76 Rick Strelan prophets associated with Elijah or Elisha, probably as disciples (1 Kgs 20,35; 2 Kgs 2,3-15; 6,1; 9,1). Luke himself has used that expression earlier in Acts. In his sermon at Pentecost, Peter said, ‘you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant’, and that was said in the context of God raising up Jesus as the prophet promised by Moses (Acts 3,17-26). Did Bar Jesus claim to be one of the sons of The Prophet? According to Matthew, Jesus warned the Christian community against calling anyone ‘father’ (23,9) in a context where clearly the title refers to a teacher or leader of the community. If some Christians called their teacher ‘father’, it is logical that they should call themselves his ‘sons’. In Luke 11,19, Jesus refers to the disciples of the Pharisees as ‘your sons’ (oiJ uiJoi; uJmw'n). Peter refers to Markos as ‘my son’ (oJ uiJov" mou, 1 Pet 5,13), and although that may be nothing more than a term of endearment, teachers did address their disciples as ‘sons’ (compare Heb 12,5; Prov 1,8; 2,1; 3,1). The BDAG also gives a number of examples from pagan literature in which the term ‘son’ is used of a follower or pupil, especially among various guilds (30). The Syriac church father, Ephraem, calls Bardesan’s followers, ‘the sons of Bardesan’ (31). This is evidence enough to suggest that the name Bar Jesus could indicate a teacher-disciple relationship. If that is a valid understanding, then it certainly implies that Bar Jesus claimed to belong inside the Jesus movement. 5. Elymas and Bar Jesus But what does Luke mean when he refers to ‘Elymas the magician’ and then adds, ‘for so his name is interpreted’ (ou|tw" ga;r meqermhneuvetai to; onoma aujtou)? Elymas is a name whose meaning [ ' has caused ‘endless bewilderment’ (32). I suggest that Luke is playing both on the name Elymas and the name Bar Jesus. In addition, central to understanding his word-play is his repetition of the noun o[noma (13,6 and 8). It is worth remembering that writers at the time delighted in finding meanings for names that today we dismiss as far-fetched, if not downright impossible. Three brief examples will illustrate. Philo thought that the Essenes “derive their name from their piety”, (30) BDAG, 1024. (31) See K. BROCKELMANN, Lexicon Syriacum (Hildesheim 1966) 89. (32) DUNN, Acts, 176. Fitzmyer categorically says, ‘No one knows what it means’ (Acts, 502).