ACTS 14:12 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
“And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.”
Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because Paul was the chief speaker — the syncretistic identification reflects Greco-Roman religious categories: Zeus as the supreme deity, Hermes as the messenger god (fitting for the primary speaker). This conflation of apostolic identity with pagan gods represents the ultimate misreading: the missionaries' work is attributed to polytheistic deities rather than the one God.
Church Fathers on Acts 14:12
And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Acts 14:11-13 But this purpose was not yet manifest, for they spoke in their own…
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