[The posts which follow make extensive use of The Acts of the Apostles, by Madame Cecilia, (Religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham), with an Imprimi potest dated 16 October 1907 (Westminster); Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. (London). With grateful prayers for the author and her team:
REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.]
Acts XVII : 1-15
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[2] And Paul, according to his custom, went in unto them; and for three sabbath days he reasoned with them out of the scriptures:
[3] Declaring and insinuating that the Christ was to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this is Jesus Christ, whom I preach to you.
[4] And some of them believed, and were associated to Paul and Silas; and of those that served God, and of the Gentiles a great multitude, and of noble women not a few.
[5] But the Jews, moved with envy, and taking unto them some wicked men of the vulgar sort, and making a tumult, set the city in an uproar; and besetting Jason's house, sought to bring them out unto the people.
[6] And not finding them, they drew Jason and certain brethren to the rulers of the city, crying: They that set the city in an uproar, are come hither also;
[7] Whom Jason hath received; and these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.
[8] And they stirred up the people, and the rulers of the city hearing these things,
[9] And having taken satisfaction of Jason and of the rest, they let them go.
[10] But the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea. Who, when they were come thither, went into the synagogue of the Jews.
[11] Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, who received the word with all eagerness, daily searching the scriptures, whether these things were so.
[12] And many indeed of them believed, and of honourable women that were Gentiles, and of men not a few.
[13] And when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was also preached by Paul at Berea, they came thither also, stirring up and troubling the multitude.
[14] And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul, to go unto the sea; but Silas and Timothy remained there.
[15] And they that conducted Paul, brought him as far as Athens; and receiving a commandment from him to Silas and Timothy, that they should come to him with all speed, they departed.
[1] Cum autem perambulassent Amphipolim et Apolloniam, venerunt Thessalonicam, ubi erat synagoga Judaeorum. [2] Secundum consuetudinem autem Paulus introivit ad eos, et per sabbata tria disserebat eis de Scripturis, [3] adaperiens et insinuans quia Christum oportuit pati, et resurgere a mortuis : et quia hic est Jesus Christus, quem ego annuntio vobis. [4] Et quidam ex eis crediderunt et adjuncti sunt Paulo, et Silae, et de colentibus, gentilibusque multitudo magna, et mulieres nobiles non paucae. [5] Zelantes autem Judaei, assumentesque de vulgo viros quosdam malos, et turba facta, concitaverunt civitatem : et assistentes domui Jasonis quaerebant eos producere in populum.
[6] Et cum non invenissent eos, trahebant Jasonem, et quosdam fratres ad principes civitatis, clamantes : Quoniam hi qui urbem concitant, et huc venerunt, [7] quos suscepit Jason, et hi omnes contra decreta Caesaris faciunt, regem alium dicentes esse, Jesum. [8] Concitaverunt autem plebem, et principes civitatis audientes haec. [9] Et accepta satisfactione a Jasone, et a ceteris, dimiserunt eos. [10] Fratres vero confestim per noctem dimiserunt Paulum et Silam in Beroeam. Qui cum venissent, in synagogam Judaeorum introierunt.
[11] Hi autem erant nobiliores eorum qui sunt Thessalonicae, qui susceperunt verbum cum omni aviditate, quotidie scrutantes Scripturas, si haec ita se haberent. [12] Et multi quidem crediderunt ex eis, et mulierum gentilium honestarum, et viri non pauci. [13] Cum autem cognovissent in Thessalonica Judaei, quia et Beroeae praedicatum est a Paulo verbum Dei, venerunt et illuc commoventes, et turbantes multitudinem. [14] Statimque tunc Paulum dimiserunt fratres, ut iret usque ad mare : Silas autem et Timotheus remanserunt ibi. [15] Qui autem deducebant Paulum, perduxerunt eum usque Athenas, et accepto mandato ab eo ad Silam et Timotheum ut quam celeriter venirent ad illum, profecti sunt.
