Χι. 30—33.

(Gal. i. 17) and is narrated in Acts ix. 23-25. The date of it is important in the chronology of the Apostle’s life, It could not have been before a.p. 34, for coins of Tiberius prove Damascus to have been under direct Roman administration in that year. Tiberius was unlikely to have handed Damascus over to Aretas (fourth of the name), the hereditary chief (cf. 2 Mace. ν. 8) of the Nabathzan Arabs ; for up to the close of the reign of Tiberius military operations were being carried on against Aretas by the legate of Syria. Hence Damascus was probably not ceded to Aretas until the reign of Caligula, and consequently this episode in St. Paul's life cannot have taken place before the middle of a.p. 37. Instigated by the Jews (Acts ix. 23), the “ ethnarch,” or provincial governor of Damascus under Aretas (cf. 1 Macc. xiv. 47), laid a plan for the arrest of the Apostle which was frus- trated by St. Paul’s escape in the manner described (cf. Josh. ii. 15, 1 Sam, xix. 12). CuapTer XII,—Vv. 1-6. THe Apos- TLE'’S VISION: IF HE CHOSE, HE COULD BOAST OF 1T.—Ver. 1. With Tisch., W.H. and the R.V. we adopt the read- ing (see crit. notes): καυχᾶσθαι δεῖ: οὐ συμφέρον μέν, ἐλεύ δὲ κιτιλ.: I must needs glory, though it is not ex- pedient (sc., my opponents drive me to it); but I will come to visions such as were seen by Daniel (x. 1), which were predicted as to be nted in the New Dispensation (Joel ii. 28 f., quoted in Acts ii. 17), which were seen by Peter (Acts x. το), and by St. John (Rev. i, 10, iv. 1), as well as by St. Paul him-