ȧçò тâν åνðρæπæv. A sort of euphemism for " abἀφὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. stain from putting them to death,* as ye determined." There is a similar kind of passage in Diog. Laert. (cited by Pricæus) μὴ ἀποκτείνετε τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ πεισθέντες, ἄφετε.

38. Ὅτι ἐὰν ἢ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, &c. Drusius here cites a similar sentiment from Perke Aboth, 4, 11. omnis congregatio quæ fit in nomine Dei stabilis erit; quæ vero non fit in honore Dei, cadet. And Wetstein (from Pricæus) cites an opinion pronounced by Marcus Antoninus whether Avidius Cassius should be put to death. "Si ei divinitus debetur imperium, non poterimus interficere, etiamsi velimus. Ścis enim proavi tui dictum, Successorem suum nullus occidit: sin minus, ipse sponte, sine nostrâ crudelitate fatales laqueos inciderit." Herodot. 9, 16. ὅ τι δεῖ γενέσθαι ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ· ἀμηχανον ἀποστεέψαι ἀνθρώπῳ. Eurip. Melanipp. 41. γάμους δ' ὅσοι σπεύδουσι μὴ πεπρωμένους, μάτην πονοῦσιν· ἡ δὲ τὸ χρεὼν πόσει μένουσα, κ ̓ ἀσπούδαστος ἦλθεν ἐν δόμοις. Moreover, the ei seems to mean but, if (as it seems); so in Soph. Antig. 278. ἄναξ, ἐμοι τοι μὴ τι θεήλατον Τοῦργον τοδ ̓ ἡ ξυννοια βουλεύας παλαι.

39. Μήποτε καὶ θεομάχοι εὑρεθῆτε. The word θεο páxo, Pricæus, Hammond, Valcknaer, Markland, and others, connect with éάoate auroùs, and separate the intermediate word from the rest by means of a parenthesis. Others, as Camerarius, Grotius, Beza, and Kuinoel, regard the μore, &c. as elliptical, and would subaud igare, or the like. That there is an

* Markland pronounces this signification (which also occurs in Acts 22, 29.) to be rare; and he asks whether it be not peculiar to St. Luke. I answer, not so; since it is met with occasionally in the Classical writers. So Thucyd. 2, 47. where he says that the Athenians, who had, during the plague, first had recourse to religious expiations, at length finding all means useless, avt☎v åπéorη→ σαν, desisted from them. The words καὶ ἐάσατε αὐτοὺς are added kar' éžýynow, in which there is an ellipsis of some word, either areλociv (as Valcknaer thinks), like the Latin missum facere, or an adverb. So our let alone. Here we may compare Joseph. 868. Ιωανάθην ἔασε.

ellipsis is clear from the words being found supplied; ex. gr. Lu. 21, 34. Herodot. 3, 36. ὅρα, ὅπως μή σεν ἀποστήσωνται Πέρσαι. Æschyl. Suppl. 507. φύλαξαι, μὴ θράσος τέκη φόβον. Prom. 67. ὅπως μὴ σαυτὸν οἰκτιεῖς πότε. Aristoph. Nub. 256. 2 Τim. 2, 25. And this seems, upon the whole, the best founded opinion. Ευρίσκεσθαι is used for εἶναι. See Schl. Lex. Among the numerous examples cited by Wetstein of θεομάχος, and the sentiment suggested, the following are the most apposite: Philostr. V. A. 4, 15. (where he perhaps had this very passage of the New Testament in view) ὥσπερ θεομαχεῖν φυλαττόμενος, χώρει, ἔφη, οὐ βούλῃ· σὺ γὰρ κρεῖττον ἢ ὑπ ̓ ἐμοῦ ἄρχεσθαι. & 6, 10. θεοῖς ἀντινομοθετεῖν μανίαν οἶμαι. Arrian. Εpict. 3, 24. τί οὖν ; τῶν μὴ δυνατῶν ἐφίεσθαι ἀνδραποδώδες καὶ ἠλίθιον, ξένου θεομαχοῦντος, ως μόνον οἷον τε, τοῖς δόγμασι τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ — τἀπίχειρα τῆς θεομαχίας ταύτης καὶ ἀπει θείας οὐ μόνον παῖδες παίδων ἐκτίσουσιν, ἀλλ ̓ αὐτὸς ἐγὼ. See also Virg. n. 5, 465. Justin. 2, 12, 9. Curt. 7, 6. Hom. II. ρ. 18. Justin. 24, 8. Curt. 9, 7. Plaut. Pers. 1, 1, 26. Diodor. Sic. 14, 69. I add Soph. Trach. 491. κού τοι νόσον γ ̓ ἐπαίτιον ἐξαιρόμεθα, θεοῖσι δυσμαχοῦντες, to omit other passages.

