N. B. The Greek Grammars to which most frequent reference has been made are the following: - W., Winer's Grammatik des neutestamentlichen Sprachidioms, fifth edition, or fourth in English (the sections are nearly the same in both); S., Professor Stuart's Grammar of the New Testament Dialect, second edition; K., Kühner's Greek Grammar, translated by Edwards and Taylor; C., Crosby's, second edition; B., Buttmann's, Robinson's Translation; Mt., Matthiæ's, third edition of the original, or Blomfield's Translation. Many other names, especially those of commentators or critics, whom it is necessary to mention often, have been abbreviated. A list of such names will be found at the end of the volume. NOTES. CHAPTER I. This V. 1-3. Relation of the Acts to the Gospel of Luke. V. 1. pév, solitarium, i. e. without any following dé. omission, which occurs in the best writers, is very common in this book; see v. 18; 3, 13; 19, 4; 26, 4, etc. K. 322. R. 4; W. § 64. II. 2. e. The writer commences as if he would have added, "but in this second treatise I propose to relate," etc. Being led by the allusion to the ascension of Christ to state the circumstances of that event, he relinquishes that form of the sentence, and introduces the subject of the book in a different manner. πρῶτον stands for the stricter πρότερον, like the interchange of first and former in English; comp. John 1, 15. 30; 15, 18; and perhaps Luke 2, 2. Θεόφιλε. He appears from Luke 1, 3 to have been a man of rank, since кpáriσтe, when prefixed in the Acts to the name of a person, refers not to character, but to station; see 23, 26; 24, 3; 26, 25. From the fact that Luke wrote his Gospel confessedly for Gentile readers, and that both there and here he has uniformly supplied such information respecting Jewish customs and places as they would need, we may conclude that Theophilus belonged to that class of readers, and that he was not, therefore, a Jew, or a resident in Palestine. The manner in which the book terminates * favors the supposition that he may have lived at Rome, or in Italy. Some have urged it as an argument for that opinion, that Luke has merely enumerated the names of places in Italy as if his readers were familiar with them; but the proof is not conclusive. He takes for granted a similar knowledge of the ge * See the close of § 5 in the Introduction. ography of Asia Minor and Greece. He inserts no explanatory notices in this part of the history, unless we are to except 16, 12; 27, 12. - Ev ηpέATO, K. T. λ. &v stands by attraction for a. The verb carries back the mind to the beginning of the Saviour's history, and is equivalent in sense to eέ ȧpxîs. It marks the limit of the narrative in one direction, as axpɩ is nμépas does in the other. Winer considers the expression as elliptical: which he began and proceeded to do; § 66. III. d. This is less simple, but yields the same meaning. Other explanations have been proposed. Olshausen thinks that Luke intended to suggest by pέaro, that Christ only commenced his work on earth; that he still continues and will complete it in heaven. Meyer finds in it an implied contrast between the labors of Christ and those of the apostles; he laid the foundation, -they were to build upon it and finish what he began. Both opinions seem to me far fetched. It is incorrect to regard this verb here, or in any passage, as superfluous. See W. § 67. 4. V. 2. is huépass μépas, Matt. 24, 38; Luke 1, 20.évteiλáμevos, I understand, with Meyer and others, as referring to Christ's command to preach the gospel to all the world, as recorded Matt. 28, 19; and which, from its memorable character, Luke could assume as well known to his readers. De Wette supposes it to be the command in v. 4; but we have then an unnecessary repetition of the same thing, and, contrary to the natural order, the allusion first, and the fuller notice last. Some have proposed to extend the meaning of the word so as to embrace all the instructions which Christ gave to the apostles in relation to their future work; but the term is too specific for so general an idea, and, besides, the obvious implication is that the giving of the command was something almost immediately antecedent to the ascension.dià πνeúμaтos ȧyíov, through the Holy Spirit, his influence, guidance. This noun, as so used, may omit the article or receive it, at the option of the writer, since it has the force of a proper name. W. 18. 1. These words attach themselves naturally to the participle which they accompany, and it is forced, as well as unnecessary, to connect them with the verb in the next clause. This passage, in accordance with other passages, represents the Saviour as having been endued abundantly with the influences of the Spirit, and as having acted always in conformity with its dictates; see 10, 38; Luke 4, 1; John 3, 34, etc. That subjection was one of the laws of his dependent nature. The oûs éέeλégaro, whom he had chosen. aorist stands often for the pluperfect after a relative or relative expression. W. § 41. 5. — åveλýpoŋ, sc. eis tov oúpavóv, Mark 16, 19; Luke 24, 51. The abbreviation shows how accustomed the early disciples were to recur to this event. oûs V. 3. οἷς καὶ παρέστησεν. καί joins παρέστησεν to οὓς ἐξελέξατο. The persons whom Christ had selected as his apostles were the same to whom also he showed himself, etc. Thus they not only received their office directly from Christ, but were able to testify from their own personal knowledge to the reality of his resurrection. — év oλλois Teкuпpiois, by many proofs; or if, as De Wette suggests, the idea of the verb mingles with that of the noun, in many convincing manifestations. TEKμýpιov does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament, and is a very expressive term. Plato uses it to denote the strongest possible logical proof, as opposed to that which is weaker, and Aristotle employs it to signify demonstrative evidence. The language seems to show that the first Christians had distinctly revolved the question whether the Saviour's resurrection was real or not, and had assured themselves of its reality by evidence which did not admit in their minds of the shadow of a doubt. "Infallible signs " does not express the sense too strongly. Compare the idea with 1 John 1, 1.—di' ýμeрŵv, K. т. λ., during forty days appearing to them, not being seen by them, i. e. from time to time, as related by the Evangelists. oπravóμevos, as middle, agrees best with the active sense of the other verbs, and with the usage of the Septuagint; see Tromm's Concord. s. v. V. 4, 5. The Promise of the Saviour to send the Spirit. V. 4. ovvadičóμevos, Sc. avroîs, being assembled, as mentioned Luke 24, 49; not sc. avroús, assembling them. The active sense of the verb has not been proved (Mey., Olsh., De Wet.). Tv nayye λίαν = λíavrò éπayyedλóμevov, i. e. the Holy Spirit promised by the Father. W. 34. 2. It is said to be his promised Spirit, because it was foretold in the Old Testament that he would bestow it. See 2, 16; Joel 3, 1. 2. —ĥv ǹkovσaré pov, which ye have heard from me, viz. Luke 24, 49; see also John 15, 26; 16, 13. For the verb with the accusative and genitive, see K. § 273, R. 18; W. § 30. 7. d. The style of discourse changes suddenly from the indirect to the direct, as in 17,3; 23, 22, and often. W. § 64. III. 2.; S. § 196. 2. V. 5. Où μETÀ, K. T. λ., not after these many days, after not many, a few. This mode of inverting the signification of an adjective is |