Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Acts 17:3

διανοίγων, opening. St Luke (and he only in the N.T. Luke 24:32) uses this verb of making plain what before was not understood. We may see from that passage what had been St Paul’s work in Thessalonica, ‘He began at Moses and all the prophets and expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Christ.’

καὶ παρατιθέμενος, and alleging. The more modern use of allege = to assert, has somewhat obscured the older English meaning, which was merely ‘to set forth.’ παρατίθημι signifies primarily ‘to set out food, &c. on a table,’ and then figuratively ‘to set out arguments,’ but without the idea of assertion. St Paul reasoned but only out of the Scriptures. For the English word cf. Coverdale, Works (Parker Soc.), p. 14, ‘We will first declare our mind out of Scripture and allege (i.e. set before you) somewhat more for the better understanding of the matter.’

ὅτι τὸν Χριστὸν ἔδει παθεῖν, that it behoved the Christ to suffer. The Messiah, whom the Jews expected, they looked for in New Testament days only as a mighty conqueror who should deliver them from their oppressors. Their wishes had been father to their thoughts, and they overlooked all that spake of the Messiah as the ‘Man of sorrows.’ This portion of the Scriptures it was which St Paul opened.

καὶ�, and to rise from the dead. For they, like the disciples themselves in earlier days (John 20:9), ‘understood not the Scriptures (such as Psalms 16:10) that He must rise again from the dead.’

καὶ ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς ὃν ἐγὼ καταγγέλλω ὑμῖν, and this (said he) is Christ Jesus whom I proclaim unto you. There is a change in the structure of the sentence from the indirect to the direct form of expression which can be best made intelligible by the insertion of ‘said he.’ Cf. chap. Acts 1:4.

Jesus has fulfilled the prophecies. He has suffered, risen from the dead and ascended into heaven. And we are witnesses to and preachers of this glad tidings.
On the brevity of St Luke’s reports of the discourses which he mentions, Chrysostom notes here: τὸ κεφάλαιον εἶπε τῆς διαλέξεως· οὕτως�, οὐ πανταχοῦ τὰς δημηγορίας αὐτοῦ λέγων.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Acts 17:3

Old Testament

New Testament