Last year, I published a lengthy essay titled “The Book of Acts is High-Resolution Reportage,” in which I documented and discussed no less than forty undesigned coincidences between Acts and the first four epistles found in our New Testament – i.e., Romans, the Corinthian letters, and Galatians. Cumulatively, this class of evidence supports the historicity of Acts down to the granular detail. In this article, I will strengthen this case still further by adducing an additional set of undesigned coincidences drawn between Acts and the remaining Pauline epistles.
Here, [in this 3-part series] I lay out a total of twenty-two examples of interlocking correspondences between Acts and Paul’s epistles. There is one overlap (#9 below) with those covered in my earlier article, since the epistle to the Philippians was of relevance to a coincidence described in my earlier essay. Moreover, #8 and #12 are not independent of one another. Thus, the total number of examples adduced in this article that are both unique and independent is twenty. This brings the total number of undesigned coincidences between Acts and the Pauline corpus to approximately sixty. I am indebted to William Paley for all of the examples adduced in this article.[1]
[. . . . In part 1 of this series, I surveyed undesigned coincidences in Ephesians and Colossians. I also argued] that the author of Acts and the epistles of Paul are independent of one another – that is to say, the author of Acts was not using Paul’s letters as a source, nor vice versa. Since 2 Thessalonians, Philemon and Titus are the only Pauline epistles that do not [yet appear to] contain any undesigned coincidences with Acts, I will not include either of those letters in this discussion. In part 2 of this series, I surveyed the undesigned coincidences in Philippians. In this third and final installment, I survey 1 Thessalonians and the Pastoral Epistles].
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The Undesigned Coincidences in 1 Thessalonians
Paul, Silvanus and Timothy
The greeting at the beginning of 1 Thessalonians indicates that it was sent by Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy (1 Thess 1:1). Turning over to Acts 17:1,10, we are not told explicitly that Paul & Silas were involved in Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica. It is only in Acts 17:14-15, when Luke writes that Silas & Timothy remained behind in Berea, that it is implied that presumably Timothy had been there the whole time, even though he went unmentioned in connection to Paul’s ministry in Thessalonica.
The Arrival of Silas & Timothy from Macedonia
There are also strong grounds for thinking that Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians from Corinth, at a time when Timothy had recently returned from Macedonia with a report on the spiritual wellbeing of the Thessalonian Christians (1 Thess 3:1-5). This correlates with the arrival of Silas and Timothy in Corinth from Macedonia in Acts 18:5.
Shamefully Treated in Philippi
In 1 Thessalonians 2:2, Paul writes, “though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.” How did the Thessalonians know about the shameful way in which Paul was treated in Philippi?
Turning to Acts 16, we are informed that Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi, though they were freed from the prison by an earthquake. The jailor, fearing that the prisoners had escaped, was about to take his own life, when Paul assures him that all are present. The jailor then becomes a believer and, along with his whole household, is baptized. The magistrates then order their release. In verse 37, we read of Paul’s complaint: “They have beaten us publicly, uncondemned, men who are Roman citizens, and have thrown us into prison; and do they now throw us out secretly? No! Let them come themselves and take us out.” This complaint elicits an apology from the magistrates, and Paul and Silas are asked to leave the city.
This is the shameful treatment to which Paul refers in his letter to the Thessalonians. And where is Paul’s very next port of call (Acts 17:1ff)? Thessalonica! Indeed, the route taken by Paul was a major Roman highway, the Via Egnatia. The cities of Amphipolis and Apollonia were overnight stops along that highway. Paul’s route from Philippi to Thessalonica is depicted in the map below.
Thus, one can envision Paul arriving in Thessalonica and recounting to the new converts what just happened in Philippi.
The evidential value of this connection is further strengthened by the fact that the author of Acts does not appear to be using 1 Thessalonians as a source for the composition of his narrative (1 Thessalonians is arguably Paul’s earliest letter). 1 Thessalonians 1:9 emphasizes the conversion of pagans in Thessalonica (“…you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God…”) whereas Acts emphasizes the conversion of Jews and god-fearing gentiles (Acts 17:1-4). These are not mutually exclusive, but it does point to the independence of Acts and 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians appears to be addressed to a mixed audience, which included Jews as well as pagans. Indeed, 1 Thessalonians contains allusions to ideas that would make little sense to Gentiles lacking familiarity with Jewish eschatological thought (e.g. 1 Thess 4:14-17). Paul also distinguishes believers from Gentiles, whose ways they ought not copy (1 Thess 4:4-5).
