[1107] tou demou ten orgen tes hormes. 'Epei oun tes poleos auton exebalon, tote aphistantai. So Edd. and our mss. but Cat. simply ten orgen. The next sentence, if referred affirmatively to the Jews, would be untrue, for in fact the Jews ouk apestesan. Possibly the scribes took it to refer to the soldiers: but this is very unsatisfactory. To make sense, it must be read interrogatively: "Well then, at any rate that now, they have got him out of the city, they desist from further attempts? By no means; and in fact the precautions taken for his safety show what was the tribune's view of the matter, both that Paul was innocent and that they were set on murdering him." We read aphistantai tes hormes.
[1108] It has been necessary to rearrange the texts, and also to transpose the parts mark a, b.--Kai men humeis, phesi touto pepoiekate. The phesi here is hypothetical: "Tertullus wishes to arraign Paul as a seditious person. And yet, Felix might say, it is ye Jews that have been the movers of sedition: in these words ye describe yourselves."--Mod. text "v. 2, 3, 4. And yet ye have done this: then what need of an orator? See how this man, also from the very outset wishes to deliver him up as a revolutionary and seditious person, and with his praises preoccupies the judge. Then as having much to say, he passes it by, and only says this, But that I be not further tedious unto thee."
[1109] So much was sedition to their taste, they would have been the last to arraign him for that; on the contrary etc.--But Mod. text hos lumeona loipon kai koinon echthron tou ethnous diaballousi.
[1110] The bracketed passage in vv. 6-8 om. in A. B. G. H. '. and R.V.--G.B.S.
[1111] Hence it appears that Chrys. read onta se kriten dikaion in v. 10, though the old text in the citation omits the epithet. Cat. retains it.--See p. 299, note 2.
[1112] As Felix had been many years a judge, he was conversant enough with the habits of the Jews to be aware that the Pentecost which brought Paul to Jerusalem was but twelve days past: so that there had not been time to raise a commotion. Mod. text, "And what did this contribute to the proof? A great point: for he shows that Felix himself knew that Paul had done nothing of all that he was accused of. But if he had ever raised an insurrection, Felix would have known it, being judge, and such an affair would not have scaped his notice."--Below, dia touto entautha auton helkei, we suppose auton to be Felix: Mod. text substitutes enteuthen aphelkon, referring it to the accuser. The meaning is obscure, but it seems to be, "draws the attention of his judge to this point," viz., of his having come up to worship, and therefore endiatribei touto to dikai& 251; lays the stress upon this point, of Felix being a just judge. Perhaps, however, the true reading here is to dekaduo, "of its being not more than twelve days."
[1113] Airesis in v. 14 has the same meaning as in v. 5. The meaning is therefore obscured by rendering it (as A.V.) in the former verse by "sect" and in the latter by "heresy." It is party or sect in both cases, used as a term of reproach. Paul's accusers considered him a member of a sect which they contemptuously called the Nazarenes. In his defence he takes up their own word.--G.B.S.
[1114] Eita kai ekballei auton to prosopon, rejects their person, repudiates their pretension. They had said, "We found him:" he answers, "There found me, in a condition as far as possible from that of a mover of sedition--not they, but certain of the Jews from Asia.' In the Recapitulation, he says, kalos de oude touto ekballei referring to v. 21. Hence one might conjecture here, eita ouk ekb., to be placed after v. 20; but see p. 299, note 3.--Mod. text ekb. a. t. pr. legon adioristos, 'En hois heuron me tines ton k. t. l. "Saying indefinitely, In which there found me,' (and then adding), certain of the Jews from Asia.'"
