[210] 'All' oude touto; ou gar, k. t. l. This seems to refer to eusebeia; "but not by our holiness any more than by our own power." The modern text: Oude touto hemeteron, phesin; ou gar, k. t. l. "Not even this is our own, he says; for not," etc.
[211] or, Child, ton paida. OEcumen. seems to have considered this as a lowly title, for he says: "And of Christ he speaks lowly, to prostheinai, ton Paida." But to this remark he adds, "For that which in itself is glorified, can receive no addition of glory."--Below kathos en to prooimi& 251; may refer to the prefatory matter (after the citation from Joel) of the sermon in ch. ii.: see below, in the Recapitulation, whence we might here supply, anotero elegen, "'Iesoun ton Naz. k. t. l." "As in the opening address [above, he said: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God,' etc.]." Or, "like as in the opening words of this discourse he speaks in lowly manner of themselves." OEcumen. "He still keeps to lowlier matters, both as to themselves, and as to Christ. As to themselves, in saying that not by their own power they wrought the miracle. As to Christ," etc.
[212] he deutera hetera, A. B. C (N. om. he) Cat. Namely, the first, "Ye did it ignorantly, as did also your rulers." The second, "It was ordered by the counsel of God:" as below, "And he puts this by way of apology," etc. The Edd. have adopted the absurd innovation, "Through ignorance ye did it:' this is one ground of excuse: the second is, As did also your rulers:'" E. F. D.
[213] Ei pepoithen, A. C. F. D. N. Cat. and nun after katab. om. C. F. D. N. Cat.
[214] Polemois attested by Cat. and OEc. but A. has ponois, E. and Edd. kakois. In the following sentence, Pros gar ton kausoumenon kai paramuthian epizetounta houtos an harmoseien ho logos, B. and OEc. read klausomenon, C. F. D. N. klausoumenon, ("to him that shall weep,") A. kausamenon, Cat. kausoumenon, the true reading. The scribes did not perceive that Chr. is commenting on the word anapsuxeos, "refrigeration," as implying a condition of burning: hence the alteration, klausomenon, or in the "Doric" form (Aristoph.) klausoumenon. E. and Edd. Dio kai houtos eipen eidos hoti pros ton paschonta kai paramuth. zetounta k. t. l. "Wherefore also he speaks thus, knowing that it is to the case of one who is suffering," etc.--In the text here commented upon, hopos an elthosi kairoi anaps., E.V. makes hopos an temporal, "When the times of refreshing," etc. But here and elsewhere in the N.T. Matt. vi. 5; Luke ii. 35; Acts xv. 17; Rom. iii. 4; the correct usage is observed, according to which, hopos an is nearly equivalent to "so (shall);" i.e. "that (hopos) they may come, as in the event of your repentance (an) they certainly shall." And so Chrys. took the passage: Eita to kerdos epagei; & 169;Opos an k. t. l. "Then he adds the gain: So shall the times," etc.
[215] ton prokecheirismenon. Other mss. of N.T. read prokekerugmenon, whence Vulg. E.V. "which was before preached."
[216] E.V. has "all," and so some mss. panton, and St. Chrys. gives it a little further on.
[217] Instead of this clause, "by the mouth." etc. the Edd. have from E. "Still by keeping the matter in the shade, drawing them on the more to faith by gentle degrees."
[218] Teos kataskeuazei hoti autoi epoiesan to thauma. i.e. "by saying, Why marvel ye? he makes this good at the very outset: You see that a miracle has been wrought, and by us (as the instruments), not by some other man (this is the force of the autoi here). This he will not allow them to doubt for a moment: he forestalls their judgment on the matter: you see that it is done by us, and you are inclined to think it was by our own power or holiness," etc. There is no need to insert the negative, hoti ouk autoi: Erasm. and Ben. Lat.
[219] Peter sharpens his accusation of them by the following contrasts: (1) This healing at which you wonder is to the glory of Christ, not of us. (2) God has glorified whom you have betrayed and denied. (3) This you did though Pilate himself would have released him. (4) You preferred to kill the holy and just one and let a murderer go free. (5) You sought to put to death the Author of Life. Vv. 12-15.--G.B.S.
