Acts XXVIII. 17–20

“And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Cæsar; not that I had aught to accuse my nation of. For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.”

He wished to exculpate both himself and others; himself, that they might not accuse him, and by so doing hurt themselves; and those (others), that it might not seem that the whole thing was of their doing. For it was likely that a report was prevalent, that he had been delivered up by the Jews; and this was enough to alarm them. He therefore addresses himself to this, and defends himself as to his own conduct.¹¹⁷²

1172 Paul’s prompt summoning of the unbelieving Jews was due as Chrys. reminds us, to his desire to conciliate them and thus to prevent the rise of new obstacles to the progress of the gospel. The apostle might naturally suppose that the Jews of Jerusalem, who were bent upon destroying him, had lodged information against him with their brethren at Rome and that his appearance as a prisoner might still further excite their prejudice and opposition. This view of Paul’s action removes the objection that he could not have given attention to the Jews before making the acquaintance of the Christian church (Zeller). He had, however, made their acquaintance; the brethren had gone out to meet him on his approach to the city and he had probably spent the most of the three days referred to in their company. Zeller has objected still more zealously to Paul’s statement. “I have done nothing against this people or the customs of the fathers.” Paul’s meaning, however, is, that he had never sought the destruction or subversion of the Jewish law and customs, but had ever labored in the line of the Messianic fulfilment of them. Meyer fitly says: “His antagonism to the law was directed against justification by the Law.”

1173 viz. by saying only ἀντιλεγόντων τῶν ᾽Ιουδ., whereas they had shown the utmost malignity against him, accusing him of crimes which they could not prove, and “saying that he was not fit to live:” but he is so forbearing, that though he might have turned all this against them, he sinks the mention of it, etc.

1174 Τί δὴ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα; For the answer to this question, see the Recapitulation.—The remainder of the Exposition had fallen into extreme confusion, in consequence of the original redactor’s having read the notes in the order 2, 4, 6: 1, 3, 5: 7: and this is followed by another series of trajections. The restoration of the true order here, and in the numerous cases of the like kind in the former homilies, was no easy matter; but being effected, it speaks for itself. Later scribes (of the old text) have altered a few words here and there: but the framer of the mod. text has endeavored to make it read smoothly, in point of grammar, little regarding the sense and coherence of the whole.

(Recapitulation.) (d) “Who having examined me,” says he, “found nothing in me” (v. 18). When those ought to have rescued, they “delivered (him) into the hands of the Romans.” And such the superabundance,¹¹⁷⁵

1175 Καὶ τοσαύτη ἡ περιουσία, i.e. not only the Jews could prove nothing against him, but the Romans also, to whom they delivered him, after strict and repeated examinations, found nothing in him worthy of death. So ex abundanti, enough and more than enough, was his innocence established. Mod. text adds τῆς ἐλευθερίας.

1176 This clause τὸ δεῖξαι ὅτι Ρωμαίοις παρέδωκαν δέσμιον is wanting in A. C. In the next clause, δέον ἐκείνους καταδικάσαι, “whereas, had I been guilty, those, the Jews at Jerusalem, ought to have condemned me, instead of that, ‘they delivered me prisoner to the Romans,’ and the consequence was, that ‘I was compelled to appeal unto Cæsar.’” But this clause being followed by e, mod. text connects thus: τοὺς δὲ καταδικάσαι δέον ἐκείνους, δέον κατηγορῆσαι: but whereas these (the Jews at Rome) ought to have condemned those (the Jews at Jerusalem), ought to have accused them, they rather apologize for them, etc.

