The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 209

xxvil. 2) nnd Foll.a were proouratore, Irr•· his zeal in defence of a Roman citizen, and µ&vu, only in n looeer eonse, as the more also to anticipate any nnfayourable rop')rt exaot na.mo of their office was i1r[-rpo.,,.or that Paul might give as to his threatened procurator. • Only, as they were appointed scourging.) by the emperor, and often exercise,! the foll Ver. 28.-Desiring f.o kMUI for when 1 funotion11 of a legatus O■saris, they were would have kooum, A.V.; dmon 1mf.o for oalled h•µ&ver as well as proprmtors. Jl'elix, forth into, A.V. called by Tnoitus, Antonius Felix (' Hist.,' Ver. 29.-Found for perceived, A.V. ; v. 9), was the brother of Palle.s, the freedman about for of, A.V. Q.uostiona; (11-r~µrz-ra, and favolll'ite of Olaudius. He as well ae only in the Acts, where it occurs five times his brother Felix had originally been the (eh. xv. 2; xviii. 15; xxiii. 29; x.xv. 19; slave of Antonia the mother of the Emperor uvi. 3). St. Luke also uses (~-r-,,u,r (eh. Olaudius; and hence the nnme A ntonius Feliz, xxv. 20), as does St. Pe.ul four times in the or, as he was eometimes otherwise called, pastoral Epistles (1 Tim. i. 41 T.R.; vi. 4; Oiaudius Felix. Tacitus, after mentioning 2 Tim. ii. 23 ; Titus iii. 9). that Claudius appointed ae governors of Ver. 30.-Shown to for told, A.V.; that Judma.• sometimes knighte a.nd sometimes there would be a plot against for how that freedmen, adds that among the la.stAntonius the Jews laid wait for, A.V. and T.R. ; 1 Felix ruled this province with boundless sent him to thee forthwith for I sent straight- cruelty a.nd in the most arbitrary manner, way to thee, A. V'. ; charging for and gave com- showing by b,is abuse of power his servile mandment to, A.V.; to speak agaimt him origin. He aidds tilat he married Drusilla, before thee for to say before thee what they the granddaughter of Ma.rk Antony and had against him, A.V.; the R.T.omitsfare- Cleopatra, so tha.t he was Mark Antony's well, in the A. V. Tha.t there would be a. plot, grandson-in-law, while Ola.udius was An- etc. Two constructions are mixed up either tony'& grandson. But see oh. xxiv. 24, note. bythewriterof theletter,or by the transcriber. In the 'Anna.ls' (xii. 5) Tacitus further One would be M1ivu/Je[u11s 6e µ.o, ~1r,/3avll.71s -r71r speaks of the incompetence of Felix to µe11.Ao6u11 r fr«x/Ja,, " When I wa.s informed govern, stirring up rebellions by the means of the plot which was a.bout to be laid he took to repress them, and of the against him ; " the other, M71vu/JevTor µ.a, utter lawlessness and confusion to which i1r,/3ou11.¾v µell.A«v fr,uBa., "When I wa.s in- the province was reduced by the malad- formed that a plot was going to be laid," ministration of Felix and his colleague, eto. Against the man; wposau-r&v, as eh. vi. 1: Ventidius Oumanus ("cui po.rs provincim 1 Cor. vi. I. Bat 11.i-,«11 .,,p&s (instead of habebe.tur"). He adds that civil we.r would itaT&.), " to speak age.inst " any one, is a.n have broken out if Qua.dratus, the Governor unusual phrase. The T.R., which is retained of Syria., had not interposed, and secured by Mill, Alford, Wordsworth, Meyer, etc., the punishment of Ouma.nus, while Felix, is far more probable. Other readings a.re his equal in guilt, was continued in his Ai-yEtv, or Ai-yeu, aUToJs. government. This was owing, no doubt, to Ver. 31.-So for then, A.V. A.ntipntris; the influence of Pallas. The same influence "forty-two Roman miles 1 from Jerusa.lem, secured the continued government to Felix and twenty-six from Crese.rea., built ( on the upon Nero's accession,Pe.llas being a.11-power- site of Ka.phor Saba) by Herod the Grea.t, fnl with Agrippina. Such was " the most ex- and named in honour of Antipater, his cellent governor Felix." For further accounts fe.ther" (Alford). According to Howson, of him, see Josephus (' Bell. J ud.,' ii. xii. 8 ; following the American traveller, the Rev. xiii.), who ignores his she.re in the govern- Eli Smith, the route lay from Jerusalem to ment e.s the partner of Cumanus, e.nd de.tee Gophna, on the rood to Nablous, and from his appointment subsequently· to the. con- Gophne., lee.viag the great north road by a demnation of Oumanus at Rome, e.nd is e.leo Roman road of which many distinct traces there silent as to bis misdeeds. (For further remain, to Antipatris, avoiding Lydda or accounts of Felix, see ' Ant. Jud.,' u. vii. 1, Diospolis altogether. Gophna. is three hours 2; viii. 5-7, which relate his adulterous from Jerusalem; and, as they sto.rted at ~ marriage with Drusilla, and some of his p.m., would be reached by midnight. Five or murders and cruelties.) six hours more would bring them to Anti- Ver. 27.-Seized by for taken of, A.V.; was about to be slain for should have been 1 The Roman mile was eqne.l to 1618 killed, A.V.; when I came for then came I, yards, or one hundred and forty-two yo.rds A.V.; upon them with the soldiers for with less than the English statute wile. The dis- an army, A.V.; learried for understood, A.V. tance in English miles would therefore be The soldiers (-ro u-rp&.reuµa, as ver. 10). The under thirty-nine miles. Thirteen hours' ai·my of the A..V. is out of pluoe. Having walking at three miles e.n hour, with si:x lell~ned, etc. Lysius departs here from hours' halt, would bring them to Creso.r~a by utnct truth, wishiug, no doubt, to set off 4:p.m.  THE ACTS OF THE: APOSTLES. [ob. Xmt. 1-3G.