Jewish Instigation and Gentile Action
In 1 Thessalonians 2:14, Paul writes,
For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews…
Here, Paul implies that the instigators of the persecution in Thessalonica are their “own countrymen” rather than the Jews. He then alludes to those Jews who drove him out of Thessalonica (2:15-16):
…who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved…
In this text, Paul indicates that the persecution in Thessalonica involved both Jews as well as gentiles. While the Thessalonians were being persecuted by their fellow gentiles, the Jews had also somehow been involved.
Paul’s expression of anger towards the Jews in this passage is uncharacteristic of Paul, who emphasizes his love for the Hebrew nation, that he does not wish to bring a charge against them, and that he continuously prayed for their salvation (e.g. Acts 28:19; Rom 10:1ff). This uncharacteristically bitter sentiment seems to require a special circumstance pertaining to a specific group of Jews who had been responsible for something that particularly irritated Paul. Paul does not take the time to explain the circumstances in Acts – his audience, the Thessalonian Christians, would have known this already. When we turn to the book of Acts, such a circumstance is precisely what we find. According to Acts 17:5-9, the Jews stirred up the crowds (which we presume to be largely gentiles) by spreading the slanderous accusation that Paul was teaching sedition against Caesar. Verses 6-9 tell us that the mob of Jews “dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities…” The city authorities then demand a legal bond from Jason and the rest as a bond against further disturbances, and release them. Paul then leaves the city of Thessalonica for Berea.
This all makes a great deal of sense in terms of the contemporary political situation. Beyond the Jewish territories in the Roman empire, it was harder for Jews to directly persecute Paul or gentile believers. They therefore had to resort to agitating a large mob of gentiles against Paul and his companions. According to Acts 17:10-15, the Jewish opponents of Paul followed as far as Berea to employ the same strategy there.
Thus, the Thessalonian Christians endured persecution from “their own countrymen” rather than from the Jews directly. Nonetheless, Paul expresses his indignation against those Jewish opponents who drove him out of Thessalonica and subsequently Berea, due to their opposition to him preaching the gospel to the gentiles.
This background, supplied by Acts, illuminates Paul’s uncharacteristically strong language against the Jews in this letter, together with the complexity of the situation in Thessalonica that Paul implies, without explanation, in this epistle.
This coincidence is particularly striking given the strong case, laid out earlier in this essay, that the account in Acts is independent of this epistle.
Driven Out of Macedonia
As discussed in the previous example, we read in Acts 17:5-9 about the persecution endured by Paul from a mob of Jews who stirred up trouble for him in Thessalonica. Paul thus had to leave in haste to go to Berea (Acts 17:10). We read in verse 13 that “when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that the word of God was proclaimed by Paul at Berea also, they came there too, agitating and stirring up the crowds.” Paul thus, again, had to leave in haste to travel to Athens — “Then the brothers immediately sent Paul off on his way to the sea, but Silas and Timothy remained there. Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens, and after receiving a command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they departed.” Paul’s route from Berea to Athens is shown in the map below.
Acts leaves unexplained why Paul left behind Silas and Timothy. This unexplained allusion is itself a hallmark of verisimilitude in the text. It is the texture of testimony — one does not typically leave loose ends like this in a fictitious work. Moreover, Silas and Timothy are instructed to rejoin Paul “as soon as possible.” We are therefore led to presume that they did rejoin Paul in Athens shortly thereafter (though the text does not indicate explicitly). Acts 17:16 actually says that “Paul was waiting for them at Athens.” Nonetheless, they are next reported to rejoin Paul not in Athens but in Corinth — and they arrived not from Athens but from Macedonia, where the cities of Thessalonica and Berea are (Acts 18:5).
What accounts for this gap in the text? An explanation is provided by 1 Thessalonians 3:1-5:
Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing to be left behind at Athens alone, 2 and we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s coworker in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, 3 that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are destined for this. 4 For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. 5 For this reason, when I could bear it no longer, I sent to learn about your faith, for fear that somehow the tempter had tempted you and our labor would be in vain.
Thus, Paul indicates, under the circumstances, he had been concerned for the wellbeing of the Christians in Thessalonica, and so he commissioned Timothy to go back from Athens to Thessalonica to check on the believers there. This explains the gap in the account in Acts, and thereby corroborates the account in Acts. This undesigned coincidence is, again, all the more striking given the independence (as I have shown) between Acts and 1 Thessalonians.
