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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
A.—The founding of the church in antioch, through the agency of hellenists
Act_11:19-21
b. The question here arises: What is the connection between this narrative, Act_11:19-21, and the foregoing? That a certain pragmatic connection [that of cause and effect.—Tr.] does exist, is indicated by ïῦ ̓ í , and the point to be determined is: What is that connection? Now, at first view, the obvious answer would seem to be, that the preaching of the Gospel to the Antiochian Gentiles, Act_11:20, is intended to be described as a result of the conversion of the Gentile, Cornelius. This is the opinion of Kuinoel, and a similar view is entertained by Schneckenburger (Zweck. d. Apgsch. p. 176), and Lange (Gesch. d. Kirche. II. 143.). The interpretation is sustained by assuming that the example of Peter authorized and encouraged similar efforts and attempts to preach the Gospel to heathens. But, on the one hand, the narrative which now follows, stands in no connection whatever with the conversion of Cornelius; it would, indeed, be necessary, in order to establish such a connection, to assume by a forced interpretation, that the contents of Act_11:19 constitute a parenthesis, and to connect ἐëÜëïõí ðñὀò ô . " Åëë . in Act_11:20, immediately with ïῦ ̓ í [at the beginning of Act_11:19.]. And, on the other hand, it distinctly appears from Act_11:19, that Luke intends to connect the statements in that verse and in those which succeed, with his account of the persecution of which Stephen was the victim. Luke, in fact, here resumes the thread of discourse which he had dropped at Act_8:4 [see above], and employs precisely the same words which occurred in that passage: ïἱ ìὲí ïῦ ̓ í äéáóðáñÝíôåò äéῆëèïí . The historian, no doubt, connects this event—the original founding of the church at Antioch—with the conversion of Cornelius, since it is, in its essential features, of the same nature; it is, namely, an extension of the church of Christ beyond the boundaries of Judaism. But, at the same time, he by no means places the two events in an immediate causal or pragmatical connection. Hence, the position which the following narrative of the founding of the church in Antioch occupies, furnishes no grounds for assigning the first conversion of pagans in Antioch to a later period than that of Cornelius. The pragmatic connection of the conversion of pagans in Antioch with the persecution described in Act_8:1 ff., implies, on the contrary, that the former may have occurred even previously to the occurrence at Cesarea. For those who were scattered after the death of Stephen, probably continued their journey without delay, until they severally found places in which they could abide in security, and labor without hinderance—some of them, in particular, arriving at Antioch. And here it cannot reasonably be supposed that a period, embracing even several years, elapsed before any one of their number proclaimed the word concerning Jesus Christ to individual heathens. But it is known with certainty, on the other hand, from the history of the life of the apostle Paul, that a period of at least three years intervened between the death of Stephen (which was followed afterwards by the conversion of Saul), and Paul’s residence in Tarsus [Act_9:30; Act_11:25-26], during which the Antiochian congregation already existed.
c. Travelled as far as Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antioch.—[ Öïéíßêç , Lat. Phoenice, (a more correct form than the usual Phoenicia) is the ancient Græco-Roman name of a narrow strip of land on the Syro-Palestinian coast of the Mediterranean, more than 130 miles in length, extending from Cape Carmel on the south to the island of Aradus near the coast, or the mouth of the river Eleutherus, and including the cities of Tyre, Sidon, Berytus, etc. (Herzog: Real-Encyk. XI. 610.—For Antioch, see below, on Act_11:20-21.—Tr.]. We are informed in this verse, that the Christians who fled from Jerusalem after the death of Stephen, and who, according to Act_8:1, were scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, had, in some instances, passed beyond the northern and north-western boundaries of Palestine, and entered the territory of Phenice; others proceeded to the neighboring island of Cyprus, or retired to Antioch, the capital of Syria. They labored as missionaries wherever they came, and probably prepared the way for the establishment of the Christian congregation in Tyre, which is mentioned below, Act_21:7. However, they were accustomed to address none but Jews, which fact indeed is implied in Act_8:4; the only exception was that of Philip, who preached in Samaria [Act_8:5], and was afterwards specially directed by God to approach the officer of the court, who belonged to Meroë [see above, Act_8:27-28. b.—Tr.]
Act_11:20-21. And some of them, etc.—New and important statements are here made. Some of these Christians whom the persecution had dispersed, and whose flight converted them into missionaries, were natives of the island of Cyprus; others of the number originally came from the African province of Cyrene. They were, consequently, Judæo-Christians who were natives of Hellenic regions, that is, they were Hellenists. When these men arrived at the large city of Antioch (in which, undoubtedly many Jews also resided), and proclaimed Jesus as the Lord, they addressed themselves also to the Hellenes, that is, to heathens. See note 3 above, appended to the text, (on Act_11:20. b.).—Antioch, situated on the river Orontes, and somewhat less than 20 miles distant from the Mediterranean [and its port, Seleucia], had been built by Seleucus Nicator, the founder of the kingdom of the Seleucidæ, and received its name from that of his father Antiochus. It was one of the many Hellenic [Greek] colonies, which owed their existence to the Macedonian conquests in the East. The Greek language and culture consequently predominated in Antioch, which rapidly rose to the rank of the first city of the East, although the mass of the original inhabitants consisted of natives of Syria.—Thus it occurred that Israelites who found homes in heathen countries in which Greek culture prevailed (Hellenists), were the agents through whom the Gospel was proclaimed to heathens of Greek culture. They labored, moreover, with great success, for we are told, in Act_11:21, that a great number of heathens received the word in faith, and were converted to Christ. This was the work of the Lord, for His hand—his mighty, spiritual influence—accompanied the labors of these zealous Christians. [Comp. Luk_1:66; Act_4:30; “potentia spiritualis, per evangelium se exserens.” (Bengel).—Tr.]
