The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 1 — Section 13

or the e.postlce' pTee.ohlng e.n,I tcn.ching, ll'\Slllt or hia own invr·•tigl\linn intr> lhP- -does not go furthcT' back than I hllae origin of the fnith or f:lirist,. g:i11,rrcrl pr,.,h- ,•vents. St. Lulrn g11ve Tlieophilns, among o.hly from the lips nr til~ virc::i11 m,,llirr othoT' onrly <lotntle, a l,iAl,ory of the irH·nrnR- tinn nnd tl1<• in rnncy of I ho Dlcsscd One. herself, or rrnm ono of the ho]\' wnmPn J,r. (2) Dy prcsP,nting thA whole story in a longing- to hP,r ki1,sf,,lk who h;,I he,cn with consecutive form. Hitherto, npp:trent.Iy, her from the beginning- or t.ha '.t'Ondrr,11~ "apostolic tradition probnl,ly had 11, moro event•. St. Luke reprorln°ed, as fait1ir,,11y or less fragmi,ntnry chnrncter: the e.postles Ba he could in a stran;.ce tnn!!'ue, the revela- not r, IRtin~ eve,·y time ttrn whole of the facts, but only those wl,foh best answered tions--some p,,rhn.ps wri tt, ·n, ,-omc n" <Inn! •I tn the circ11mste.nces in which tlioy were oral, communicaterl to him, we rcv,·rently prs•ncl,ing. This is expresaly se.id of St. l,elieve, hy the hlesse,1 mf'tlo.cr nf Ji,sus Petr,r, on the tcetimony of Paµie.s, or of the lrnrself. The story of these two "h" pt.era olcl preshytor ou whom he relied: Ilpos -ro., ia what St. Lnke evidently nllndcs to when, xp•las bro,,,-ro TdS 616a<T1<a>.la, (' He chos~ in his sho,-t prllface (ver. 3). h,· writes of Iii~ ee.oh time the foots e.pproprie.te to the needs of his hee.rers '). Importnnt omissions would "perfect unrlcrshnding· in all tltings from easily result from this mode of telling the the very first (&vo,0,v)." gree.t story" (Godet). Most excelleilt Theo- philus. The term rendered "moat c-xcellent" Vers. 5-25.-The 1'iBion of Zach,,rfo.• in (,cpdrnr-r,) denotes tho.t lhe friend of Luke for the temple. whom nominally his Gospel was written Ver. 5.-There was in the days of Herod, was e. me.n of high rank in the Roman the King of J'udiea.. The Herod here Rllurled world of that day. Nothing is known of his to w11,s the one sumRmed "the Great." The history. He was most likely, f1om Luke's event here related took place towards tha connection with Antioch, a noble of that earl of his reign. His rlominions, b,·sides ,zreut e.nd wealthy city, a11d moy ·fairly be J udro:i, inclacled Sn.maria.. Galil~e, e.nd a taken ns a representative of t.lie.t cultured large dist,·ict of Per:na. Thi• prince pin.ye,! thoughtful class for whom in a measure e. couapicuous p11rt in the politics of his dn.y. St. Luke especially wrote. The title 1ep.£- He was no Hebrew hy birth, bt.t an Idn- rn1-re, by which tho Theophilus is here mroe.n, and he owL-d Ids position cntirelv to 11rl<lrcse,e<l, we fin<l several times applied to the favour of Rom€', whose vasaal he really high Roman officials, such as Felix and was during his whole rei~n. 'l'he Roman Festus (Acts xxiii. 26; niv. 3; nvi, 25). senate had, on the recomm,·ndation of Antony and Octavius, gre.nted to this prince Ver. 5-ch. ii. 52.-THE GOSPEL OP THE the title of "King of Judreo.." It was a INFANOY, The critical reader of the Gospel strange, sad st.tte of things. The l:m,J uf in the original Greek is here ste.rtled by the promise was ruled over by e.n ldumrean abrupt che.nge in the style of writing. 'l'he adventurer, e. creature of the great Ttali"" first four verses, which constitute the intro- Republic; the holy and beautiful house 011 duction, are written in pure classical lan- Mount Zion was in the custody of an E<lom- ite usurper; the higb priest of the Mighty guage; thP, soutences a.re hale.need, e.lmost One of Jncob was raised up or deposed 11'1 with e. rhythr11ical accuracy. They o.re the the officials of Rome tl,onght gnod. Truly the words evidently of n highly cultured mind, rneptre he.rl depme,l from J ude.h. A certain well versed in Greek thought. Dut in the priest named Zacharias; usually spelt e.10011 K fifth verse, where the history of the eventful the Hebrews, Zechariah; it means" RPmem- bered of Jel11•ve.h," and w.is a favourite perio,l ree.lly begins, all is ohrmge,I. The 111\me among the cbnsen 1,eoplu. Of Lhe co:J.1'!!0 narrative flows on olearly with a rert,in of Ahia. E<P17µepia (course) sL;nifietl orig;. 0