See critical note for Bezan reading. Ἀπολλὼ, _cf._ Acts 21:1; see Blass, _Gram._, p. 31, and Winer-Schmiedel, p. 95. τὰ ἀνωτερικὰ μέρη : The main road to Ephesus which passed through Colosse and Laodicea was not apparently taken by Paul, but a shorter though less frequented route running through the... [ Continue Reading ]
μαθ.… πιστεύσαντες : Blass points out that both these words are used only of Christians. From St. Chrysostom's days the men have often been regarded merely as disciples of the Baptist (so McGiffert, p. 286), and Apollos has been named as the person to whom they owed their conversion, whilst amongst... [ Continue Reading ]
οὖν : presupposes that if they had been baptised into the name of Jesus, they would have received the Spirit at Baptism. εἰς : “to baptise into” (R.V.) may have been suggested by the original practice to baptise by dipping or plunging, see Humphry, _Comment. on R. V., in loco_. εἰς τὸ Ἰ. βάπτισμα, _... [ Continue Reading ]
εἰς τὸν ἐρχ : placed first before ἵνα, perhaps for emphasis. The phrase had been a favourite one with the Baptist (_cf._ Matthew 3:1). John's own words showed that his Baptism was insufficient. ἵνα may express both the purport and the purpose (so Alford).... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀκούσαντες δὲ : neither grammatical nor in accordance with fact can these words be regarded (as by Beza and others) as part of St. Paul's words, as if they meant, “and the people when they heard him,” _i.e._, John.... [ Continue Reading ]
καὶ ἐπιθ. αὐτοῖς τοῦ Π. τὰς χ., see above on Acts 8:16. ἐλάλουν τε γλ. καὶ προεφ.: the imperfects may mean that they began to speak, or that the exercise of the gifts mentioned continued. The two gifts are discussed in 1 Corinthians 12:10; 1 Corinthians 12:14, in an Epistle which was written probabl... [ Continue Reading ]
ὡσεὶ, as Weiss admits, excludes any special significance attaching to the number twelve on account of which the narrative would be constructed. See also Knabenbauer, _in loco_. We know so little about these men that it seems hazardous to attempt to define them more clearly (see Plumptre, _in loco_).... [ Continue Reading ]
The Apostle follows his usual method to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. διαλεγ., see above; _cf._ Acts 17:2, “reasoning,” R.V. (“discoursing,” Rendall).... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐσκληρύνοντο : only here and in Romans 9:18, but four times in Hebrews, three times as a quotation from Psalms 95:8, and once in direct reference to that passage, Acts 3:13, _cf._ Exodus 7:3; Deuteronomy 2:30, etc. In Sir 30:12 it is found as here with ἀπειθέω, _cf._ also Clem. Rom., li., 3, 5. ἠπεί... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐπὶ ἔτη δύο : exclusive of the quarter of a year in Acts 19:8 and in Acts 20:31 the Apostle speaks of three years' residence in Ephesus, “in the usual ancient style of reckoning an intermediate period by the superior round number,” Turner, “Chron. of N. T.,” Hastings' B. D., see also Page and Wendt,... [ Continue Reading ]
οὐ τὰς τυχ., _cf._ Acts 28:2, the phrase is peculiar to St. Luke, “not the ordinary,” _i.e._, extraordinary, with which the deeds of the Jewish exorcists could not be compared, see Klostermann, _Vindiciæ Lucanæ_, p. 52, for the same phrase _cf._ Malachi 3:7; Malachi 3:7, and also Deissmann, _Neue Bi... [ Continue Reading ]
ὥστε καὶ : so that even to the sick, _i.e._, to those who could not be reached by the hands of the Apostle. χρωτὸς : the σουδ. and σιμικ. had been in contact with the body of the Apostle, and thence derived their healing power; so in LXX used for both בָּשָׂר, and עוֹר (twice), see Hatch and Redpath... [ Continue Reading ]
If we read καὶ after ἀπὸ (see critical note), it contrasts the Jewish exorcists who endeavoured to gain this power with those like St. Paul who really possessed it. περιερχ.: “vagabond,” A.V., the word as it is now used colloquially does not express the Greek; R.V. “strolling,” Vulgate, _circumeunti... [ Continue Reading ]
See critical note. Σκευᾶ : probably a Latin name adapted to Greek, see Blass, _in loco_, who gives instances of its occurrence, see also _Gram._, p. 13, and Winer-Schmeidel, p. 75. Ewald refers it to the Hebrew שְׁכֵבְיָה. ἀρχ.: the description is difficult, as it seems incredible if we take it in i... [ Continue Reading ]
