Silas

Etymology

Short form of Silvanus (from Latin 'silva', forest). Also possibly from the Aramaic form of Saul ('asked for'). Paul calls him Silvanus in his letters; Luke calls him Silas in Acts.

Who they were

Silas was a leader of the Jerusalem church — described as a prophet — who was chosen to carry the apostolic decree from the Jerusalem Council to the Gentile churches. He became Paul's companion on the second missionary journey after Paul and Barnabas parted ways. Their most dramatic experience came in Philippi, where they were stripped, beaten with rods, and thrown into prison with their feet in stocks. At midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns — the other prisoners were listening — when an earthquake shook the prison, the doors flew open, and every chain came loose. The jailer, terrified, drew his sword to kill himself (Roman guards who lost prisoners faced execution), but Paul shouted, 'Don't harm yourself! We are all here!' The jailer asked, 'What must I do to be saved?' They answered, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus.' He and his whole household were baptised that night. Silas appears as co-author of both Thessalonian letters and is likely the 'Silvanus' who helped Peter write his first epistle. He was a man who could sing in chains — and that singing shook the foundations.

Character qualities

• Joy in imprisonment
• Prophetic gift
• Loyalty to Paul
• Singing in chains
• Roman citizenship used for the gospel

Key verse

Acts 16:25

Where they appear

Themes

Variants & related forms

Silvanus · Sylvanus · Silus

Related names