NOTES for Act 16:11-24

The Macedonian who appeared to Paul in a dream was calling him not only to his own country. With the preaching in Philippi, the Gospel message reaches Europe, which from now on is to be a stronghold of Christianity for centuries. It is symbolic that at the founding of the first Christian community in Europe we see a woman, Lydia. From the very beginning, in her person, Europe's openness to the Good News reveals something qualitatively new. Of course, women's souls in the East also opened in love toward God; the Old Testament offers many examples, so Lydia continues a longstanding tradition. And yet, and yet...

Not all the women of Europe are like Lydia, however. Paul has to confront an unfortunate woman possessed by a spirit of divination. There are plenty of such women even now, except that the great income they bring is not for their masters, but for themselves. In casting out the spirit of divination, Paul acts, one might think, against his own advantage: the possessed woman is giving the apostle and his companions free publicity, drawing people to their preaching. Yet Paul has no need of demons' help, however tempting it might be to use it “for good” and “in the name of a higher purpose.” The services of the powers of darkness must be paid for, and the price of their “services” in preaching will inevitably be a distortion of the Gospel's essence. For the second time, after the encounter with Simon the Magician, the Church, in the person of Paul, rejects the temptations to make use of occult powers.