66

40. ἐπείσθησαν αὐτῷ, “ were inclined to accede to his opinion;" so far, at least, as to let them go, though not without chastisement. And this, as it seems, to save their own credit, lest they should appear to have apprehended them causelessly, as also to strike terror into the people. Now flagellation was, indeed, a punishment very usual both among the Jews and Romans for lesser delinquencies (see the note on Matt. 10, 17. Luke 23, 6. infr. 22, 19. 2 Cor. 11, 24.); yet it was regarded as τιμωρία αισχίστη, a most ignominious punishment; as we learn from Joseph. Αnt. 4, 9. On δέρειν see the note on Matt. 21, 34. Ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ, i. e. concerning Jesus. See the note on ver. 28. (Grot. & Kuin) With the words δείραντες — ἀπέλυσαν αὐτοὺς I would compare a very similar passage of Athen.

37 Ε. ἐπιτιμήσαντες, μὴ πλείονος οἴνου ἐκφορεῖσθαι, ἄφηκαν.

41, 42. xaigovres, remembering with joy the words of Christ (in Matt. 5, 11 & 12). A great height of virtue this to patiently and even joyfully suffer evil in a good cause. (Grot.) 'Aлò πроσшлоυ, &c. A Hebrew pleonasm. See Glass. 108. Trèg Toû óvóὙπὲρ τοῦ ματος, "for the cause of Jesus." In the words κατηξιώθησαν ἀτιμασθῆναι, Casaubon, with his usual taste, notices the elegant use of the figure Oxymoron, which arises when two ideas, repugnant to each other, are so joined as not to be really repugnant, but only to seem so; of which the following examples are cited by Wetstein. Terent. Eunuch. 5, 2, 25. Non te dignum, Chærea, fecisti: nam, si ego digna hac contumeliâ sum maximè: at tu indignus, qui faceres tamen. Senec. de Provid. 4. Digni visi sumus Deo, in quibus expereretur, quantum humana natura posset pati. Arrian Epict. 1, 29. or σe ¿tíὅτι σε ἐτί. μησε τοιαύτην τιμὴν, καὶ ἄξιον ἡγήσατο προσαγαγεῖν εἰς μαρτυρίαν τοσαύτην.

ἐν

42. πᾶσαν ἡμέραν every day. Subaud κατὰ and Kάory. The preposition is in this distributive sense added to all nouns of time. And since κar' olκoy is opposed to ev To iego, it plainly signifies in private houses ; κατ' οίκον being put for κατ' οίκους, from house to house: for Karà here, perhaps, exerts its distributive force; though it is not perceptible in Acts 20, 20. δημοσία καὶ κατ' οίκους.

CHAP. VI.

1. TλnouvóvTwv, increasing. For the word has πληθυνόντων, properly a transitive sense; as in Heb. 6, 14., and the passive is often used in the New Testament. But it occurs in this intransitive sense here, and in Exod. 1, 20. éπλýðvev i haòs (which St. Luke seems to have had in mind) and 1 Sam. 14, 29. Bos tells us that there is an ellipsis of the pronoun auroùs; which may, however, be doubted. Many active verbs are

used as neuters in all languages, both ancient (Hebrew, Greek, and Latin) and modern, including our own. On yoyyuopos (whence, possibly, our grudge) see the notes on Matt, 20, 11. Joh. 7, 12. By the Hebrews are meant the Jews of Palestine, who spoke the Hebrew, or rather Syrochaldee, which was popularly called Hebrew. To these Hebrews are opposed the Hellenists, 'Exaquoral. Now in the interpretation of this word the Commentators are by no means agreed. Erasmus, Drusius, Heinsius, Scaliger, Lightfoot, Hammond, Le Clerc, Schoettgen, Bengel, Rosenmuller, and others, are of opinion that they were the foreign Jews who spoke Greek. On the contrary, Camerarius, Beza, Salmasius (de Hellen. 175 & 233. and in fun. Hellen. 26), Wolf, Morus, Zeigler, and others, regard them as Proselytes, men in origin and religion Gentiles, but afterwards made Jews by circumcision, and now finally converted to Christianity. Wetstein, Heumann,

