The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 119

Ver. 32.-Jn oonfwu,n for 1111nfwed, A.V. 6 .,.011.µ71p&s, one who is bold and violent. ( o-u-y1«xu1d,,.,,: oomp. uv-yxou,..,,, ver. 29). The In medical language, lta.TauTl>..11.o, is to more put, etc. A graphic picture of en soothe, oalm, eto., and </l<lpµ.11,ca ,caTaO"Ta.11. T11<.t excited mob led by interested a.nd designing aud a:vauTall.T1tccl. are medicines which oheok ng,tetors. the growth of diseo.see, ulcers, eruptions, Ver. 33.-Brought for dreta, A. V. and and the like. Temple-keeper, in R.V. and T.R.; a cufenae for hia defrmce., A.V. (,broll.o- u,argin of A.V. (v,c,,tc&pos); literally, temple• -y,,ulla,). Alexa.nder. Some think he is the ,weeper, from .,,,:,,, a temple, and tcoplo,, to same as " Alexandor the coppersmith," of sweep. The word Neoceros was 11, peculiar whose ronduct St. Paul complains eo bitterly title, assumed first by persons and theu by (2 'l'im. iv. H, 15; 1 Tim. i. 20), and he such cities, in Asia especially, as had the may or may not be. It seems likely that, as special charge of the temple and sacred rites Si. Paul's offence was speal..-ing against the of any particular god. It first appeo.rs on gods and their temples, the Jews, who were coins of Ephesus, in the reign of Nero, and uimmonly aoonsed of being atheists, and one was deemed a title of great honour. One of whose nation Paul was, came in for their inscription speaks of 6 v,o,tcdpos ('E,p,ulo,v) share of the popular odium. They were oijµ.os as making a certain dedication. But enxious, therefore, to excuse themselves another use of the term sprang up about this before the people of having had any share time. Among the vile fiatteries of those in St.. Paul's work, and put forward Alex• corrupt times, it became Ullual with cities to a.nder, no doubt a olever man and a good dedicate temples and altars to the emperors, speaker, to me.ke their defence. But as soon and they received in return the title, meant as the people knew that he was a Jew, they to be an honour, of .,,,.,,cdpos of the emperor, refused to listen t.o him, and drowned his Some extant coins exhibit the city of voice with incessant shouts of " Great is EphesWI as .,,..,tc&pos both of Diaua and the Diana of the Ephesia.ns." Meyer, however, emperor (see Lewin, vol. i. p. 411; Howson, thinks he was a Christian, because of the vol. ii. pp. 75, 76). The image whioh fell word a:,roll.o-y,iulla.,. The people (oijµ.os, as doWJJ. from J'upiter ('Toil At01r<Tous, UDder- ver. 30). It was a true itctcll.71ula, though an stand a:-y&.>..µ.aTos, as in the' Iphig. in Taur.,' irregular one, a.nd the people who formed it 947), A,o.-.... ~s 11.~i,v lf-ya11.µ.a.; which is de- were the oijµos, different from the 1>x11.os, the scribed in ver. 88 of the same play as" the mere crowd outside. image (lf-yall.µ.a.) of the goddess Diana, which Ver. 34.-Perceived for kne'IJJ, A.V. (ir1-y,- tliey say fell down from heaven (ovfavou ,,tf,.,."'"'• to recognize; see eh. iii. 10; iv. 13). ,r,u,'iv a:1ro) into her temple in Tauris;' and Ver. 35.-Quieted the muUitude ( TOV l>xll.ov) in line 1349 it is called Ovpavoii r,u71µ.a., for appeased the people, .A.. V.; saith for sa-id, .,.1), A,bs tcO/lf/S lf-ya>.µa, "The image of the A. V.; who for that, A.V.; temple-keeper for daughter of Jove which fell from heaven," a worshipper, A.. V. ; Diana for god.des, brought away from Tauris by Iphigenia Dia111J., A.. V. and T.R. The toWJJ.-olerk (6 and Orestes into Attica. But it does not -,paµp.a.TEh); i.e. the scribe, is the city secre- appear that there was any tradition that tary. 'O -ypaµµ.a.Tws 'Tijs rdll.uos, Thucyd., the identical image brought from Tauris vii. 19 (Meyer); Tov -ypa.µ.µa.Tff,JS TOV of,µ.ou, was carried to Ephesus. There are several inscription quoted by Howson (vol. ii. p. 76, representations of the Ephesian Die.na, or note). His office, as appears from the pas- Artemis, on coins, of which one or two are sage in Thucyd.ides, was to read public given by Lewin (vol. i. p. 411) and by documents to the people. According to Howson (vol. ii. p. 66). The image was of some, it was not a post of much dignity at rude form and execution, mummy-shaped, Athens (Becker, on Thucyci, vii 10); but or like en inverted pyramid; ,roll.vµaurli according to Kuinoel it was an office of first- (rendered by St. Jerome mvlti-mammia, and rate influence in the senate in the Greek explained as intending to represent her citiea of Asia, seeing the BCribe was the as the nourisher of all Ii villg things ; Pre- chief registrar, had the drafting of the laws, face to Ephesians); made of wood variously and the costody of the archivee. As there described as ebony, cedar, and vine wood. were three orders of scribes, there may have Pliny says that, though the temple itself been a great clliference in the political rank had been restored seven times, the image of ea.eh. Rad quieted (tcaTaO"T<lll.as, and had never been altered (quoted by Kuinoel). tca.TE<TTall.µ.e11011s, ver. 36). KaTa<TTfAAf,J meaUII Ver. 36.-GainBaid for epoken againBt, t.o "arrange," "put in order," the hair, the A. V.; rash for rashly, A.V. (1rpon-ETws is the drees, or the like ; hence " to restrain," adverb). Quiet (tc11:rEuTa>.µ.lvo111: see above, "quiet;" found only in these two places ver. 35, note). in the New Testament, but not UDcom- Ver. 37.-Temple.a for churohu, A.V.; flOr mon in the Maccabee& and in J osephWI. for nor yet, A.V,; our for yuur, A.V. Ye In classical Greek, 6 tca.Tt<TTa>.µ.,11os is a man have brought, etc. •A"/"" is espeoiall7, of calm, 'l'IWlt delllllaDOW'1 Ill Oppoied to 1&1ed of " briDging befoH II mag11trate,' du xJx. 1-41.] THE ACTS OF 'l'HE APOSTLES. 121