The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 57

statement with historical fact &B pointed out In ver. 12 we have 'rio• .~"XTll'.S"°'" la above. There is said to ho.,•e been twenty- the same eenae as the .,...,., "P"'""'" in thl1 two Jewish synagogues nt TheualoniM verse. nner the expulsion of the Jews from Spain Ver. 5.-Jmoe for Jews tohich belie1Jed no', in the fifteenth century, and the number Rt A.V. and T.R.; bet'.ng moved for moved, the present time is ~tn ted to be thirty-six. A.V.; jealousy for envy, A.V, (see eh. xiii. The existence of a sy,mgogue at this time 45, note); vile fellmos of tl,,e rabble for lc1od was 1he rerL."()n of St. l'aul's visit and felloioe of the baser aort, A.V.; gathering a 6ojourn there. croiod, set for gatl1ere<l a company an<l set, Ver. 2.-Cu8tom for manner, A.V.; for A.V.; the city for all the city, A.V.; asrnultfog f'hree for three, A.V.; from for out of, A.V. . .. they for assa11,lted . . . and, A. V.; fort/, Reasoned. (see nnt" on ver. Ii). for out, A.V. The house of Ja.son; where V('f. 3.-lt belwt1ed the Ch,-i,sf to suffer, and it nppenrs from ,·er. i, ns well as from this to rue for Chri~ mwt need8 /,ave suffered, vcr~c, Paul ond Silas were lodgiug. If, a~ and risen, A. V.; tolunn, ,aid he fot wlwm, is very probable, the Jaijon here mentioned A.Y.; proclaim for ,:,reach, A. V.; the Chri,t is the same person as the Jason of Rom. for Chri.•t, A.V. rbe line of reasoning xvi. 21, it would seem that he joi11ed the adopted by St. Paul in his preaching to tbe opostle, either e.t this t.ime or on his visit Thessalonian Jews WBB the so.me o.s that of to Macedonia _mentioned in eh. xx. 3, anu our Lord to the disciples an<l apostles on the went with him to Ccrfoth, where the day of his resurrection, RB recorded in Luke Epistle to the Romans was written. He n.iv. 26, 2i; 44-ii, and that of St. Peter was a relation, uv-y-y•v~s, of St. Paul's, and (eh. ii. 22-36; iii. IS; iv. 11, etc.), doubtless I\ Jew. Jason was 11, Romanized nnd it is irresistible. The fulfilment of form of the narue Jesus, or Joshua, e.s we prophecies l'elating to the Messiah in the see in the case of the Ii igh priest. the person of J eaus is like the fitting of a key brother of Oufas (Josephus, 'Aut. Jud.,' t.o the intricate wards of tbe lock, which xii. v. 1). It wo.s homo al.o by Joson of proves that it is the right key. The preacher Cyrene, the Jewish historia.n (2 l\1acc. ii. of the gospel should Clll'efully study and 23), and by e.nolher mentioned in 1 l\1aco. expound to the people the word of prophecy, viii. I 7, etc. St. Luke seems to introduce and then show its counterpart in the suffer- Jason as e. well-known person. ings and glory of Christ. This did St. Paul Ver. 6.-Dragged for drew, A.V.; before Opening (/iuu,o/-y,.w); as our Lord had do!!e for unto, A.V. Cenain brothre_11; some of (li1,\11oryE11-i/µ7vTa.s-ypa,p&s, Lnke n:iv. 32), the the Thessalonian Christians wl10 happened hidden meaning of the prophecies, and tbcn to be in the house of Jason. The rulers of alleging ( 7rapan9,µEvos ), setting before them the city ( .,-ous 1roll.1Tapx:u, an<l vcr. 8). '!'his the propositions which had tbus been estab- is a remarkable in.tance of St. Luke's lished. The process is described in Luke accuracy. The word is unknown in Greek xxiv. 27 BB interpreting (" expounded,'' litere.ture. But an inscription on o.n ancieut A. V. ). In this verse the opening was »bowing marble arch, still stauding in Thessalonica, from the prophets that the Messiah was to or Saloniki, records tbat Thessalonica was die and rise again ; the all,eging was that governed by seven politarchs (see the in- Jesus wa.s that very Christ. scription in Conybeare e.nd Howson, vol. i Ver. 4.-Were perMJaded for bel~ed, A.V. p. 360). 'fhessalonica was a Greek city, (irE1tT8,itra11). Consorted with; .,,poa,,c>,.11prJ.- governed by its own laws. Hence the 611ua.,,, a word ouly found here in the New mention of the 6;jµos in ver. 5. The polit- Testament, but, like so many other words archs also were Greek, not Roman, magis- in St. Luke's voce.bule.ry, found also in Plu- trates. Crying; ~ownES, often followed by tarch, in the sense of being " associated µE-ya.J..p tpwvfi (eh. viii. 7; Mark :r.v. 34, etc.), with," or "attached to" llllY one; literally, but whether so followed or not, always to be aeaigned w any <me by wt (comp. the mee.niug "a loud cry " or "shout" ( eh. x:r.i. WJe of tl.ie 11imple verb oKA.1/p,I,B,iµ,v, Eph. 34; Luke iii. 4, etc.). Turned the world i 11). Of the devout Greeks. Observe the upside down; @au-ra-r&w is used in the New frequent proofs of the influence the syna- Testament only by St. Luke and St. Pe.ul gogues had in bringing heathen to the (eh. xxi 38; Gal. v. 12); to unaettle or dis- knowledge of the true God (see ver. 12; eh. turb; i.e. to make people litemlly avatr-ra• L 2; n. 21 ; xiii 48; xiv. I, etc.). The chief .,-ous, homeless, outcasts, from their former women(.,.;;,,, rp,I,.,.,,,.,). So in eh. xiii 50 .,-ous settlements, or, metaphorically, unsettled in -rptf,,,.ous -riis wo:A.luis means " the chief men their e.llegiance to their civil or 8piritual of the city." And Luke xix. 49, ol rpw-ro, rulen, is the meaning of the word. In the .,-oii Juwii are "the cl.iief of the people" mouth of St. Paul's e.ccusers it contains a (" the principe.l men," R.V.). It hBB been distinct charge of sedition and disobedience aheady remarked that St. Luke especi- to the Homan law. The toorld (.,-iw oi,rnuµ.- ally notice& the inst.a.nee& of fame.le piety, J/11'); the Rome.n empire (Luke ii. I), viewed OJt, ltVH, 1-34.] 'l'IH<; AC'fS OF rrm; APOSTLE3. 59