The Pulpit Commentary — Acts — Volume 1 — Section 413

"to con tlnue in the grooe of God," see Gal. 6: 2 Tim. ii. 9; I Pet. i. 2. Bee the Seven- v. 4.) teenth Article of Religion). Vor. 44.-Babbath for eabbath day, A.V.: Ver. 49.-Bpread abroad for publiahed, almo•t the t0hole oity t0a1 gotlrnred for came A.V. As the persecution after the death almost U,e 111/iole aity, A.V. We may sup- '?f Stephen led to the preaching of the Word pose that as many as could crowded into ID Judma a!ld Samaria and beyond, so here the synagogue, and th11t a multitude stood the contradiction and opposition of the Jews out~icle in the street. led to th~ free preaching of the gospel for Ver. 45.-Jealousy for Ml"1J, A.V.; contra- the first time among the heathen population dicted tlie things for spalee against those lhi11!JB, of Pisidia. A. V.; and blasphemed for contradicting and Ver. 50.-llrged on for 1ti-rred up, A. V.; blaspheming, A.V. and T.R. Jealoll8J. tl1e de11ou.t 111omen of honourable estate for the Neither word exactly expresses the (,i>.os. de'Dout and honourab~ "'<YIMrl, A.V. and The indignati11n of ver. 17, A.V. (where see T.R.; ,tirred up a for railed, A.V.; cast them note), is nearer the sense: though jealousy out of their border, for ezpelled !Mm out of of the influence of the two str,mgers may thei-r coa,t,, A. V. Urged on (ra.p,{,Tpuva.v). have entered into the fierce passion which The word only occurs here in the New was stirred up in the Jewish mind, as well Testament, and is not common elsewhere. as jealousy for their own religion, which The devout women of honourable estate : they saw was being superseded by the doc- •vrrx11µ""' is, literally, 111ell-formed.; then trine of Paul. decent, becoming; and then honourable, 111eU- Ver. 46.-.A.nd for thMI, A.V. and T.R.; to-do (comp. eh. xvii 4, ')'UVa.1,cwv Twu 1rprfm,,v). spake ou.t boldly for t0azed bold, A. V. : be for See Mark xv. 43, where Joseph of Arimathea ha11e been, A.V.: eeeing for but aeeing, A. V. is described as •vrrx11µ.o,v {!ou>.,irr11s, "an e.nd T.R.: thrwt for put, A. V.; eternal for honourable counsellor.n The devout women et1erlasti11g, A. V. Spake out boldly. Observe ( a2 rr•f!oµ,va.,) were the Gentile proselytes that Barne.bas as well as Paul resented the who worshipped God, as in ver. 43. So of unseemly opposition of the Jews. It wu Lydia (eh. :xvi 14), and of "the devout neoessary. The necessity arose from the com- Greeks" (eh. :xvii 4, 17; J:viii 7). The mand of Obrist (Luke xxiv. 47; oh. i. 8: iii ohief men ( Tovs rptfJTous), aa in eh. :xvii 4 26). It is in accordance with this pnrpose of (')'UVIZIICWV TUJV ,rprfm»v). God that St. Paul says of the gospel that "it Ver. 51.-They shook off the duet, etc.; is the power of God unto salvation . . . to according to the Lord's injunction (Luke the Jew first, and also to the Greek " (Rom. i. iL 5: comp. eh. :xviii 6). And clll!le llllto 16). Compare, too, our Lord's saying (Matt. Ioonium.; a distance of about sixty miles :1:v. 24) and the woman's reply (ibid. 27). In south-east, a five days' journey (Rene.n). point of fact, this had been the practice of Iconium lay on the high road from Antioch Paul and Bame.baa no less than of Peter, in Syria to Ephesus. It is now called and was the very motive that had brought Oogni, and has a population of nearly thirty them to Antioch. Lo, we tum to the thousand souls. Iconium is 11SBigned by Gentiles. These were, indeed, bold words to Xenophon to Phrygia: by others to Pisidia; speak in a Jewish synagogue; the speakers and age.in by others (Cicero, Strabo, etc.) to had doubtless sought courage from the Lycaonia. At this time it was the capital of Holy Ghost (see oh. iv. 29). a separate tetra.rchy (Lewin, ' Saint Paul '), Ver. 47.-For G light for to be a light, but Renan oalls it" the capital of Lycaonia" A.V.: the uttennost parl for the M1ds, A.V. (' Saint Paul,' p. 41). The quotation is from the LXX. (Cod. Ver. 52.-And the disoiples, eto. Nothing Alex.) of Isa. :1:1.iJ:. 6. Compare the frequent oan be more beautiful than this description. quotations by Bt. Paul from Isaiah in Rom. In spite of the persecution, in spite of the :1:v. The additional words which appeo.r in danger, in spite of the banishment of their the LXX., .is B,a.81/1<11v 'Ylvous, have no teachers, the disciples were filled with joy counterpart in the Hebrew, and are probably and with the Holy Ghost (see I These. i. 6; corrupt. The application of the passage is, Heh. x. 34). With regard to this impori=t God dec!ired his purpose by Isaiah, that his incident at Antioch, Ren,m observes on its Bernnt Messiah should be the Light and powerful influence in turning St. Paul's Salvation of the Gentiles, and wo are com- mind moro dechlively to the conversion of missioned to give elfeot to that purpose by the Gentiles as the great object of his our preaohing. apostleship. He adds, "The ch11racter of Ver. 48.-.A.s for t0hen, A. V.: Goel for the that great soul was to have a boundless Lord, A.V. and T.R. As many as were power of expansion. I know none to be com- ordained to eternal life believed. This oan pared with it in respeot of its inexh11ustible only refer to the predestination or election freshness, its unlimited resources of will, and of God, viewed aa the moving cause of their readineBB to make the most of every oppor- faith (oomp, Eph. L ¾, 6, 11, 12; I'hiL i. hmit7, except that of AleJ:aDder the GreaL,. ilO THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. [oa:, :lllL 1-52.