Topic
Mercury; Mercurius
2 passages cited, from 1 classic reference work.
These works date from 1915 and are in the public domain. They reflect the Protestant scholarship of their time: their history, archaeology and dates can be out of date, and where they interpret, other traditions read the text differently. The verses are shown in the King James Version, the wording these works were written against.
The verses
The passages the works cite, those cited by more of them first.
- Acts 14:12ISBE
And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.
- 2 Corinthians 10:10ISBE
For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.
In the reference works
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) · 2 references
mur'-ku-ri, mer-ku'ri-us: The translation of Hermes, in Ac 14:12: "They called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercury, because he was the chief speaker." Hermes was the god of eloquence (and also of theft), the attendant, messenger and spokesman of the gods. The more commanding presence of Barnabas (compare 2Co 10:10) probably caused him to be identified with Zeus (the Roman Jupiter), while his gift of eloquence suggested the identification of Paul with Hermes (the Roman Mercury). The temple of Jupiter was before Lystra, and to him the Lycaonians paid their chief worship. Compare the legend of Baucis and Philemon (Ovid, Metam. viii.611 f).
See HERMES; JUPITER; GREECE, RELIGION IN ANCIENT.
M. O. Evans
Texts: International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), from the CrossWire SWORD modules (public domain). Verse references were parsed from the works' own markup and checked against the KJV verse list.