Paulus, Kuinoel, and Heinrichs, however, maintain that they were foreign Jewish Proselytes, who spoke Greek. "For no good reason (say they) can be assigned why we should not suppose them to be Proselytes. Nay, the very tenor of the whole parration seems to compel us to regard them as such, For of the number of those who were appointed by the Apostles to superintend the distribution of the alms to the Hellenistic widows, was Nicolaus a Proselyte. (See ver. 46.) That by the term 'Exλnuotai are meant Jews speaking Greek, appears not only from the opposite term 'Eßpaio, but from the usage of the Greek language; since aanvígew, by the force of its original signification, denotes to imitate those who speak Greek, either in language, or customs. Of the same form are reprize in Xenoph. Anab. 4, 5, 23., μndize in Suidas and elsewhere, and eλaŋview, which occur in the best writers; as Pausan. Bæol. p. 23. οὐχ ἑλλήνισαντα οὐδὲ αὐτὸν διαλεκτῷ δὲ βαρβαρικῇ. Thucyd. 2, 68. ἑλληνίσθησαν τὴν νῦν γλώσσαν τότε πρώτον οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι Αμφίλοχοι βάρβαροι εἰσίν.

év

So also Strabo 156 A. τούτῳ ὄνομα, φησὶν, ἂν καὶ Ἑλληνίσαι γλώτταν καὶ γνώμην. Lucian Philopseud. 16. ὁ δαίμων δὲ ἀποκρί νεται ἑλληνίζων, ἢ βαρβαρίζων, ἢ ὅθεν ἂν αὐτὸς ἦ. Philo V. Mosis T. 2. p. 139, 24. oi πρos Tỷ TαTρiw καὶ τὴν ἑλληνικὴν ἐπεπαιδεύοντο παιδείαν. Diogen. L. Anachars. 1, 102. νομίζων τὰ νόμιμα παραλύειν τῆς πατρίδος, πολὺς ὢν ἐν τῷ ἑλληνίζειν. So also ἀττικίζειν, σικελίζειν, περσίζειν, &c. See the copious Collectanea of Wetstein, from whom the above Classical examples are derived; and who also cites many Rabbinical writers on the subject of Jews speaking or studying Greek, from which it appears that Greek literature was not forbidden by their greatest Rabbis. Thus in Bara Kama, f. 83, 1. it is said of Gamaliel, that he had had a thousand scholars, of whom five hundred had studied the law, and five hundred Greek literature.

Photius Bibl. Βοξὸς δ ̓ ἦν

So also Schol. ap. Matthiæ ad h. 1. 'ExaqueτY τῶν Ἑλληνιστὶ φθεγγομένων καίτοι Εβραίων ὄντων τῷ yéves. And of this opinion was Chrysostom. The reasons urged by those who endeavoured to show that these 'Exantal were Greek Proselytes are illfounded and inapplicable. "If (say they) the Jews speaking Greek were called Hellenists, why has Paul of Tarsus, a Grecian city, never mentioned himself as a Hellenist, but a Hebrew or a Jew?" To this it may be replied, because in the passage where he calls himself a Hebrew (Phil. 3, 5. 2 Cor. 11, 22.) or a Jew (Acts 21, 39. 22, 3.) it would have been absurd to have called himself a Hellenist.

Those Commentators observe, moreover, that if the name Hellenists had been given, not to Jews born, but to Jews of foreign origin speaking Greek, one does not see how it could happen that the Hebrews should neglect the Hellenists, and overlook their widows. But, as we have observed on Joh. 7, 36., the Jews of Palestine, and especially the Jerusalemites, used to account themselves superior to the Jews residing out of Palestine, on the ground of their