Free Advertisement! Acts 16:16-18

 

Free Advertisement! Acts 16:16-18

One of the disturbing aspects of evangelical Christianity is the insistence that there is only one way of salvation. Jesus made this clear in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” The rise of postmodernism with its denial of absolutes and tolerance for various religions declares evangelical Christians to be “out of touch with reality” and are therefore justly “marginalized.” Consider Paul at Philippi in Acts 16:16-18,

Now as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. She brought her owners a great profit by fortune-telling. She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out of her at once (NASB).

We might ask ourselves a logical question, “Why was Paul so upset when he was receiving free advertisement for his evangelical missionary activity?” The problem becomes clear in numerous English translations where the Greek definite article (“the”), not in the Greek text, is included in many if not most English translations.

The presence of the article in Greek focuses on identification, specifying what or who is involved; the absence of the Greek article can either focus the essential characteristics of the specific noun or leave the noun indefinite and translated with the English “a” or “an.” The usage of the English article differs in significant ways from the Greek article and the translator never  knows whether or not the Greek text has or does not have the article unless he or she examines the original language. The interpretation of Acts 16:16-18 amplifies this issue.

Two interpretation principles on this Acts narrative need attention by the Bible scholar: history and grammar. Polhill provides the significant historical data, “Neither would way of salvation be immediately clear to a Gentile. The Greco-Roman world was full of saviors. Savior/deliverer, salvation/deliverance were favorite terms. The emperor dubbed himself savior of the people. All of which is to show why Paul finally became irritated with the girl’s constant acclamations” (Acts, John B. Polhill. New American Commentary, Vol. 26, 1992). However there is also a highly significant grammatical reason to explain why Paul was so annoyed with the slave girl and her “advertisements.”

A survey of about 14 English translations examined reveal that only three read “a way of salvation,” the NRSV, ISV, CSB. The popular versions in our churches (KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV, NIV) insert the definite article reading “the way of salvation.”

Exegetically, only one option meets the interpretive criteria of sense and history. The citizens of Philippi would not have understood “the way of salvation” as the only path to salvation preached by Paul. Historically there were many “ways of salvation” in Roman and Greek societies. The populace would naturally position Paul and his associates as another group of philosophers roaming the world peddling a brand of “salvation” unique to them, and one that merely provided another “salvation option” for people. In light of this, the indefinite article translation provides a better interpretive probability. As an indefinite phrase one can readily understand why Paul was so upset. The girl’s proclamation was not the way of salvation (τῆς ὁδὸν σωτηρίας) but a way of salvation (ὁδὸν σωτηρίας). To him there is only one way of salvation, and to be classified as “just another philosopher” proclaiming “just another philosophy” would hinder the progress of the true Gospel in Philippi and elsewhere.

In our day, postmodern thinking has captured the minds of unbelievers and, yes, some believers as well, not unlike the demon-possessed slave girl following Paul around, marginalizing the absolute claims of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Satan and his subordinates would like nothing better than to diffuse the absolute and intolerant claims of the true Gospel since he is powerless to destroy it (Matthew 16:18). The Gospel is not “another alternative to salvation” but the only way of salvation!