0' and receives with profound attention what he says. And not only so, but having received, he was not remiss, did not put off, did not say, `Let me get back to my own country, let me see my friends, my family, my kinsfolk
0'-which is what many Christians say now-a-days when called to baptism: `let me get to my country, let me see my wife, let me see my children with my other kinsfolk: with them present, and making holiday with me, so will I enjoy the benefit of baptism, so partake of the Grace.
0' But not these words spake he, the barbarian: Jew as he was, and trained to make strict account of places, especially with (the Law) ever sounding in his ears the duty of observing the Place, insomuch that he had gone a long journey to Jerusalem, on purpose that he might worship in the place which God commanded: and behold, all at once casting away all that he had been used to in this regard, and relinquishing this strict observance of place, no sooner is the discourse finished, and he sees a fountain by the roadside, than he says, `See, here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized?
0'"
26 The letters (a) (b) denote the order of the two parts in mss. and Edd.
27 dia to asqenej eti: Edd, give this to the preceding sentence, and then: Oude proteron outwj hn eukolon, wj ote o profhthj auton kathxhsen: "nor was it so easy before, as (it was) when the Prophet had catechized him:" which is irrelevant to the question: for Philip might have found him engaged in the same study then as afterwards. The old text has: ouk hn eukoloj, o profhthj gar auton kathxhsen, but A. rightly omits gar. Something is wanting; e. g. either, "until Philip catechized him," or rather, "but yet the prophet catechized him." What follows is much confused in the mss. By "the prophecy itself" Chrys. probably means more than the two verses given in the Acts, viz. Isai. liii. 7-12.-"It is likely he had heard that He had been crucified," so C. D. F. (i. e. as appears further on, the eunuch when at Jerusalem had heard of the Crucifixion, had seen the rent in the rocks, etc., another reason why it was fit that he should have first visited Jerusalem:) but B., "Perhaps he had not heard:" and E. Edd., "Hence he learnt." After "taken from the earth," C. alone has, kai ta alla os' (sic) amartian ouk epoihsen, the others, oti am. ouk ep. after which Savile alone adds, "nor was guide found in His mouth." After estaurwqh something is wanting, e. g. nun de emaqen or kathxhqh. In kai ta alla there seems to be a reference to the sequel in "the prophecy itself," viz. "and the rest which may be read in Isaiah, as that He did no sin," etc.-A., as usual, omits the whole passage: E. refashions it thus; "Hence He learnt that He was crucified, that His life is taken away from the earth, that He did no sin, that He prevailed to save others also, that His generation is not to be declared, that the rocks were rent, that the veil was torn, that dead men were raised from the tombs: or rather, all these things Philip told him." etc. so Edd.
28 In the quotation the N. T. follows the LXX. (Is. liii: 7, Is. liii: 8), which but imperfectly renders the original. The meaning is obscure in Hebrew, but the best rendering is probably that of the R. V. which renders v. 8 thus: "By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living?" for which the LXX. and N. T. have: "In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare, for his life is taken from the earth." It is almost useless to inquire what the LXX. translators could have meant by this rendering. Concerning the meaning of the first clause, there are four theories: (1) The judgment announced by His enemies was taken away, i. e., annulled by God (Bengel, Lechler). (2) His judicial power was taken away during his humiliation, i.e., he did not appear as men's judge (Humphrey). (3) His judgment (punishment) was taken away, i. e., ended-by death (Meyer, Robinson). (4) The judgment due him-the rights of justice-was withheld by his enemies (Gloag, Hackett).
The latter part of the LXX. trans.: "who shall declare," etc., has been understood in the following ways: (1) Who shall declare his divine Sonship?-the reference being to the "eternal generation" of the Son (the Patristic view). (2) Who shall declare the number of his spiritual seed, i.e., predict the extent of his kingdom? (the Reformers). (3) Who shall declare the wickedness of his contemporaries, for he was put to death (Meyer, De Wette, Lechler, Alford, Gloag). This interp. assigns to the word "generation," the same meaning which the R. V. gives to it in the original passage and is the preferable view. It should be admitted that this is a probable theory of what the LXX. ought to have meant by the words which they used; that they did consciously mean this is far less certain.-G. B. S.
29 wsper oun ouden outw skandalizein eiwqe touj paxuterouj: i.e. Saul's conversion would have weighed with the Jews ei noun eixon, but it was a great stumbling-block to them as paxuteroi: "as indeed nothing is so apt to prove a stumbling-block to men of duller minds," as this is-viz. the sudden conversion of one of their own party to the opposite side.
30 kai oti ouk an epeisqh 'Ananiaj, A. b.c. But Edd. omit Ananias: "because he (Paul) would not otherwise have been persuaded." In the next sentence, C. F. have 'Entrefomenoi, "nurtured:" B. entrufwntej, "luxuriating:" A. E. D. Edd. enstrefomenoi.
31 dhson. i.e. tie them up, and keep them shut. E. Edd. kataxwson, "Bury." Below, for kai mh akouoi autwn, we read ina mh. C. however has akouei, which may imply that the sentence should be joined to the preceding one, ou toiauth kolasij, ei tij kataxwseien auta en koprw, kai ei mh akouei autwn: "not such the punishment, were one to bury, etc., as it is if he refuse to hear them."
32 All the mss. and Edd. Mh laleite, "Speak not." But the context plainly requires the sense. "Speak on, if you will: we will not do what you bid us:" though it should rather be, Ouk akouomen.
33 E. umin, "your mouths," so Edd. except Sav. and below, o akouwn kai mh peiqomenoj meizonwj katafronei, where the old text has, o akouwn meiz. kat. kai dia toutou kwluwn, "by this," viz. by putting his hand on the speaker's mouth.
34 When the Deacon had ordered silence by proclaiming, if need were, several times, IIrosexwmen' the Reader commenced the Lesson, if from the Old Testament or the Gospels, with the formula, Tade legei Kurioj, "Thus saith the Lord:" (for the Epistles. with, "Dearly beloved Brethren.") See Hom. in 2 Thess. iii. §4. p. 527. D.
35 Eipon, ej ofisqhn, fhsi, kai tote apesth ap' emou. Ben. rendering the passage with Erasmus, "