1177 δέον ἐκείνων κατηγορῆσαι· ἀπολογοῦνται δἰ ὧν κατηγοροῦσιν αὐτῶν. We restore it thus, ἀπολογοῦνται· δἰ ὧν ἀπολογοῦνται, κατηγοροῦσιν αὐτῶν. And in (b), Τοῦτο μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸ for—αὐτοῦ. “This very thing,” i.e. their neither sending letters concerning him to Rome, nor coming themselves; ‘if they had been confident of their cause (ἐθάρρουν), κἂν τοῦτο ἐποίησαν, they would at any rate have sent letters concerning him, if they did not come themselves. ὥστε μὴ δυνηθῆναι συναρπάσαι με, Erasmus, who here makes his version from the old text, ita ne possent me simul rapere. The mod. text “for if they had been confident, they would at least have done this and come together, ὥστε αὐτὸν συναρπάσαι, ut ipsum secum attraherent.” (Ben.) It does not appear what μεhas to do here, unless the words, defectively reported, are put in St. Paul’s mouth: “if,” he might say, “they were confident, they would have done this, so that I should not be able συναρπάσαι.” The expression συναρπάσαι (sc. τὸ ζητούμενον) is a term of logic, “to seize to one’s self as proved some point which is yet in debate and not granted by the opponent:” therefore a petitio principii. Above, p. 321, we had συναρπαγή in the sense of “jumping hastily to a conclusion.” Later authors also use it in the sense, “to suppress.” See above, p. 209, note 5. Here, “they would at any rate have written letters concerning him (or, me), that so he (or, I) might not be able to have it all his (or, my) own way:” to beg the point in dispute, and run off with his own justification.—ἄλλως τε καὶ ἐλθεῖν ὤκνησαν, “especially as they shrunk from coming: καὶ τὸ πολλάκις ἐπιχειρίσαι ἔδειξαν, Α., ἐπιχῆραι ἔδεισαν.” Read καὶ τῷ π. ἐπιχειρῆσαι “by their repeated attempts (to slay him?)” ἔδειξαν ὅτι οὐκ ἐθάρρουν, or ὅτι ἔδεισαν. Mod. text. “But now, not being confident they shrunk from coming; especially as by their frequent attempting, they showed that they were not confident.”

1178 Needless difficulties have been found in v. 22. It is said that the Jews speak as if they had heard of the Christian Church at Rome, which some years before is represented by Paul’s Epistle to the Romans as large and flourishing (Rom. i. 8), only from hearsay, and that Luke must have represented them as so speaking in order to represent Paul as the founder of the Roman Church. For the reserve of the Jews, however, plausible and sufficient reasons can be given, if the fact that they say no more than they do requires explanation. To us it does not seem to require any. The Jews do not state that they know nothing concerning the Roman Christians. They speak of the “sect” in general, but do not say that they know of it only by hearsay. They simply state one thing which they know, not how they know it, nor that it is all that they know. This statement served their purpose to commit themselves in no way against Paul concerning whom they had received no official information from Jerusalem (v. 21) as also the purpose to encourage Paul to explain himself and defend his cause fully and frankly to them.—G.B.S.

1179 i.e. “You say, He is accused of preaching everywhere against the Law—but of what do ye accuse him? what have you heard him say? Not a word of the kind did he speak. They did but see him in the Temple, xxi. 27, and straightway stirred up all the people against him.”

1180 ἀλλ᾽ ἐκεῖνος οὐκέτι. Α., ἐκείνων. Cat., ἐκεῖνο. Mod. text ἀλλ᾽ ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὕτως, κεῖ δὲ οὐκέτι. & 169·Αλλως δὲ καὶ—. He makes this an argument against those who affirmed the Holy Ghost to be a created Angel. There are many places where an Angel speaks in the name of the Lord, and what the Angel says, is the Lord’s saying. But in speaking of such a communication, one would not say, Well spake the Angel, but, Well spake the Lord. So here, if the Spirit were but an Angel, St. Paul would not have said, “Well spake the Holy Spirit: he would have said, Well spake the Lord. Hence the clause ἀλλ᾽ ἐκεῖνος or ἐκεῖνο (sc. τὸ Πν.) οὐκέτι means, “But not so the Spirit,” i.e. What has been said of the case of an Angel speaking in the name of the Lord, does not apply here: the Holy Spirit speaks in His own name. The sense is obscured by the insertion of the clause καλῶς εἶπε, φ., τὸ Πν. τὸ ῞Α. (which we omit) before ἀλλ᾽ ἐκεῖνος οὐκέτι.