Notes
1. they had passed through. St Luke resumes the narrative in the third person. The Greek verb here used (διοδευσαντες) is often found in the Septuagint, but is only employed twice in the New Testament, in this passage and in St Luke’s gospel. Cf. He travelled, (διωδευε) through the cities (viii. 1). That certain words and phrases are common to the Acts and the third gospel is a strong argument in favour of the two books having been written by the same author.
Amphipolis. This town stood on the left bank of the Strymon, about three miles inland. The river flowed almost round the city, hence the name Amphipolis, i.e. round about the town.
Apollonia. An unimportant town in Mygdonia, a district of Macedonia. “Again they haste pass the small cities, and press on to the greater ones, since from those the word was to flow as from a fountain into the neighbouring cities” (St John Chrys., Hom., xxxvii.).
Thessalonica. The modern Salonika, the second city of Turkey in Europe. Te city, on account of its hot salt springs, was originally known as Therma, It is situated at the head of the Thermaic Gulf. Cassander, one of Alexander’s generals, enlarged this city and named it after his wife Thessalonica, the daughter of Philip of Macedonia, who gave his daughter this name, because on the day that he received the news of her birth he had gained a victory in Thessaly.
a synagogue. Better, “ the synagogue.” The article has good manuscript authority. There were several synagogues in such an important town, but St Paul appears to have chosen the principal one. This may be inferred from the fact that the wives of the leading men worshipped there.
It is probable that St Paul did not evangelize in the two cities mentioned above because there was no synagogue in either of them.
2. according to his custom. See xiii. 5, 14, xiv. 1, for a proof of this. St Paul followed the example of his Divine Master, who went into the synagogue according to his custom on the sabbath-day (St Luke iv. 16).
unto them. Unto the Jews, at the hour of prayer.
three sabbath-days. Some MSS. read “three weeks.” He spent at least three weeks evangelizing the Jews. But we gather from St Paul’s epistles to the Thessalonians and to the Philippians that he stayed some months in the city of Thessalonica.
This inference is based on various passages; thus St Paul reminds the Christians of Thessalonica of his labour and toil, and of how he worked night and day lest he should be chargeable to them (1 Thess. if. 9-12). He also refers to the same subject in his second epistle (2 Thess. iii. 8). Again we find a reference to the Philippian converts succouring St Paul twice and sending their gifts to him while he was staying in Thessalonica ; a journey of one hundred miles was therefore twice undertaken. He also speaks of the numerous converts who turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God (1 Thess. i. 9), and these conversions must have been effected after his discussions with the Jews in the synagogue, and before the riot stirred up by the hostile Jews. All these events presuppose a period of time exceeding three weeks, and extending over several mouths at least.
he reasoned with them. After the sermon or instruction, discussion was permitted during the services in the synagogue. Thus when our Lord was in a synagogue in Galilee, the worshippers proposed a question : Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath-days ? (St Matt. xii. 10).
“In the synagogues of the East, teaching was the method of instruction, and the Christian Evangelists accordingly taught and preached the word. But, in the more critical atmosphere of the West, dogmatic assertion was not sufficient, and St Paul had to adopt the method of reasoning, in which he was an adept. The reasoning, of course, was Jewish ; it was based on the Scriptures" (Rackham, Acts of the Apostles, in h. 1.).
out of the scriptures. When discussing with the Jews, St Paul appealed to the Scriptures ; with the Gentiles, he appealed to miracles worked as proofs of the truth of his doctrine and also to Nature’s testimony to her Creator.
3. Declaring and insinuating. Better, “ opening and alleging ” (διανοιγων και παρατθεμενος ). St Paul “ opened ” the Scriptures by explaining from the types and prophecies that the Messias must suffer ; he then quoted passages from the sacred books in proof of this doctrine. The Greek verb here rendered “ alleging ” (παρατιθεμι) originally signified “ to set one thing beside another.”
whom I preach. St Luke here passes from indirect lo direct speech ; we. must supply “he said ” before “ whom”. For an example of a like transition see ch. i. 4.
St Luke, as usual, gives a mere outline of St Paul’s discourse. The subject was the same in most of his addresses - he bore witness to the Passion and Resurrection of Christ.
4. some of them believed. Better, “were persuaded or obeyed” (ἐπεισθησαν). They were docile to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who enlightened their intelligence.
