• Christianity Spreads Among First-Century Jews
    The Watchtower—2005 | October 15

    • [Chart on page 14]

      THE APOSTLE PAUL’S CONCERN FOR JEWS IN THE DIASPORA

      BEFORE THE MEETING IN JERUSALEM IN 49 C.E.

      Acts 9:19, 20 Damascus — “in the synagogues he began to preach”

      Acts 9:29 Jerusalem — “talking . . . with the Greek-speaking

      Jews”

      Acts 13:5 Salamis, Cyprus — “publishing the word of God in the

      synagogues of the Jews”

      Acts 13:14 Antioch in Pisidia — “going into the synagogue”

      Acts 14:1 Iconium — “entered . . . into the synagogue of the

      Jews”

      AFTER THE MEETING IN JERUSALEM IN 49 C.E.

      Acts 16:14 Philippi — “Lydia, . . . a worshiper of God”

      Acts 17:1 Thessalonica — “a synagogue of the Jews”

      Acts 17:10 Beroea — “the synagogue of the Jews”

      Acts 17:17 Athens — “reason in the synagogue with the Jews”

      Acts 18:4 Corinth — “give a talk in the synagogue”

      Acts 18:19 Ephesus — “entered into the synagogue and reasoned

      with the Jews”

      Acts 19:8 Ephesus — “entering into the synagogue, he spoke

      with boldness for three months”

      Acts 28:17 Rome — “called together . . . the principal men of

      the Jews”

  • Christianity Spreads Among First-Century Jews
    The Watchtower—2005 | October 15

    • Paul’s Travels and Jews in the Diaspora

      The apostle Paul’s original assignment was “to bear [Jesus Christ’s] name to the nations as well as to kings and the sons of Israel.”b (Acts 9:15) After the Jerusalem meeting, Paul continued to reach out to the Diaspora Jews wherever he traveled. (See the box on page 14.) This indicates that the territorial agreement likely became a geographical one. Paul and Barnabas expanded their missionary work to the west, and the others served the Jewish homeland and the large Jewish communities in the Eastern world.

      When Paul and his companions started the second missionary trip from Antioch in Syria, they were guided westward through Asia Minor up to Troas. From there they crossed over to Macedonia because they concluded that “God had summoned [them] to declare the good news to [the Macedonians].” Later, Christian congregations were started in other European cities, including Athens and Corinth.​—Acts 15:40, 41; 16:6-10; 17:1–18:18.

      About 56 C.E., at the end of his third missionary trip, Paul planned to move even farther westward and expand the territory that he had been assigned at the Jerusalem meeting. He wrote: “There is eagerness on my part to declare the good news also to you there in Rome,” and, “I shall depart by way of you for Spain.” (Romans 1:15; 15:24, 28)