Traveling west across the island, Saul and Barnabas arrive at Paphos, ninety miles away. This was the senatorial province's official capital. In the governor's court a Jew, Bar-Jesus (transliteration of the Aramaic "Son of Salvation"), operates as a sorcerer and false prophet. Sorcerer (magos) was a venerable term for students of the metaphysical, including members of the Median priest class (Mt 2:1), possessors and users of supernatural knowledge and ability (Josephus Jewish Antiquities 10.195, 216), magicians who used demonic magic (Acts 8:9-10), and charlatans and deceivers (compare 19:13-16; Delling 1967:356). Bar-Jesus is probably a court astrologer with demonic powers (Haenchen 1971:397; contrast Krodel [1986:229], who calls him part of the world of "religious con-artists who practiced quackery and interpreted dreams"). As a false prophet, Bar-Jesus—also called Elymas—claims wrongly to be a medium of divine revelation (Bruce 1988:249). As a sorcerer he claims to know magic formulas by which he can break the bonds of fate and give the governor control over the future. When faced with the truth of the gospel, Bar-Jesus actively opposes the missionaries (compare Lk 21:15; Acts 6:10). He makes every effort to "completely turn aside" the governor from the faith (compare 13:10; 20:30).

In sharp contrast, Sergius Paulus, the proconsul (the correct title for the governor of a senatorial province, which Cyprus became in 22 B.C.), wanted to hear the word of God. Luke calls him intelligent, probably complimenting him for his inquiring mind. His desire to hear the word of God is not simply a matter of administrative prudence (as Longenecker 1981:419). Rather, Luke holds up this Roman official from the highest levels of society as a positive model of the proper response to hearsay about Christianity. The proconsul's interest would surely impress Theophilus and his fellow inquirers, just as a political, entertainment or sports celebrity who declares openly his or her spiritual hunger for the gospel would draw attention today.