Lange Commentary - Acts 8:5 - 8:13

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Lange Commentary - Acts 8:5 - 8:13


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

II Philip Preaches the Gospel in Samaria with Success, and Simon, the Sorcerer, himself is Baptized

Act_8:5-13

5     Then Philip went down to the [a] city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 6And the people [the multitudes, ïἱ ὄ÷ëïé ] with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing [when they heard and saw] the miracles [signs] which he did. 7For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them [For from many who had unclean spirits, these came out with a loud cry]: and many taken with palsies [many that were paralytic], and that were lame, were healed.8And there was great joy in that city. 9But there was [previously] a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime [om. which beforetime] in the same city [who] used sorcery, and bewitched [astonished] the people of Samaria, giving out that himself [professing ( ëÝãùí ) that he] was some great one: 10To whom they all [om. all] gave heed, from the least to the greatest [small and great], saying, This man is the great power of God [the power of God which is called great]. 11And [But] to him they had regard [gave heed, (as in Act_8:10)], because that of long time he had bewitched them with [time they had been astonished at his] sorceries. 12But when they believed Philip preaching [who preached] the things [the gospel (om. the things, åὐáããåë .)] concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus. Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13Then [But] Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with [adhered to] Philip, and wondered [was astonished (as in Act_8:9; Act_8:11)], beholding the miracles and signs which were done.

EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL

Act_8:5. a. Then Philip went down.—Luke had briefly stated above, that the members of the church, after being dispersed by the persecution, had carried the Gospel to other regions. He now describes a single case as an illustration. This Philip, who, as the connection shows, had been driven from Jerusalem by the same violent persecution, cannot possibly have been the apostle who bore the same name, as, according to Act_8:1, the company of the apostles remained in the holy city. The interpretation that the narrative here refers to a later period, and that it was really the apostle Philip who visited Samaria, cannot, for several reasons, be admitted. For the connection, in the first place, between Act_8:4 and Act_8:5, is so intimate, that the journey of Philip, must be regarded, both chronologically, and in accordance with the natural sequence of events, as a direct result of that persecution. And, in the second place, the journey of John and Peter, who were sent to Samaria, as the commissioners of the apostles, Act_8:14, would be perfectly inexplicable, if Philip himself were one of the apostles. It is, therefore, not the apostle Philip who is here meant, but another person of the same name; he is, beyond all doubt, the one who is mentioned in Act_6:5, as the second of the chosen Seven. It is, indeed, precisely this position of the name in that list, which renders it probable that the Philip here mentioned, was not only one of the Seven, but also the same who is described in Act_21:8 as ὁ åὐáããåëéóôÞò , ὁ ὢí ἐê ôῶí ἑðôÜ . For the name of Stephen is, without doubt, placed first in that list for the reason that his labors and sufferings had given unusual prominence to him, and invested his name with a special interest. Philip seems to have been mentioned in the second place for similar reasons, since he was identified with events of the highest moment in the history of the Church. It may be easily imagined that the colleagues of Stephen were the first persons on whom the hostility of the Jews prepared to inflict its blows. The opinion, that this Philip was one of the twelve, was entertained already by Polycrates in the second century (as quoted by Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. iii. 31; v. 24), by the authors of the Apostolical Constitutions (vi. 7. 1), in the third century, and by others; it was suggested not only by the sameness of the name, but probably also by the special character of the labors of Philip, since these appear to have been such as the apostles exclusively performed. This latter view seems, indeed, to be sustained by the expression: ἐêÞñõóóå ôὸí ×ñ ., inasmuch as it was originally applied to the proclamation of a herald, and denotes, therefore, here, that a public declaration was made in a more than ordinarily solemn manner, and by special authority, while in the case of others, merely the terms åὐáããåëßæóèáé (Act_8:4; Act_11:20) and ëáëåῖí ôὸí ëüãïí were employed. The evangelizing labors of Philip, therefore, undoubtedly seem to be of a different kind from those of the latter. But they do not on this account assume a decidedly apostolical character, in which case äéäÜóêåéí or äéäá÷ὴ would have been the term employed, as in Act_4:2; Act_4:18; Act_5:25; Act_5:28; Act_5:42; comp. Act_2:42. The word êçñýóóåéí , in the present verse, constitutes, as it were, an intermediate grade, or occupies a position between the specifically apostolical äéäÜóêåéí , and the general Christian åὐáããåëßæåóèáé ; or, ëáëåῖí ôὸí ëüãïí . This view is in the strictest accordance with the opinion that Philip was one of the Seven, as these men really did occupy an intermediate position in their respective relations to the apostles, and to the disciples in general.

