[461] The letters (a) (b) denote the order of the two parts in mss. and Edd.
[462] dia to asthenes eti: Edd, give this to the preceding sentence, and then: Oude proteron houtos en eukolon, hos hote ho prophetes auton katechesen: "nor was it so easy before, as (it was) when the Prophet had catechized him:" which is irrelevant to the question: for Philip might have found him engaged in the same study then as afterwards. The old text has: ouk en eukolos, ho prophetes gar auton katechesen, but A. rightly omits gar. Something is wanting; e.g. either, "until Philip catechized him," or rather, "but yet the prophet catechized him." What follows is much confused in the mss. By "the prophecy itself" Chrys. probably means more than the two verses given in the Acts, viz. Isai. liii. 7-12.--"It is likely he had heard that He had been crucified," so C. D. F. (i.e. as appears further on, the eunuch when at Jerusalem had heard of the Crucifixion, had seen the rent in the rocks, etc., another reason why it was fit that he should have first visited Jerusalem:) but B., "Perhaps he had not heard:" and E. Edd., "Hence he learnt." After "taken from the earth," C. alone has, kai ta alla hos' (sic) hamartian ouk epoiesen, the others, hoti ham. ouk ep. after which Savile alone adds, "nor was guile found in His mouth." After estaurothe something is wanting, e.g. nun de emathen or katechethe. In kai ta alla there seems to be a reference to the sequel in "the prophecy itself," viz. "and the rest which may be read in Isaiah, as that He did no sin," etc.--A., as usual, omits the whole passage: E. refashions it thus; "Hence He learnt that He was crucified, that His life is taken away from the earth, that He did no sin, that He prevailed to save others also, that His generation is not to be declared, that the rocks were rent, that the veil was torn, that dead men were raised from the tombs: or rather, all these things Philip told him." etc. so Edd.
[463] In the quotation the N.T. follows the LXX. (Is. liii. 7, 8), which but imperfectly renders the original. The meaning is obscure in Hebrew, but the best rendering is probably that of the R.V. which renders v. 8 thus: "By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living?" for which the LXX. and N.T. have: "In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare, for his life is taken from the earth." It is almost useless to inquire what the LXX. translators could have meant by this rendering. Concerning the meaning of the first clause, there are four theories: (1) The judgment announced by His enemies was taken away, i.e., annulled by God (Bengel, Lechler). (2) His judicial power was taken away during his humiliation, i.e., he did not appear as men's judge (Humphrey). (3) His judgment (punishment) was taken away, i.e., ended--by death (Meyer, Robinson). (4) The judgment due him--the rights of justice--was withheld by his enemies (Gloag, Hackett). The latter part of the LXX. trans.: "who shall declare," etc., has been understood in the following ways: (1) Who shall declare his divine Sonship?--the reference being to the "eternal generation" of the Son (the Patristic view). (2) Who shall declare the number of his spiritual seed, i.e., predict the extent of his kingdom? (the Reformers). (3) Who shall declare the wickedness of his contemporaries, for he was put to death (Meyer, De Wette, Lechler, Alford, Gloag). This interp. assigns to the word "generation," the same meaning which the R.V. gives to it in the original passage and is the preferable view. It should be admitted that this is a probable theory of what the LXX. ought to have meant by the words which they used; that they did consciously mean this is far less certain.--G.B.S.
[464] hosper oun ouden houto skandalizein eiothe tous pachuterous: i.e. Saul's conversion would have weighed with the Jews ei noun eichon, but it was a great stumbling-block to them as pachuteroi: "as indeed nothing is so apt to prove a stumbling-block to men of duller minds," as this is--viz. the sudden conversion of one of their own party to the opposite side.
[465] kai hoti ouk an epeisthe 'Ananias, A. B. C. But Edd. omit Ananias: "because he (Paul) would not otherwise have been persuaded." In the next sentence, C. F. have 'Entrephomenoi, "nurtured:" B. entruphontes, "luxuriating:" A. E. D. Edd. enstrephomenoi.
[466] deson. i.e. tie them up, and keep them shut. E. Edd. katachoson, "Bury." Below, for kai me akouoi auton, we read hina me. C. however has akouei, which may imply that the sentence should be joined to the preceding one, ou toiaute kolasis, ei tis katachoseien auta en kopro, kai ei me akouei auton: "not such the punishment, were one to bury, etc., as it is if he refuse to hear them."
[467] All the mss. and Edd. Me laleite, "Speak not." But the context plainly requires the sense. "Speak on, if you will: we will not do what you bid us:" though it should rather be, Ouk akouomen.
[468] E. humin, "your mouths," so Edd. except Sav. and below, ho akouon kai me peithomenos meizonos kataphronei, where the old text has, ho akouon meiz. kat. kai dia toutou koluon, "by this," viz. by putting his hand on the speaker's mouth.
[469] When the Deacon had ordered silence by proclaiming, if need were, several times, Prosechomen! the Reader commenced the Lesson, if from the Old Testament or the Gospels, with the formula, Tade legei Kurios, "Thus saith the Lord:" (for the Epistles, with, "Dearly beloved Brethren.") See Hom. in 2 Thess. iii. §4. p. 527. D.
[470] Eipon, esophisthen, phesi, kai tote apeste ap' emou. Ben. rendering the passage with Erasmus, "Deceptus sum, et tunc recessit a me," remarks. "I do not see how this agrees with what precedes." The Paris Editor, "Novi. inquiunt. et tum mihi effluxit," as if it were a proverb. In the LXX, it is, Eipa, sophisthesomai, kai haute emakrunthe ap' emou. E.V. "I said I will be wise, but it was far from me."
[471] Ara me apatomen heautous, nomizontes tauta hellenisti humin legein; mss. and Edd., ara me without the interrogation. Ben. "Igitur ne decipiamus nosmetipsos hæc Græco more dici." The meaning seems to be, "When we tell you these things as euangelia, do we deceive ourselves in thinking that we are speaking Greek--that we are using the term aright?--Yes to judge from your looks, one may see that they are anything but euangelia to you. Umeis katepheite, humeis kekophosthe; apoplektoi tunchanete kato kuptontes." The innovator (E. Edd.) quite alters the meaning, as if it were, "You look as indifferent as if it were no concern of yours;" viz. "Or, have you nothing to do with these things? But you are struck deaf (kekophosthe), and as if you were in a fit, hang down your heads."--Below, for kai palin hetera ero, hoion, the same have, hoiaper esti kai ta toiauta, "such as are also these."
[472] Edd. Kala ge; ou gar tauta euangelia: read Kalage (ougar;) tauta euangelia. In the next sentence, Ti moi ton euangelion; Ben. "Quid mihi est evangeliorum."