John Bengel Commentary - Acts 11:20 - 11:20

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John Bengel Commentary - Acts 11:20 - 11:20


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Act 11:20. Κυρηναῖοι, men of Cyrene) ch. Act 13:1, Lucius of Cyrene; Act 2:10, The dwellers in the parts of Libya about Cyrene. These, as well as the Cyprians, were more accustomed to be conversant with Gentiles.-Ἕλληνας) The more common reading is Ἑλληνιστάς.1[66] But the Hellenists are opposed to the Hebrews, ch. Act 6:1, with which comp. ch. Act 9:29. The Greeks are opposed in this place to the Jews, as everywhere. [Ἰουδαῖοι are either Hebrews or Hellenists: ch. Act 6:1.-Not. Crit.] Ussher on A. M. 4045 rightly approves of this reading.

[66] 1 This had been preferred by the larger Ed., but both the 2d Ed. margin and the Germ. Vers. answers to the Gnomon.-E. B.

Ἑλληνιστάς is the reading of B (judging from the silence of the collators) E. But AD corrected have Ἕλληνας. This seems to be required by the sense: for it was nothing new to preach to Hellenists or Grecian Jews; but it was a special “grace of God,” taken particular notice of by the Church, ver. 22, 23, that the Gospel should be preached to idolatrous Gentiles. Even Cornelius had been a devout Gentile, or proselyte of the gate; but these converts were made of Greeks, idolaters. Hence the need of the new name, then first given, Christians, to distinguish them altogether from the Jews; whereas before they might seem to have been a mere sect of Judaism. Vulg. has Græcos, but it does not seem to distinguish Hellenists and Hellenes-E. and T.