What cultural beliefs influenced the islanders' reaction in Acts 28:6? Text in Focus “After they had waited a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and began to say he was a god.” (Acts 28:6) The People Luke Calls “Barbaroi” Luke’s “barbaroi” (Acts 28:2) were neither uncivilized nor ignorant. The term simply marked them as non-Greek speakers. Roman sources (Cicero, In Verrem II.4.43; Diodorus V.12) describe the Maltese of the first century AD as a Punic-speaking population that had absorbed heavy layers of Greek and Roman culture through trade and occupation. Excavations at Tas-Silġ (Marsaxlokk) reveal a continuous shrine that moved from Phoenician Astarte to Greek Hera to Roman Juno—evidence of a religious melting-pot that shaped the islanders’ worldview. A Layered Religious Landscape 1. Phoenician–Punic Roots Inscriptions from Rabat and Tas-Silġ invoke Baal Ḥammon and Tanit, deities linked to fertility and weather. Punic religion saw cosmic justice meted out swiftly, often through omens in nature. 2. Greco-Roman Overlay By Paul’s time Malta was under Roman law (since 218 BC). Shrines to Hercules-Melqart (Birżebbuġa) and a probable Asclepius temple on Gozo show that Greek ideas of divine healing and hero-cult deification were familiar. 3. Popular Folk Superstition Mediterranean sailors circulated tales of shipwreck, snakes, and divine vengeance (cf. Virgil, Aeneid III.407-432). For islanders accustomed to travelers, port gossip reinforced the belief that fate punished hidden crimes. The Personified Justice Motif Luke records the islanders saying, “Justice has not allowed him to live” (Acts 28:4). The Greek term is “Dikē,” the goddess who, in Stoic and popular thought, hunts down the guilty (cf. Aeschylus, Eumenides v.135). In contemporary inscriptions (SEG 38.1476, Rhodes) Dikē is invoked to strike murderers. The Maltese, exposed to Hellenistic religion through commerce, naturally attributed the viper to Dikē’s hand. Snakes as Agents of the Divine Across the ancient Mediterranean, serpents served as: • Emblems of Asclepius (healing through the caduceus-entwined snake). • Instruments of vengeance (Hesiod, Theogony v.820-835). • Omens of guilt—Pliny the Elder notes that a sudden snake bite was interpreted as retribution (Nat. Hist. XXIX.19). Though no venomous species lives on Malta today, paleontological layers at Għar Dalam show fossils of Vipera ammodytes, consistent with Paul’s experience and later local traditions recorded by Orosius (Hist. VII.6.15). Why They Expected Paul to Die Mediterranean sailors knew that a viper’s strike produced convulsions within minutes (Nicander, Theriaca v.327-342). Coupled with the belief that shipwreck survivors often carried unresolved guilt (Seneca, Ad Helv. VI), the islanders logically concluded Paul was a murderer escaping the sea but not divine justice. Why They Swung to Deification When the expected symptoms never appeared, cognitive dissonance forced a new interpretation. In hero cult lore, immunity to snake venom marked a demigod: • Hercules crushed two serpents in infancy (Pindar, Nemean I.33). • Asclepius’ priests handled snakes bare-handed in healing rites (Pausanias II.10.3). Witnessing a parallel, the Maltese resorted to the only category that fit the data—a god in human form. Archaeological Corroboration • Votive tablets from Tas-Silġ depict serpents beside a radiate figure, merging Punic Melqart with Hercules. • A 1st-century bronze “abaton” token from Gozo shows a staff-entwined snake with the legend “Soter” (“Savior”), attesting that miraculous healers were divinized on the islands. Greco-Roman Case Studies The reaction to Paul mirrors: • Lystrans calling Barnabas “Zeus” and Paul “Hermes” after a healing (Acts 14:11-13). • The populace of Paphos hailing Bar-Jesus as a “son of Zeus” before Paul exposed him (Acts 13:6-12). Luke’s consistency strengthens the historical credibility of Acts: diverse pagan audiences used their existing grid of gods, omens, and hero myths when confronted with inexplicable power. Theological Implication God sovereignly used their superstition to set the stage for gospel witness (Acts 28:7-10). What began as fear of Dikē ended with hospitality and eventual openness to the message Paul carried—fulfilling the promise that the Lord would protect His servant (Mark 16:18; Acts 23:11). Summary The islanders’ reaction in Acts 28:6 was shaped by a syncretistic blend of Punic fatalism, Greco-Roman justice theology, snake-laden hero myths, and the common Mediterranean practice of deifying wonder-workers. Luke’s account aligns with archaeology, classical literature, and cognitive patterns, showcasing both the historicity of Scripture and the providence of God in directing pagan superstition toward saving truth. |
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