The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 117

rrn<l Gnlatin to Ephesus. Silas, who had R<'peated mention is mnde in Diodorua been Timothy's companion on the former Sirnlus, Ammianus Me.roellinus, and else- 'l"isit to 111:ncedonia, seems to have left St. 'l'l'h~re, of gold or silver shrines (va&,), which Penl, possibly at Jerusalem, from wh~noe wrro offered to different ~s as propitiatory he originally came ~eh. xv. 22, 82, 34), and gifts, or carried about l>y the owners as to have attnched himself to Peter (1 Pet. charms. :Businen ; lp-ya.ule. hero and ver. T. 12). Perhaps he wns especially connected 25 (sec eh. xvi. 16, note). ·with the mission to Fontus, Ga.latia, Ca.ppe.- Ver. 25.-Gathered for callM, A.V.; blUli• ?oein, etc.. ns it a.ppe&rB from the passage ness for craft, A.V., but" craft" is the better .1ust q u"ted that he was "a faithful brother rendering. Workmen; lp-yd.-ra.,, different from unto them," A.V.; "oronr faithful brother," the -r,xvi-ra, sldlled labourers or artisans. R.Y. He himself stayed, etc. This phraBe Demetrius called together all who were in 1s m singul111 harmony 'll"ith 1 Cor. xvi. 8, any way interested in the shrine trade. His which seems clearly to have been written tn1e reason came out first. a.fier Timothy's departure for Macedonia Ver. 26.-..d.nd for moreover, A.V. We and before his arrival at Corinth, since he.Ye here a wonderful testimony from an 'l'imothy is not mentioned either in the enemy to the power and efficacy of St. Paul's superscription or among the salutations labours. Asia, here and in ver. 22, etc., (1 Cor. i. l; xvi. 19, 20), and his coming to means Proconsular Asia, of whioh Ephesus Corinth is spoken of as doubtful, though was thechiefcity. That they be no gods, etc. probable, in 1 Cor. xvi. 10. Both passages This is an incidentnl proof that St. Pnul's imply a prolongation of Paul's stay at success at Ephesus lay chiefly among the Ephesus bi:yond his original intention. The heathen, since we know from eh. xiv. 15-17; special reason for this prolongation of his xvii. 23, 24, etc., that this was exactly his sojourn at Ephesus, and which is alluded to style of preaching to Gentiles, quite differ- in l Cor xvi. 9, is thought to be the Artemi- ent from his method with Jews. sinn or Ephesian games, which were cele- Ver. 27.-.And not only is there danger that brated Rt Ephesus in Mey-and therefore this our trade come into disrepute for so that just at this time-and which brongbt a vast not only this our C'l'aft is in danger to be set concourse of Ionians to Ephesus, It was at at nought, A.V.; be made of no account for this time, doubtless, that the principal sale should be despised, A.V.; that she should even of" silver shrines of Diana" took place, and be deposed from her magnificence for her mag- therefore it was natural that Demetrius and f&ijiunce shmdd be destroyed, A.V. and T.R. liis fellow-craftsmen should be very angry Is there danger. There is no example in '\'rhen they found their usual gains were St. Luke's writings, or in the New Testament, cut short by the multitude of converts all or in the LXX., of 1ewl/w,0E1 being taken oYcr Proconsular Asia. We learn from impersonally, as it is sometimes, though l Cor. xvi. 7 that Stephanas and Fortune.tu& re.rely, in Greek authors. The subject, there- and Acheicus had arrived at Ephesus from fore, of this sentence is -rb p.epos (the portion, Corinth. It is likely that tbeir presence, part, or business), and Toii-ro 1ewliu11,0<1 71µ.iv together with that of Tychicus and Tro- -rb µepos, ,c. .,..>,,., must be construed together, phimus, two Asia.tic conrnrts, enabled St. "This trade is in danger for us to come into Paul to dispense witb the services of Timo- disrepute," or, put into English, "'!'his our thy and Erastus for a time. "E,reux•"• under- trade is in danger," etc. Come into disrepute; stand 1T,a.,.,.6v, kept himself be.ck, i.e. stayed; ,ls l,,.,,,,._eyµ),v, only found here in the New xp6vov, a while, an indefinite phrase, but Testament; literally, into refutation; hence indice.ting a short time. Herodotus ha.a into durrepute, or into reproach, i.e. be aground E11'<1TXOV'TES b>-.l-ya.s 71µ.epas (viii. 113), .,,.,uxwv of reproach to us who practise it. The oAi-yov XPlwov (i 132), and br,uxwv XP611011 great goddeBB. An epithet especially applied (ix. 49). to the Ephesian Diana (comp. the p.e-ya- Ver. 23.-.AbOllt that time for the ,ame ,._,.6-r71-ra n t the end of the verse, and the time, A.V.; concerning the Way for about cry, vers. 28 and 84). Lewin (vol.i. p. 412, tJ,at way, A.V. (see ver. 9). note) quotes 'Op.v{,,,, .,.-i,,, µ.<'Yd1',,71v 'E,p,utw, Ver. 24.-0/ for /or, A.V.; liUle lnuineu "Ap-r,µ.t11 in the Ephesian Xenophon ; Ti;, for small gain,A.V. Shrines of Diana., or Ar• µ.,-ya1',,71s 0,iis 'Ap-reptlios, in an inscription temiB. They were silver models of the famou1 at Ephesus; "ApTEµ.ts ;, p.E-ya]',,71 9,6s (Aohill. temple of Diana at Ephesus, and were Tat.). AddfromPausanias,4,81,8, "Allmen carried as charms on journeys and placed in hold the Ephesian Diana in the greatest people's houses to ensure to them tbe pro- honour," From her magnificence, 'l'he R. T. tection of the goddess (Meyer). These gold reads Ti;s µ.,-ya>..,,o-r71-ros instead of -r-1/11 or silver shrines contained within them an µ.,-ya>,.e,,;.,..,,.,. .. in the T.R. But Meyer, while ime.µ:e of Artemis (Lewin, voL i. p. 408), ae he accepts the R.T ., construes it "and some aimilar ones, which have been found made of of her magnificence," etc.; and rightly,because ierra.-eott&, do of Cybele (Lewin, p. 414), the g:eniti ve after 1ea.8,1.1pe'i11 should be pre-  Oil. XIX, 1--41,] •rrm AC'rs OF THE APOSTLli:S. 119