Aristarchus and Secundus were Thessalonian converts. They accompanied St. Paul on his last journey to Jerusalcm (see infra, xx. 4).
and were associated. Lit. “were given by lot” (και προσεκληρωθησαν).
They were inwardly moved by God to throw in their lot with the Church, and thus they accomplished His divine will.
of those that served God and etc. The “and is not in the best MSS. The passage should therefore read, “of the Gentiles that served God not a few ” (των τε σεβομευων Ἑλληνων πληθος πολυ). These were proselytes, since they frequented the synagogue, but the greater part of the church in Thessalonica appears to have consisted of converted pagans. Judaism had, however, rescued many souls from idolatry, as the numerous proselytes testify.
of noble women. These were the wives of the chief men of the city. The noble women of Antioch were a hindrance to the Gospel ; those of Thessalonica and Berea furthered the causeof Christ.
It was not so difficult to convert proselytes to Christianity as it was to convince the Jews. The former had not such deeply rooted prejudices to overcome.
5. the Jews. Codex D and a few cursives add, “which believed not.”
moved with envy. These words are not found in many of the best MSS., hut they are supported by A, B, E, and some ancient versions.
Whether genuine here or not, the fact remains true that the jealous exclusiveness of the Jews brought great trouble both to St Paul and to his Thessalonian converts.
Cf. For you also have suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they have from the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus, and the prophets, and have persecuted us, and please not God, and are adversaries to all men, prohibiting us to speak to the gentiles that they may he saved (1 Thess. ii. 14-16).
wicked men of the vulgar sort. Better, “of the rabble” (ἀγομασων), men that lounged about the market-place and picked up a living by questionable means, such men as the French speak of as “la canaille.”
making a tumult. The Jews having no legal ground of accusation, had recourse to violence by stirring up popular feeling.
set the city in an uproar. This proves that the Jews of Thessalonica were powerful and wealthy.
besetting Jason's house. Jason was perhaps a Hellenistic Jew, and the one referred to in Rom. xvi. 21 as a kinsman of St Paul. He had given hospitality to St Paul and his companions, and was evidently wealthy.
to bring them out. They wished to apprehend St Paul and all his companions.
A similar scene is recorded in the Old Testament when the men of Sodom pressed very violently upon Lot, and they were even at the point of breaking open the doors because Lot would not bring forth to them the angels who had visited him in human form. (See Gen. xix. 1-11.)
unto the people. St Luke, as usual, is most accurate in his details, and in this narration he uses the correct technical terms for “people” (δημος) and “rulers” (πολιταρχας).
6. certain brethren. Those referred to in verse 4.
to the rulers. Better, “before the politarchs or city rulers” ( ἐπι τους πολιταρχας). A Roman triumphal arch, dating probably from the first century of the Christian era, bore an inscription which gave the names of the seven politarchs who ruled when that arch was erected, probably in the time of Vespasian. The arch was destroyed in 1807, but the slab containing the word “politarchs” is preserved in tbe British Museum (Greek Inscriptions, No. 171). It measures about 7 x 31/2 feet, and the words are perfectly legible. The title of politarch has also been found in other Macedonian inscriptions, but does not appear to have been used elsewhere.
They that set the city in an uproar. The Greek codices read : “ They that have turned the world upside down ” (οἱ την οἰκουμεην ἀναστατωσαντες). The Vulgate alone reads “city” (urbem), which is evidently a copyist’s error.
News of the propagation of Christianity had evidently preceded the arrival of St Paul at Thessalonica. The word “ world ” is used in the sense of the Roman Empire—i.e. of the inhabited world.
7. received, — i.e. “ entertained as a guest or friend” (ὑποδεδεκται) Thus Martha “ received ” our Lord into her house (St Luke x. 38), and Zacheus “ received him with joy ” (ibid. xix. 6).
these all. St Paul and his companions, Jason and the certain brethren
do contrary to the decrees, etc. These Jews raised the old cry of sedition which had served so well against our Saviour.
