g ch. xv. 41.

::

with him one by birth a Jew, but uncircumcised. There was here no concession in doctrine at all, and no reference whatever to the duty of Timotheus himself in the matter. In the case of Titus, a Greek, he dealt otherwise, no such reason existing Gal. ii. 3. 4. through the cities] Iconium, and perhaps Antioch in Pisidia. He might at Iconium see the elders of the church of Antioch, as he did afterwards those of Ephesus at Miletus. If he went to Antioch, he might regain his route into Phrygia and Galatia by crossing the hills east of that city. 5.] This general notice, like those at ch. ix. 31, xii. 24, marks the opening of a new section.

6-9.] This very cursory notice of a journey in which we have reason to think so much happened, the founding of the Galatian and Phrygian churches (see ch. xviii. 23, where we find him, on his second visit, "confirming all the disciples"), the sickness of the Apostle, alluded to Gal. iv. 13; the working of miracles and imparting of the Spirit mentioned Gal. iii. 5; the warmth and kindness of feeling shewn to Paul in his weakness, Gal. iv. 14-16, seems to shew that the narrator was not with him during this part of the route; an inference which is remarkably confirmed by the sudden resumption of circumstantial detail with the use of the first person, at ver. 10.

6. Phrygia] There were two tracts of country called by this name: one near the Hellespont, the other called Phrygia major. It is with the latter that we are here concerned, which was the great central space of Asia Minor, yet retaining the name of its earliest inhabitants, and on account of its being politically subdivided among the contiguous provinces, impossible to define accurately. The Apostle's route must remain very uncertain. It is probable that he may have followed the great road (according to his usual practice and the natural course of a missionary journey)

e read, And they went.

g read, and when.

from Iconium to Philomelium and perhaps as far as Synnada, and thence struck off to the N.E. towards Pessinus in Galatia. That he visited Colossæ, in the extreme S.W. of Phrygia, on this journey, as sup posed by some, is very improbable. the region of Galatia] The midland district, known as Galatia, or Gallo-græcia, was inhabited by the descendants of those Gauls who invaded Greece and Asia in the third century B.C., and after various incursions and wars, settled and became mixed with the Greeks in the centre of Asia Minor. They were known as a brave and freedom-loving people, fond of war, and either on their own or others' account, almost always in arms, and generally as cavalry. Jerome says that their speech was like that of the Germans in the neighbourhood of Treves and perhaps the speech of Lycaonia ch. xiv. 11, spoken of the neigh bouring district, may refer to this peculiar dialect. But Greek was extensively spoken. They were conquered by the consul Cn. Manlius Vulso, 189 B.C., but retained their own governors, called as before tetrarchs, and afterwards kings (for one of whom, Deiotarus, a protégé of Pompey's, Cicero pleaded before Cæsar); their last king, Amyntas, passed over from Antony to Augustus in the battle of Actium. Galatia, after his murder, A.D. 26, became a Roman province. The principal cities were Ancyra,—which was made the metropolis of the province by Augustus, -Tavium, and Pessinus: in all, or some of which, the Apostle certainly preached. He was detained here on account of sickness (Gal. iv. 13). See further in Introduction to the Epistle to the Galatians, § 2. being hindered] By some special intimation, like that in ch. xiii. 2. Asia] This name, applied at first to the district near the river Cayster in Lydia, came to have a meaning more and more widely extended, till at last it embraced

h

h

2 Tim. iv. 18.

i

k

as at present, the whole vast continent, forming one of the quarters of the globe. But we never find this meaning in Scripture. The Asia of the Acts is not even our Asia Minor,-which name is not used till the fourth century A.D.-but only a portion of the western coast of that great peninsula. (A full account of the history of the territory and its changes of extent will be found in Conybeare and Howson, i. pp. 275 ff. I confine myself to its inport in the Acts.) This, which was the Roman province of Asia,-Asia Proper,as spoken of in the Acts, includes only Mysia, Lydia, and Caria,—excluding Phrygia (ch. ii. 9 and here: 1 Pet. i. 1 it must be included),-Galatia, Bithynia, Cilicia, Pamphylia, Lycia. See ch. xix. 26, &c.

7.] come to (i. e. to the borders of) Mysia. Bithynia] At this time a Roman province (senatorial: Hadrian, whose favourite province it was, took it from the senate). The expression the Spirit of Jesus is remarkable, as occurring in all the great MSS., and from its peculiarity bearing almost unquestionable trace of genuineness. If the report of this journey came from an unusual source, an unusual expression would be accountable.

