Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. – Acts 13:1

Today's Scripture Reading (March 13, 2024): Acts 13

Psychologist B. F. Skinner asserted that he could take a baby, and depending on the way he cared for the child, he could mold him into a doctor or a thief. Skinner strongly believed that who we are largely depends on the environment in which we are raised. Theorists like Skinner believed that we start as a blank slate, like a whiteboard waiting for someone to come and write on it. The writing for our blank slates comes from our experiences, weighted more by early experiences and less as we grow older and our personalities become more fixed. The opposite view would say that experiences are unimportant and who we are depends on our genetic makeup. We refer to this debate as being nurture vs. nature. And, like many of our arguments, our reality is probably somewhere in the middle.

Luke begins to list some of the prophets and teachers who had come to Antioch. Barnabas had been sent to Antioch by the church in Jerusalem and likely made many trips back to the city. Barnabas was present along with this friend from Tarsus, Saul, who was also called Paul (the Apostle), Simeon, who was called Niger, was there and, because Niger means black, Simeon was likely a black African who was part of the congregation at Antioch. Lucius of Cyrene was one of the founders of the Antiochene church.

But maybe one of the most fascinating people listed here is Manaen. Luke says that Manaen was brought up with Herod the Tetrarch. It is an interesting comment, indicating that there was somehow a connection between Manaen and Herod very early in their stories. Because of this connection, they would have shared several experiences during their childhood. But the paths their lives took after their childhood ended were very different.

Herod the Tetrarch was Herod Antipas, and Antipas ruled over Galilea and Perea. He began his rule with his father's death, Herod the Great. Antipas was responsible for the beheading of John the Baptist and was part of the trial and execution of Jesus. Herod Antipas had made himself an enemy of the Christian Church. Manaen grew up with Herod Antipas, but he became one of the founders of the Christian Church in Antioch, and Luke lists him as a significant teacher in the Antiochene Church. It is hard to imagine two men who seemed to have similar beginnings, yet their lives took such divergent paths.  

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Acts 14