[1115] Vv. 5 and 6 had contained the three charges preferred by Tertullus, viz.: sedition, sectarianism and profanation of the temple. Paul was charged with creating disturbances among the Jews (5). To this he replies (11, 12), that the charge is not sustained by facts; he worshipped in the temple, but neither there, nor in the synagogues, nor in the city, did he create a disturbance or gather a crowd. To the second charge that he is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes (5), Paul replies by conceding that he worships the God of his fathers after a way which they call a sect, but he denies that this fact involves rejection or contempt of the law or the prophets (14). To the third charge that he had attempted to profane the Temple (6), he replies by alleging that he had, on the contrary, brought offerings to the Temple service and that he had there peaceably taken part in the religious rites of the Nazarites (17, 18). He concludes by insisting that his whole offence consists in having stoutly maintained the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead.--G.B.S.
[1116] Old text tauta gar eikotos peri ekeinou legetai, para de toutou...We read para ekeinou in the sense, "All that is to be said on those points comes from Lysias: from Paul, not a word." Mod. text tauta gar par ekeinon legetai genesthai: "these things are said to have been done by those."
[1117] Here old text has the reading en hais, above it was en hois.--Here the first Redactor has confused the matter, in consequence of his supposing that at the mention of Tertullus (d) Chrys. must have gone into the Recapitulation. Hence he places (c) the formula all' idomen k. t. l. immediately before this. Accordingly to (d) as being comment on v. 4, he joins (e), and then supposing the epieikeias of (f) to refer to epieikei& 139; v. 4, he places this next. The part (b) he keeps in its place, viz. before the Recapitulation: there remained (a), and this he prefixes to b, though its contents clearly show that it belongs to the Recapitulation of v. 31.
[1118] ta men ekeinou, evidently the tribune, but Ben. quæ Paulum quidem spectabant.--They made the most of what the tribune had done, of their own violence they make as little as possible.
[1119] See above, p. 197, note 3. The principal authorities for the dikaion are Laud's Cod. Gr. and Cat. of Acts.
[1120] kalos de (B.) oude touto ekballei, i.e. but while he does well to challenge the parties who found him viz. the Jews from Asia, he does well also that he does not cast out or repudiate this particular which he goes on to mention--viz. his exclamation before the Sanhedrim. This may consist with what was said above, ekballei auton to prosopon: (see p. 297, note 1) viz. though he does this, and deprives them of the credit they took to themselves, for it was not that they found him; and as to his behavior in the temple, he will not admit their testimony, for they were not present: yet even these he challenges to testify to that of which they were cognizant.--Mod. text "from Asia, saying, Who ought to accuse me before thee, if they had aught against me. So confident was he to be clear as to the matters of which he was accused, that he even challenges them. But not only those from Asia, nay, those also from Jerusalem."
[1121] Mod. text adds, "by saying, 'Ekekraxa: as much as to say, They have it not," etc. But their violence was shown not by his crying out, but by the fact that they had nothing more against him than this exclamation.
[1122] Old text ara an ethelesate houto philosophein dunasthai--; Mod. text ara an houto philosophein dunesthe--; and so Ben. against grammar and the sense. Savile and Ed. Par. Ben. 2, ara an ethelesete,.....dunasthe; But our mss. give it as above: and Savile's reading does not suit the sense: which is, "Would not you have wished--? Well, then, so would he."--Below, hosper oun ekeinos ouk (B., ekeinois and om. ouk) apo echthras tosouton, hoson apo astheneias, touto hupomenei; houto kai hemeis ouk apo tes phuseos ton hubreon kinoumetha, hoson aph' hemon auton. The scribes have made nonsense of the passage, and the Edd. retain it. If for hupomenei we read hupomene, this will answer to episches in the preceding sentence: to touto we supply paschei: so we read, hosper oun ekeinoi, houto kai houtos ouk apo e. hoson apo asth. touto paschei; hupomene. Kai hemeis etc.
[1123] B. C. hina eidos ekeino (mod. text ekeinos) touto (we read touto) katastelletai. Here, as often, ekeino refers to the other world, touto to this life: "knowing what will come of it there, (i.e. the coals of fire) he may," etc.
[1124] kai me...Mod text kai men..."And yet thou art," etc.