I ran across an interesting lecture given by Joseph Shulam, a Jewish Believer of Yeshua HaMashiach (A Fellow Disciple of Jesus Christ). In his lecture, Shulman reveals a few interesting places that Yeshua and His Disciples are alluded to in The Talmud and other Jewish Writings. All of the points that he makes are intriguing in their own way, but I wanted to share this nice one in particular that directly relates to a man who is mentioned only once in The Book of Acts. I firmly believe that every single word in The Holy Bible is Perfect, therefore every name mentioned is of significant importance. May The Holy Spirit lead us in this study to learn as much as we can about one particular person named Manaen, who is mentioned once in The Book of Acts.
“Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” - Acts 13:1
We know that The Church in Antioch was most likely the first church that was ever established and the disciples there were the first to be called “Christians” ( Χριστιανούς - Christianous ). Although church history from this time tends to be based more on tradition than written records, from what I can tell this particular church in Antioch could very well have been the original church that Jesus Christ established Himself, while He physically walked this earth. We know for sure that this was the first place where both Jewish and Gentile believers worshipped together.
“Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.
But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.
And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,
for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.
So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” Acts 11:19-26
Scholars seem to agree, for the most part, that The Book of Acts was written sometime between 60-90 A.D, so The Church of Antioch is at least that old for sure. The Book of Acts is one of the most important books that I have unfortunately neglected to study for years. I personally subscribe to the belief that The Books of Acts, as well as The Gospel of Luke, were penned by Luke who was a gentile companion of Paul and a physician by trade. I figure that if you believe what The Bible says, then these three points simply cannot be challenged. The Holy Bible acts as its own dictionary, as it defines itself via thorough word studies. If you really dig deep, especially with the help of The Holy Spirit, you will find that it provides all the keys for its own interpretation. Through His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Our LORD revealed Himself in a very Logical Way. John referred to Him as LOGOS ( λόγος ), THE WORD, which is very telling of His Nature and His Desire to have a personal relationship and intimacy with us all.
Of course, we can find a ton of Divine Numeric Perfection established around and within the Greek term LOGOS ( λόγος ), which I’ve covered several times and will continue to as The LORD sees fit - here is a good place to start, if you’re interested:
That being said, people way smarter than me have written about how we can see the technical Greek writing style of Luke’s works as being a product of his physician occupation, as well his emphasis on gentile redemption through Jesus Christ being a good indication of his gentile (Greek) lineage. I think that it’s way more simple to rely on what Paul wrote and if you believe scripture is true, then there’s no reason to look further. In Colossians 4:11-12, Paul lists three Jewish Men who “are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God” and we don’t see Luke mentioned in that list, though he is mentioned in verse 13 and is referred to by Paul as “Luke the beloved physician.” We see Luke mentioned again in 2 Timothy 4:11, where Paul states that “Luke alone is with me.”
“Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him),
and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis.
Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.” - Colossians 4:11-14
“Luke alone is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.” - 2 Timothy 4:11
Now, back to the subject of Manaen. I’ve found quite a bit of evidence that indicates that Menahem was one of the original men who was involved in the foundation of The Antioch Church, so he must have held some sort of outstanding importance. We know that his name is of Hebrew Origin ( מנחם ) meaning “Comforter.” The English spelling Manaen, that we see in Acts, is a transliteration of the Hebrew, which can also be rendered as Manahem or Manechem. Joseph Shulam points out in his commentary that Manachem was a big deal in the Jewish community in his day, so much so that he’s mentioned in The Talmud - buried in one of those sections where the Rabbi’s are arguing about this or that, only to never come up with a concise agreement on the subject, which seems to be a common theme throughout The Talmud.
Though this passage doesn’t reveal anything of profound spiritual significance, it establishes that Menahem held some post of high authority, as his name and opinion is mentioned right alongside of Hillel. Not only that, it confirms that “he left his post” as an official of The Sanhedrin. It seems as if Menahem was another highly learned prominent Jewish Official, and a Torah Scholar like Paul, who had cultural notoriety and the obvious respect of his peers. If Yeshua was not The Jewish Messiah, then why would these Top Tier Torah Scholars drop everything and give it all up to serve Jesus Christ? There was no earthy gain whatsoever in them doing so. They obviously knew that their reward was something much greater and not of this world - but in Olam HaBah (The World To Come).
