The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 4

U appli011 to those that should hereafter turn oontmction or St1vanue, like Lnoaa for a.e well 88 to thOBe who were already turned. Lucanua. In the Aots he ia al wa.ys oalled Ver. 20.-The pollutiom for pollutions, Silas, in the Epistles of St. Paul and St. A.V.; tohat u 1trangled for thinga 1tT-angl~, Peter, Silvanus. Going ns direot emissnries A. V. The pollutions. In the deoree itself from James e.nd the Church of Jerusalem, (ver. 29) thie is explained by ~13..,ll.ofM,...,,,, Silas and Judlll! would have great weight things offered to idols, though some apply with the Jews in Syria and Cilioie.. the "pollutions" to all the things here Ver. 23.-Wrote th111 by tliem for wrot" mentioned, not the idols only. Later St. kttera by them after this manner, A.V.; tl1e Panl 110mewhat enlarged the liberty of euler brethren for euler& and brethren, A.V.; Gentile oonverbl in respect to meats offered •nto . . . greeU~ for 88nd greeting unto, etc., to idols (see 1 Oor. viii. 4--13 • x. 25-28). A.V., as eh. xxi.J.i. 26. The elder brethren, What ii atra.ngled, et.o. Th~ things for- eto. The grammar of the sentenoe is irregu. bidden a.re all practices not looked upon as le.r, as there is nothing for -ypd~1u1-rn to agree sine by Gentiles, but now enjoined upon wit.h. llut "the elder brethren" is a phrase them as portions of the Law of l\losee which unlmown to the Scriptures, and it is much were to be binding upon them, at least for more in accordance with the feeling of the a time, with a view to their living in com- times tho.t "the brethren," i.e. the whole munion and fellowship with their Jewish Church, should be included in the saluta- brethren. The necessity for some of the tion. Greeting. It is remo.rkoble tho.t the prohibitions would cease when the condi- only other place in. the New Testament tion of the Church as regards Jews and where this Greek salutation occurs is Gentiles was o.ltered; others were of eternal Jae. i. I. obligation. Ver. 24.-The words in the A.V. and the Ver. 21.-From generations of oul for of oul T.R., saying, Ye muat be ciroumcised and keep time, A.V. ; sabbatli for sabbath day, A.V. the Law, are omitted in the R.T. and the The meaning of this verse seems to be that, R.V. ; commandment for auch commandment, in requiring the above compliances, the A.V. The certain which went out from council was not enjoining anything new or us are the same as the "certo.inmen" which strange, because the Gentiles who attended .. came down from J udma.," of ver. I. The the synagogues were familiar with these word rendered subverting (a.va,r,c,ud(ovns) Mosaic doctrines. It has been often stated occurs nowhere else in Scripture or in the tlio.t these four prohibitions were in sub- LXX. It is spoken properly of a person who stance the same as the ~led seven pre- moves and carries off all the goods and cepts of Noah, which were binding upon. furniture from the house which he is quit- proselytes of the gate. This is, however, ting. Hence to "disturb," "throw into eco.rcely borne out by the facts. The four confusion," "turn upside down," nud the prollibitions seem to have been a temporary like. To whom we gave no commandment. arrangement ede.pted to the then condition Observe the distinct disavowal by James of of the Church, with a view to enabling having authorized those who went forth from Christian Jews and Gentiles to live in him and the Jerusalem Church to require brotherly fellowship. The Jew was not to the circumcision of the Gentiles. The A.V. require more of his Gentile brother: the Gen- expresses the meaning most clearly. tile was not to concede lees to his Jewish Ver. 25.-Having come to for being assem- brother. St. Augustine (' Cont. Me.nich.,' bled with., A. V.; to choose out men and send 32, 13), quoted by Mey1er, ridicules the idea them for to ,end chosen men, A.V. (see note of Christiane in his time being bound by on ver. 22). He.ving come, etc. The Greek the law of things strangled (see Hooker is capable of either meaning. Alford prefers and Bishop Sanderson, quoted by Words- that of the A. V. Others think that stress worth, in the same sense). is laid upon the decree being unanimous. Ver. 22.-It ,umed good to for pleased it, Our beloved Barna.bas ud Paul. J amea and A.V.; the euierB for eulers, A. V.; to choo86 the council thus go.ve their full and open men end of their company and 86nd them, etc., support to Barno.bas and Paul. Observe for to send chosen men of their OI.Dn company, that Barnabas is named first, as in ver. 12. A. V.; BaT&abbasfor BarBabas, A. V. and T.R., Ver. 27.-Themsel-oes also shall for shall IIS eh. i 23. To choose men, etc. Tliis is e. also, A. V. ; blf word of mouth for by mouth, necessary change, because the middle aorist A. V. Judas and Silae (see eh. x. 7, note). (,Kll.•laµ.•11ous) cannot have a pesein, mean- Ver. 28.-It seemed good, etc. The for- ing (cho•en); see ver. 40. Chief men (,ryov• mula is remarko.ble. It implies the con- ,,./,,our); literally, leader•. So in. Luke :uii. sciousness on the part of the council that 26 'O .,-yo6,..,vos is rendered, " He that is they had "the mind of the Spirit;" but how chlef." In Heb. :riii. 7, 01 .,-yo6µ.<Yo1 6µ.f#v this mind of the Spirit was communicated is, " Them which have the rule over yon : " we are not expressly told. There may have your spiritual rulers. llilu seeinll t.o be a been some " revelation," similar to thai  THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. s rooordecl in ob. xiii. 2: x. 19; Go.I. U. 1, eto. those that had smit them forth for the iwpoatk., It is however, generally understood n1 A.V. and T.R. restin'g upon Christ's promise t.o be with his Ver. 34.