[220] The meaning of the following passage is plain enough, but the innovator has so altered it as to make it unintelligible. Yet the Edd. adopt his reading (E. D. F.) without notice of the other and genuine reading. "And yet if it was he eis auton pistis that did all, and that (hoti) it was eis auton that the man believed, why did (Peter) say, not Dia tou onomatos, but 'En to onomati? Because they did not yet," etc.
[221] E. has hoti hugies hesteken after ouk edesan instead of after touto edesan. So Commel. Erasm. Ed. Par. Hence D. F. have it in both places, and so Morel. Ben. All these omit hotibefore en to on. "And yet in His name they knew not that he stands whole: but this they knew, that he was lame, (that he stands whole)." Savile alone has retained the genuine reading.
[222] ouden proeipen, A. B. C. N. i.e. foretold nothing concerning them. Edd. ouden peri heauton eipen, "said nothing concerning (the hearers) themselves."
[223] There is one extenuating circumstance: they did it in ignorance (Cf. Luk. xxiii. 34; 1 Cor. ii. 8; Acts xiii. 27). This fact forms the transition-point to the presentation of a different side of the death of Jesus. It was their crime, but it was also God's plan. They did it from motives of blindness and hate, but God designed it for their salvation. So that Peter, in effect, says: There is hope for you although you have slain the Lord, for his sacrificial death is the ground of salvation. To this view of the death of Christ he now appeals as basis of hope and a motive to repentance (oun v. 19).--G.B.S.
[224] megalen deiknusi ten boulen, meaning the determinate counsel of God above spoken of. Above, after kai palin, some other citation is wanting, in illustration of his remark that the prophecies of the Passion are all accompanied with denunciations of punishment.
[225] e gar kata agnoian, e kata oikonomian. Edd. omit this interlocution, Sav. notes it in the margin. "Repent ye therefore." Why repent? for either it was through ignorance, or it was predestinated. (Nevertheless, you must repent, to the blotting out of your sins, etc.)
[226] touto monon, B. C. N. "this is all:" i.e. no more than this: he does not impute that one great sin to them, in all its heinousness: he only speaks of their sins in general. A. and the other mss. omit these words.
[227] The reference is hardly to the resurrection, but to the Parousia. To the hope of this event, always viewed as imminent, all the expressions: "times of refreshing," "times of restitution" and "these days" (vv. 19-24) undoubtedly refer. So Olshansen, Meyer, Alford, Hackett, Gloag, Lechler and most recent critics.--G.B.S.
[228] The modern text; "Saying this, he does not declare, Whence, but only adds," etc.--'Akmen dexasthai. Ben. Utique suscipere. Erasm. adhuc accipere. It means, Is this still to take place, that he should say hon dei dexasthai, as if the event were yet future? And the answer is, "He speaks in reference to former times, i.e. from that point of view. (So OEcumen. in loc. to dei anti tou edei.) And then as to the necessity; this dei is not meant in respect of Christ's Divine Nature (for of that he forbears to speak), but the meaning is, So it is ordered," etc. The report, however, is very defective, especially in what follows. He is commenting upon the words, "Until the time of restitution (or making good) of all that God spake," etc. panton hon elalesen ho Theos, which expression he compares with what is said of the Prophet like unto Moses, panton hosa an lalese. Christ is that Prophet: and what He spake, the Prophets, obscurely indeed, spake before. He adds, that Peter's mention of the yet future fulfilment of all that the Prophets have spoken is calculated also to alarm the hearers. See the further comment on these verses at the end of the recapitulation.
[229] Hou ouden neoteron. Meaning perhaps, that as Christ was from the first designed for the Jews, the Gospel is no novelty, as if nothing had been heard of such a Saviour before. E. D. F. hoste ouden neoteron, which is placed before the citation ton prokech.--Below, A. B. C. N. 'Eplerosen ha edei pathein; 'Eplerothe ha dei genesthai echren oudepo, which is manifestly corrupt. We restore it thus: 'Eplerosen;A edei pathein eplerothe, ha de genesthai echren oudepo. The modern text: 'Eplerosen ha edei pathein; 'Eplerosen, eipen, ouk eplerothe; deiknus hoti ha men echren pathein, eplerosen; ha de (deoi add. F. D.) genesthai leipetai eti, oudepo.