8.]

passing by Mysia, i. e. as regarded their work of preaching (cf. ch. xx. 16),—and not having passed by' as avoiding it; for they could not get to the coast without entering Mysia. Troas (Alexandria

Troas, in honour of Alexander the Great: now Eski Stamboul) was a colony enjoying the Italian right (see on ver. 12), and a free city, and was not reckoned as belonging to either of the provinces, Asia or Bithynia. Whether it was for this reason that Paul and his companions visited it, is uncertain. He may have had the design of crossing to Europe, if permitted, which the subsequent vision confirmed. See ch. xx. 5; 2 Cor. ii. 12; 2 Tim. iv. 13.

9.] The vision seems to have appeared in the same way as that sent to Peter in ch. x. It was an unreal apparition, designed

10. we en

to convey a practical meaning. The context precludes our understanding it as a dream. a man of Macedonia] known probably by the affecting words spoken by him. There would hardly be any peculiarity of dress by which a Macedonian could be recognized. deavoured to go into Macedonia] by immediate enquiry for a ship. This word is remarkable as the introduction of the first person in the narrative: which however is dropped at ch. xvii. 40, on Paul's leaving Philippi, and resumed again, ch. xx. 5, on occasion of sailing from Philippi. Thence it continues (in all places where we have reason to expect it: see below) to the end of the book. On the question, what is implied by this, we may remark, (1) That while we safely conclude from it that the writer was in company with Paul when he thus speaks, we cannot with like safety infer that he was not, where the third person is used. This latter must be determined by other features of the history. For it is conceivable that a narrative, even where it concerns all present, might be, in its earlier parts, written as of others in the third person, but might, when more intimacy had been established, or even by preference only, be at any point changed to the first. And again, the episodes where the chief person, alone, or with his principal companion or companions, is concerned, would be many, in which the narrator would use the third person, not because he was not present, but because he was not concerned. This has not been enough attended to.

If it be thought fanciful, I may refer to an undoubted instance in the episode, ch. xxi. 17, "when we were come to Jerusalem," to ch. xxvii. 1, "when it was determined that we should sail .;" during the whole of which time the writer was with or in the neighbourhood of Paul, and drops the we merely because he is speaking of Paul alone. (2) One objection raised by De Wette to the common view, that Luke accompanied Paul from this time

1 Phil. i. 1.

1 render, this.

(except as above), is, that several times St. Paul's companions are mentioned, but Luke is never among them. On examining however one of the passages where this is done, we find that after the enumeration of Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timotheus, Tychicus, and Trophimus, we are told, These going before tarried for us at Troas: so that the writer evidently regards himself as being closely associated with St. Paul, and does not think it requisite to enumerate himself among the companions of the Apostle. This may serve as a key to his practice on other occasions. On the whole, and after careful consideration of the subject, I see no reason to doubt the common view, that Luke here joined the Apostle (whether as a physician, on account of his broken health, must of course be matter of conjecture, but is not improbable), and from this time (except from ch. xvii. 1-xx. 5), accompanies him to the end of the history. See the question of the authorship of the Acts further discussed in the Introduction, § 1. 12-14.

11.] They had a fair wind on this occasion in ch. xx. 6, the voyage in the opposite direction took five days. This is also implied by we came with a straight course, viz. ran before the wind. The coincidence of their going to Samothrace also shews it determining the wind to have been from the S. or S.S.E. It is only a strong southerly breeze which will overcome the current southwards which runs from the Dardanelles by Tenedos (Conybeare and Howson, i. p. 336): and this, combined with the short passage, is another mark of the veracity of our narrative. They seem to have anchored N. of the lofty island of Samothrace, under its lee.

to Neapolis] In an E. by N. direction, past the island of Thasos. It was not properly in Macedonia, but in Thrace, and twelve Roman miles from Philippi, which was the frontier town of Macedonia strictly speaking: see below. It was by Vespasian, together with the whole of Thrace, attached to the province of Macedonia. Some Roman ruins and inscriptions serve to point out the Turkish village of Cavallo as its site. 12. Philippi]