MISHNA: Yosei ben Yo’ezer says not to place one’s hands on offerings before slaughtering them on a Festival because this is considered performing labor with an animal on a Festival. His colleague, Yosef ben Yoḥanan, says to place them; Yehoshua ben Peraḥya says not to place them; Nitai HaArbeli says to place them; Yehuda ben Tabbai says not to place them; Shimon ben Shataḥ says to place them; Shemaya says to place them; Avtalyon says not to place them. Hillel and Menaḥem did not disagree with regard to this issue. Menaḥem departed from his post, and Shammai entered in his stead. Shammai says not to place them; Hillel says to place them. - Jerusalem Talmud - Mishnah Chagigah 2-2
מַתְנִי׳ יוֹסֵי בֶּן יוֹעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר שֶׁלֹּא לִסְמוֹךְ, יוֹסֵף בֶּן יוֹחָנָן אוֹמֵר לִסְמוֹךְ. יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה אוֹמֵר שֶׁלֹּא לִסְמוֹךְ, נִיתַּאי הַאַרְבֵּלִי אוֹמֵר לִסְמוֹךְ. יְהוּדָה בֶּן טָבַאי אוֹמֵר שֶׁלֹּא לִסְמוֹךְ, שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן שָׁטַח אוֹמֵר לִסְמוֹךְ. שְׁמַעְיָה אוֹמֵר לִסְמוֹךְ, אַבְטַלְיוֹן אוֹמֵר שֶׁלֹּא לִסְמוֹךְ. הִלֵּל וּמְנַחֵם לֹא נֶחְלְקוּ. יָצָא מְנַחֵם, נִכְנַס שַׁמַּאי. שַׁמַּאי אוֹמֵר שֶׁלֹּא לִסְמוֹךְ, הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר לִסְמוֹךְ.
I found that this name Menahem, uses the exact same spelling in The Talmud as the name shown in The Hebrew translation of Acts 13:1:
וַאֲנָשִׁים נְבִיאִים וּמְלַמְּדִים הָיוּ בַקְּהִילָּה אֲשֶׁר בְּאַנְטְיוֹכְיָא בַּר־נַבָּא וְשִׁמְעוֹן הַנִּקְרָא נִיגַר וְלוּקְיוֹס הַקּוּרִינִי וּמְנַחֵם אֲשֶׁר גֻּדַּל עִם־הוֹרְדוֹס שַׂר־הָרׂבַע וְשָׁאוּל׃
Acts 13:1 specifically mentions that in Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers, along with Menahem's name. Through further investigation of Menahem in Josephus' writings, we can see this prophetic connection to Menahem, along with this childhood connection to King Herod. There can be some confusion about these “Herods” here, as there were more than one mentioned in The New Testament, kind of like “Pharaoh” in The Old Testament. The one that we are referring to here is Herod Antipas, the son of Herod “The Great.” King Herod “The Great,” who was responsible for the slaughter of innocents, and Herod Antipas was appointed to rule over the Judean Kingdom (officially known as Galilee and Perea) after the death of his father in 4 B.C. and ruled throughout Jesus Christ’s ministry.
“[373] Now there was one of these Essens, whose name was Manahem, who had this testimony, that he not only conducted his life after an excellent manner, but had the foreknowledge of future events given him by God also. This man once saw Herod when he was a child, and going to school, and saluted him as king of the Jews; but he, thinking that either he did not know him, or that he was in jest, put him in mind that he was but a private man; but Manahem smiled to himself, and clapped him on his backside with his hand, and said," However that be, thou wilt be king, and wilt begin thy reign happily, for God finds thee worthy of it. And do thou remember the blows that Manahem hath given thee, as being a signal of the change of thy fortune. And truly this will be the best reasoning for thee, that thou love justice [towards men], and piety towards God, and clemency towards thy citizens; yet do I know how thy whole conduct will be, that thou wilt not be such a one, for thou wilt excel all men in happiness, and obtain an everlasting reputation, but wilt forget piety and righteousness; and these crimes will not be concealed from God, at the conclusion of thy life, when thou wilt find that he will be mindful of them, and punish time for them." Now at that time Herod did not at all attend to what Manahem said, as having no hopes of such advancement; but a little afterward, when he was so fortunate as to be advanced to the dignity of king, and was in the height of his dominion, he sent for Manahem, and asked him how long he should reign. Manahem did not tell him the full length of his reign; wherefore, upon that silence of his, he asked him further, whether he should reign ten years or not? He replied, "Yes, twenty, nay, thirty years;" but did not assign the just determinate limit of his reign. Herod was satisfied with these replies, and gave Manahem his hand, and dismissed him; and from that time he continued to honor all the Essens. We have thought it proper to relate these facts to our readers, how strange soever they be, and to declare what hath happened among us, because many of these Essens have, by their excellent virtue, been thought worthy of this knowledge of Divine revelations.” - Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews (J. AJ 15.10.5 - 15.373)
I thought this was interesting, but I had to question why it was considered to be a prophetic statement that Herod Antipas would become king, as his father was already king. It turns out that there were two extreme circumstances that stood in the way of Herod Antipas ever being successor to his father’s role. According to Wikipedia (sources cited below) - “Antipas was not Herod's first choice of heir. That honour fell to Aristobulus and Alexander, Herod's sons by the Hasmonean princess Mariamne. It was only after they were executed (c. 7 BC), and Herod's oldest son Antipater was convicted of trying to poison his father (5 BC), that Herod fell back on his youngest son Antipas, revising his will to make him heir.” - (Marshall, Taylor, 2012. The Eternal City, Dallas: St. John, pp. 35–65 & Steinmann, Andrew, 2011. From Abraham to Paul: A Biblical Chronology, St. Louis: Concordia, pp. 235–38)
Of course, we know that neither King Herod “The Great” or his was only who Roman Authorities propped up as “The King of The Jews.” There is one other section in The Talmud that Shulman covered about Manahem. It not only established that he “he left the court” (The Sanhedrin) and that The Mishna “did not want to delve into the details of the case” - other than to mention that “he went astray.” They said that “he departed for the king’s service” - yet he took “eighty pairs of his students with him.”