The Undesigned Coincidences in The Pastoral Epistles
Lois, Eunice, and Timothy’s Upbringing
One example of where the letter of 2 Timothy dovetails casually with the book of Acts is the statement in 2 Timothy 3:14-15: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” We also read in 2 Timothy 1:5, “I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.” This means that one, or both, of Timothy’s parents must have been Jewish.
When we turn to the book of Acts, we read that “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek.” (Acts 16:1). Notice also that Acts makes mention of the mother alone being a believer. Acts suggests that the father was not a believer. Likewise, in the epistle, Paul praises Timothy’s mother Eunice for her belief (even making mention of her name, which is not given in Acts). But he makes no mention of the father. Incidental corroborations such as this between Acts and the Pastoral epistles are all the more striking given that it is apparent that the author of the Pastorals, supposing him to be a forger, probably was not using the Acts of the Apostles as a source (as evidenced by the challenge, discussed previously, of integrating the Pastorals into the chronology found in Acts). For the same reason, it is not probable that Luke used the Pastoral epistles as a source (I am also persuaded that Acts was composed during Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, which would have been prior to the composition of this letter). Furthermore, it seems prima facie unlikely that a forger would invent out of whole cloth Timothy’s grandmother (who is never mentioned anywhere else) and refer to Timothy’s being raised and instructed by women rather than men, appealing to Timothy to follow what he learned from those women. It would hardly commend the story to anyone to invent Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice. Jewish men would typically base their claim to orthodoxy on a male line of instruction. Indeed, Paul’s own instruction would have carried much more weight, and one might expect a fraud to emphasize Paul’s own teaching of Timothy. This would even have fitted with Paul’s own personality elsewhere (c.f. 1 Cor 4:16; 1 Cor 11:1; 1 Thess 1:6).
Alexander the Coppersmith
An example of an undesigned coincidence in the Pastoral epistles relates to Paul’s allusion to Alexander the coppersmith, whom he notes “did me great harm,” (2 Tim 4:14-15, c.f. 1 Tim 1:18-20). Given that Timothy is placed by the Pastoral letters in Ephesus (1 Tim 1:3), the most obvious individual for a forger to choose as Paul’s enemy would be Demetrius the silversmith (Acts 19:23-28). Instead, Paul cautions Timothy concerning an otherwise unknown metalworker. The passing allusion in 1 Timothy 1:18-20 does not even indicate that Alexander was a smith. Interestingly, Acts 19 reports a riot in Ephesus that involved not only Demetrius, who instigated it, but also “workmen in similar trades” (Acts 19:25). It is striking, then, that the Alexander of 2 Timothy is said to be a workman who occupied a trade similar to that of Demetrius.
Erastus the City Treasurer
Another example of an undesigned coincidence can be found in 2 Timothy 4:20: “Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus.” Paul here mentions his solitude, and urges Timothy, “Do your best to come before winter,” (verse 21). We know from Acts 19:22 that Timothy and Erastus were “two of his helpers”, which means Timothy and Erastus evidently knew each other well (hence it is fitting that Erastus should be mentioned in a letter to Timothy). It seems also a fair presumption that the city of Corinth was Erastus’ home, hence why Paul mentions to Timothy that “Erastus remained at Corinth.” It is striking, then, that when we turn to the epistle to the Romans (16:23), we read, “Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.” Now it turns out that Erastus was the city treasurer for the city from which Paul was writing his epistle to the Romans. If, then, we can establish a firm case, on completely independent grounds, that the epistle to the Romans was written in Corinth, this then would explain why Paul at the close of his letter specifically mentions Erastus’ greeting of the Roman church — and it would be a coincidence too subtle to be the product of design.
Persecution at Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra
A further example is found in 2 Timothy 3:10-11, in which we read, “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.” The Antioch here mentioned was not Antioch the capital of Syria but rather Antioch in Pisidia, to which, as we read in Acts 13, Paul was sent along with Barnabas. The book of Acts tells us (13:50-51), “But the Jews incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium.” Acts 14:1-7 tells us of the persecution Paul endured in Iconium at the hands of both Jews and gentiles, occasioned by his preaching in the Jewish synagogue. As a consequence, Paul had to flee to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and the surrounding country, where they continued proclaiming the gospel. In Acts 14:19-21, we read of Paul being stoned and dragged out of the city by Jews who came from Antioch and Iconium. It is thus evident that this account relates directly to the persecutions that Paul references in 2 Timothy 3:10-11, where he alludes specifically to his “persecutions and sufferings that happened to [him] at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra.” We thus have a conformity between Acts and 2 Timothy in terms of his persecutions in those three cities of Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. There is also conformity of the fact that he suffered these persecutions in immediate succession and in the order in which Paul mentions the cities in his letter to Timothy.
