Elymas

Elymas, also known as Bar-Jesus (arc. Bar-Yeshua, lat. Bariesu), was a Jewish magician who appears in the New Testament in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 13. [1]

Acts of the Apostles calls him a magus, which the King James Bible here translates as "sorcerer". He is represented as opposing Paul of Tarsus and Barnabas on the city of Paphos on Cyprus, when Sergius Paulus, the Roman Proconsul, wishes to hear Paul and Barnabas speak about Jesus. Because of this opposition, Paul states that God has decided to make him temporarily blind. A cloud of darkness immediately begins blocking his sight;[2] and after this miracle, Sergius Paulus is converted to Christianity. These events took place during Paul's first missionary journey.

Name

Elymas means "Wise" in Arabic, while Bar-Yeshua literally means "son of Jesus" in Aramaic.

References

  1. ^ Acts 13
  2. ^ "Immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand;" Acts 13:11