with Sergius Paulus is therefore purely literary, not historical’
(Conzelmann 1987: 100, spelling and emphasis in the original).
Other commentators have surmised that as Paul was a Roman
citizen, he would have possessed the tria nomina(three names)
commonly possessed by Romans (e.g. Gaius Julius Caesar), and
that Paulus (or Paullus) was probably one of these. Similarly, he
probably also had an additional name (a supernomenorsignum)
by which he was commonly called; hence his Aramaic name Saul.
Therefore, it has been argued that while Acts‘observes the coin-
cidence that the governor of Cyprus was also called Paul... there
cannot have been any connection between this fact and Paul’s own
name which he had received at birth’ (Marshall 1980: 220; cf.
Klauck 2000a: 52). Such assertions are, however, very specula-
tive. If Paul did indeed possess the tria nomina, then we have
no idea what those names were, or even if Paul(l)us was one of
them. Given this uncertainty, it is perhaps unsurprising that other
scholars, mainly ancient historians, have sought a much closer
link between the apostle and the governor.
The most recent advocate of such a connection is Stephen
Mitchell (1993: II, 6–7). For him, the telling fact in the narrative
ofActsis the itinerary it ascribes to Paul after leaving Sergius
Paullus and Cyprus:
Then Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and
came to Perge in Pamphylia [the central coastal region of
southern Asia Minor]. John, however, left them and returned
to Jerusalem; but they went on from Perge and came to
Antioch in Pisidia.
(Acts13.13–14)The Roman colony of Antioch in Pisidia, located on a mountain
plateau, seems an unusual next step in Paul’s journey. Why did
he bypass the populous coastal cities of Pamphylia, such as Perge
itself, in favour of a town some 300 kilometres inland and in the
mountains? One suggestion is that Paul was ill, perhaps with
malaria, and sought out a healthier climate at upland Antioch.
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