# Acts 16:25

> About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

— Acts 16:25, Berean Standard Bible

## On the map

- **Philippi** (Macedonia · today Philippi) — https://scriptoria.digital/en/atlas/philippi

## When

- c. AD 49-52 (counted from the text)
- Date source: Acts 18:12 puts Paul before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia in AD 51-52 by the Delphi inscription. It is the anchor of the whole chronology of Paul.

## Who ruled

- **Claudius**, emperor of Rome, AD 41-54 · Source: Suetonius, Claudius; Tacitus, Annals XI-XII
- **Gallio**, proconsul of Achaia, AD 51-52 · Source: Delphi inscription (SIG 801d), which dates his term; Acts 18:12. It is the only fixed date in Paul's chronology.
- **Herod Agrippa II**, king of Judea, AD 50-93 · Source: Josephus, Jewish War II; Antiquities XX
- **Antonius Felix**, procurator of Judea, AD 52-59 · Source: Josephus, Antiquities XX.7-8; Tacitus, Annals XII.54

## What happened

- **The church in Europe begins in a house** (AD 50)
  Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth, is the first recorded convert on the continent. The European church begins in a businesswoman’s living room.

## See also

- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 — https://scriptoria.digital/en/bible/1-thessalonians/5/16
- Psalms 119:62 — https://scriptoria.digital/en/bible/psalms/119/62
- James 1:2 — https://scriptoria.digital/en/bible/james/1/2
- Romans 5:3 — https://scriptoria.digital/en/bible/romans/5/3
- 1 Peter 1:6-8 — https://scriptoria.digital/en/bible/1-peter/1/6
- Philippians 4:4-7 — https://scriptoria.digital/en/bible/philippians/4/4
- Psalms 77:6 — https://scriptoria.digital/en/bible/psalms/77/6
- Matthew 5:10-11 — https://scriptoria.digital/en/bible/matthew/5/10

Cross-references: OpenBible.info, CC BY 4.0.

## Questions linked to this verse

- Who was praying and singing hymns with Paul in prison about midnight? — https://scriptoria.digital/en/questions/01a151d8-1aad-7ff0-b42a-a25d6ea48206

## This document

- Canonical: https://scriptoria.digital/en/bible/acts/16/25
- Whole chapter: https://scriptoria.digital/en/bible/acts/16
- License: Scripture: Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain. Source: Scriptoria (scriptoria.digital).