Ver. 2. "Ανδρες ἀδελφοὶ καὶ πατέρες, cf. St. Paul’s address, xxii. 1, and also note on xxiii. 1. On St. Stephen’s speech see additional note at the end ot chapter.—6 Θεὸς τῆς δόξης: lit., ‘the God of the glory,” 1.6., the glory peculiar to Him, not simply ἔνδοξος, a reference to the Shechinah, Exod. xxiv. 16, 17, Ps. xxix. 3, Isa. vi. 3, and in the N.T. cf. 1 Cor. ii. 8, and James ii. 1 (John i. 14). The appearances to Abraham and Moses were similar to those later ones to which the term Shechinah was ap- plied. Such words were in themselves an answer to the charge of blasphemy ; but Stephen proceeds to show that this same God who dwelt in the Tabernacle was not confined to it, but that He appeared to Abraham in a distant heathen land. ὤφθη: there was therefore no need of a Temple that God might appear to His own (Chrys., Hom., xv. ; see Blass, in loco).—rT@ πατρὶ ἡμῶν: emphatic, cf. vv. 19, 38, 39, 44, 45; St. Stephen
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VII. 1. Εἶπε δὲ ὁ ἀρχιερεύς, Ei dpa ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει; 2. 6 δὲ ὁ Θεὸς τῆς δόξης ὤφθη
τῷ πατρὶ ἡμῶν ᾽Αβραὰμ 3 ὄντι ἐν τῇ Μεσοποταμία, πρὶν ἢ κατοικῆσαι
ἔφη, “Avdpes ἀδελφοὶ καὶ πατέρες, ἀκούσατε.
‘vii. 2-4. For Τ.Ε. Blass reads (2) (οντι εν ry Μεσοποταµιᾳ εν Χαρραν pera το αποθανειν τον πατερα αυτου); (3) και ειπεν προς αυτον “«Εξελθε απο . . . δειζω”: (4) και µετῳκισεν αυτον. In Par. we read ‘“‘cum esset in Mesopotamia in Charran postquam mortuus est pater ipsius, et dixit . . . monstravero, et inde transtulit eum,” etc. This reading agrees almost entirely with that adopted by Blass, but it contains the word bracketed by him in ver. 2, and also apparently κακειθεν (et inde) (see below). The difficulties in these verses are attributed by Blass and Belser to Alexandrian copyists. An explanatory note was added very early to ver. 2 οτε A, εξελθεν εκ γης Χαλδαιων και κατωκησεν εν Xappay κακει ην µετα το αποθανειν τον πατερα αυτου. These words (which may easily have been derived from the narrative in Genesis) were thought by the Alexandrian copyists to be the additional words of Luke himself, and they inserted them (inferserunt in ver. 4, Blass) in νετ. 4 as they could not add them at the end of ver. 2, ore being changed into τοτε, Αβρααμ being omitted, and κακειθεν being substituted for κακει, whilst the words μετα το αποθ. τον πατερα αυτον, originally belonging to ver. 2 (so Par. above), were then omitted altogether and added in the text after κακειθεν; then between the words Μεσοπ. and ev Χαρραν, which are joined together in Par., these copyists (andacis- simum, Blass) inserted πριν η κατοικησαι αυτον, no doubt with the view of showing that Stephen referred not only to the later injunction from Haran to Canaan but ta the earlier one from Urto Haran. But there is no need to suppose that the text was thus tampered with (see Wendt’s note, p. 154, edit. 1899), and whatever difficulties this part of the speech contains, they may be easily explained on the supposition that Stephen in these verses, as elsewhere, was expressing himself in accordance with well-known traditions. In support of his view Blass (so Belser) appeals to Irenzeus, iii. 12, who quotes the whole passage from vii. 2, 6 θεὸς τῆς 5., to ver. 8, τὸν Ισαάκ, omitting what Par. omits, and thus being in agreement with it on the whole in Belser’s judgment. But Blass admits that Irenzeus (who apparently leaves out all not in LXX) also omits words which occur in ver. 2, partly in all authorites and partly in Par. (Gig.): οντι ev ty Μ. εν Χαρραν pera το αποθ. τον πατερα αυτου: ‘delenda igitur haec quoque” (see above) ‘“‘ neque ea quidquam desiderabit,” Blass, Praef. xv. (Acta Apost. secundum formam quae videtur Romanam). Belser is not prepared to go so far as this, but he sees in the original text of Luke a much simpler version of Stephen’s speech; no reference is made to the original dwelling-place of Abraham in Ur, and only the call given to him in Mesopotamia (in Haran) is specified. According to Belser the original text reads thus: (Ver. 2) ὃ θεος της δοξης ωφθη τῳ πατρι nov A. οντι εν TH Μ. µετα το αποθανειν τον πατερα αυτον, (Ver. 3) και ειπεν προς αυτον’ εξελθε εκ της γης σου και της συγγενειας σον, και δευρο εις την γην, ην αν σοι δειξω. (Ver. 4) και μετω- κισεν αυτον εις την γην ταυτην, etc. (Bertrage zur ΕγλΙάγιπρ der Apostelgeschichte, p- 48). See further on Gen. xii, 1-3 and the quotation here, in the passages in Philo, and in Clem. Rom., Cor., x., 2, Hatch, Essays in Biblical Greek, p. 154.