[477] For Iesoun (the reading accredited by the leading authorities in v. 20) here and in the second exposition, E. alone has Christon (with text recept.) adopted by Edd.
[478] Kai eutheos ek trooimion, thanaton ho anthropos en viz. ch. vii. 58. C. has thanaton, for which A. conjecturally substitutes thaumastos.
[479] The narratives given by Paul himself of his conversion in Acts xxii. and Acts xxvi. as well as allusion to the subjects in his epistles, present some harmonistic difficulties, which have, however, been greatly exaggerated by a criticism which is unfavorable to the historical character of the Acts. The constant factors in all the accounts are: the light from heaven, the voice of Jesus and Saul's answer, and the solemn charge commissioning Saul to bear the name of Christ to the Gentiles. In Acts xxvi. the interview with Ananias is omitted; in chap. xxii. it is narrated, but the occasion of Ananias' going to Saul is not given; in chap. ix. the Lord is represented as speaking to him and bidding him go, and it is affirmed that at the same time Saul has a vision of his coming. In xxii. the address of Ananias is considerably more extended than in ix. Some minor points of difference have been noted, as: in ix. 7 it is said that Saul's companions heard the voice but saw no one, while in xxii. 9, it is said that they saw the light but heard not the voice of Him who spoke. The discrepancy is resolved by many by translating ekousan(xxii. 9) "understood"--an admissable sense (so, Lechler, Hackett, Lange). It is certainly an unwarranted criticism which rejects the common matter of the various narratives upon the ground of such incidental variations in the traditions in which a great and mysterious experience has been preserved.--G.B.S.
[480] Skeuos de kaleitai dikaios; deiknuntos tou logou hoti ouk esti phusike he kakia; skeuos, phesin, ekloges; to dokimon gar eklegometha. A. B. C. N. i.e. "Justly is he called a skeuos, for he is well-fitted for the work of Christ by his energy and earnestness. These need but to be turned to the right objects. It is contrary to right reason to say, that evil is a physical quality or essence, and therefore unchangeable. (See this argued Hom. lix. in Matt. p. 596.) A fit implement, therefore, and of no common kind: a skeuos ekloges, of all others to be chosen, because of its approved suitableness for the purpose." Thus St. Chrysostom constantly interprets this expression. Hom. xviii. in Rom. §6 t. ix. 638. "When the stars were created, the Angels admired: but this man Christ Himself admired, saying, A chosen vessel is this man to Me!" Comm. in c. 1. Gal. §9, t. x. 674 "Called me by His grace. Yet God saith, that He called Him, because of his virtue, (dia ten areten,) saying, A chosen vessel, etc.: i.e. fit to do service, and do a great work...But Paul himself everywhere ascribes it all to grace." Hom. iii. in 1 Tim. §1, t. xi. 562. "God, foreknowing what he would be before he began to preach, saith, A chosen vessel etc. For as they who in war bear the royal standard, the labarum as we call it, have need of much skill and bravery not to deliver it into the enemy's hands, so they that bear the name of Christ," etc. And de Compunct. ad Demetr. lib. i. §9, t. i. 138. "Since grace will have our part, (ta par' hemon zetei,) therefore some it follows and abides with, from some it departs, and to the rest it never even reaches. And to show that God first examined well the bent of the will (proairesis,) and thereupon gave the grace before this blessed man had done aught wonderful, hear what the Lord saith of him: A chosen vessel," etc.--The modern text: "And having said Skeuos, so as to show that the evil in him (he kakia autou) is not physical, He adds, ekloges, to declare that he is also approved; for," etc.--OEcumen. deiknusin hoti ouk esti phusike he kakia auto, "The Lord shows that vice is not natural to him."