b. The name of the city in Samaria, in which Philip labored so successfully, cannot by any means be determined with certainty; from the text we merely learn that it was one of the numerous cities of the district of Samaria. The language in Act_8:8-9, conveys the impression that Luke himself was not acquainted with the precise name, and that he purposely expressed himself in indefinite terms. It is not probable that the capital city is meant (Kuinoel); it also bore the name of Samaria, and received that of Sebaste from Herod the Great, but it cannot be here intended, as the same name in Act_8:9; Act_8:14 plainly designates the whole region [as in Act_1:8].

Act_8:6-8. And the people with one accord.—Philip proclaimed the Messiah to them, and, at the same time, performed many miracles of healing, as well in the case of persons that were possessed, from whom the unclean spirits (demons) came out with loud cries, as also in the case of those who were lame and paralytic. The inhabitants, who had a personal knowledge of these wonderful works, were thus induced to listen with devout attention to the words of Philip ( ðñïòåῖ÷ïí — ἐí ôῷ ἀêïýåéí áὐôïéὺò êáὶ âëÝðåéí ôὰ óçìåῖá ). Not merely a few individuals, or the adherents of any particular party, but the whole mass of the population ( ïἱ ὄ÷ëïé ) listened in a confiding and respectful manner, and with entire unanimity ( ὁìïèõìáäüí ) to the addresses of Philip (although ðñïòåῖ÷ïí is not yet equivalent to ἐðßóôåõïí in the higher sense of the latter word). The joy which pervaded the city, and which was already occasioned by the healing of many sick persons, and by Philip’s joyful tidings concerning the Saviour and redemption, became so great, ( ÷áñὰ ìåãÜëç ), when the people perceived that they were all acting with one accord.

