The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 2 — Section 246

The number indicated by the oomparative Bishop Wordsworth renclera -rijr /8/,u B«u1- degree, .->,.do,v, depends upon what it i1 com• oa,µov/o.s his own superstit.ion, Paul'■, whioh pared with. Here it means more days than agrees with the context. These details wes neoessary for fulfilling the purpose of must have been among those "oom'>lalnts" their visit, whioh was to salute Festus. They spoken of in ver. 7. Whom Paul affirmed to Btayed on BOme days longer. Laid Paul'■ be alive. Notioo the strees oonstantly laid oue before the king ; lw,9,To .-,\ ,ccm\ Tbv by the apostle upon the resurrection of the nau>..ov. 'l'he wor<l only ooours in the New Lord Jesus. If liia own superstition is the Testament here and in Gal. ii. 2, " I laid right rendering, we have here the nature before them the gospel which I preach of it, in Festns's view, belief in the resur- among the Gentiles." In 2 Maoc. iii. 9, rection of Jesus. 'Av,6..-o r,pl .-ou ')'f')OVOTO< lµ<f,av,uµoii, Ver. 20.-1, being perplaed hotc to inquire "Heliodorus laid before the high priest eonooming these thing,, a,ked for because 1 Onias t.he information that had been given doubted of such manner of questions, I asked about the trensure in the temple" (see other him, A.V. and T.R. I, being perplexed, etc. passages quoted by Kuinoel). The word The (-/iT11uu spoken of by Festus does not ruight 1?9 ~ndered 8imply "told," the thing mean his own judioie.l inquiry, though it i~ told bemg m the accusative, and the person eo used once in Polybius (vi. xvi. 2), but the to whom it is told in the dative. It was disputes or discussions on such subjects 118 very 11atnre.l thnt J<'estus should take the the Resurrection, eto. (John iii. 25 ; 1 'l'im. opportunity of consulting Agrippa, a Jew, i. 4; vi. 4 ; 2 Tim. ii. 23; 'l'itus iii. 9), in and expert in all questions of Jewish Law, which Festus felt himself at a Joss. The about Paul's co.use. A.V., therefore, expresses the sense more Ver. 15.-Asking for s,mfenee for desiring nenrly than the R.V. The T.R. too, which to haoe judgment, A.V. and T.R. The chief inserLs ,ls before .-hv ,npl .-o{,.-o,v (-/iT11a-.v, is priests (ver. 2, note). Informed me (see preferable to the R.T., because a.-.ropoiiµa, docs above, ver. 2, e.nd eh. x:s:iv. 1, note). not govern an e.ccnsative case, but is e.lmos, Ver. 16.-77uit it is for it is, A.V.; custom e.lways followed by n. preposition. 'l'hose for manner, A. V.; to gine up for to delii,er who follow the reading ot' the T.R., -.r,pl . . . to die, A.V. e.nd T.R.; the accused for M TOO'Tou, either understand ,rpd.')'µ.aTO< or refer which is acc,ued, A. V. ; Juice had opportunity ,,-o6Tov to Paul or to Jesus. to make his defence concerning U,e matter for Ver. 21.-To be kept for the decision of har,e lillnce t.o answer for himself concerning the emperor for to be resen,ed unto the hearing tl,e crime, .A.V. To give up (above, ver. 11, of .Augustus, A.V.; should for might, A.V. note). Have had opportunity to make his 'l'he deoision; 6,a.,vwa«, !Jere only in the defence (-ro,rov a:1ro>..o.,,a., }u/.{Jo,); see eh. xxii. New Testament; but it is used in this sense 1, note. in Wisd.iii.18("thedayoftri.nl," or "bee.ring," Ver. 17.- When therefore for therefore, A. V.), an<l by Josephus (' Ant. Jud.,' xv. iii. tchen, A.V.; together here for hither, A.V.; I 8). For the verb 6,a.,.cvdiu,co,, see eh. xxiii. m£UU no delay for without any delay, A.V. ; 15; :u:iv. 22, notes. The omperor (-roii ~ mi tJ1£ next day for on the morrow, A.V.: :::E</3au-roii); re.ther, as the A.V., .Augustus. sat down for I ,at, A. V.; brought for brooghl .AugustU11 was the title conferred by the forth, A.V. To be brought (a.hove, ver. 6). soua.te upon Octavius Cresar, n.o. 27, whom Ver. 18.-Concerning for aaainst, A. V.; we commonly designate .AuguatUII Caisar. ,w cl.arge for none aCCUllation, A. V. ; evil It became afterwards the distinctive title things for things, A.V. and T.R. 'l'he7 of the reigning emperor, and, after the end brought no che.rge. The expression, common of the second century, sometimes of two 01 in classical writers, lr,cp,puv al-rlav, answers even three co-emperors, and waij now home to the Latin legal phr111:1e, crimen inferre by Nero. Its Greek equivalent was l•/3a<TTds. (Cicero, 'Contr. Verrem.,' v. 41; 'Ad .Augu,tU11 mny be derived, as Ovid says, from Hereun.,' iv. 35). Such evil th.ingl a.a I sup- augeo, e.s f austus from faveo, an<l be kindrod posed; riz. seditions, insurrections, murders, with augur, an<l mean one bleat and aggran- ond such like, which were so rife at this time. dized of God, and so, full of majesty. It is Ver. 19.-Religion for ,uperstition, A. V.; spoken of oil holy things, temples e.nd the tch.o for which, A. V. Certain question.■ ((11T-/i• like, "Et quodcunque suO. Jupiter nugct µ.a-ra); eh. :u-. 2; xviii. 15; :u:iii. 29, etc. ope" (Ovid,' Fast.,' i. 609); and, as Ovi,l suys Jl.e!.igion (ownoa.,µ,ovla); see eh. xvil. 22, g,.,r,. in the same passage, is a. titlo proper to the 6a.tµ,ov«r-r,pous, where there is the so.me doubt gods. For, comparing it with the names of u here whether to take it iu a good sense the greatest Homan families, Maximus, or u ba.<l one. Here, BB Festus, e. me.n of the Magnus, 'l'orquatus, Corvus, eto., their world, wo.s speaking to a king who wa.s a. names, he says, bespeak human !ionours, Je-w, he is not likely to he.ve intended to but of Augustus, he says, "Hie sooium 1l8e e.n offensive phrase. So it is best to summo cum Jove nomen habet." And 80 ren,ler it" religion." 11,11 tb<J R.V. does. But the Greek lf/Ja4-r6s bespeaks a vener11tion OU, UV, 1-27.) 'l'IIE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. 253