1181 Here follows another series of trajections: the parts, as it seems, having been transcribed from the notes in this order, 5, 3, 1: 6, 4, 2: 7, 9: 8, 10. Mod. text inserts here: “But Paul,” it says, “dwelt two whole years in his own hired house.” So without superfluity was he, rather so did he imitate his Master in all things, since he had even his dwelling furnished him, not from the labors of others, but from his own working: for the words, “in his own hired house,” signify this. But that the Lord also did not possess a house, hear Him saying to the man who had not rightly said, “I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest: The foxes” said He “have holes, and the birds of the air have nests: but the Son of Man hath not where to lay His head.” Thus did He from His own self teach that we should possess nothing, nor be exceedingly attached to things of this life. “And he received,” it says, “all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God.” See him speaking nothing of the things of sense; nothing concerning the present things, but all concerning the kingdom of God.” And below after b, in place of c—g, the same has: “But he does this, and tells not what things came afterwards, deeming it would be superfluous for those who would take in hand the things he had written, and who would learn from these how to add on to the narration: for what the things were which went before, such doubtless he found these which came after. Hear too what he says, writing after these things (?) to the Romans, “Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you.”

1182 The report is very defective, but the meaning in general is this: See how his desire of coming to Rome is accomplished, but not in the way which he proposed. Hence in (h) we do not hesitate to supply the negative which is omitted in the mss. and the printed text. ᾽Ορᾷς πῶς ΟΥ πάντα προεώρα.

More copious than this (sea) are (his) streams; purer and deeper; so that one would not err in calling Paul’s heart both a sea and a heaven, the one for purity, the other for depth. He is a sea, having for its voyagers not those who sail from city to city, but those from earth to heaven: if any man sail in this sea, he will have a prosperous voyage. On this sea, not winds, but instead of winds the Holy and Divine Spirit wafts the souls which sail thereon: no waves are here, no rock, no monsters: all is calm. It is a sea which is more calm and secure than a haven, having no bitter brine, but a pure fountain both sweeter than * *, and brighter and more transparent than the sun: a sea it is, not having precious stones, nor purple dye as ours, but treasures far better than those. He who wishes to descend into this sea, needs not divers, needs not oil, but much loving-kindness (φιλανθρωπίας): he will find in it all the good things that are in the kingdom of Heaven. He will even be able to become a king, and to take the whole world into his possession, and to be in the greatest honor; he who sails on this sea will never undergo shipwreck, but will know all things well. But as those who are inexpert in this (our visible sea) are suffocated (in attempting to dive therein), so is it in that other sea: which is just the case with the heretics, when they attempt things above their strength. It behooves therefore to know the depth, or else not to venture. If we are to sail on this sea, let us come well-girded. “I could not,” he says, “speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal.” (1 Cor. iii. 1.) Let no one who is without endurance sail on this sea. Let us provide for ourselves ships, that is, zeal, earnestness, prayers, that we may pass over the sea in quiet. For indeed this is the living water. Like as if one should get a mouth of fire, such a mouth does that man get who knows Paul well: like as if one should have a sharp sword, so again does such an one become invincible. And for the understanding of Paul’s words there is needed also a pure life. For therefore also he said: “Ye are become such as have need of milk, seeing ye are dull of hearing.” (Heb. v. 11, 12.) For there is, there is an infirmity of hearing. For as a stomach which is infirm could not take in wholesome food (which it finds) hard of digestion, so a soul which is become tumid and heated, unstrung and relaxed, could not receive the word of the Spirit. Hear the disciples saying, “This is a hard saying: who can hear it” (John vi. 60)? But if the soul be strong and healthy, all is most easy, all is light: it becomes more lofty and buoyant: it is more able to soar and lift itself on high. Knowing then these things, let us bring our soul into a healthy state: let us emulate Paul,and imitate that noble, that adamantine soul: that, advancing in the steps of his life, we may be enabled to sail through the sea of this present life, and to come unto the haven wherein are no waves, and attain unto the good things promised to them that love Him, through the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father and Holy Ghost together be glory, might, honor, now and ever, world without end. Amen.

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