue along with his friend Barnabas. But there arose a great dispute among them over what to do with the young John Mark. Barnabas took Mark with him and went off to Cyprus but “Paul chose Silas and departed” to Syria and Cilicia with the goal of strengthening the churches there.

Timothy joined the group in Lystra and the three (Paul, Silas, and Timothy) went through Phrygia, Galatia, and Troas. While in Philippi both Paul and Silas were dragged before the leaders of the city, beaten, and eventually imprisoned (Acts 16:19-24, 1 Thess. 2:2).

Silas is also with Paul in Thessalonica, where there was quite the uprising of Jews from Thessalonica. It is here that Silas and Paul seem to have parted ways at least for a season. Paul went to Athens and Silas, along with Timothy, stayed in Macedonia. It seems that Timothy rejoined Paul while Paul was still in Athens, but it isn’t clear that Silas rejoined at that time.

In Acts 18 Silas rejoined Paul in Corinth. While here Silas “preached” (2 Cor. 1:19) and also was part of writing Paul’s Thessalonian correspondence (1 & 2 Thessalonians). This letter was written while they were all in Corinth. After Paul leaves Corinth we see nothing more of Silas.

There is a Silvanus (likely the same Silas) who makes an appearance in 1 Peter 5:12. There Peter says, “with the help of Silas…I have written you briefly.” This means that Silas was either the bearer of the letter, that he had a part in writing the letter, or he was the amanuensis of the letter.

What Did Silas Do to Help Grow the Early Church?

Silas was instrumental for the spread of the gospel in the early church. Silas would have also been vital to the establishment of the churches in Macedonia (like Philippians). It seems like Silas was one of those integral pieces to a church fellowship — he was like the glue that held things together. We see this with his delegation from the Jerusalem council and we see it as he traveled with Paul on mission.

He also had an extensive ministry in Corinth. He would have stayed in that city with Paul for a year and half. And many believe that he ending up stayed in Corinth even longer. Some early church tradition places Silas as the first bishop to Corinth.

Walter Elwell shares a bit of speculation on Silas’ later ministry endeavors:

“The subsequent history of Silas is obscure. Some believe Silas was a respected Christian scribe. Silas’ involvement in 1 and 2 Thessalonians is often mentioned, pointing to Paul’s sustained use of the first person plural. Some scholars find resemblances among 1 and 2 Thessalonians, the decree of Acts 15, and 1 Peter, where Silas is mentioned as a scribe (1 Pt 5:12). This latter association with Peter is intriguing and has led to the speculation that Silas ultimately joined Peter and ministered in North Asia.”

What Happened to Silas?

As mentioned earlier, we do not know exactly what happened to Silas. Scripture is silent on the end of Silas’ story. But church history places him as one of the first bishops of Corinth. Others place Silas with Peter in Rome as a trusted companion of the apostle.

Another theory is that Silas is the author of Hebrews. Silas was a Jewish believer so he would have been well equipped to understand all of the Levitical rituals throughout the letter. He also was a coworker with Paul, so that could explain some of the Pauline thought and language in the letter. As one of the “church leaders” it’s certainly plausible that a letter by him would have been well received.

At the end of the day, I find the evidence for Silas authoring Hebrews unpersuasive. But I mention this simply to say that he had quite the influence upon the church. He was one of those sidekicks that made a significant impact but isn’t as well known in our day. Ultimately, what happened to Silas is the same thing that will happen to all such men and women who are united to Christ and spill out their life in service to Him.

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

That is the history to which Silas would likely be the proudest.

Sources

John Gillman, “Silas (Person),” ed. David Noel Freedman, The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 22.

Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Silas,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 1963.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Ben White