Acts 11:1. The Judæo-Christians blame Peter. He makes his defence at Jerusalem 1. _the apostles and brethren … heard_ The news reached them before the return of St Peter to Jerusalem. _that the Gentiles had also received the word of God_ At this news, had there been no additional information about... [ Continue Reading ]
_they that were of the circumcision_ This must have been the whole Church, at the time when the event occurred, for there were no Christians as yet except Jews and proselytes, but St Luke's narrative was compiled at a time when "they that were of the circumcision" had become a distinct party, and wh... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised_ The expression shews the strength of feeling against what Peter had done. The men with whom he had mixed are not called Gentiles, but the uncircumcised, the word of greatest reproach in the mouth of a Jew. _and didst eat with them_ Among men with whom there wo... [ Continue Reading ]
_But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them_ Better, "But Peter began and rehearsed the matter in order unto them.... [ Continue Reading ]
_I considered_ Better, "I beheld.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was_ With the oldest MSS. read, "And behold immediately three men stood before the house in which WE WERE.... [ Continue Reading ]
_nothing doubting_ The oldest MSS. give "making no difference." On this change of the verb from the middle to the active voice, and for a reason why Peter, after having been at Cæsarea and having heard the statement of Cornelius and seen the gift of the Spirit, adopted this form in his address at Je... [ Continue Reading ]
_and he shewed us how he had seen an angel_ The Greek has "and he related to us how he had seen _the_angel." Before St Peter made this defence, and long before St Luke put it down in the Acts, the story of Cornelius and his vision would be well known, and so the definite article would be used in spe... [ Continue Reading ]
_at the beginning_ i.e. at the feast of Pentecost.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the word of the Lord_ Recorded above, Acts 1:5.... [ Continue Reading ]
_who believed_ The words refer alike to "them" and to "us," and so the two cases are made parallel, as in Acts 11:15. For just as in the case of Peter and the Apostles, their faith was existing before the gift of the Spirit, so in Cornelius and in his companions there existed a degree of faith, or t... [ Continue Reading ]
_they held their peace_ But though those who heard the account of St Peter were satisfied that God had called Gentiles as well as Jews, there were others who, some perhaps with a real but misguided zeal for the Law, some, as St Paul says (Galatians 6:13), from vain-glory, maintained the necessity fo... [ Continue Reading ]
Further spread of the Gospel as far as Antioch 19. _about Stephen_ See above, Acts 8:1. _as far as Phenice_[PHŒNICIA] The district in which were the important towns of Tyre and Sidon. See _Dictionary of the Bible_. _Antioch_ The capital city of Syria, about 16 miles from the sea-coast, on the riv... [ Continue Reading ]
_And_[But] _some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene_ in whose minds, from their more cosmopolitan education, there was less scruple about mixing with Gentiles than existed among the Jews of Palestine, the home of the nation, and by consequence the stronghold of their prejudices. _spake unto the G... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the hand of the Lord was with them_ The expression is a common one in the O. T. to express the direct interposition of God in the affairs of the world. Cp. Exodus 14:31, "And Israel saw that great work [Heb. _hand_ which the Lord did upon the Egyptians." So the Egyptian magicians (Exodus 8:19),... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem_ Better more literally, "And the report concerning them, &c.," i.e. concerning these Gentile converts. These events took place, and were known to the Church in Jerusalem, before they heard of the visit of Peter to... [ Continue Reading ]
_and had seen the grace of God_ exhibited in the faith, and consequent turning to Christ, of these Gentiles. _was glad_ He saw nothing in the new movement which could call for disapproval, and that more members should be added to the Church was a source of joy. _and exhorted them all, that with pu... [ Continue Reading ]
_full of the Holy Ghost and of faith_ The same character is given to Stephen (Acts 6:5), and a man of like character with that most eminent among the Greek-Jews would exert much influence in Antioch, where Greeks and Greek-Jews were the chief part of the population. It was in consequence of the pers... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus_ The oldest MSS. omit "Barnabas." Read, "And he went forth to Tarsus." _for to seek Saul_ that he, to whom the Lord had appeared, and who had been marked as a "chosen vessel" (Acts 9:15) to bear the name of Christ before the Gentiles, might come with him to share i... [ Continue Reading ]
_a whole year_ This long period, spent with success in the first field where the preaching to the Gentiles had begun, will account for the constant return to Antioch after each missionary journey of the Apostle of the Gentiles. He had preached at Damascus and at Jerusalem, but it was always with his... [ Continue Reading ]
Agabus at Antioch foretells a famine, and in consequence the Church at Antioch sends relief to Jerusalem 27. _And in these days_ i.e. while the Church at Antioch was being increased with a great multitude of Gentile converts, during the year's residence there of Barnabas and Saul. _came prophets fr... [ Continue Reading ]
_one of them named Agabus_ He is mentioned again Acts 21:10, where by a significant action, as well as by his words, he foretells the imprisonment of St Paul at Jerusalem. _and signified by the Spirit_ So too Acts 21:11, the words of Agabus are, "Thus saith _the Holy Ghost_, So shall the Jews at Je... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then the disciples_ i.e. of the Church of Antioch. _relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea_ No doubt the Christian Church in Judæa would be much impoverished. At first the poorer converts had been sustained by the common fund, but persecution had driven away great numbers of the Christians,... [ Continue Reading ]
_to the elders_ The Greek word = _presbyters_. This is the first time we come upon the term in the Christian history. In Acts 20:17 they are again mentioned and there called "presbyters," though in the same narrative (Acts 11:28) they are termed "overseers," _episcopoi_, i.e. bishops. No doubt at fi... [ Continue Reading ]