Paul Confronts Bar-Jesus on Cyprus

Paul and Barnabas (accompanied by John Mark) sail to Cyprus as the first stop on the first missionary journey. They preach across the island from Salamis to Paphos. The Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus invites them in to hear the message, but a Jewish sorcerer named Bar-Jesus — also called Elymas — embedded in his court tries to block the conversion. Paul looks straight at him, declares him a "son of the devil," and announces God will strike him blind for a time. He instantly loses his sight. Watching this, the proconsul believes — the first Roman official converted on a missionary journey. From this point Saul is consistently called Paul.

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