Sec. 5. Release and Departure fro?n Philippi. 223
REPORTED THE MESSAGE TO PAUL THAT " THE PR/ETORS HAVE SENT orders THAT YOU BE SET FREE. NOW, THEREFORE, GO FORTH AND TAKE YOUR WAY IN PEACE." (37) BUT PAUL SAID UNTO THEM : " THEY FLOGGED US IN PUBLIC without investigation, ROMAN CITIZENS AS WE ARE, AND CAST US INTO PRISON ; AND NOW DO THEY TURN US OUT SECRETLY? NOT SO ; BUT LET THEM COME IN PERSON AND BRING US OUT." (38) AND THE LICTORS REPORTED TO THE PR.ETORS THESE WORDS ; AND THEY WERE TERRIFIED ON HEARING THAT " THEY ARE ROMAN CITIZENS " ; (39) AND THEY WENT AND BESOUGHT THEM, AND BROUGHT THEM OUT, AND ASKED THEM TO GO AWAY FROM THE CITY. (40) AND THEY WENT OUT FROM THE PRISON AND ENTERED INTO LYDIA'S HOUSE | AND THEY SAW AND EXHORTED THE BRETHREN, AND WENT AWAY.
The sudden change of attitude on the part of the Praetors is remarkable. One day they sent the prisoners for careful custody : the next morning they send to release them. The Bezan Reviser felt the inconsequence, and inserts an explanation : " And when day was come the Praetors [assembled together in the agora, and remembering the earthquake that had taken place, they were afraid, and] sent the lictors". But, though this is modelled on Luke's language (cp. I 15, etc.), it is hardly in his style of narrative. It is more characteristic of him to give no explanation, but simply to tell the facts. Perhaps the earthquake had roused their superstitious fears on account of the irregular and arbitrary proceedings of yesterday. Perhaps they felt some misgivings about their action, if we are right in
224 The Churches of Macedonia. Chap. X.
thinking that Paul and Silas had appealed vainly to their rights as Romans.
Whatever be the reason, there can be no mistake as to Luke's intention to bring out the contrast (i) between the orders sent to the jailor in the morning, and the charge given to him at night ; (2) between the humble apology of the Praetors in the morning, and their haughty action on the previous day ; (3) between the real fact, that the Praetors had trampled on Roman order and right, and their fussy pretence of vindicating the majesty of Rome. And so the same Praetors who had ordered them to be beaten and imprisoned now begged them to go away from the city. In the Bezan Text the request of the Praetors is put at greater length, and with obvious truth : " the magistrates, being afraid lest there should be another conspiracy against Paul, and distrusting their own ability to keep order, said, ' Go forth from this city, lest they again make a riot and inveigh loudly against you to us ' ". The weakness of municipal government in the cities of the JEgean lands was always a danger to order ; and the Bezan Text hits off admirably the situation, and brings out with much skill the naive desire of the magistrates to avoid an unpleasant case by inducing the innocent and weaker parties to submit to injustice and withdraw from the city. One would gladly think this Lukan.
In v. 37 the rendering (A.V. and R.V.) "uncon- demned " does not fairly represent Paul's meaning, for it suggests that it would have been allowable for the Praetors to condemn Paul after fair trial to be flogged. But the Praetors could not in any circumstances order him to be flogged ; in fact, formal trial would only
Sec. 5- Release and Departure from Philippi. 225
aggravate their crime, as making it more deliberate. The crime might be palliated by pleading that it was done in ignorance : and Paul would naturally cut away the plea by saying that they had made no attempt to investigate the facts. Yet the Greek is clear, and can only be translated " uncondemned ". A parallel case occurs XXII 25, where Paul asks the centurion: "is it lawful fcr you to flog a man that is a Roman citizen, and him uncondemned ? " Here there is the same false implication that the act would be aggravated by being done without the proper formal condemnation.