[481] dia touto tauta legei: i.e. Ananias' objection, (v. 13) in fact comes to this: this was the feeling which prompted his words. The innovator substitutes, dia touto nun hemeros, hoti..."therefore is he now gentle, because he is blind:" E. Edd.--The meaning is; "In saying, I will show him how much he shall suffer,' etc. the Lord rebukes Ananias' reluctance to baptize him, and restore his sight: his answer, Lord, I have heard,' etc. was in fact as good as saying, Let him remain blind, it is better so." The parenthetic, pros to, Ina anablepse, tauta eiretai, looks like a marginal note of one who did not perceive the connection.--E. makes it, "To that saying, That he may receive his sight,' let this be added."
[482] Kai to de thaumaston hoti proteron peisetai, kai tote. So all our mss. (Cat. to pr.) We conjecture the true reading to be, hoti proteron eisetai: "he shall first know," viz. "how many things he must suffer," etc. v. 16.
[483] In the mss. and Edd. the portions here marked b, a, c, occur in the order a, b, c. The clause e hoste pisteusai ekeinon being thus thrown out of its connection, perplexed the scribes: Cat. omits he, "until he obtained the mighty gifts, so that he (ekeinon, Ananias?) believed." A. E. F. D. reject the clause altogether. N. hoste kai p. e.
[484] It is noticeable that in chap. xxii. 17, Paul is reported as connecting his going to Jerusalem directly with the narrative of his conversion, while in Gal. i. 16, 17 he states that it was not until three years after his conversion that he went up to Jerusalem. The various notices can only be matched together on the view that the coming to Jerusalem mentioned in ix. 26 was the same as that of Gal. i. 18, and that this occurred about three years after his conversion. The hemerai hikanai of v. 23 must therefore include the time spent in Arabia (Gal. i. 17)., after which Paul must have returned to Damascus, before going up to Jerusalem. In this way the narratives can be harmonized without admitting a contradiction (as Baur, Zeller, De Wette); it is probable, however, that Luke did not know of the visit to Arabia, but connected Paul's going to Jerusalem closely with his conversion.--G.B.S.
[485] The best textual authorities (A. B. C. ',) and critics (Tisch. W. and H., Lechler, Meyer, Gloag) here read: "his (Saul's) disciples," So R.V....The reference is to the band of converts whom he had been successful in winning at Damascus. In Paul's own narrative of his escape from Damascus (2 Cor. xi. 33) he states more specifically that he was let down "through a window, through the wall." This may have been either through the window of a house overhanging the wall, or through a window in the face of some portion of the wall (Cf. Josh. ii. 15; 1 Sam. xix. 12).--G.B.S.
[486] touton: Edd. ton euangelisten: and below from E. alone, "alla monon hoti epegeiran ton basilea, not speaking ambitiously, and making Paul illustrious, but only (saying) that they stirred up the king." But he does not say it, and his not saying it is the very thing which Chrys. commends: all' hora touton ou philotimos legonta, oude lampron deiknunta ton P., "'Epegeiran gar," phesin, "ton basilea." The phesin here is put hypothetically, "as if he had said," or "when he might have said." The sentence, however, requires something to complete it, such as we have added in the translation.
[487] 'All' enedra (N. henedra) epoiei ton proton chronon, kai muria edikekos, ouden hegeito hikanon, k. t. l. So all our mss. except E. If enedra be not corrupt, it seems to be used in a sense unknown to the Lexicons.--Edd. from E. "Therefore it is that he so pillories (steliteuon) his former life, and brands (stizon) himself repeatedly, and thinks nothing enough," etc.
[488] Hom.xxv. in 2 Cor. p. 615. Hom. v. de Laud. S. Pauli, t. ii. 501.
[489] Hom.xxvi. in 2 Cor. p. 617, B.
[490] Mallon de kai pro toutou, kai en hois ou kata gnosin epoiei, ouk (B. oude, A. om. anthropino kinoumenos logismo diepratteto. i.e. "Even as a persecutor, he was not swayed by common worldly considerations." The mod. t. (Edd.) perverts the Author's meaning:"--nay even before this. For in the things, etc. he was moved by man's reasoning to act as he did."