The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 9

(see oh. vl. 8). "Jesus returned In the who walketh npon the winga of the wind." power of the Spirit" (Luke iv. H ; see It m~y be remarked thst the ~hove is by far too xxiv. ~!J); "Goel onnlnted Jesus of the lulleet account we hsve ol the ascension Nnznrcth with the Holy Ghost ond with of our Lord. St. Luke o.ppesn to ho.v 8 power" ( eh. x. 88); " 'l'hrough the power learnt some further particulars conceroin,,, of the Holy OhoHt" (Rom. xv. 13); "The it in the interval hetween writing hi~ demonstrotion of the Spirit ond of power " Gospel (Luke xxiv. 50-52) and writing the (l Oor. ii. 4); "Strengthened with mi;.(ht Acts. Ilut nllusions to the Ascension are (~u,,dµe,) by his Spirit" (Eph. iii. 16J; frequent (Mark. xvi. 19; John vi. 62; u:. "The powers of the world to come" (Heb. 17; Ilom. vii 1. 3-1; Eph. iv. 8, 9; Phil. ii. 9; vi. 6). My witneeees. This function of the Col. iii. I ; 1 Tim. iii. 16; 1 Pet. iii. 22, apostles, to be witn11saes of Christ, is one etc.). With reference to Zeller's assertion much insisted upon in Scripture. So we that in St. Luke's Gospel the Ascension i; read in ver. 22," Of these must one become represented BS to.king place on tho day of [' be ordo.ined,' A.V.] o. witness with us of the Resurrection, it may freely be admitted his rc•surrectiou." So a.gain in oh. x. 40- that the narro.ti ve in the Goepel does no. 42, "God ... showed him openly; not to mark distinctly the interval ol' time between oil the people, but unto witnesses cl,osen the different appearances anrl discourse,., of before of God, even to us. . . . And ho our Lord from the clay of the Resurr,-ction commanded us to testify," etc. (see also to tlio.t of the Ascension. It seems to group vers. 80 and 12 of the same cho.pter ; eh. them according to tl,eir logico.l connection xiii. 31; Luke niv. 48; eh. iv. 83; xiii. ro.ther than according to their clironological 81; xxii. 15, 18, 20; xxvi. 16; 1 Pet. v. 1; sequence, and to be a general account ot' 1 John 1-3, etc.). what Jesus ea.id between tl,e Resurrection Ver. 9.-Said for spoT,en, A.V.; a, they and the Ascension. But tl,ere is nothing were looking for while they beheld, A.V. They whatever in the text of St. Luke to indicate were to be a~T01rTa1, eye-witnesses, of the that what is relo.ted in the section xxiv. 44- Lord's ascension, o.nd so it is po.rticularly 49 took ploce at the same time as the things noted that he wBS taken as they were look- related in the preceding verses. And when ing. He did not disappear from their sight we compare with that section what is con- till he reached the cloud which enveloped tained in eh. i. 4, 5, it becomes clear that him. it did not. Because the words "assembling Ver. 10.-Were looking for looT,ed, A.V.; together with them,'' in ver. 4, clearly indi- irdo for toward, A.V.; went for went 1'p, cate a tliff'erent occasion from the oppo.ritions A.V. Two men, St. Luk8 describes them on the day of the Resurrection ; and as the o.ccording to their 11 ppenro.nce. They were words in Lulce xxiv.14--49 correspond with really angels. In like manner, in Josh. v. those in rh. i. 4, 5, it must have been also 13 we read, " There stood a man over on e. different occasion that they were o.go.in~t him;" and in Gen. xviii. l!, 16; spoken. Ago.in, the narrative of St. Jolin, xix. 10, 12, 16, we reo.d of "the men : " Loth in tl,e twentieth ond the twenty-first and in Judg. xiii. 6, 8, 10, 11, of "the chapters, as well as that of Matt. xxviii. mon of God;" the persons spoken of in 10, 16; Mo.rk xvi. 7, precludes the possi- all these cases being angels (comp. Dan. bility of the., Asrension having to.ken plo.ce, iii. 25; viii. 15, 16; ix. 21, etc.: Zech. i. 8, or having been thought to have taken place, 10; Mark. xvi. 5; Luke xxiv. 4). Gtibriel, on the day of the Resurrection, or for many too, meo.ns "man of God." In whito 11ppo.1·el, dnys ofter, so that to force a meoning upon typical of perfect holiness, o.n<l of the glory the lo.at chopter of St. Luke's Gospel which which belongs to the inho.bitonts of heoven it does not necessarily bear, and which ( comp. Dan. x. 5, 6; Matt. xvii. 2; xxviii. 3; plo.ces it at variance with St. Luke's own Mo.rk iL 3; xvi. 5; Luke xxiv. 1; Rev. account in the Acts (i. 8; xiii. 31 ), and vii. 9, 13; iii. 5, 18; iv. 4; vi. 11; xix. with the Church traditions as preserved by 8, etc.). St. Mrttlhew, St. l\Iark o.nd St. John, is o. Ver. 11.-LooT,ing for gazing up, A.V.; violent and wilful transaction. this for this same, A.V.; was recefred for is Ver. 12.-Niah unto for from, A.V.; taken, A.V.; beheld him going for have seen journey ojfforjourney, A.V. Olivet, from the him go, A.V. In liko manner; i.e. in a cloud. Vulgate O/ivetum. The p&rticulo.r Greek 'fhe description of our Lord's second advent form 'E;-...,i:,,.,, El@n, occurs in the New constantly mukes mention of clouds. "Be- Testo.meut only here. In Luke xix. 2D; hold, he cometh with clou<ln • (Rev. i. 7). xxi. 37, according to the T.R., o.nd that fol- " One like the Son of man aame with the lowed in the R.V., it is 'E.\"'"'"• of Olives. clouds of heaven" (Dan. vii. 13; o.ud so Dut ns St. Luke usually has T~ ~pos TwY lllo.tt. x:xvi. 64; Luke xxi. 27, etc.). We 'E;-.a,wv wheu he speaks of it as "the l\lount o.re reminded of the grand imogery of Ps. of Olives" (Luko xu. 37; xxii. 3D), o.n,1 as civ. 8, "Wl!,o Djaketh il!-e 0l011qs his ch1Uiot, bere he calls it Elieon, which is its nome in  THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. [ou. 1. 1-26,