γινώσκω … ἐπίσταμαι : “I know,” R.V. for both verbs, but for the former “I recognise,” margin, as a distinction is drawn between Paul and Jesus in the formula of adjuration, it is natural to expect a distinction in the reply; γιν. probably denotes a more personal knowledge, ἐπίστ., I know as of a fa... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐφαλλόμενος; only here in N.T.; in LXX, 1Sa 10:6; 1 Samuel 11:6; 1 Samuel 16:13. κατακυρ.; only here in Luke; Matthew 20:25; Mark 10:42; 1 Peter 5:3; frequent in LXX. αὐτῶν, see critical note. There is no real difficulty if we read ἀμφοτέρων after ἑπτά, Acts 19:14; St. Luke had mentioned that seven... [ Continue Reading ]
φόβος ἐπέπ.: characteristic phrase in St. Luke; see above on Luke 1:12, and Friedrich, pp. 77, 78. καὶ ἐμεγαλύνετο : “continued to be magnified,” imperfect, as in Luke 7:16, praise follows upon fear, Luke 23:47; _cf._ with Matthew 27:54, Friedrich, p. 78. τὸ ὄνομα Ἰ.: “jam cuncta illa nomina inania... [ Continue Reading ]
πολλοί τε : the τε shows another immediate result in the fact that those who were already believers were now fully convinced of the pre-eminence of the name of Jesus, and were all the more filled with a reverential fear of His holy name: “many also of those who had believed,” R.V. So Wendt in latest... [ Continue Reading ]
ἱκανοὶ δὲ : to be referred probably to the magicians, as the previous verse refers to their dupes: a Lucan word, see above on Acts 8:11. τὰ περίεργα : “curious,” Wyclif and A. and R.V. (“magical,” R.V., margin), _cf._ Vulgate, _curiosa_ (Latin, _curiosus_, inquisitive, prying), of a person who conce... [ Continue Reading ]
κατὰ κράτος : adverbial, so only here in N.T., _cf._ Judges 4:3, and Jos., _Ant._, viii., 11, 3, in classical Greek, Xen., _Cyr._, i., 4, 23, etc. ηὔξ. καὶ ἴσ.: in contrast to the empty superstitions and vanities the continuous growth (imperfect) of the Church.... [ Continue Reading ]
διελθὼν, see on the force of the word Ramsay, _Expositor_, May, 1895, and above on Acts 13:6. Ramsay regards this as perhaps the most conclusive of the ten cases he cites of the use of the verb as denoting missionary travel. There is no reason to suppose that Paul paid a visit to Corinth during his... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀποστείλας … Τιμ. καὶ Ἔρ., _cf._ 1Co 4:17; 1 Corinthians 16:10-11, Paley, _Horæ Paulinæ_, iii., 3, 4; McGiffert, _Apostolic Age_, p. 297, note. διακ. αὐτῷ : for a few instances of διακονεῖν and cognate words used of ministrations rendered to Paul himself, see Hort, _Ecclesia_, p. 205, _cf._ Philem.,... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐγένετο δὲ : on the frequency of the formula in Luke's writings see Friedrich, p. 13, and above on Acts 4:5. τάραχος οὐκ ὀλίγος : the same phrase as in Acts 12:18, nowhere else in N.T., for οὐκ ὀλίγος as Lucan see above, Acts 12:18. τῆς ὁδοῦ : as in Acts 9:2; Acts 19:9; Acts 24:22; much better than... [ Continue Reading ]
Δημ.: a sufficiently common name, as St. Luke's words show (Blass). There is no ground for identifying him with the Demetrius in 3 John, Acts 19:12, except the fact that both came from the neighbourhood of Ephesus; see, however, “Demetrius,” Hastings' B.D. ἀργυροκόπος, LXX, Judges 17:4 (A _al._), Je... [ Continue Reading ]
περὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, _cf._ Luke 10:40-41, for a similar use of περί with accusative, but see W. H., _l. c._, and 2Ma 12:1. εὐπορία : wealth, or gain, only here in N.T., in classical Greek “in different senses in different authorities,” Grimm-Thayer; in LXX, 2 Kings 25:10, but in a different sense (see H... [ Continue Reading ]
οὐ μόνον … ἀλλὰ : _non modo … sed._ σχεδὸν, Acts 13:44, we cannot take the genitive with ὄχλον, as Hackett suggests. Ἀσίας : the Roman province, so Ramsay, _St. Paul_, p. 278, where he corrects his former interpretation of the word in this passage in _Church in the Roman Empire_, p. 166; see above o... [ Continue Reading ]
τοῦτο … τὸ μέρος, _sc._, τῆς ἐργασίας ἡμῶν, Acts 19:25, Grimm-Thayer this branch of their trade, which was concerned with the making of the shrines. Others take μέρος = _trade_, the part assigned to one. κινδυνεύει : “the most sensitive part of ‘civilised' man is his pocket,” Ramsay, _St. Paul_, p.... [ Continue Reading ]
ἔκραζον : “they cried continuously,” imperfect, see addition in. Μεγάλη ἡ Ἄ.: omitting ἡ we have apparently the popular cry, or rather invocation: Great Artemis! as it was actually used in the _cultus_ the cry was not an argument against Paul's doctrine, but rather a prayer to the goddess and queen... [ Continue Reading ]
