Biography
Silas
About Silas
Acts introduces Silas after the Jerusalem council as one of the church’s leaders and prophets. He and Judas Barsabbas accompany Paul and Barnabas to Antioch with the council’s letter, carrying its decision to Gentile believers. When Paul and Barnabas later disagree about taking John Mark on another journey, Paul chooses Silas as his companion. Acts then follows them through Syria and Cilicia into Macedonia, naming Philippi, Thessalonica, and Beroea before Paul proceeds to Athens and Corinth. Acts describes Silas and Paul’s imprisonment at Philippi and their subsequent departure from the city. These episodes make Silas one of the better-attested coworkers in the narrative of Paul’s mission.The Holy See’s discussion identifies the Silas of Acts with Silvanus in Paul’s letters while noting the distinct forms of the name in those sources. Paul’s letters mention Silvanus as a preaching companion with Paul and Timothy and name him as a co-sender of both letters to the Thessalonians. First Peter also calls Silvanus a faithful brother and says the letter was sent through him. These references support Silas/Silvanus as a prominent Christian coworker across early church networks, though they do not provide a continuous biography or exact dates. The Roman Martyrology’s July 13 entry preserves a later commemoration of Silas in Macedonia and gives a traditional account of his preaching and death; those final details are retained as tradition, not contemporary documentation.
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