Acts 13:6-8 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Paphos,— The city of Paphos was seated on the western extremity of the island of Cyprus, and famous among the Heathens for the temple and obscene worship of the Paphian Venus. There resided Sergius Paulus, the Roman proconsul, who was a man of good understanding, and well disposed to receive the truth, and obey it; and as he had heard of the character of these two apostles, and, very probably, some imperfect rumour of the Christian religion, he sent for them, and desired that they would give him an account of the Christian doctrine. As he was the first of the idolatrous Gentiles, to whom the gospel was ever preached, Barnabas and Saul did not go to offer it to him; buthe sent for them, as Cornelius, the first-fruits of the devout Gentiles, sent for St. Peter; requesting it as a favour, that he might hear them preach the gospel. But with the proconsul there was one of the magi, a false prophet of the nation of the Jews, whose name was Bar-jesus. He had a great influence over the governor; and when this Bar-jesus (who was otherwise called Elymas, which in the Arabic tongue signifies the magician,) found that the proconsul was inclined to hear and embrace the Christian doctrine; he secretly, and with all his might, endeavoured to dissuade him from it. St. Paul soon detected his malice and wickedness, and severely reprimanded him, denouncing against him the approaching judgments of God; just as St. Peter had reprimanded the hypocrisy and wickedness of Simon the magian, or magician, and by his apostolic power inflicted death upon Ananias and Sapphira for their fraud and lying.