Acts 24:1. Arrival of the Accusers. Speech of Tertullus, their advocate 1. _And after five days_ Most naturally this means after St Paul's arrival in Cæsarea, and the events narrated at the end of chap. 23 But it may mean five days after the departure of the Apostle from Jerusalem. The chief captai... [ Continue Reading ]
_And when he was called forth_ There is nothing in the original to represent "forth" which is consequently omitted by the _Rev. Ver._The "calling" referred to is that of the crier of the court calling on the case. _Tertullus began to accuse him_ St Luke has given us but the digest of the advocate's... [ Continue Reading ]
_we accept it always_[Better, IN ALL WAYS] _and in all places_ The word rendered "in all ways" is only found here in N. T. and does not mean "always." Some would join "in all ways and in all places" with the former part of the sentence thus: "evils are corrected for this nation in all ways and in al... [ Continue Reading ]
_be not … tedious_ The notion in the verb is that of stopping a person's way and so hindering him. Tertullus would imply that Felix was so deeply engaged in his public duties that every moment was precious.... [ Continue Reading ]
_For we have found this man a pestilent fellow_ The Greek literally says "a pestilence." The same word in the plural is translated "pestilent fellows" in 1Ma 10:61, and it is further explained there by "men of a wicked life." When they say "we have found" it is implied that they have already spent s... [ Continue Reading ]
_who also hath gone about_[WHO MOREOVER ASSAYED _R. V. to profane the temple_ The old English "gone about" was equivalent to "attempted." Cp. Shaks. _Mids. Nt. D_. iv. 1. 212: "Man is but an ass, if he _go about_to expound this dream." But the expression is somewhat obsolete now. It is noteworthy t... [ Continue Reading ]
_But the chief captain Lysias_ If this verse be an interpolation, it differs from others in the Acts very greatly. In other parts of the book such insertions have merely been made to bring the whole of a narrative under view at once, and there has been no variation of an account previously given els... [ Continue Reading ]
_commanding his accusers to come unto thee_ Which Lysias had not done till Paul was removed beyond reach of pursuit. _by examining of whom_ In the A. V. the relative "whom" is here naturally referred to "accusers." A glance at the Greek shews that this cannot be, for it is in the singular number. Th... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the Jews also assented_ [_Rev. Ver._joined in the charge.] The verb implies much more than assent. They made common cause with their representative, and by their own language reiterated the accusation. _saying_(_R. V._affirming) _that these things were so_ Ananias and the elders must have firs... [ Continue Reading ]
St Paul's answer to the charge 10. _Then Paul_, &c. When the governor had given him leave to speak the Apostle addressed his defence to the points charged against him. He had not excited the people, nor been the leader of any body of Nazarenes, nor had he polluted the temple. _thou hast been of ma... [ Continue Reading ]
_because that thou mayest understand Rev. Ver._taking a slightly different reading, "Seeing that thou canst take knowledge." The Apostle means that it was easy to find evidence about all that had happened in such a short space of time. Beside which Felix's knowledge of Jewish customs would tell him... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they neither found me_, &c. The Apostle gives a flat denial to the charge of insurrection, and challenges them to prove any single point of it. He had not even entered into discussion with any man. _raising up the people Rev. Ver._"stirring up a crowd." For the crowd was gathered by the Jews.... [ Continue Reading ]
_neither can they prove_(_Rev. Ver._, with MS. authority, adds TO THEE) _the things_, &c. The proof must be such as the law required, not the mere multiplied assertions of the accusers. The verb implies a formal setting-forth of evidence, and is used by Josephus (_De vita sua_, 6) of _an array of pr... [ Continue Reading ]
_after the way which they call heresy_ Better (with _Rev. Ver._) "after the Way which they call a sect." The word is the same which is used in Acts 24:5 for the "sect" of the Nazarenes. St Paul employs the expression "the Way," in that sense in which it soon became well known, to signify "the Christ... [ Continue Reading ]
_and have_(_R. V._having) _hope … which they themselves also allow (R. V._look for). Here the Apostle is of course alluding only to the Pharisees among his own people, but he puts them as representatives of the larger part of the nation. The _Rev. Ver._renders "which these also themselves look for.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And herein do I exercise myself_ "Herein" i.e. in the worship, faith and hope spoken of in the two last verses. While holding this belief, and because I hold it, I try to keep my conscience clear. "I exercise myself" that I may, by constant training and striving, at length get near to what I aim af... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now after many years_ He had come to Jerusalem on the return from his second missionary journey in a.d. 53. It was now a.d. 58, so that his absence had lasted four or five years (see note on Acts 24:10). _I came to bring alms to my nation_ These consisted of the money which had been collected in th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Whereupon_ According to the best MSS. the relative here, by its gender, must be referred to the "offerings" which have just been named. Read (with _Rev. Ver._) AMIDST WHICH, i.e. engaged in offering which oblations. _certain Jews from Asia_ These words should, according to all authorities, be plac... [ Continue Reading ]
_and object_ Better (with _Rev. Ver._), "and to make accusation." They had set the cry against him, and now did not come to say what he had done wrong. They were probably on their way home, now that the feast was over.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Or else let these same here_(_R. V._these men themselves) _say_ i.e. the Sadducees with Ananias. The assailants of St Paul were of two classes, first the Asiatic Jews, who were furious against him because of his preaching among the Gentiles in their cities, then those in Jerusalem who hated him for... [ Continue Reading ]
_except it be for this one voice_ i.e. this exclamation or cry. From Acts 23:6 we see that St Paul lifted up his voice, when he mentioned the resurrection. _I am called in question by_(_R. V._with MSS. _before) you_ "To call in question" means "to put one on his trial." Cf. Shaks. _Henry IV_. (pt.... [ Continue Reading ]
Adjournment of the cause. Felix's treatment of St Paul 22. _having more perfect knowledge of that way_ Better " THE way," i.e. the Christian religion, for which this soon became the accepted name. See on Acts 9:2. Felix was more likely to understand something of the relations between Judaism and Ch... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he commanded a centurion_ The Greek noun has the article, therefore the _Rev. Ver._gives "the centurion." It might perhaps be one of the two whom Lysias had put in charge of the conveyance of Paul (Acts 23:23). One might be appointed to go on to Cæsarea, while the other returned with the larger... [ Continue Reading ]
_And after certain days, when Felix came_, &c. To conform to the Greek more strictly, the _Rev. Ver._reads "But after certain days, Felix came, &c." It is difficult to say what is gained by this. Felix did not always reside in Cæsarea. After the first hearing of St Paul's cause he had gone away for... [ Continue Reading ]
_And as he reasoned … and judgment_[_R. V._the judgement] _to come_ It was to be no barren faith which St Paul commended, but was to have its fruits in the life. Felix perhaps expected some philosophical dissertation on the subject of the resurrection, and the life after death. His own conduct, of w... [ Continue Reading ]
_He hoped also_(_Rev. Ver._withal) _that money should have been_(_R. V._would be) _given him of Paul_ He had heard the Apostle speak of the contributions which he had gathered for the Jews in Jerusalem. His thought would naturally be that if he could raise money for the needs of others, he could do... [ Continue Reading ]
_But after two years_ More literally the _Rev. Ver._"But when two years were fulfilled;" and it may be that St Luke would indicate by his expression, that it was not a reckoning of time such as was usual among the Jews, where portions of a year were sometimes counted for a whole, but that the Apostl... [ Continue Reading ]