This charge was frequently brought against Christians in the earliest centuries, and Tertuilian, in his Apologeticus, ably refutes the charge (par. 29-35), and shews that the Christians proved their loyalty by praying for the emperor, respecting him as a ruler placed over them by God, and rendering sincere homage, and no mere lip service. In the reign of Elizabeth the same cry of disloyalty was brought against the Catholics in England. The cry of treason was raised, and many a martyr suffered in consequence.
8. stirred up the people, and the rulers. Both the politarchs and the people feared lest they should be accused of harbouring those who were disloyal to Caesar.
9. having taken satisfaction. (λαβοντες το ἱκανον.) Lit. “having taken sufficient,” which seems to be the Greek equivalent of the Latin technical term for taking bail (satis accipere). It was probably a large sum of money laid down, which would be forfeited if Jason’s guests were the cause of another uproar, or if Jason and the brethren failed to appear when summoned.
The Thessalonian converts suffered from the hostility of their countrymen as well as from the Jews ; e.g. For you also have suffered the same things from your own countrymen, even as they have from, the Jews (1 Thess. ii. 14).
10. the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas. Timothy remained behind for a time to comfort the Thessalonians in their tribulation, and he rejoined St Paul at Berea. In both the epistles to the Thessalonians, St Paul sends greetings from Silas to the Church — another incidental coincidence between the Acts and the Epistles.
The brethren were true to their pastors. St Paul made two attempts to return to Thessalonica, but was unable to do so. Cf. For we would have come unto you, I Paul indeed, once and again, but Satan hath hindered us (1 Thess. ii. 18).
St John Chrysostom suggests that by giving this security, Jason hazarded his life for St Paul. Perhaps the danger which might overtake the Thessalonian converts in the event of the apostles’ revisiting them was the hindrance which Satan had put in the way.
Berea. Tbe modern Verria or Kara Feria. It is still a flourishing city and a metropolis, and is about forty miles from Thessalonica.
There was a large Jewish population when St Paul visited it, but the city was not so wealthy as Thessalonica. Sopater is the only Berean disciple whose name has come down to us. This city is not mentioned in any of St Paul’s epistles.
11. more noble, (εὐγενεστεροι.) This word usually refers to nobility of birth, but here it means nobility of character. True greatness consists in seeking to know and to do God's will.
As the Berean converts were chiefly of Jewish origin, this is one of the rare examples of St Paul’s being favourably received by his own nation.
daily. They were eager and assiduous in their desire to know the truth. Their chief studies would be the Messianic prophecies.
Our Lord, speaking of the Old Testament, once said to the Jews : The same are they that give testimony of me (St John v. 39).
searching. (ἀνακρινοντες.) See Annot. on ch. iv. 9. The word implies a candid, judicial examination.
12. many .... believed. Codex D adds here, “but some dis-believed.”
of men. These men were also Gentile converts.
13. Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge, etc. “ These short notices in the ‘Acts’ of the steady, unwearied pursuit of Paul from city to city give us a hint at least of that restless, bitter hatred with which the great Gentile apostle was regarded by the majority of his countrymen — a hatred, the depth and intensity of which the critical studies of this age are only beginning to fathom” (Schaff, Comm. Acts, p. 438).
the word of God. The historian speaks here and expresses the fact. The Jews would not have designated St Paul’s preaching thus.
also. This should be connected with “Berea” — “at Berea also.”
stirring up and troubling. The metaphor is taken from a storm at sea, which lashes the waters into foam.
14. And then immediately, etc. This verse almost repeats verse 10, but now St Paul embarked alone from the harbour either of Dium or Pydna, a distance of about seventeen miles from Berea.
to go unto the sea. There are two readings, both well-supported.
1 . to go as far as the sea (ἐως ἐπι) : this is found in Codices א, B, E.2 . to go as it were to the sea (ὡς ἐπι) : this reading is given in H, L, P.
The former rendering is more in harmony with facts, since St Paul did not feign to go by the sea in order to elude his enemies, but he embarked for Athens. (In later Gntek classical writers ὡς ἐπι often has the meaning of “ towards.”)
15. conducted. Out of respect, and also as a protection.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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