Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Acts 12:21

τακτῇ : only here in N.T.; cf. Jos., Ant., xix., 8, 2 (cf. xviii., 6, 7), δευτέρᾳ δὲ τῶν θεωριῶν ἡμέρᾳ. It is quite true that Josephus says nothing directly of the Tyrians and Sidonians, but the audience was evidently granted to them on the second day of the public spectacle; cf. for the expression, Polyb., iii., 34, 9. The description of Josephus evidently implies some special occasion, and not the return of the ordinary Quin-quennalia; see on Acts 12:19 and also below. Josephus does not menion Blastus, or those of Tyre and Sidon, but this is no reason against the narrative, as Krenkel maintains. Belser, much more reasonably, contends that Luke's narrative supplements and completes the statement of Josephus. ἐνδ. ἐσθῆτα βασιλικήν, cf. Jos., Ant., xix., 8, 2, στολὴν ἐνδυσάμενος ἐξ ἀργυρίου πεποιημένην πᾶσαν.; on ἐσθ. see Acts 1:10. βήματος : Josephus speaks of the event happening in the theatre, and the βῆμα here = rather “the throne,” R.V. (margin, “judgment-seat”), the royal seat in the theatre from which the king saw the games and made his harangues to the people (so of an orator's pulpit, Nehemiah 8:4 2Ma 13:26), see Blass and Grimm-Thayer, sub υ . ἐδημηγόρει : only here in N.T. In 4Ma 5:15 = contionari, frequent in classical Greek. πρὸς αὐτούς, i.e., to the Tyrian and Sidonian representatives, but the word ἐδημ. might well be used of what was in any case an address, ad populum, cf. Acts 12:22.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Acts 12:21

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