319
7. Πολλῆς δὲ συζητήσεως | γενομένης, ἀναστὰς Πέτρος εἶπε πρὸς
αὐτούς. Άνδρες ἀδελφοί, ὑμεῖς ἐπίστασθε ὅτι dh ἡμερῶν ἀρχαίων ὁ
Θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν ἐξελέξατο ” διὰ τοῦ στόµατός µου ἀκοῦσαι τὰ ἔθνη τὸν
λόγον τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, καὶ πιστεῦσαι.
8. καὶ 6 καρδιογνώστης Θεὸς
A a fol ΄ ἐμαρτύρησεν αὐτοῖς, δοὺς αὐτοῖς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ "Άγιον, καθὼς καὶ
ς col ‘ 3 x , ς ~ ‘ Φα ~ , ἡμῖν: 9. καὶ οὐδὲν διέκρινε μεταξὺ ἡμῶν τε καὶ αὐτῶν, τῇ πίστει
/ a [ή . A καθαρίσας τὰς καρδίας αὐτῶν.
1Ο. νῦν οὖν τί πειράζετε τὸν Θεόν.”
ἐπιθεῖναι ζυγὸν ἐπὶ τὸν τράχηλον τῶν μαθητῶν, ὃν οὔτε οἱ πατέρες
1 συζητησεως, but ζητησεως as in νετ. 1 NAB, so Tisch., W.H., Blass, R.V., Weiss, Wendt. Meyer retains T.R. with Lach. (so Hilg. and Blass) on the ground
of alteration to ζητ. after ver. 1.
Σεν nptv εξελ., but ev υμιν SABC 13, 40, 61, Arm., Const., so Tisch., W.H., Ε.Υ., Weiss, Wendt (as against Meyer, Blass, Hilg.).
5 After πειραζετε one Latin MS. and several Latin Fathers omit τον Θεον.
Blass
says ‘‘recte fort.,” but does not follow in B. But no need to omit the words or to regard πειραζειν = πειρασθαι (Wendt in οσο).
Ver. 6. λόγον: “de caus4 que in dis- ceptationem venit" (Blass), ¢f. viii. 21, xix. 38. The Ecclesia at large was in some manner also present at this final assembly, cf. vv. 12, 22, although the chief responsibility would rest with the Apostles and Elders, cf. Iren., Her., iii., chap. xii. 14, ‘‘ cum universa ecclesia con- venisset in unum,” Zéckler, ix loco, p. 246, and cf. p. 254; Hort, Ecclesia, pp. 66, 70, and see critical notes above.
Ver. 7. ἀναστὰς, Lucan, see v. 17; the position of Peter is one of au- thority, not of pre-eminence—the latter belongs to James. The part which Peter had formerly taken in the conver- sion of Cornelius would naturally make him the most fitting person to introduce the discussion. From Gal. ii. 3 we learn that the general principle was debated with reference to the individual case of Titus.— aq’ ἡμερῶν ἀρχαίων: “a good while ago,” meaning probably from the beginnings of the Christian Church, Seti, το σα TOS Cha eis 15 (see Lightfoot’s note, /. ο.), and cf. Clem. Rom.,‘Cor., xlvii., 2, and Poly- carp, Phil., i., 21 or, if the words are referred to the one definite incident of the conversion of the Gentile Cornelius, some ten or twelve years (Blass, ‘ for- tasse ’’) may have passed since that event, possibly longer, see Zéckler, Page, Kna- benbauer, in loco. Others take the words as referring to our Lord’s declaration to St. Peter as long ago as at Cesarea Philippi, Matt. xvi. 13-20; see Speaker’s Commentary, so Bishop Williams of Con- nerticut, Studies in the Book of Acts, p.
139 (1888). Rendall connects ἐν ἡμῖν with ἀρχ. on the ground that thus the whole phrase would point to early Christian days, whereas, without qualifi- cation, confusion as to its meaning would arise, cf. νετ. 21. Buta reference to the case of Cornelius need not ex- haust the meaning of the phrase, and St. Peter would naturally think of his own choice by God as going back earlier still, dating from the foundation of the Church, and receiving its confirmation and significance in the acceptance of the Gospel by Cornelius.—éfehétaro, see on i, 2.—ToU εὐαγγ.: not used by St. Luke in his Gospel, but here and in xx. 24; used once by St. Peter, r Pet. iv. 17; so also εὐαγγελίζομαι, three times in the same Epistle.
Ver.8. ὁ καρδιογνώστης, i. 24, where the same word is used by St. Peter; cf. Jer. xvii. το. ἐτάζων καρδίας, and cf. St. Peter’s words in x. 34.--καθὼς καὶ ἡμῖν, X. 44, Xi. 15.
Ver. 9. τῇ πίστει καθαρίσας τ. K.: the thought is described by Zéckler as equally Petrine, Pauline, and Johannine; cf. ili. 16, το, 1 Pet. i. 18-21, xiii. 38, Rom. iii, 24, 1 Johni. 8, ii. 2, Rev. vii. 14; here it stands in contrast to the outward purification of circumcision upon which the Judaisers insisted, cf. also x. 15, and / for the phrase καθαρ. τὴν κ., Ecclus. Xxxvill. το. Rendall renders τῇ πίστει, the faith, z.e., the Christian faith, and he is no doubt right in this, in so far as the faith is faith in Jesus Christ (Schmid, Bibl. Theol. des N. T., pp. 424, 425), of St. Peter’s language in 1 Pet. i. 18-22.