point of fnct, the predicted famine, which it with the visit here recorded. 9. The began in the fourth year of Claudius Cmsar second identifies it with tho.t related In oh. (A.D. 44) iind lasted till A,D, 48, fell upon xv. 2, eto., which is supported by most of jndRJa exclush·ely, aB far as appears from the best authorities ancient nnd moderu Josephus ('Ant. Jud.,' iii. xv. 3; xx. ii. 5, (see note on eh. xv.). 8. '.l'he third, which v. 2), aucl was very severe there. Ishmael is advocated by Lewin (' Life of St. Paul,' was high priest at the time; and Helena, vol. i. 302, eto.), identifies it with the visit Queen of Adinbene, fetched large supplies of recorded in eh. xviii. 22. As regards the corn from Egypt nnd of figs from Cyprus to first, with which we are now concornecl, Jerusalem, to supply the wants of the people. though at first sight you would hove ex- Eusebius (' Ecci. Hist.,' ii. 8) spee.ks of this pected. St. Paul's next visit to Jerusalem famine as havin" prevailed "over the after his conversion to be the one alluded world," nnd as being reoorded by authors to in Gal. ii., yet tho following oiroumstanoes Lostile to Christianity, but mentions no make this impossible. (1) The do.te of the names and gives no particulars(' Eccl. Hist.,' visit named in Gnl. ii., which is distinctly ii. 8), but in the twelfth chapter of the same stated to be fourteen years after that re- book he limits it to .,-f,v 'lov6alav, Judma. corded in eh. ix. 26 (fou.-11 ll,a lletca'l'Etrtrcl.po,v There were several other historical famines /.,-.,,, 1rci>,.,v avlf31w, ,c,.,-,1,..). (2) When St. in the reign of Claudius, but they can Paul went to Jerusalem on the occasion hardly be included in the prophecy of adverted to in Gal. ii., "he lo.id before them Agabus. The prophet Agabus is mentioned the gospel which he preached among the Rg&in in eh. xxi. 10, o.nd a~in as coming Gentiles." But at the time of this visit he from Judail\. Renan ascribes the poverty- had not yet begun his labours among the stricken condition of the Jerusalem Chris- Gentiles (ev Tois lOve,n), to which he was tians to their communistic institutions. only called after his return (eh. xiii. 2). (3) Yer. 29.-.And for then, A. V.; that for On the occasion spoken of in Gal. ii., Paul u;hid,, A.V. This is the first example of and Bnrnabns were received by the chief the practice, so much encouraged liy St. apostles, and must have passed o. consider- Paul, of the Gentile Churches contributing able time at Jerusalem, with many con- to the wants of the poor Christians of the sultations and meetings, pnblic o.nd private. mother Church of Jeruselem (Rom. xv. 25- But on this occasion, as far us appears, 27; l Car. :xvi. l; 2 Cor. ix..; Gal ii. 10, their visit, was a very hasty one, nnd they eto.). saw no one but the presbyters,and returned Ver. 30.-Sending for and-sent, A.V.; as soon as they h:.d handed over the collec- hand for hands, A. V. Sendmg (a:,rotrn,- tion to them (oh. xii. 25). The conclusion, >,.avns). Those by whom they sent were therefore, seems quite certain that this is a,rotr.,-o>,.o, (2 Cor. viii. 23), messengers, or not the visit referred to in Gal. ii. And the apostles. To the elders. This is the first hasty nature of this visit explains at once mention of presbyters, or elders, in the why St. Paul made no count of it in his Church at Jerusalem, which was now fully statement to the Galatians. It had no organized. James the Less was the resident bearing upon the course of his o.rgament. apostle (?) and bishop; with him were the It was not a visit to Jerusalem in the sense presbytegi ( eh. xxi. 18) ; and under them iu which he was speaking, and he saw again the&even deacons (eh. vi 5, 6). The none of the apostles. The state of the presbyters of the Church of Jerusalem are Church at the time, James the son of Zehe• mentioned again in eh. xv. 2, 4, 6, 22, 23; dee killed, Peter in prison or lately escaped x·ri. 4 ; xxi 18 ; J as. v. 13, where, how- " to another place " ( eh. xii. l 7), the other ever, the elders of other Churches in Judma apostles very likely dispersed, made it im- mo.y possibly be included. A difficulty possible. lie therefore took no count of it arises with regard to Saul's mission to in his statement to the Galatians. Thiij Jerusalem with Barna.bas, as to how to seems quite a sufficient explanation (see reconcile it with Gal. ii 1, which speaks the note of Bishop Ellicott on Go.I. ii. 1, of St. Paul's second visit to Jerusalem as and Bishop Lightfoot's convincing remarks taking place fourteen years after his first, at p. 113 of his • Epistle to the Galatians'). whereas this visit could not be above four There is no occasion to resort to the violent or ji:oe yeal'II after. But there are three expedient of Renan, and say that Saul did hyputl,eses about the visit to Jerusalem not go wi(h Barnabas at thia time. referred to ill Gal ii. L The first identifies
HOMILETICS. Vere, 1-28.-771.e mystery. The beginning and the close of _this chapter refer te events of precisely similar character, which took place almost s1mt1ltaneously, at all events without any concert or communication, in Palestine and in Syria; the recep- OU, :U. 1-30.] 'l'IIE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.