2. Those whom the persecution had dispersed, spake the word, preaching the Gospel concerning Jesus, wherever they came. They proclaimed that Gospel even though they were not apostles, nor held any other office in the church.—They knew in whom they believed; they were anointed with the Holy Ghost, and “out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.” [Mat_12:34]. Thus they involuntarily became travelling preachers, and even missionaries among heathens, since some of them preached Jesus to the Greeks in Antioch. And that they did not act presumptuously in adopting this course, was demonstrated by the blessed results: the hand of the Lord was with them Act_11:21, and many heathens were converted through their word. The Lord of the Church Himself, accordingly, sanctioned and legitimized these extra-official labors. The great principle itself, which was involved in the conversion of Gentiles, was sanctified by God in the case of Cornelius and the apostle Peter; but the first successful movement in this work of converting heathens—the first establishment of the congregation of Antioch, the metropolis of Gentile-Christianity,—was effected, not by Peter, nor by any other apostle, but by ordinary Christians and church-members.
See below, Act_11:27-30.
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Act_11:19. The reading ἐðὶ ÓôåöÜíῳ [of text. rec.], is better attested, as well by MSS. [B [e sil]. G. H.], as by ancient versions and fathers, than ἐðὶ ÓôåöÜíïõ [of A. E., and adopted by Lachm.]; this latter was undoubtedly introduced by those who viewed ἐðß [here] as a preposition of time [as the Vulg. which represents the Greek genitive in the version sub Stephano. (See Winer: Gram. N. T. § 48. c: “ Ýðß is here equivalent to on account of, or, against, with the dative.”) D. reads ἀðὸ ôïῦ Óôåöáíïῦ . The dative is adopted by Tisch. and Lach. and is sanctioned by Cod. Sin.—Tr.]
Act_11:20. a. ἐëèüíôåò is decisively sustained [by A. B. D. E. G. Cod. Sin., and adopted by Lach., Tisch. and Alf.], rather than the compound åἰòåëè . of text. rec., which is supported by only one manuscript. [H.].—[After ἐëÜëïõí Lach. and Alf. insert êáὶ from A. B. and Vulg. et; it is also found in Cod. Sin. But it is omitted in text. rec., and by Tisch. in accordance with D. E. G. H., and is regarded by de Wette as an interpolation.—Tr.]
Act_11:20. b. The two conflicting readings are ̔́ Åëëçíáò and ἙëëçíéóôÜò . The latter [of text. rec.] is still sustained numerically by the authorities, rather than the former, viz., by B [e sil]. E. G. H., and nearly all the minuscules, and by several fathers. But, on the other hand, ̔́ Åëëçíáò is found in A. and D. (in the original text of the latter [but altered by a later hand to— íéóôáò (Tisch.)]). It also occurs, as it has recently appeared, in Cod. Sin., and is adopted by Eusebius, and by Chrysostom, Theophylact and Oecumenius, in their commentaries. [But the text of the original writer of Cod. Sin. reads thus: åëáë . êáé ðñ . ô . åὐáããåëéóôáò , and a later hand altered the last word to ἑëëçíáò . Tisch. and Alf. add that Chrys. Theop. and Oec., in their text, as distinguised from their comm. read— íéóôÜò .—Tr.]. Internal reasons decide unconditionally in favor of ̔́ Åëëçíáò , for this reading alone constitutes an antithesis to Ἰïõäáßïéò of Act_11:19, inasmuch as the preaching of the Gospel to the Hellenists [who were also Jews by birth; see above, Act_6:1 b.] would not in the least degree, have been a novel and remarkable event. Hence, the reading ̔́ Åëëçíáò was preferred already by Grotius, Usher, and Bengel, and was inserted in the text by Griesbach, Lachmann and Teschendorf [and by Alf., with whom de Wette and Meyer fully concur. Tischendorf says that the Vulg, does not seem to distinguish between the two words. The Engl. version renders ἑëëçíéóôÞò in the three passages in which it occurs in the text. rec. by Grecians (Act_6:1; Act_9:29; Act_11:20). ̔́ Åëëçí (sing. and plur.) occurs in the text. rec. twenty-six times; it is rendered, in the Engl. vers. of the N. T. six times Gentile, Gentiles, and twenty times, Greek, Greeks.—Tr.]
Act_11:21. The article ὁ is wanting before ðéóôåýóáò , it is true, in most of the uncial MSS. [D. E. G. H. and text. rec.], and is found only in A. and B. [and also in Cod. Sin.]; but as it would scarcely have been inserted, if it had not been originally employed, it may be regarded as genuine. It has, hence, been inserted in the text by Lach. and Tisch. [and by Alf.]