Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Acts 26:20

ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἐν Δ.: “both to them of Damascus first, and at Jerusalem,” reading τε (see critical note) after πρῶτον, thus closely connecting Damascus and Jerusalem as the scenes of Paul's first activity, cf. Acts 9:20; Acts 9:28. εἰς πᾶσάν τε τὴν χώραν τῆς Ἰ., see critical note. If we read accusative simply without εἰς = accusative of space marking the extension of the preaching. Blass solves the difficulty by regarding εἰς = ἐν, ut sæpe. The statement seems to contradict Galatians 1:22, and there is no mention of such a widely extended preaching at this time in Acts. It has therefore been held by some that reference is made to the preaching at the time of Saul's carrying relief with Barnabas from Antioch to Jerusalem, Acts 11:30; Acts 12:25 (Zöckler and Rendall), while others refer the passage to Rome Acts 15:10 (Weiss), and others combine Acts 11:29-30; Acts 15:3 = Romans 15:10. Ramsay, St. Paul, p. 382, regards the statement as so directly contradictory to all other authorities that he practically follows Blass in [402] text, and reads εἰς πᾶσαν χώραν Ἰουδαίοις τε καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσι, “in every land to both Jews and Gentiles”. The text he regards as not Lucan and hardly Greek, see also Blass, in loco; ἡ χώρα τῆς Ἰουδαίας ought to be τῶν Ἰουδ., as in Acts 10:39, etc. But see in defence of reading in T.R. as against Blass, and the reference of the words to the journeys in Acts 11:30; Acts 15:3, Wendt, in loco (1899). The general meaning given to the words by Blass is at all events in accordance with the view of the speech as a summary, and not as an account in detail, of the Apostle's work (C. and H., p. 620). Dr. Farrar, St. Paul, i., 228, ingeniously supposes that Paul may have preached on his way from Damascus to Jerusalem in the guest chambers of the Jewish synagogues, so that he may not have come into contact with any Christian communities, and he would thus explain Galatians 1:22. ἀπήγγελλον : imperfect, denoting continuous preaching; here only of preaching the Gospel, but cf. Acts 17:30 W.H [403], where God announces to men everywhere to repent, μετανοεῖν, a striking similarity in language with Paul's words here (cf. 1 John 1:2-3). ἐπιστρέφειν, cf. for the expression Acts 14:15, and see above on Acts 26:18. ἄξια τῆς μετανοίας ἔργα : “worthy of their repentance,” R.V. margin, i.e., of the repentance which they profess. In the Gospels καρπούς, καρπόν, here ἔργα, but cf. Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 5:11; Colossians 1:10; Titus 3:8, and ἀξίους with genitive rei, more frequent in St. Luke and St. Paul than in any other N.T. writers. πράσσοντας : used in N.T. sometimes of good, sometimes of evil, actions; in classical Greek ποιεῖν is more frequent de inhonestis, cf. Xen., Mem., iii., 9, 4, see Grimm, sub v.

[402] R(omana), in Blass, a first rough copy of St. Luke.

[403] Westcott and Hort's The New Testament in Greek: Critical Text and Notes.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

Acts 26:20

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