[779] Here insert from below: "For it might have been done also without letters--they did this."
[780] What follows consists of notes which the redactor did not bring to their proper places. "No more faction--admired it," see note 1, p. 207. "It shows--the Spirit," may belong either to the comment on krino ego, or to that on "It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us."--"It shows that the rest--sufficient," see note 1. These parts being removed, the remainder forms the continuation of the sentence, "it behooved to be done by these," note 2. The concluding words kai met'eirenes are the reporter's abridgment of the text "kai [epesterixan, poiesantes de chronon apeluthesan] met' eirenes.
[781] The author here assumes the identity of the two visits of Paul to Jerusalem contained in Acts xv. and Gal i. and ii. This has always been the prevailing view. For a full discussion of this and other views, see Gloat, Com. on the Acts ii. 80-84.--G.B.S.
[782] The famine is mentioned among the offences within, perhaps because it may have led some to question the Providence of God: see above, p. 159.
[783] mss. and Edd. transpose the parts marked a and b. The old text, however, by retaining ti oun at the end of a, as well as at the beginning of c, enables us to restore the order, so that then the clause meden holos eidos en tais Graphais, no longer disturbs the sense.
[784] Edd. pantos ti erei. A. B. C. pantos hoti erei. "In any wise he will affirm the hoti, therefore let us ask the aitias di has."
[785] ei iatros mellois manthanein. Mod. text adds, "Say, Do you accept out of hand and as it chances, whatever you are told?" The connection is: "Apply your mind to what you hear, whether from us or from them, and see whether of us is consistent. Just as you would if you wished to learn medicine: there also you would find conflicting opinions and you would exercise your judgment upon them, not accept all without examination. Do so here; and in the instance which has been taken, you will see that we, affirming the Son to be God, carry out our affirmation consistently; whereas they (the Arians) say indeed that He is God but in fact deny Him the essential properties of Deity."--Edd. and all our mss. Hui& 232;n legomen hemeis epaletheuomen k. t. l. We must read either Theon or Hui& 232;n Theon.
[786] Connection: I have mentioned one simple criterion: here is another palpable and visible mark. Heretics take their names from men, the founders of their sects, tou airesiarchou delountos A. B. kalountos C., to honoma Sav. marg. delountes, which we adopt. But indeed the reasons you allege are mere pretence, etc.
[787] The sentence is left unfinished: "it would be no wonder," "this would be at least consistent," or the like: then ei de eixo B. C. exo(sic) A., hexo D. Mod. text oude hexo: all corrupt. The sense seems to require, "If you have thought fit," or "gone so far as."
[788] Sav. marg. adds "another, Paul of Samosata."
[789] Dia ti polloi gegonasin Ellenes, kai oudeis k. t. l. Mod. text omits dia ti. The first clause seems to be corrupt, or misplaced: for to say that "there have been many heathen, and none of them has asked these questions" (about Christian doctrines), would contradict all that precedes: and if it means, There were many Greeks, and diverse schools of philosophy among them, and yet none was deterred from the study of philosophy by those differences, this would not be true. But if this be transposed to the following sentence, which relates to the Ellenes at Antioch, then Chrys. says: "Among philosophers also there were these differences, and yet) etc. How is it that (at Antioch) many Greeks became (Christians) and yet none of them asked these questions? Why did they not say," etc.
[790] Edd. have a longer peroration from F, partly followed by D. "And live according to His will while we are yet in this life present, that with virtue having accomplished the remaining time of our life, we may be able, etc., and together with them which have pleased Him be found worthy of honor, by the grace and loving-kindness of His only-begotten Son, and the All-holy and Life-giving Spirit, the One true Godhead, now and ever, world without end." Amen.