-This verse is omitted in the Ohuroh alwnya. Hefele ('Hist.of Christion R.T. and by the be~t manuscripts and com- Councils,' pp.1,2, English translation) quotes mentators. It eecmu to have been put in to Oyprinn os writing to Pope Cornelius in the explain ver. 40. But Silas may have returned nnme of the Council of A.D. 252 : "Placuit to Jerusalem, ea stated in ver. 33, and come nobis, Snnolo Spiritn snggerente;" and the back age.in to Antioch, from having formed e. Synod of Aries os snying, "Placuit, prmsenti strong attachment to St. Paul and his views. Spiritu So.ncto." And this is the genero.l lan- Ver. 35.-But Paul for Paul al.80, A.V.; guage of the synods, Constantine claimed tarried for continued, A.V. It is at this for the deorees of the three hundred bishops time that Meyer and other commentators at Nicma. the ea.me authority ns if they ho.cl (see ver.1, note) place Peter's visit to Antioch been "solius Filii Dei sententio.." But, as mentioned in Gal. ii. 11. nut it is quite Bishop Wordsworth on eh. xv. 28 wisely iuconceh able that Peter, with o.11 the influ- says, "It cannot be held that councils of ence of the Jerusalem Cour.cil fresh upon the Church now are entitled to adopt him, and after the part he himself took in the words of the text in the framing of it, and when his own emissaries, Silas and canons.•• Judo.a, had just left Antioch, should o.ct the Ver. 29. -Thing, sacrificed for meats part there ascribed to him. Nor is it within o_fered, A.V.; it ,hall be well with you for the region of probability that, so soon after ye ,hall do well, A.V. The phrase Ei5 the council, any should have come " from ,rpc/.uu<111 means to" prosper,'' to "fare well" James" to unsay what James had said and (comp. Eph. vi. 21, •• How I do"). written et the council. We may with much Ver. 3O,-They, when they were di,missed, confidence place Peter's visit to Antioch came down for when they were dismiBBed, they before the council, as suggested in note to came, A. V. ; having gathered for when they ver. 1. had gathered, A. V. The multitude does not Ver. 36.-.After aome days for some days exactly express the idea of TO ,r,\,j9os, which after,A.V.; return 1101D for go again, A.V.; is the fulneaB or the whole of the body spoken the brethren for oor brethren, A. V. and T.R.; of. Thus Luke i. 10, n<iv TO ,r,\,j9os Toii wherein we proclaimed for where we ha-ne ,\aoii is "The whole congregation;" Luke preached, A. V. ; /are for do, A. V. After ii. 13, fil,j9os <T'TpaT1as o~pavlo11 is "The some days is hardly equivalent to J.1.ETcl. Twas whole heavenly host;" Luke xi.x. 37, 'A,ra,, -qµepas. The expression in Greek is quite TO ,r,\,j8os .,.;;,,, µa811ToJ11, "The whole com- indefinite as to time, and may cover months pany of the disciples; " also eh. vi. 2 and as well e.s davs. That it does cover a con- iv. 32, To ,r,\,j8os .,.;;,,, ,r1<TTEuuc/.,,.,..,,, is "The siderable length of time we gather from the whole company of believers;'' oh. xxii. 36, expression in ver. 33, that J udo.s and Silas To ,r,\,j8os 'TOU ,\aov is "The whole body of "tarried some time at Jerusalem," followed the people;" in ver. 12 of this chapter, niiv by that in ver. 35, that after their departure TO ,r,\,j8os is " The whole Church of J eru- "Paul and Barnabas tarried (a,frp,/3ov) in s11lem." So here, To ,r,\,j8os means "The Antioch." We can hardly suppose the two whole Church." periods together to have included much less Ver. 31.-.And when they had read it for than a year. Let us retuxn., eto. 'rhe sin- which when they had read, A.V. gular loving care of Paul for his young Ver. 32.-Being themselves also prophet, converts appears here (comp. l Thess. ii. 7, 8; for being prophet, also themselves, A.V. iii. 5-S; 2 Cor. i. 14, etc.). Being themselves also prophets, exhorted, Ver. 37.-Waa minded Cor detennined, eto. Observe the connection of exhortation A.V. 0.nd T.R.; John also for John, A.V. with prophecy, and compare the e:s:phm11tion and T.R.; who was called for whose BUT• ,f the name of Barnabas in oh. iv. 36, note. name waa, A.V. Wo.s minded. It is doubt- Confirmed them; bre<TTTJP•~av, as ver. 41 and ful which is the true ret1.cling, ,/3ou,\,{,,;aTo eh. xiv. 22; xviii. 23. Nothing is so unset- or ,/306,\ETo. The difference of meaning is tling as oontroversy; but the preaching of small. The first means " took council with these "chief men" brought back men's himself," i.e. planned, thought, to take minds to the solid faith aud hope of the Barnabas; the second, " wished,'' is. hi.Ji gospel. How rich the Churoh of Antioch deliberate will was to take Barnabas. Sin- was at this time, with Paul and Barnabas, gularly enough, Alford, who rejects ,/306,\no, Judas and Silas, and probably Titus, and which is the reading of R.T., translates e~~e, if not all, of those mentioned in eh. ,/3ou1'.,6no by" was minded," which is the xm. 1, for their teachers I translation of ,130{,,\no in the R.V. We see Ver. 33.-Bpent some time there for tarrkd in this choioe of Mark by Barnabas the !here !1 space, A.V. (see eh. xviii. 23; xx. 3; natural po.rti11lity of e. near relntiou. We _Jae. IV, 13); dismissed for let go, A.V,; m11,y also seo the l!llme tlc~ibility of dispo-  • '1'11E ACTS OF THE APOSTLliiS. (011. xv. 1-41