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Act_11:19-20. Οἱ μὲν οὖν διασπαρέντες ] A resumption of Act_8:4, in order now to narrate a still further advance, which Christianity had made in consequence of that dispersion,—namely, to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, for the most part, indeed, among the Jews, yet also (Act_11:20) among the Gentiles, the latter at Antioch.[266]
ἀπὸ τ . θλίψ .] on account of (on occasion of) the tribulation. Comp. Herm. ad Soph. El. 65.
ἐπὶ Στεφάνῳ ] Luther rightly renders: over Stephen, i.e. on account of Stephen. Comp. Erasmus, Beza, Bengel, and others, including de Wette. See Winer, p. 367 [E. T. 489 f.]; Ellendt, Lex Soph. I. p. 649. Others (Alberti, Wolf, Heumann, Palairet, Kypke, Heinrichs, Kuinoel, Olshausen) render: post Stephanum. Linguistically admissible (Bernhardy, p. 249), but less simple, as post Stephanum would have again to be explained as e medio sublato Stephano.
ἦσαν δέ τινες ἐξ αὐτῶν ] does not apply to ἸΟΥΔΑΊΟΙς (Heinrichs, Kuinoel), as the ΔΈ , corresponding to the ΜΈΝ , Act_11:19, requires for ΑὐΤῶΝ the reference to the subject of Act_11:19 (the ΔΙΑΣΠΑΡΈΝΤΕς ), and as ΟἽΤΙΝΕς ἘΛΘΌΝΤΕς ΕἸς ἈΝΤΙΌΧΕΙΑΝ , Act_11:20, so corresponds to the ΔΙῆΛΘΟΝ ἝΩς … ἈΝΤΙΟΧΕΊΑς of Act_11:19, that a diversity of the persons spoken of could not but of necessity be indicated. The correct interpretation is: “The dispersed travelled through (the countries, comp. Act_8:4, Act_9:38) as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, delivering the gospel ( ΤῸΝ ΛΌΓΟΝ , ΚΑΤʼ ἘΞΟΧΉΝ , as in Act_8:4, Act_6:4, and frequently) to the Jews only (Act_11:19); but some of them (of the dispersed), Cyprians and Cyrenians by birth, proceeded otherwise; having come to Antioch, they preached the word to the Gentiles there.” Comp. de Wette and Lekebusch, p. 105.
ΤΟῪς ἝΛΛΗΝΑς ] is the national contrast to Ἰουδαίοις , Act_11:19, and therefore embraces as well the Gentiles proper as the proselytes who had not become incorporated into Judaism by circumcision. To understand only the proselytes (Rinck), would be a limitation not founded here in the text, as in Act_14:1.
[266] The preaching to the Gentiles at Antioch is not to be placed before the baptism of Cornelius (Gieseler in Staeudl. Archiv. IV. 2, p. 310, Baur, Schneckenburger, Wieseler, Lechler), but it was after that event that the missionary activity of the dispersed advanced so far. See Act_15:7.