It sure doesn’t sound like Menahem left his role in The Sanhedrin to serve any earthly kingship, taking 160 students along with him. What earthly king would require the service of 160 students along with a judge of The Sanhedrin? I think that we can conclude that Menahem left to His Post to serve The True King of The Jews, The King of All Kings, Yeshua (Jesus Christ of Nazareth).
“It is taught in the mishna: Menaḥem departed and Shammai entered. The Gemara asks: To where did Menaḥem depart? Abaye said: He departed and went astray. Therefore, the mishna did not wish to delve into the details of his case. Rava said: He departed for the king’s service. He received a post from the king and had to leave the court. This is also taught in a baraita: Menaḥem departed for the king’s service, and eighty pairs of students dressed in silk robes left with him to work for the king, and that they no longer studied Torah.” - Babylon Talmud - Chagigah 16b-10
יָצָא מְנַחֵם וְנִכְנַס שַׁמַּאי כּוּ׳. לְהֵיכָן יָצָא? אַבָּיֵי אָמַר: יָצָא לְתַרְבּוּת רָעָה. רָבָא אָמַר: יָצָא לַעֲבוֹדַת הַמֶּלֶךְ. תַּנְיָא נָמֵי הָכִי: יָצָא מְנַחֵם לַעֲבוֹדַת הַמֶּלֶךְ, וְיָצְאוּ עִמּוֹ שְׁמוֹנִים זוּגוֹת תַּלְמִידִים לְבוּשִׁין סִירִיקוֹן.
I think that we should not overlook the Menahem's connection to Herod Antipas. The Hebrew Translation of Acts 13:1 declares him as "Manaen the foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch." Out of curiosity, I looked up the original Greek word ( σύντροφος - Syntrophos ) and it's a Hapax Legomena, a word that only appears once in the entire Holy Bible and there's always something very special about any of those. This word has three translations given: 1) nourished with one 2) brought up with one 3) companion of one's childhood and youth.
Considering the nature of Herod Antipas, who is primarily known for his role in the execution of John the Baptist as well as his involvement in the trial of Jesus Christ, Luke chose this particular word to not only to highlight Menahem's close connection with Herod Antipas but also to draw attention to Menahem's conversion to his role of leadership in the earliest church. This alone is an ultimate testimony to The Power of The Gospel itself.
One last thought here, regarding his Hebrew Name Menahem ( מנחם ) which means "Comforter". There was another figure in The Holy Bible who also held this name, King Menahem. Menahem was a king of The Northern Kingdom of Israel, recorded in 2 Kings 15:14–22. He led a conspiracy and stole his kingship after he assassinated Shallum the son of Jabesh in Samaria. It is written that "starting from Tirzah, attacked Tiphsah and everyone in its vicinity, because they would not open their gates. So he attacked Tiphsah and ripped open all the pregnant women" - needless to say, he was one of those kings who "did that which was evil in the sight of The LORD." It would be an understatement to say that he didn't even come close to living up to the meaning of his Hebrew name "Comforter."
...there was another King's Name that The LORD was not pleased with, mentioned directly after Menahem in Acts 13:1, Saul - it seems to me as it was all part of His Divine Plan that The LORD used both of these men to ultimately redeem the names of both of those kings. I can make a strong case for this being the case with Saul (Paul), which has actually been on my mind a lot lately, but I never made the connection of Menahem before now. This could lend us a glimpse of some mystical insight as to why The Holy Spirit led Luke to choose that word ( σύντροφος - Syntrophos ) - as The Name of Menahem was "brought up with" The Name of Saul.
חסד ושלום עליכ והרבה אהבה וברכות
May Grace and Peace Be Upon You and Much Love and Blessings!
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