Act_8:9-11. But there was a certain man called Simon.—The logical connection is the following:—A man, named Simon, had been in the place before Philip’s arrival, whose magic arts had created a great sensation, and secured a number of adherents for him. [The word here and in Act_8:11 translated bewitched ( ἐîßóôçìé , see Wahl and Robinson), but never so rendered where it occurs in the New Test. elsewhere, signifies amazed, astonished, as in Act_2:7; Act_2:12; Act_9:21 (J. A. Alex.); thus, below, in Act_8:13, it is translated wondered.—Tr.]. Luke furnishes us with no information respecting the origin of this man, e.g., whether he was a native of this city, or, indeed, whether he was a Samaritan at all. So far, therefore, no facts are presented that are adverse to the conjecture of Neander, Gieseler and others (which Meyer combats on insufficient grounds). Those writers identify Simon with an individual of the same name, whom Josephus thus describes: Óßìùí ’ Éïõäáῖïò , Êýðñéïò äὲ ãÝíïò , ìÜãïò åἶíáé óêçðôüìåíïò . Antiq. xx. 7, 2); the Roman procurator Felix had employed him, about A. D. 60, as a pander. The statement of Justin Martyr that Simon was a native of Gitta in Samaria [see K. v. Raumer: Palæstina, p. 156] is the less worthy of confidence, not only as more than a century intervenes between him and Simon, but also because he connects other and later legends, as it can be demonstrated, with the name of this sorcerer; and the penitential petition of Simon in Act_8:24, affords no evidence per se, that he did not subsequently resume the practice of his deceptive arts.—Simon was, unquestionably, according to the text before us, one of the men who, in “that solstitial period of religion”, travelled through the country (as Greek and Roman writers also testify), in the capacity of fortune-tellers, astrologers, and interpreters of dreams, or who attracted attention, and acquired influence as jugglers, or as men professedly endowed with miraculous powers to heal. He had practised his magical arts during a considerable period (Act_8:11), and his frauds had been so successful that the entire population of Samaria (and not merely the inhabitants of the city to which Philip came), were filled with wonder and amazement. They placed the utmost confidence in him, and entertained the most exalted opinion of his personal character and abilities (Act_8:10). He alleged that he possessed peculiar attributes, and was a personage of an extraordinary character ( åἶíáß ôéíá ἑáõôὸí ìÝãáí ). He found credence among people of every age and every station in life—[from the least to the greatest]—and these gradually adopted the opinion that he was himself ἡ äýíáìéò ôïῦ èåïῦ ἡ ìåãÜëç . This expression doubtless means that they discerned, as they thought, a species of theophany in the person of Simon, and that they supposed that the great power of God, the most exalted divine power, was revealed in him. It is here an important circumstance, which should be carefully noticed, that Luke himself distinguishes between the personal statements of the magus, on the one hand, and the delusion, on the other, of the people who were prepossessed in his favor. The latter deified him, according to a popular opinion which seems to have assumed a distinct shape; but this was only the opinion of his adherents, and was not founded on any direct statements of Simon himself. Perhaps he deemed it to be the most prudent and advantageous course, to employ a species of chiaroscuro, or to resort to mysterious terms, when he spoke of himself personally.—In view of the legends to which later writers have given currency, in connection with Simon the Magus, Baur and Zeller arrive at the conclusion that the actual historical existence of the Simon who is mentioned in the text before us, is very doubtful. We live, however, in a perverse world, and, when we judge dispassionately, we must perceive that it is a violation of the principles of sound criticism to cast a shade of doubt on the present narrative, simply because certain fables connected with this Magus originated at a later period; these obtained currency from the days of Justin Martyr, particularly through the Clementine Homilies, and the Apostolical Constitutions. Luke furnishes a plain statement, the truth of which is fully sustained by accounts derived from other sources respecting the magians of that age, and that statement by no means belongs to the category of certain legends which originated more than a century afterwards.

Act_8:12. But when they believed Philip.—The faith with which the Samaritans listened to the preaching of Philip, who bore witness, not like Simon, of himself, but of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God, was the more honorable and blessed, as it took the place of a superstition which had already begun to prevail; it demonstrated, moreover, that it possessed the character of a willing obedience, since it induced the Samaritans to receive baptism.

Act_8:13. Then Simon himself believed also.—The circumstance that even this magus received the Gospel, was baptized, and attached himself to Philip as a disciple ( ðñïòêáñôåñῶí ), was in itself a very striking proof of the superior power, and, indeed, the divinity of the Gospel concerning Christ. The influence which, psychologically speaking, first of all affected Simon, proceeded from the deeds, i.e., the miracles of healing which Philip performed, and of which he was an eye-witness, and, it may be added, an attentive observer ( èåùñῶí ). These facts amazed him, as much as his own magic arts had hitherto amazed the people, and this thought Luke evidently intends to suggest by employing the same word ( ἐîßóôáôï , Mid.), which he had previously employed in connection with Simon, transitively, in Act_8:9, and intransitively in Act_8:11. Simon had hitherto astonished others, but he now, in his turn, passes from one degree of astonishment to another. Yet it does not thence follow that this magus (as Grotius conjectured, and more recent interpreters have assumed) did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but merely regarded him as a magus and worker of miracles, who possessed a power superior to his own.

DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL

1. Philip combined miracles with the preaching of the word, like the apostles, and like Stephen, who also wrought miracles, (Act_6:8). But while these contributed to the efficacy of his preaching (comp. Mar_16:20), the word of the Gospel was the great object to which his labors were dedicated. His miracles of healing doubtless attracted attention to him, and opened an avenue to the hearts of men; still, the conversion of the latter was the fruit of the preaching of the word. And whenever the word, the pure truth of the Gospel, is proclaimed with freedom and fidelity, and received with attention and diligence, it always will continue to bring forth fruit.

2. The joy of the converted Samaritans resembled the heart-felt joy of the Israelitic Christians of Jerusalem, Act_2:46-47. “Righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” [Rom_14:17], prevail in the kingdom of God. It is a source of joy, to know that we are reconciled unto God—that we have found a Saviour—that, in Jesus, we are “of one heart, and of one soul” [ch. Act_4:32] with those who love him. We might, perhaps, say that the joy and rapture of a believing soul proceed from the conviction that it has at length found its true home, that it is at home, and that it feels at home in God.

3. Even demoniacs [Act_8:7] were delivered from the unclean spirits by Philip, through the power of Christ. These works, which no apostle had hitherto performed, as far as the narrative before us is concerned, were wrought by this man, who was not invested with the apostolical office. Bengel observes here, with much acuteness, that Luke never introduces the word äáéìüíéá in the Acts, when he speaks of demoniacs [it occurs in a different sense in Act_17:18], while, in his Gospel, he employs it more frequently than any one of the other evangelists. Hence he concludes that the power of [the unclean spirits to take] possession [of men, “obsessionis vim”] had been impaired after the death of Christ. We are, however, the less inclined to adopt this latter opinion, as it is said precisely in the passage before us, that many were at this time possessed with unclean spirits. Still, it is worthy of notice, that no case of bodily possession, of which an Israelite was the subject, is described in the book of the Acts; those that are mentioned, occurred either in a heathen territory (Act_19:12 ff., in Ephesus), or near the boundaries which divided Judaism from heathenism; and the territory of the Samaritans was of this character.

4. Any doctrines which Simon, the sorcerer, may have taught, referred to his own person, and were intended to exalt him in the eyes of the people. How different was the course which Philip pursued! He never alludes to himself personally, but speaks of Jesus Christ alone, whose name (Act_8:12) he commends to his hearers as very holy and precious, and whose kingdom he proclaims as the kingdom of life and salvation. “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” (2Co_4:5); this language describes the preaching of every apostle and evangelist mentioned in the Acts, and, indeed, constitutes a law which all their successors are solemnly bound to obey. As soon as a pastor or any one who is employed in the service of the church, begins to speak of himself, and to establish faith in his person as a part of the creed of others, and, as soon as a congregation or church complies, they are all guilty of a grievous departure from the path of duty, and commit a sin which ultimately conducts to a paganizing deification of the creature.

5. The narrative which now follows, demonstrates that although Simon believed (Act_8:13), he did not adopt the true faith. There is, however, no foundation for the opinion, that, the error of this sorcerer consisted in believing that Jesus himself was merely a sorcerer, but possessed of great powers; at least, such a delusion could have derived no support whatever from the doctrine of Philip concerning Jesus as the Messiah, or concerning his kingdom. The narrative does not intimate that the error of Simon was connected with the substance of his faith, but rather implies that the kind or manner of his faith was unsound. It is quite possible that he professedly received the pure doctrine without gainsaying, but he certainly was not “sound in the faith” [Tit_1:9; Tit_1:13]. His faith, like that which is often found in Christendom, was merely a faith of his understanding, a transient conviction, but not one that touched, much less resided in his heart; it was not a fides plena, justificans, cor purificans, salvans. Nothing that fails to move the heart and call forth a prompt and full response, can be more than a superficial impression; it effects no favorable change in the individual, or, at the most, converts him into a hypocrite.

HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL

Act_8:1. And Saul was consenting unto his death.—Comp. 1Ti_1:13 : “I did it ignorantly.” Thus men may remain blind, with all their human wisdom and the light of reason, and be irrational persecutors, with all their supposed zeal for God. Not even the edifying end of Stephen, could make an impression on Saul’s imbittered heart.—And yet, we prefer an avowed enemy like Saul, to a false friend like Simon. The former made havoc of the church, the latter continued with Philip, and received baptism; the former was sincere, even in his madness, for he acted in ignorance; the heart of the latter was full of bitterness and deceit; the former was converted, the latter, cast off; Act_8:20-21. (From Ap. Past.).—Except the apostles.—In seasons of violent persecution, all should not flee, neither should all alike remain. (Starke).—The apostles demonstrated, by remaining in the city, I. Their manly courage, which made no concession to the enemy; II. Their childlike obedience to the command of Jesus, who had directed them to proclaim his name in Jerusalem, before they went out into the world. (Ap. Past.).—The apostles remained behind as monuments, testifying that the Lord Jesus could not be expelled from that soil. So the two witnesses (Rev_11:8-11) will, at last, stand up in the city in which their Lord was crucified. (K. H. Rieger).—The solitary witnesses of God in the midst of a perverse nation: (comp. Noah, before the deluge; Lot in Sodom; Abraham among the idolaters; Moses in Egypt; Elijah among the priests of Baal; Daniel in Babylon; the apostles in Jerusalem; Paul among the Gentiles; the harbingers of the Reformation in the darkness of popery). They are, I. Majestic remains of a ruined temple of God; II. Bright beacons amid the darkness of an evil age; III. Massive foundation-stones of a future building of God.

Act_8:2. And made great lamentation over him.—It is natural that we should mourn when those are taken away who have rendered great services to the church and congregation; for while their death is a gain to themselves, the bereavement is painfully felt by the church. (Starke).—The different sentiments with which the death of the servants of Jesus is surveyed: I. The world rejoices, Act_8:1; II. The devout mourn, Act_8:2. The witnesses of Christ are able to move the hearts of men even after their death. When one servant is called to his home, another, whom the Lord has trained, is ready to take his place. No sooner has Stephen passed away, than Philip appears. (Ap. Past.).

Act_8:3. Saul made havoc of the church.—Observe his increasing violence and fury: I. He takes’ charge of the clothes of Stephen’s murderers; II. He consents to the death of this witness; III. He persecutes the fugitives; IV. He searches for those who are concealed: V. He drags them forth, sparing neither sex; VI. He commits them to prison. (Starke).—The passion-week of the primitive church: I. The members are dispersed, Act_8:1; II. They bury their first martyr, Act_8:2; III. They are persecuted by Saul, Act_8:3. (Lisco.).

Act_8:4. They that were scattered abroad, went everywhere preaching the word.—Sanguis martyrum semen Christianorum (Tertullian).—The storms of persecution are only winds that, I. Fan the fire of faith in the church; II. Carry the spark of truth to a distance. Compare [the following stanzas of] Luther’s Hymn on the two martyrs of Christ, who were burnt in Brussels [July 1, 1523, named Henry Voes and John Esch. The original consists of 12 stanzas, each containing nine lines, and begins: Ein neues Lied wir heben an].

“Flung to the heedless winds,

Or on the waters cast,

Their ashes shall be watch’d,

And gather’d at the last:

And from that scatter’d dust,

Around us and abroad,

Shall spring a plenteous seed

Of witnesses for God.

“Jesus has now receiv’d

Their latest living breath:

Yet vain is Satan’s boast

Of vict’ry in their death;

Still, still, though dead, they speak,

And, trumpet-tongued, proclaim

To many a wak’ning land

The one availing Name.”

