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Act_13:48-49. Τὸν λόγον τ . Κυρίου ] see on Act_8:25.
ὅσοι ἦσαν τεταγμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον ] as many of them as were ordained to eternal (Messianic) life. Luke regards, in accordance with the Pauline conception (Romans 9; Eph_1:4-5; Eph_1:11; Eph_3:11; 2Th_2:13, al.), the believing of those Gentiles as ensuing in conformity to their destination, ordered by God already (namely, from of old), to partake of eternal life. Not all in general became believers, but all those who were divinely destined to this ζωή ; and not the rest. Chrysostom correctly remarks: ἀφωρισμένοι τῷ Θεῷ . The τάξις of God in regard to those who became believers was in accordance with His πρόγνωσις , by means of which He foreknew them as credituros; but the divine τάξις was realized by the divine κλῆσις effectual for faith (Rom_8:28-30)—of which Paul, with his preaching, was here the instrument. It was dogmatic arbitrariness which converted our passage into a proof of the decretum absolutum;[13] see Beza and Calvin in loc., and Canon. Dordrac. p. 205, ed. Augusti. For Luke leaves entirely out of account the relation of “being ordained” to free self-determination; the object of his remark is not to teach a doctrine, but to indicate a historical sequence. Indeed, the evident relation, in which this notice stands to the apostle’s own words, ἐπειδὴ … ζωῆς (Act_13:46), rather testifies against the conception of the absolute decree, and for the idea, according to which the destination of God does not exclude (comp. Act_2:41) individual freedom ( ὡς οὐ κατʼ ἀνάγκην , Chrysostom); although, if the matter is contemplated only from one of those two sides which it necessarily has, the other point of view, owing to the imperfection of man’s mode of looking at it, cannot receive proportionally its due, but appears to be logically nullified. See, more particularly, the remark subjoined to Rom_9:33. Accordingly, it is not to be explained of the actus paedagogicos (Calovius), of the praesentem gratiae operationem per evangelium (Bengel), of the drawing of the Father, Joh_6:44; Joh_6:37, etc., with the Lutheran dogmatic writers; but the literal meaning is to be adhered to, namely, the divine destination to eternal salvation: ἔθετο αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς εἰς περιποίησιν σωτηρίας , 1Th_5:9. Morus, Rosenmüller, Kuinoel, and others, with rationalizing arbitrariness, import the sense: “quibus, dum fidem doctrinae habebant, certa erat vita beata et aeterna,” by which the meaning of the word τεταγμένοι is entirely explained away. Others take ἦσαν τεταγμ . in the middle sense (quotquot se ordinaverant ad vitam aeternam), as Grotius, Krebs, Loesner, and others,[14] in which case τεταγμ . is often understood in its military sense (qui ordines servant; see Maji Obss. III. p. 81 ff.): “qui de agmine et classe erant sperantium vel contendentium ad vitam aeternam” (Mede in Wolf). But it is against the middle rendering of τεταγμ . (comp. on Act_20:13), that it is just seized on in order to evade an unpleasant meaning; and for the sensus militaris of τεταγμ . no ground at all is afforded by the context, which, on the contrary, suggests nothing else than the simple signification “ordained” for τεταγμ ., and the sense of the aim for εἰς ζωὴν αἰών . Others join εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον to ἐπίστευσαν , so that they understand τεταγμ . either in the usual and correct sense destinati (so Heinrichs), or quotquot tempus constituerant (Markland), or congregati (Knatchbull), in spite of the simple order of the words and of the expression πιστεύειν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον being without example; for in 1Ti_1:16 εἰς defines the aim. Among the Rabbins, also, the idea and expression “ordinati ( îåëðéí ) ad vitam futuri saeculi” (as well as the opposite: “ordinati ad Gehennam”) are very common. See the many passages in Wetstein. But Wetstein himself interprets in an entirely erroneous manner: that they were on account of their faith ordained to eternal life. The faith, foreseen by God, is subsequent, not previous to the ordination; by the faith of those concerned their divine τάξις becomes manifest and recognised. See Rom_8:30; Rom_10:14; Eph_1:11; Eph_1:13, al.
[13] In which case Beza, for example, proceeds with logical self-deception: “Ergo vel non omnes erant vitae aeternae destinati, vel omnes crediderunt.” Rather it is to be said: “Omnes erant vitae aeternae destinati, sed credituri.” This excludes from the divine τάξις of salvation those who reject the faith through their own fault.
[14] Hofmann’s view, Schriftbew. I. p. 238, amounts to the same thing: “who, directed unto eternal life, were in a disposition of mind corresponding to the offer of it.” The comparison of 1Co_16:15 does not suit. Lange, II. p. 173, in a similar manner evades the meaning of the words: “those who under God’s ordination were at that time ripe for faith.” Comp. already Bretschneider, “dispositi,”—that is to say, “apti facti oratione Pauli.”