[230] C. N. Ou gar de kata Mosea en, ei gar pas ho me ak. exolothreuthesetai, muria de eipen ta deiknunta hoti ouk esti kata Mosea. B. omits ou gar....en, inadvertently passing from en; ou gar to the subsequent en; ei gar. A. omits the words muria....hoti, which disturb the sense of the passage. In the translation we have rejected the second gar. For eipen, Sav. marg. gives eipoi tis an, which we have adopted. The modern text substitutes to, kai, estai for ei gar, and inserts kai alla after muria de.
[231] Tauta hola epagoga is strangely rendered by Ben. hæc omnia adjecta sunt. But this is the comment, not upon the threatening in v. 23, but upon the matters contained in the following verses, 24-26.
[232] Me gar hos aperrimmenoi diakeisthe, B. N. oukoun me gar, A. palin me gar, C. me oun, F. D. kai gar, Cat. oukoun me. E. and Edd., which also add at the end of the sentence, e apobeblemenoi, where the other mss. have, Palin he anastasis, as comment on anastesas.
[233] To de, Os eme oudamou logon an echoi. He had before said, that in the very description of "the Prophet like unto Moses," it is shown that He is more than like Moses: for instance, "Every soul which will not hear," etc. would not apply to Moses. Having finished the description, he now adds, You see that the hos eme nowhere holds as the whole account of the matter: to be raised up (from the dead) and sent to bless, and this by turning every one from his iniquities, is not to be simply such as Moses. The modern text adds, "Unless it be taken in regard of the manner of legislation:" i.e. Christ is like unto Moses considered as Deliverer and Lawgiver, not in any other respect.
[234] E. and Edd. "that they shall hear all things which Christ shall say: and this not in a general way, but with a fearful menace." It is a powerful connection, for it shows that for this reason also they ought to obey Him. What means it, "Children of the Prophets," etc.
[235] lego de to me orgizesthai, as the explanation of eis touto. The other text confuses the meaning by substituting kai to me org. "Not to swear, and not to be angry, is a great help to this." Which increases the "intricacy" of which Ben. complains in the following passage, where oaths are first said to be the wings of wrath, and then are compared to the wind filling the sails. Here instead of, hosper gar pneuma tes orges ho horkos, phesin, esti, (cited as an apothegm), the modern text gives, hosper gar pn. he orge kai ho horkos esti. "For wrath and swearing is as a wind." The imagery is incongruous: oaths, the wings of wrath: oaths the wind, and wrath (apparently) the sails: but the alterations do not mend the sense.
[236] kan gar me epiorkete, omnuntes holos ouk iste. The modern text, kai oute epiorkesete, oute omosesthe holos. Ouk iste. Which does not suit the context. "Make it a law with the passionate man, never to swear....The whole affair is finished, and you will neither perjure yourselves, nor swear at all." He seems to be speaking of oaths and imprecations, by which a man in the heat of passion binds himself to do or suffer some dreadful thing. "Suppose you do not perjure yourself, yet think of the misery you entail upon yourself: you must either study all sorts of expedients to deliver your soul, or, since that cannot be without perjury, you must spend your life in misery, etc. and curse your wrath."--'Ananke tini kai desmo, with comma preceding: so Sav. but A. B. C. ananke nom. preceded by a full stop: "For needs must you, binding yourselves as with a cord," etc: and so the modern text, with other alterations (adopted by Sav.) which are meant to simplify the construction, but do not affect the sense. Below, 'Epeide gar ekousate, kai to pleon humin katorthotai. Ben makes this a sentence by itself, Quia enim audistis, magna pars res a vobis perfecta est. Savile connects it with the following, phere de k. t. l. See p. 53, where he alludes to some who laughed at him, perhaps even on the spot.