“But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.”
Bar-Jesus opposed them and tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith — the sorcerer's opposition stems from the threat Paul and Barnabas pose to his influence and livelihood. The verb to turn away (diastrepho) connotes not merely disagreement but active distortion, suggesting Bar-Jesus sought to corrupt the proconsul's understanding of Christian truth. This conflict represents the first major confrontation between apostolic witness and occult power, prefiguring the spiritual warfare motif.
Church Fathers on Acts 13:8
And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus: which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Acts 13:6-8 Again a Jew sorcerer, as was Simon. And observe this man, how,…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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