Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY

“Speaking With Boldness by the Authority of Jehovah”

“Bearing Thorough Witness” About God’s Kingdom
- 8. Why did Paul and Barnabas leave Iconium, and what lesson do we learn from their example?
  
  ⁸ After some time, opposers in Iconium hatched a plot to stone Paul and Barnabas. When these two missionaries were informed of it, they chose to move to other witnessing territory. (Acts 14:5-7) Kingdom proclaimers use similar discretion today. When faced with verbal attacks, we speak with boldness. (Phil. 1:7; 1 Pet. 3:13-15) But when violence looms, we avoid doing something foolhardy that would unnecessarily endanger our lives or the lives of fellow believers.—Prov. 22:3.

“Speaking With Boldness by the Authority of Jehovah”

“Bearing Thorough Witness” About God’s Kingdom
- Iconium lay on the border between the Galatian regions of Lycaonia and Phrygia. Certain ancient writers, including Cicero and Strabo, called Iconium a city of Lycaonia, and from a geographic standpoint, the city did belong to that region. The Acts account, however, distinguishes Iconium from Lycaonia, where “the Lycaonian language” was spoken. (Acts 14:1-6, 11) For this reason, critics argued that the book of Acts was inaccurate. In 1910, though, archaeologists found inscriptions in the city indicating that Phrygian was indeed the language used in Iconium for two centuries following the visit of Paul and Barnabas. Hence, the writer of Acts was correct in distinguishing Iconium from the cities of Lycaonia.