εὑρών τινας µαθητάς, ele πρὸς αὐτούς, Et Πνεῦμα Άγιον ἐλάβετε
πιστεόσαντες; οἱ δὲ εἶπον πρὸς αὐτόν, ᾽Αλλ᾽ οὐδὲ εἰ Πνεῦμα "Άγιόν
other, and St. Paul in taking it would be passing through the higher-lying districts of Asia on his way from Pisidian Antioch to Ephesus. According to Col. ii. 1 the Apostle never visited Colosse and Lao- dicea, which seems to confirm the view taken above (but see Ramsay, Church in the Roman Empire, p. 94, on Mr. Lewin’s view of Col. ii. 1). The expression τὰ ἀνωτ. µέρη is really a description in brief of the same district, “the region of Galatia and Phrygia,” mentioned in xviii. 23. Ifthe journey passed through North Galatia, Ramsay contends with great force that the expressions in xviii. 23 καθεξῆς and πάντας τοὺς µαθητάς would be meaningless, as καθ. would apply not to Churches already known to us, but to Churches never mentioned in the book, and if St. Paul did not visit the South Galatian Churches, how could St. Luke mention ‘all the disciples” ? Zéckler, Apostelgeschichte (second edition), in loco, as a supporter of the North Galatian theory, takes the term as the equivalent of the places referred to in xviii. 23, but he does not include in these places as far north as Tavium or Ancyra, and a route through Cappadocia is not thought of; so here Pessinus, Amorion, Synnada, Apameia, Philadelphia, and Sardis would be visited by the Apostle, and from Sardis he would go down to Ephesus ; the expression τὰ ἀνωτ. µέρη would thus in Zéckler’s view include churches founded on the second missionary jour- ney, but the most northerly are excluded as lying too far away, p. 273; see Ramsay, Church in the Roman Empire, p. 933 ‘“‘Ephesus,” Hastings’ B.D., and Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia, ii., 7153 McGiffert, Apostolic Age, p. 275. Blass takes the words to mean districts more remote from the sea; Rendall (so Hackett) explains them as referring to the land route through the interior of Asia Minor by way of distinction to the sea route which Paul had before pursued on his way from Ephesus to Jerusalem. Grimm explains as the parts of Asia Minor more remote from the Mediterranean, farther east, and refers only to Hippocrates and Galen for the use of the adjective, which was evidently a very rare one (see Hobart, p. 148); see also Zéckler on xix. 1 and illustrations of Latin expressions simila.ly used. R.V. renders “' the upper country,” lit., the upper parts, 2.ε., inland; A.V., ‘* coasts,” i.e., borders, as in Matt. ii. 16,
etc., Humphry, Commentary on R. V.— eis Ἔφεσον: Ephesus and Athens have aptly been described as two typical cities of heathendom, the latter most Hellenic, the heart and citadel of Greece, the former the home of every Oriental quackery and superstition in combina- tion with its Hellenism; the latter in- quisitive, philosophical, courteous, re- fined, the former fanatical, superstitious, impulsive. And yet Acts portrays to the life the religious and moral atmosphere of the two cities, no less than their local colouring (Lightfoot, ‘‘ Acts of the Apostles,” B.D.?, p. 36). Under the empire it was a regulation that the Roman governor should land at Ephesus, and from all quarters of the province the system of Roman roads made Ephesus easily accessible. St. Paul with his wonted judgment fixed upon it asa fitting centre for the message and for the spread of the Gospel. Like Corinth, with which close intercourse was maintained, Ephe- sus is described as one of the great knots in the line of communication between Rome and the East; see further notes in commentary, Ramsay, ‘‘ Ephesus,” Hastings’ B.D.; ‘‘ Ephesus,” B.D.?; E. Curtius, Gesammelte Abhandlungen, i., 233 ite
Ver. 2. pad . . «πιστεύσαντες: Blass points out that both these words are used only of Christians. From St. Chrysostom’s days the men have often been regarded merely as disciples of the Baptist (so McGiffert, p. 286), and Apol- los has been named as the person te whom they owed their conversion, whilst amongst recent writers Mr. Wright, 1. 5., argues that they had been baptised by the Baptist himself. But if we realise the force of the remark made by Blass on the two words, they were men simply in the same position as Apollos, i.e., ‘ig- norabant illi ea que post resurrectionem facta erant’’ (Blass)—their knowledge was imperfect like that of Apollos. There may have been many who would be called µαθηταί in the same immature stage of knowledge. Much difficulty has arisen in insisting upon a personal connection of these men with Apollos, but St. Luke’s words quite admit of the supposition that the twelve men may not have come tv Ephesus until after Apollos had left for Corinth, a consideration which πρι answer the question of Ramsay, Ρ. 27¢. as to how the Twelve had escaped the