Philippi was built as a military position on the site of the village Krenides, by Philip the Great of Macedon. The plain between the Gangītes, on which the town is situate, and the Strymon, was the field of the celebrated battle of Antony and Octavius against Brutus and Cassius: see more below. There is now an insignificant place on its site retaining the name Filita (or Philippigi?). the first Macedonian city of the district] It was the first Macedonian city to which Paul and his companions came in that district,Neapolis properly belonging to Thrace. And this epithet of first would belong to it not only as regarded the journey of Paul and Silas, but as lying furthest eastward, for which reason also the district was called Macedonia prima, though furthest from Rome. The other explanations are, (1) chief city,' as A. V. But this it was not: Thessalonica being the chief city of the whole province, and Amphipolis of the division (if it then subsisted) of Macedonia prima :-(2) first is taken as a title of honour, as we find in the coins of Pergamus and Smyrna (but not in the case of any city out of Asia Minor): (3) the first city which was a colony.' But there could be no reason for stating this: whereas there would be every reason to particularize the fact that they tarried and preached in the very first city to which they came, in Macedonia, the territory to which they were sent. a colony] Philippi was made a colonia by Augustus, as a memorial of his victory over Brutus and Cassius, and as a frontier garrison against Thrace. Its full name on the coins of the city was Colonia Augusta Julia Philippensis. A Roman colony was in fact a portion of Rome itself transplanted to the provinces (Aulus Gellius calls the colonies "little effigies and images of the Roman people"). The colonists consisted of veteran soldiers and freedmen, who went forth, and determined and marked out their situation, with all religious and military ceremonies. The inhabitants of the colonies were Roman citizens, and were still enrolled in one or other of the tribes, and possessed the privilege of voting at Rome. In them

m

45.

the Roman law was strictly observed, and the Latin language was used on their coins and inscriptions. They were governed by their own senate and magistrates (Duumviri, two in number, as the consuls at Rome: see below, ver. 20), and not by the governor of the province. The land on which they stood was tributary, as being provincial, unless liberated from tribute by the special favour of the Italian right, or ownership of the soil. This Philippi possessed, in common with many other coloniæ and favoured provincial towns. The

population of such places came in process of time to be of a mixed character: but only the descendants of the original colonists by Roman wives, or women of a people possessing the citizenship, were Roman citizens. Hence new supplies of colonists were often necessary.

in that city,-as distinguished from the suburban place of prayer, to which they afterwards, on the Sabbath, went out of the gate. 13.] a (or, the) river side: viz. the small stream Gangītés, or Gangas: not, as Meyer and De Wette, the Strymon, the nearest point of which was many miles distant. The name Krenidés, formerly borne by the city, was derived from the fountains of this stream. -From many sources we learn, that it was the practice of the Jews to hold their assemblies for prayer near water, whether of the sea, or of rivers: probably on account of the frequent washings customary among them. See the citations in my Greek Test.

where prayer was wont to be made] literally, where a meeting for prayer was accustomed to be. It is possible to understand the substantive here rendered prayer, of a building devoted to the purposes of prayer. But that will

not suit the verb, was wont to be. It may be understood a meeting for prayer: and this will agree with the circumstances.

There seem to have been few, if any, Jews in Philippi: this open air assembly consisting merely of women attached to the Jewish faith. We hear of no opposition arising from Jews. There appears (xvii. 1) to have been no synagogue. 14. a seller of purple] The guild of dyers at Thyatira have left inscriptions, still existing, shewing the accuracy of our narrative. The celebrity of the purple dyeing of the neighbourhood is as old as Homer. Thyatira was a city of the province of Asia. Thus although forbidden to preach the word in Asia, their first convert at Philippi is an Asiatic. which worshipped God] A proselyte; see ch. xviii. 7, 13. She was listening,--when, in opening her heart, the act of God took place. "The heart of man is of itself shut," says Bengel, "but it is God's work to open it." It appears rather to have been a conversation (notice above, we spoke-not "we spoke the word") than a set discourse: the things which Paul was saying. 15. she

It

was baptized, and her household] may be that no inference for infant-baptism is hence deducible. The practice, however, does not rest on inference, but on the continuity and identity of the covenant of grace to Jew and Christian, the sign only of admission being altered. The Apostles, as Jews, would have proposed to administer baptism to the children, and Jewish or proselyte converts would, as matter of course, have acceded to the proposal; and that the practice thus by universal consent, tacitly (because at first unquestioned) pervaded the universal church, can hardly with any reason be doubted. The preposterous views of the modern Baptists would have been received with astonishment and reprobation in the apostolic Church. See note on 1 Cor. vii. 14. If ye have judged me: modestly