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    Who Was Silas in the Bible?

    Who Was Silas in the Bible? Silas was a leading Jewish Christian, prophet, and missionary companion of Paul who was imprisoned and miraculously freed in Philippi.

    Key verse: Acts 15:32 (KJV)

    Silas was a leading Jewish Christian, prophet, and missionary companion of Paul who was imprisoned and miraculously freed in Philippi.

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    Quick Answer

    Silas was a leading Jewish Christian, prophet, and missionary companion of Paul who was imprisoned and miraculously freed in Philippi.

    "And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them." — Acts 15:32 (KJV)

    The Biblical Answer

    Silas — also called Silvanus — was a respected leader in the Jerusalem church, chosen to carry the apostles' letter to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. When Paul and Barnabas split over John Mark, Paul chose Silas as his new traveling companion. Together they traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. In Philippi, they were beaten and imprisoned for casting a demon out of a slave girl. At midnight, praying and singing hymns, an earthquake shook the prison, the doors opened, and the jailer and his household were saved. Silas later rejoined Paul in Corinth and helped write the letters to the Thessalonians. Peter mentions him as a 'faithful brother' who helped deliver 1 Peter. Silas was a prophet, a sufferer for the gospel, and a faithful messenger who bridged the Jewish and Gentile worlds.

    Key Scripture References

    "And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them."
    "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed."
    "By Silvanus, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand."

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    Read it in context

    The answer above sits inside Acts. The 365-day chronological plan reads it in the order the events happened.

    Read Acts on day 309 of the chronological Bible reading plan

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    Frequently Asked Questions

    Silas — also called Silvanus — was a respected leader in the Jerusalem church, chosen to carry the apostles' letter to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. When Paul and Barnabas split over John Mark, Paul chose Silas as his new traveling companion. Together they traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. In Philippi, they were beaten and imprisoned for casting a demon out of a slave girl. At midnight, praying and singing hymns, an earthquake shook the prison, the doors opened, and the jailer and his household were saved. Silas later rejoined Paul in Corinth and helped write the letters to the Thessalonians. Peter mentions him as a 'faithful brother' who helped deliver 1 Peter. Silas was a prophet, a sufferer for the gospel, and a faithful messenger who bridged the Jewish and Gentile worlds.

    Paul was a Pharisee who violently persecuted Christians until a dramatic encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus transformed him into the greatest missionary and theologian in church history.

    Timothy was Paul's young protégé and co-worker, raised in the faith by his mother and grandmother, who became a pastor in Ephesus.