συγχύσεως : the noun only here in N.T. (συγχέω : only in Luke, see above p. 238), in LXX, Genesis 11:9; 1 Samuel 5:11; 1 Samuel 14:20, used in classical Greek in the sense of confusion, disturbance; τε, the immediate result was that they rushed (Weiss), ὁμοθυμαδὸν, see above Acts 1:14, “with one acc... [ Continue Reading ]
τοῦ δὲ Π. βουλ.: St. Paul was not the man to leave his comrades in the lurch, and he would have followed them with his life in his hands to face the mob of Ephesus; if we may depend upon the picture of Ephesian life given us in Pseudo-Heraclitus, Letter vii., we can understand the imminent danger in... [ Continue Reading ]
Ἀσιαρχῶν : “the chief officers of Asia,” R.V., _cf._ Γαλατάρχης, Βιθυνιάρχης, Συριάρχης, etc.; Mommsen, _Röm. Gesch._, v., 318 (Knabenbauer), officers, _i.e._, of the province of Asia, and so provincial, not merely municipal officers. Each province united in an association for the worship of Rome an... [ Continue Reading ]
ἄλλοι μὲν οὖν : μὲν οὖν probably as often in Acts without any opposition expressed, but see Rendall, _App._, p. 162; the antithesis may be in δέ of Acts 19:33. ἔκραζον : “kept on crying,” imperfect. ἐκκλησία, see below on Acts 19:39; here of an unlawful tumultuous assembly. συγκεχ., see above Acts 1... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ὄ., _sc._, τινές, _cf._ Acts 21:16. If we read συνεβίβασαν (see critical note), and render “instructed Alexander,” R.V., margin; _cf._ 1 Corinthians 2:16, and often in LXX, it seems to mean that the Jews instructed Alexander, a fellow-Jew, to come forward and dissociate himself and them fr... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐπιγνόντων : “when they recognised” by his dress and his features, “when they perceived,” R.V. If we read ἐπιγνόντες, see critical note, φωνὴ ἐγέν. = “anacoluthon luculentissimum” _cf._ Mark 9:20 (Blass). μία ἐκ πάντων : _callida junctura_, arresting the reader's attention (Hackett). Alexander was t... [ Continue Reading ]
καταστείλας : only here in N.T. and in Acts 19:36, “had quieted,” R.V., _cf._ 2Ma 4:31, 3Ma 6:1, Aquila, Psalms 64 (65):8, also in Josephus and Plutarch. ὁ γραμματεὺς : “the secretary of the city” Ramsay; Lightfoot was the first to point out the importance of the officer so named called also ὁ Ἐφεσί... [ Continue Reading ]
ἀναντιῤῥήτων : only here in N.T., but the adverb in Acts 10:29, not in LXX but Symm., Job 11:2; Job 33:13; Polyb., xxiii., 8, 11; on spelling see critical note. δέον ἐστὶν, 1 Peter 1:6 (1 Timothy 5:13), _cf._ Ecclus., _Prol._, Acts 19:3-4Ma 12:11, 2Ma 11:18, also in classical Greek. προπετὲς : only... [ Continue Reading ]
γὰρ : “for,” _i.e._, they had done something rash. τοὺς ἄνδρ. τούτους : Gaius and Aristarchus, ἱεροσύλους, “robbers of temples,” R.V., in A.V. “of churches,” the word “church” being applied as often in the Elizabethan age to pagan temples. Ramsay however renders “guilty neither in act nor in languag... [ Continue Reading ]
λόγον ἔχουσιν : no exact equivalent elsewhere in N.T., but Grimm (so Kypke) compares Matthew 5:32 (see also Colossians 3:13). ἀγοραῖοι ἄγονται : “the courts are open,” R.V., perhaps best to understand σύνοδοι, “court- _meetings_ are now going on,” _i.e._, for holding trials (in the forum or agora);... [ Continue Reading ]
εἰ δέ τι περὶ ἑτέρων : if we read περαιτέρω, _cf._ Plato, _Phædo_, p. 107 B, the meaning is anything further than an accusation against an individual, a public and not a personal matter: if they desired to get any resolution passed with regard to the future conduct of citizens and of resident non-ci... [ Continue Reading ]
ἐγκαλεῖσθαι στάσεως περὶ τῆς σήμερον, A.V., “to be called in question for this day's uproar,” but R.V., “to be accused concerning this day's riot,” rendering ἐγκαλ., as in Acts 19:38, and στάσεως, as in Mark 15:7. θόρυβος being rather the word for uproar or tumult, _cf._ Vulgate: “argui seditionis h... [ Continue Reading ]
τὴν ἐκκλησίαν : the word may imply, as Ramsay thinks, that the secretary thus recognised the meeting as an ἐκκλησία to shield it, as far as he could, from Roman censure. The attitude of the secretary is that of a man altogether superior to, and almost contemptuous of, the vulgar mob (_cf._ οὗτος in,... [ Continue Reading ]