[711] A. B. C. Cat. apostrephomenes Mod. text apostrephomenoi, and adds kai penthous semeia poiountes, and so OEcumen.
[712] A. B. C. all' ouch hesuchasan. The true reading is preserved by Cat. all' ouk ischusen. Mod. text all' ouch hesuchazousin.
[713] All our mss. ton propheton. From the recapitulation we restore ton aoraton. The meaning may be, He abstains from the mention of things invisible, because he would recall them from their polytheism, therefore avoids whatever would seem to favor the notion of inferior gods. With the restoration aoraton we obtain a suitable connection for the part b, both grammatically (in respect of the plur. emathon), and in respect of the sense: they spoke only of things visible, for they had learned not always to speak according to the dignity of the subject, but according to the needs of the hearers. In the next sentence (a) in A. B. C. ti oun; ei panton esti demiourgos, dia ti me kai eis tauta pronoei; we may understand by eis tauta "the nations of the world, or their doings:" but the sense perhaps would be improved by supplying heis after ei, and restoring heis for eis. Perhaps also tauta is a corruption of panta. "If One be the Maker of all, why not One also direct all by His Providence:" i.e. if One Creator, why not One Providence? Why imagine a number of inferior Providences?--Mod. text "nowhere mentioning the Prophets, nor, saying for what reason, being Maker of all, He left the Gentiles independent, ta ethne apheken autonoma."
[714] From this point to the end of the recapitulation the matter required to be rearranged. The letters show the sequence of the parts in the old text: in the mod. text a partial restoration of the order has been attempted. The "method" of the derangement explains itself thus--the true order being denoted by the figures 1, 2, 3, etc. we have two portions transposed into the order, 2, 1; (a, b): then four portions taken alternately in the order 1, 3, 2, 4. (c to f): then again two portions in the order 2, 1, (g, h): then again four portions in the alternate order 1, 3, 2, 4, (i to m): and lastly, two in the order 2, 1.
[715] alla mallon epi ton Theon to pan agein autous ekeinous, A. B. C. As v. 17, "Nevertheless," etc. is placed in the mss. before "Observe, he does not wish," etc. the intention is that to pan should refer to the contents of that verse: "he does not say this to increase their culpability, but he wishes them to refer all to God." But then ekeinous is idle, accordingly mod. text substitutes paideuei. We have removed the text v. 17. to the end of this sentence, so that its comment is (c) hora pos lanthanontos k. t. l. and hora ou bouletai k. t. l. will belong to v. 10, and to pan will refer to their ignorance and walking in their own ways.--So Cat. seems to take it, reading agei e autous ekeinous, viz. he rather refers the whole to God, than to those (the heathen) themselves.
[716] There was doubtless something polemic in the words of vv. 16, 17 inasmuch as the apostle ascribes to the "living God" alone the blessings which the heathen were wont to attribute to their divinities. The language has also a conciliatory element. Their guilt is mitigated, no doubt, by their limited light, but by no means removed, because God had given them evidences of his goodness and power in the return of seasons and harvests. The thought is closely akin to that in the address at Athens (xvii. 23-31) where God is said to have overlooked the times of the ignorance of the heathen, and to that of Rom. i. 18-32; Rom. ii. 14, 15, where emphasis is laid upon the revelation of God to the heathen world which renders their sinful lives without excuse. The three passages combined yield the following ideas: (1) God has revealed Himself to the heathen in nature and conscience. (2) This revelation is sufficient to found responsibility. (3) As obedience to this inner law would merit God's approval (Rom. ii. 14), so disobedience to it would merit his displeasure. (4) As matter of fact the Gentiles have not followed the light which they had and thus they have wickedly brought upon themselves the wrath of God and the penalties of his moral law.--G.B.S.
[717] B. and mod. text have pothon "his affection," C. and Cat. om. A. "his zeal, fervent and set on fire." Below, for katesparkenai, mod. text boulesthai speirai, "because he wished to sow the word (elsewhere)."
[718] ou dia ton apostolon k. t. l. so all our mss. The sense rather requires dia tous ap. or heneka ton ap. "for the sake of the Apostles," etc.
