Apostle Hermes of the Seventy; Hermias the Martyr at Comana; Eustathios, Patriarch of Constantinople

Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. ²Paul, as was his custom, went in to them; and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, ³explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ.”

⁴Some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas: of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and not a few of the chief women. ⁵But the unpersuaded Jews took along some wicked men from the marketplace and gathering a crowd, set the city in an uproar. Assaulting the house of Jason, they sought to bring them out to the people. ⁶When they didn’t find them, they dragged Jason and certain brothers before the rulers of the city, crying, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here also, ⁷whom Jason has received. These all act contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus!” ⁸The multitude and the rulers of the city were troubled when they heard these things. ⁹When they had taken security from Jason and the rest, they let them go.

The chief priests therefore and the Pharisees gathered a council, and said, “What are we doing? For this man does many signs. ⁴⁸If we leave him alone like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

⁴⁹But a certain one of them, Caiaphas, being high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all, ⁵⁰nor do you consider that it is advantageous for us that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.” ⁵¹Now he didn’t say this of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation, ⁵²and not for the nation only, but that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad. ⁵³So from that day forward they took counsel that they might put him to death. ⁵⁴Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews, but departed from there into the country near the wilderness, to a city called Ephraim. He stayed there with his disciples.