Lystra and Derbe
Another point that bears mentioning is that, in Acts, Lystra and Derbe are frequently mentioned together, whereas in the quotation from 2 Timothy, Lystra is mentioned while Derbe is omitted. And sure enough, in the book of Acts, we do not read of Paul facing any persecutions in Derbe. Rather, we are told in Acts, “But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch,” (Acts 14:21). Thus, there is perfect correspondence not only between the enumeration of the cities in which he faced persecution, but also where that enumeration stops, and the accounts of his persecutions as given in Acts.
Timothy, a Witness to Paul’s Persecution
Paul also seems to imply that Timothy witnessed these persecutions that happened to him in these cities, or at the very least is very well acquainted with them and can bring them to mind. This too can be corroborated from Acts. According to Acts, Paul made a second missionary journey through the same country. The purpose for this trip, as stated in Acts 15:36, was to check on those who had been converted during the first journey to see how they were doing. In Acts 16:1-2, we further learn, “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brothers at Lystra and Iconium.” We thus are informed that either Derbe or Lystra was Timothy’s hometown. It is clear from the text that Timothy had already been converted by the time of this visit. And Paul himself refers to Timothy as “my true child in the faith” (1 Tim 1:2) and “my beloved child” (2 Tim 1:2). This indicates that Timothy was most likely Paul’s own convert. It then follows that Timothy was almost certainly converted upon Paul’s previous journey through these cities, at just the time when the apostle had undergone the persecutions alluded to in his letter to Timothy.
Acts is High-Resolution Reportage
Cumulatively, the evidence surveyed in the foregoing marshals a compelling case that the author of Luke-Acts was very well informed about Paul’s itinerary and travels, close up to the facts, and historically conscientious. While each individual example is of modest value when considered in isolation, they amount to a very strong argument when taken in aggregate that is difficult to dismiss as accidental (particularly when you factor in the further forty examples reviewed in my previous article).
It is also highly significant, as I showed at the beginning of this essay, that Acts and the Pauline epistles appear to be independent of one another – indeed, the evidence suggests that Luke had not read any of the epistles. This makes the undesigned coincidences reviewed in this essay all the more striking.
The coincidences reviewed in this essay and in the preceding one span multiple facets of Paul’s ministry – his travels, imprisonments, companions, financial circumstances, and numerous incidental personal relationships. If Acts is anchored in genuine historical memory, this is precisely what should be expected. The accounts bear the texture of authentic reportage.
References:
[1] William Paley, Horae Paulinæ; or, The Truth of the Scripture History of St. Paul Evinced by a Comparison of the Epistles Which Bear His Name, with the Acts of the Apostles, and with One Another (London: R. Faulder, 1790).
Recommended Resources:
Why We Know the New Testament Writers Told the Truth by Frank Turek (mp4 Download)
The Top Ten Reasons We Know the NT Writers Told the Truth mp3 by Frank Turek
Counter Culture Christian: Is the Bible True? by Frank Turek (Mp3), (Mp4)
The New Testament: Too Embarrassing to Be False by Frank Turek (Mp3, and Mp4)
Dr. Jonathan McLatchie is a Christian writer, international speaker, and debater. He holds a Bachelor’s degree (with Honors) in forensic biology, a Masters’s (M.Res) degree in evolutionary biology, a second Master’s degree in medical and molecular bioscience, and a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology. Currently, he is an assistant professor of biology at Sattler College in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. McLatchie is a contributor to various apologetics websites and is the founder of the Apologetics Academy (Apologetics-Academy.org), a ministry that seeks to equip and train Christians to persuasively defend the faith through regular online webinars, as well as assist Christians who are wrestling with doubts. Dr. McLatchie has participated in more than thirty moderated debates around the world with representatives of atheism, Islam, and other alternative worldview perspectives. He has spoken internationally in Europe, North America, and South Africa promoting an intelligent, reflective, and evidence-based Christian faith.
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