‘Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers, Barnabas, and Symeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen the foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.'
We know already that prophets had come from Jerusalem to Antioch (Acts 11:27). Whether they all returned there we do not know. One or other of these prophets described here may well have been a part of that group, and have remained here when the others returned. We note that Barnabas' name is stated first, because he had come on the authority of the Apostles as their delegate and appointed overseer, and secondly because he was Antioch's prime teacher (Acts 11:23-26), in conjunction with Saul. Then come Symeon Niger (a Roman name meaning ‘black') and Lucius of Cyrene. They may well have been among the ‘men of Cyprus and Cyrene' who had begun the preaching to the Gentiles (Acts 11:20). After them comes Manaen, who is described as a distinguished man, having been associated with the royal house in Palestine. He no doubt considered that the position of prophet in the church at Antioch was far superior to that of associate of Herod's court. Unlike the Jews in chapter 12 he had put aside such honours for the sake of the new Messiah. Last of all, as probably the newest among them, comes Saul. The dividing ‘te' - ‘te' may suggest that the first three were the official prophets, and the last two official teachers at a slightly lower level (compare 1 Corinthians 12:29), although the prophets would also be teachers. It is noteworthy how few prophets there are in such a large church. Prophets were not numerous.
Barnabas was a Levite, and from Cyprus. He had quite possibly followed Jesus for at least part of the time. Symeon, called Niger (‘black'), was possibly black and may have come from Africa (but in an area where black people were common not all African's were called Niger, why then was Simeon?). It is equally possible that Symeon was black-browed or had some equally startling feature which gave him his name. Then he could have been from anywhere, even Antioch. Lucius of Cyrene certainly came from Africa. Manaen was seemingly foster brother to Herod Antipas. The word signifies that he was brought up with him. Here is one in absolute contrast to Herod Agrippa. We can compare here how the wife of Herod's steward had also followed Jesus (Luke 8:2). It is apparent that the Good News had spread throughout that ‘household'. Saul was of course a Roman citizen from Tarsus and a Pharisee. They were therefore a good mixture. It seems that none of the prophets or teachers were local Antiochenes, although in a cosmopolitan city that is not necessarily surprising.
As with all the churches at the time there is no single leadership. Even Barnabas is numbered along with the five, and not seen as primary, although a ‘leading light'. The same is true of the Jerusalem church which is also not seen as having a single leader. Peter and James are mentioned together along with ‘other Apostles'. Jesus, the Lord's brother, was necessarily prominent by nature of his unique position, and would become even more so when the Apostles left Jerusalem, but he was not pre-eminent in authority, although he may well have become so in influence. Sole bishops or overseers were unknown in he early church.