—Scattered … preaching.—How often Christ sends his ambassadors in the guise of persecuted fugitives! (K. H. Rieger).—God usually bestows a spiritual blessing on those who shelter devout exiles. (Quesn.).—The wonderful ways of the Lord in extending his kingdom: I. Stephen, the martyr, moistens the field of the church with his blood; II. The raging Saul, even as a persecutor, already serves, unconsciously, as an instrument in extending the kingdom of Christ; III. The fugitive Christians labor in distant regions as the first missionaries of the Gospel.

Act_8:5. Then Philip went down … and preached.—The true servants of Christ may be compelled to change their place of abode, but they do not change their minds. (Apost. Past.).—Faithful laborers always find work, and are always engaged in fulfilling the duties of their vocation, whether it be in Jerusalem or Samaria. Rom_15:19. (Starke).

Act_8:6. The people … gave heed … seeing the miracles.—By hearing and seeing we are conducted to faith. Joh_1:47-50. (Starke).—“One soweth, and another reapeth.” The seed had been sown by Jesus a few years previously, (John, Acts 4), and now the harvest is gathered in. (Starke).

Act_8:7-8. Unclean spirits … came out … many … were healed … and there was great joy.—Behold here an image of the spiritual miracles of the Gospel: I. The unclean are cleansed; II. The feeble are made strong; III. The sorrowing begin to rejoice.—Even if the pathway to the kingdom of God leads through much tribulation, it terminates in joy—joy, pro-seeding from the remission of sins, the grace of God, and the hope of eternal salvation.

Act_8:9 Simon … bewitched [astonished] the people.—Mundus vult decipi. When people desire to see a great display, they are easily bewitched by pretenders who are ready to gratify them. Comp. Rev_13:3-4, “saying, Who is like unto the beast?” Simon was neither the first nor the last of that class of persons who are now called original characters, and whom others weakly take a pride in imitating. They are sometimes able to propagate infidelity with great success, and communicate ungodly tastes to a whole people or race. Such men, who erect barriers in the way that leads to heaven, often fascinate others by their wealth, or their intellect, or their vain words. (K. H. Rieger).

Act_8:12. But when they believed Philip preaching, etc.—So, too, the apostolical-simplicity of the dove will always triumph in the end over the fascinating influence and the cunning of the serpent.—Where God’s truth arises, the kingdom of lies must wane.

Act_8:13. Then Simon himself believed also.—To be touched by the truth, to assent to it, to commend it—all this is insufficient, unless the heart and mind be renewed, and abide in the ways of truth.—Even upright pastors may be deceived by hypocrites, and holy things may be taken from them by fraud. (Starke).

Act_8:9-13. Simon the sorcerer, viewed as the image of a false teacher: I. He gave out that himself was some great one, Act_8:9; false teachers do not seek after the honor of God, but after their own; II. He bewitched the people, Act_8:9; false teachers endeavor to fascinate and dazzle by vain arts, but not to enlighten and convert men; III. He believed, was baptized, and continued with Philip, Act_8:13. Thus, too, unbelievers often speak the language of Canaan [Isa_19:18, i.e., utter devout phrases.—Tr.], when they hope to derive advantage from it; they hypocritically connect themselves with the servants of God, in order to conceal their plague-spots under the mantle of borrowed sanctity.—Saul, (Act_8:1-3), Simon, (Act_8:9-11; Act_8:13), Philip (Act_8:5-8; Act_8:12),—the open enemy, the false friend, and the upright servant of the Lord—each considered with reference to the state of his heart, his course of action, and his lot on earth.—The first persecution of the Christians, and its blessings: illustrated in the case, I. Of Saul; II. Of Philip; III. Of Simon—each, in a peculiar mode, contributing to the glory of the Gospel.—[Lessons taught by the first persecution of the Church: respecting, I. The moral state of man by nature: (a) his spiritual blindness; (b) alienation of his heart from God; (c) the state of degradation to which sin reduces him; II: The ways of divine providence: (a) sometimes mysterious (the power of Stephen’s enemies); (b) often apparently discouraging (the dispersion); (c) always wise and good; III. The vitality of the Church: in resisting, as then, (a) enmity in every form; (b) perpetually; (c) victoriously—by the power of the divine Founder.—Tr.]

