The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 92

there, The time preoeding the visit of was no more his fault than St. Pet.er'e and Po.ul o.nd Darno.bas to Jerusalem, 1111 related St. Paul's that the factious Corinthians in eh. xv., is far the most likely for the elevated him, or rather degraded him, into encounter of the two apostles (see oh. xiv. the leader of a party. Eloquent seems to 28: xv, I, and note). Went through; be a better translation of A&,,.o• here than B«pxJµevof, u in eh. viii. 4, 40; x. 88: xiii. learned. The Greek word, which only occurs 6 : xvi. 6: xvii. 28, eto. The region of here in the New Teste.ment, he.a both Galatia e.nd Phrygia. In eh. xvi. 6 the meanings. order is inverted, "the region of Phrygie. Vere. 25, 26.-Ha.i been. for waa, A.V.; e.nd Galatia," R, V., or "Phrygia and the ,pirit for tha •pirit, A. V.; carefully for region of Galatie," A.V. The natural diligently, A.V.; thing, C011cerning Jesus for inference from this is, o.s Lewin says, with things of the Lord, A.V. and T.R.: but when whom Farrar agrees, that on this occasion Priscilla and .Aquila heard him for whlYrTI St. Paul went straight from Antioch to when Aqui'la and Prueilla had heaTd, A.V. Galatia, passing through the Cilician Go.tea a.nd T.R.; carefully for perfectly, A.V. e.nd by Maze.ea, or Cwsarea, as it was called Knowing only the baptism of John. It is by Tiberius Cmsar, in Cappadocia, and not difficult e.t first sight to conceive how at visiting the Churches of Lycaonia. 1 He this time any one could know the be.ptism proceeded from Galatia through Phrygia to of John without knowing further tbat of Ephesus, The distance from Antioch to Christ. But a possible account of it is that Tarsus was one hundred a.nd forty-one Apollos living a.t Alexandria, where as yet miles, from whence to Tavium in Galatia there was no Christian Church, had met wa.s two hundred a.nd seventy-one miles, some Jews who had been in Judrea at the making the whole distance from Antioch to time of John's ministry, and had heard from Ta.vium in Gala.tia four hundred and twelve them of John's baptism and preaching, and miles, or about a three weeks' journey of his testimony to Jesus a.a the Messiah, inoluding rest on the salibath days. From but had had no further opportunity of care- Galo.tie. to Ephesus would be between six ful instruction in the faith of J (:BUS Christ hundred a.nd seven hundred miles, The till he happened to come to Ephesus a.nd entire journey would thus be considerably make the acquaintance of his compatriots, more than e. thousO.D.d miles, a journey of Aquila and Priscilla.. They hearing him for.ty days exclusive of e.11 stoppages, Six speak with fervour and eloquence, but months proba.blymust have elapsed betwean perceiving that his knowledge was im- his departure from Antioch and his arrival perfect, immediately invited him to their at Ephesus; Lewin says " severe.I months" house, 11.D.d instructed him in the fulness of (p. 880, note). In order; in the same order, the truth of the gospel. This necessarily though inverted, in which he ha.d first included the doctrine of Christian baptism, visited them, lee.ving out none. Ste.blish- which we cannot doubt was administered ing, et.o. (/,r11r'T'l/plC,,w); see above, oh. xiv, to him (John i 83; eh. i. 5; ii 38). 22; xv. 82, 41, Ver. 27.-Minded for di.Bposed, A. V.: paa, Ver, 24.-Now for and, A.V.: an .Alezan- over for, pass, A.V.; encouraged him, and drian byraoe for bom at .Alezandria, A.V.:: wrote to for wrote ~horting, A.V.; and . . . learned for eloquent, A.V. (11.0.,,,os); calll6 to he helped for who ••. helped, A.V. To pass EpheBUB; and ha was mighty, eto., for and over into Aohaia. Nothing can be more might11 in th6 SCTiptures, ca1116, et.o., A.V. natural than the course of events here From ver. 24 to ver, 28 is a distinct episode, described. In his intimate intercourse with and a.n important one, as containing the Priscilla and Aquila, Apollos had necessarily first mention of a very remarkable man, heard much of the great work at Corinth, Apollos (a. short form of .Apolloniua, like and the flourishing Church there; and so he Epa.phra.s for Epaphroditus) of Alexandria, longed to see for himself and to exercise his a city destined to play a conspicuous po.rt powers in watering what St. Paul had so well in Church history, as the traditional Church planted (1 Cor. iii 6). Priscilla a.nd Aquila and see of St. Me.rk, the school of the having heard his eloquent sermons a.t Neoplatonists, the scene of the labours of Ephesus, e.nd being interested in the Origen, Clement, and many other men of Corinthian Church, seem to have encoma.ged note, a.ud the birthplace of the Guostio him, and to have joined with the other leaders Ceriuthus, Bo.silides, and Valentin us. disciples at Ephesus in giving him com- The notices of Apollos in the New Testa- mendatory letters to the Churoh of Corinth. ment are oh. xix. 1; 1 Cor. i. 12; iii. 4, 5, Enoouraged him j ,rpoTpeil,d.p.evo,, e. word found 6, 22; iv. 6; xvi. 12: Titus iii. 13: e.ud all nowhere else in the New Testament, but used ehow St. Paul's high esteem for him. It in classical Greek and in the Apocrypha, 1 in the sense of "exhorting," " urging." . ~e~an a.ud Howson think he oertainly DpOTpe1rT11<ol 71.0')'o• are hortatory words. In ,t1d vmt ~,c,.o~ia, ~,ell~ wtjters " "~~mulll.Il\" i, WP4'TP~  THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES, [OH, XVIll, 1-28,