[719] paramuthia i.e. by the ordination of elders, as explained below in the recap. "but there they needed polles paramuthias, and especially they of the Gentiles, who behooved to be taught much."--The thermotes of Paul, shown in his zeal for the establishment of the Gospel among the Gentiles: see below at the end of the recap. Then, eita alle paramuthia, if it be not an accidental repetition of the clause before v. 23. must be referred to the clause, "They commended them to the Lord," which it follows in the mss.
[720] The appointment of elders in every church (which the apostles visited on this journey) is made by Paul and Barnabas. Meyer supposes that the apostles only superintended the popular choice by the church itself. The word employed (cheirotoneo), meaning to stretch forth the hand, as in voting would seem especially appropriate to the idea of a popular election, but the participle here employed (cheirotonesantes) has not the church but Paul and Barnabas for its subject. It seems necessary, therefore, to take it in the general and derived sense--to elect--to choose. There were several elders for each church as there had been several for each synagogue, the model for the constitution of the early churches. They were also called bishops (episkopoi). These with the deacons were the only church officers. (Phil. i. 1.) Their duty was to be leaders, teachers, and rulers in the churches. They were at once pastors, teachers and rulers. Their functions were coördinate. No one of them was above the others in any particular church. Each church had several co-pastors, teachers or bishops.--G.B.S.
[721] tous eniautous. Cat. tous eniausiaious huetous, "the yearly rains."--Below, our mss. have, "And out of the city," being afraid of those, O the madness! "they dragged him." etc. (ho tes manias! repeated from above).--Mod. text But "out of the city they dragged" (him). perhaps being afraid of him, ekeinon.
[722] Mega gar ontos megale psuche gennaia: for this, which is evidently meant as eulogy of St Paul. the mod. text substitutes Mega ontos agathon he thlipsis: kai megales psuches kai gennaias katorthoma. "A great benefit indeed is affliction, and an achievement of a great and generous soul."
[723] all' homos tanantia epoiei. But A. epathen, mod. text epaschen, "the treatment he received was just the opposite to these (honors)."
[724] tous odontas endaknousin. Erasm. dentibus studentes, endakontes mod. text for which, as "gnashing the teeth" does not suit the context, Ben. gives dentes excussi.
[725] rhope esti, kai to pan katorthosas eutheos, me sunarpages mede kinethes. Mod. text rhope esti, "be not hurried, and thou" etc; me kin., "do not move, and," etc.--Below megale paramuthia. meaning either consolation to the beholders, or rather as below, a soothing of the excited passions of the opponent.
[726] 'All' achrestos ginetai: i.e. "It is bad for himself that he should go unpunished: so he becomes good for nothing."
[727] epoiesen: i.e. "He would not Himself have exercised this forbearance." Mod. text epetaxen, "He would not have enjoined this."
[728] All our mss. kai kathaper puretos hotan sphodron pneuse, and this the Edd. retain without remark. We restore pneuma, or anemos...sphodra. Between pneuma and anemos as an interlinear correction arose the absurd reading puretos.
[729] In the mod. text ti poiountes; is placed before Konin epib and sigontes is connected with tous kunas kalomen: "by holding our peace let us call the dogs," etc.
[730] In the original the sense is perplexed by the negligent use of the demonstr. houtos and ekeinos, supra p. 42. The meaning is: "B. (the second person mentioned) says to A. (suppose a porne periphanes), "You are so and so," such being the fact: she retorts with a like reproach, which is not true: whether is most damaged (hubristai)? Not she, for being what the other calls her she is just where she was before. The disgrace is to him; and that, not from her words, for they do not fit: but from his own indecent railing: so that he thinking to disgrace her has more disgraced himself. He is more disgraced by calling the other the thing that she is, than by being called by her the thing that he is not."
[731] asuneidesias apiston doxan labon: which being unintelligible, must be restored by replacing he before asun. and before apistou(so mod. text rightly for apiston). "He gets the doza either of asuneid. in which case he is a foul calumniator, or of an apistos:" which latter in the way in which it is put supra Hom. xiv. p. 193: "as regards himself, he has shown all men that he is not to be trusted, as not knowing how to screen his neighbor's faults."
[732] ton ep' agoras suromenon, not as Ben. eorum qui forum frequentant: but, "one of those old hags, bawds, and the like, whom for their crimes you may see dragged by the officers to punishment, and screaming out their foul-mouthed railings."
[733] tauta ek tes poleos ta sunedria. So all our mss.: perhaps tautas--tas sunetheias.