Footnotes:

Act_8:5.—The article before ðüëéí , which Lachm., in accordance with A. B. and two later [minuscule] mss., has adopted, la certainly a later addition; it is wanting in the great majority of the minuscule mss., and also in Chrysostom, and was probably inserted in order to designate the capital city. [Meyer and de Wette concur with Lechler, and Alf. omits it.—It is found in Cod. Sin., ôÞí .—Tr.]

Act_8:7.— Ðïëëῶí [of text. rec.] is supported only by H. among the uncial MSS., but also by various minuscule mss., and several oriental versions and fathers. However, it would not have been substituted for ðïëëïß of A. B. C. E. [and Cod. Sin.] if the latter had been the original reading, while, on the other hand, in view of the latter half of the verse, ðïëëïß could easily have been substituted as a correction of ðïëëῶí . But ἐîÞñ÷ïíôï is much more fully attested [by A. B. C. E. and Cod. Sin.] than the singular number ἐîÞñ÷åôï [of text. rec. and H.—Lach. and Alf. read ðïëëïß … ἐîÞñ÷ïíôï . “ ðïëëïß is a nominativus pendens; comp. Act_7:40; Rev_3:12. Winer, § 28. 3 (and § 63. 2. 6.)” (Alford); but de Wette calls this “correction” an “unmeaning” reading, prefers that of the text. rec., and remarks that the “genitive ðïëëῶí is governed by ἐîçñ÷ ., as in Act_16:39; Mat_10:14.”—Vulg. multi. – – exibant.—Tr.]

Act_8:10. a.— ðÜíôåò [of text. rec.] before ἀðὸ , is omitted by Tisch. [and Alf.], in accordance with H., some versions and fathers, as a later addition, although it is found in the great majority of MSS. [A. B. C. D. E. Cod. Sin., and retained by Lach.]. But the different positions which it occupies in several MSS., respectively, render it suspicious; it could easily have been inserted by a later hand. [Tisch. refers to Heb_8:11 as its source.—Tr.]

Act_8:10. b.— êáëïõìÝíç [inserted before ìåãÜëç ] is wanting in only a few MSS. [G. H.]; it may have been dropped by copyists as, apparently, an incongruity. But it is so well supported [by A. B. C. D.E. Cod. Sin., Syr. Vulg., etc.], that the most recent editors have all adopted it, although it is wanting in the textus receptus. [But it is, perhaps, like another reading, ëåãïìÝíç , found in some minuscules, only a marginal gloss. (de Wette).—Tr.]

Act_8:12— ôÜ [of text. rec.] before ðåñß , is found only in G. H. and is wanting in all the other uncial MSS. [including Cod. Sin.]; hence it is omitted by Lach. and Tisch. [but retained by Alf.]. Meyer considers its presence to be indispensable, as åὐáããåëßæåóèáé is not found elsewhere in combination with ðåñß ; but that circumstance does not prove that here, too, it must be combined with the accusative.

Act_8:13.—The reading äõíÜìåéò êáὶ óçìåῖá , without ìåãÜëá or ìåãÜëáò (the latter, in either form, being certainly a later addition suggested by ἐîßóôáôï ), is adopted by Tischendorf and Meyer, and should be preferred to the usual óçì . ê . äõí . [Great variations occur in the ancient MSS., and in the printed text of editors. The text. rec. and Lach. read: óçì . ê . äõí . ìåãÜëáò ãéíïìÝíáò with A. B. C. D. Cod. Sin., except that C. omits ãéí . Alford reads: äõí . ê . óçì . ãéíïìÝíá with E. G. H. Syr. and fathers; G. H. omit ìåã . The text of the Engl. version (which follows Tynd. and Cranmer) changes the order of the text. rec., and omits ìåã ., which it recognizes in the margin, where we read: signs and great miracles.—Tr.]