The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 225

sooner wits Felix rece.lfod from hia goYernment in this sense by classical writers. A mover tbitn the chief men omong the Jewe at of inllllrreotions (a-,,-ifa-m, R.T.). This wa11 Orosaree. went up to Romo to e,ccnse him the charge most likely to weigh with a before Noro, when be narrowly escaped Roman procnrator in the then disturbed and punishment through the influence of his turbulent state of the Jewish mind (comp. brother Pallite. By thy providenoe. " Pro- Luke uiii. 2; John xix. 12). Felix him- vidantio Omsaris" ie a common legend on self had he.d large experience of Jewish Ilomitn coine (Alford). Evils itre oorreoted, insurre~tions. The Jewish riots at Philippi The rending of the R.T., 6wpBcf,µa1ra, mean- (eh. xvi. 20), at Thessalonica (eh.xvi i. 6), at ing "reforms," oooure only here, bat, like (J,)rinth (eh. xviii. 12), at Ephesus (eh. x.ix. the kindred 1eaTopBcf,µaTa of the T.R., is a 29), o.nd at Jerusalem (eh. x:x.i. 30), would medical term. LJ.,&pBwa-,r, reformation, is give colour to the accusation. The world found in Heb. ix. 10. The ,caTopBC:,µa.Ta of the (,j o11eouµ.e"71). The Rome.n, or civilized, T.R. (which itlso oocurs nowhere else in the world (Luke ii. 1 ; iv. 5, etc.). Ringleader; New Testament) means, in its classical use, "P""Toa-Trl.T71s, only here in the New Testa- either "successful actions " or " right ao. ment, bnt need by the LXX. in Job xv. 24, tions; " 1<aTopB&w is to " bring things to a and not uncommon in classical Greek, as a successful issue." Possibly Tertullus may military term, equivalent to the first, i.e. the have had in view the successful attack on right-hand mo.n in the line. Also, in the the Egyptian impostor (see oh. xxi. 38, note), plural, the soldiers in the front rank. The or the wholesale crucifix.ion of Sicarii and sect of the Nazarenes. As our Lord was con- other disturbers of the public peace. temptnonely called" The Nazarene "(;}fatt. Ver. 3.-In all ways for always, A.V.; uvi. 71), so the Jews designated hie excellent for noble, A.V. Meyer connects disciples•• Nazarenes." They would not in all ways e.nd in all places with the pre- admit that they were Christians, i.e. disci pies ceding 6,opBwµ,frwv .,,,voµ.evwv: " reforms e.nd of the Messiah. improvements that have to.ken place on all Ver. 6.-Moreover assayed for also hath sides and; in all places." n&.,,,.p or 1r&n11, gone about, A. V.; on whom also we laid hold for found only here in the New Testament, whom we took, A. V. To profane the temple. means " on all sides," " in every direction." The same false charge as was made in eh. xxi. Ver. 4.-But for notwithstanding, A.V.; 28. The remainder of ver. t', after the words I entreat thee for I pray thee, A.V. ; to hear "on whom we laid hold," the whole of ver. for that thou wouldest hear, A.V. Of thy 7, and the first clause of ver. 8, are omitted olemency (Tti a-ff i1r1<11tel<f), The word is in the R.T. on the authority of it, A, B, G, H. rendered" gentleness" in 2 Cor. x. 1, where etc. But the propriety of the omission is alone it occurs in the New Testament; bri- doubtful (Alford, Bishop Jacobson, Plnmp- ef1e11s is most frequently rendered ••gentle" tre), though sanctioned by Mill, Dengel, (1 Tim. iii. 3 (R.V.); Titus iii. 2; Jae. iii. Griesbach, Le.ohmann, and Tisobendorf 17; 1 Pet. ii. 18). A few words. The Greek (Meyer). If the words are not genuine, it is has a-uv,,-&µws, briefly, concisely, found only a marvellously skilful interpolation, fitting he1·e in the New Testament, but common into the place so exactly both at the beginning in classico.l Greek and especia.lly in medical and at the end, and supplying a. manifest writers, where it means "rapidly," "in o want in the speech of Tertnllus. (For th• short time." statement in ver. 8 A. V ., comp. eh. xxiii. 30.) Ver. 5.-lnsurrection for sedition, A.V. Ver. 8.-From whom thou wilt be able, and T.B. Wehavefonnd(e~p&vns). Theoon- by examining him thyself, to take for by struction of the sentence is an anacoluthon. e:r:amining of whom thyself mayest take, A.V. The participle is not followed, as it should be, According to the R.V., whom refers to St. by a finite verb, i1epaT11a-aµev (in ver. 6), but Paul, but according to the A. V., to Lysias. the construction is changed by the influence This last agrees with ver. 22. By exa.mining of the interposed sentence, "who moreover as- him; a.v(l1Cplv11s (Luko x:tlii. 14; eh. iv. 9; sayed to profane the temple," and so, instead xii. 19; xvii. 11; uviii. 1S; elsewhere of i1epa.Tf10'a.µev .,,J,,.&v, we ho.ve 8111eal i1ep11rl,aa• only in St. Paul's Epistles). In eh. uv. 26 µ.e11. A pestilent fellow (11.01µ.&v); literally, a the kindred a.v&1ep,a-«, examination, is used. pestilence; as we say, "a pest," "a plague," Ver. 9.-Joined in the charge for auented, or " a nuiennce," like the Le.tin pestis. It A.V. and T.R.; affirming for saying, A.V. only oocure here in the New Testament, but .Joined in the oharge. The ree.ding of the is of frequent use in the LX.X., e.e e.g. 1 R.T., a-uvor,8ell'ro, means" joined in the at- Sam. ii. 12, x. 27, and uv. 25, ulol tack upon," as in the LXX. of Deut. xxxii. 71.o,µol, "sons of Belia.I;" 1 Maoc. x. 61; xv. 27 ("behave themselves~tra.ngely," A.V.); Ps. 3 lf11op,s 71.o,µol: e.nd xv. 21, simply 71.o,µ.ol iii. 6 (Codex Alexandrinus;" set themselves (rendered" pestilent fellows" in the A.V.), against me," A.V.). The a-uv,a.v,,-o of the and elsewhere as the rendering of other T.R. means "aµeed" (Bil John ix. 22), Hebrew wvrds. It is oocasionally ueed also "aseented."  232 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLE& rott. xxlv. 1-27,