Gods or ambassadors of God? Barnabas and Paul in Lystra

The author of Acts employs a Greek juridical trope in the account in Acts 13-14 where the citizens of the Greek town of Lystra warmly welcome Paul and Joseph Barnabas, mistaking them for the Greek deities Hermes and Zeus. The author, by locating the narrative in classical Greek tradition, sought to establish the legitimacy of the ambassadorial mission and inform the Gentile audience that the apostles deserved the kind of reception the Gentiles normally accorded to their gods. The account of the apostles' visit to Lystra also seeks to express the authenticity, uniqueness and sacredness of the Christian mission.