Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Acts 21:28 - 21:28

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Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Acts 21:28 - 21:28


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28. βοηθεῖτε, Help. The cry is as if an outrage had been committed, and they, the strangers visiting Jerusalem, were the persons who could afford the best testimony to what had been done. For had they not seen and heard Paul in Ephesus and elsewhere?

οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὁ κατὰ τοῦ λαοῦ κ.τ.λ., this is the man that teacheth all men everywhere against the people. By their language they would intimate that he was bringing the whole nation into contempt. The Jews no doubt were treated with contempt among the Gentiles, and to hear that one of their own nation had helped this on would rouse them as much as anything could.

καὶ τοῦ νόμου καὶ τοῦ τόπου τούτου, and [against] the Law and this place. How great a change has come over the Apostle since the day when he joined with those who charged Stephen (ch. Act 6:13) with speaking blasphemous words against this holy place (the Temple) and the Law. Now a like multitude brings similar charges against him.

ἔτι τε καὶ Ἕλληνας εἰσήγαγεν εἰς τὸ ἱερόν, and moreover he has brought Greeks also into the Temple. On the occurrence of τε καί in the same clause, cf. on Act 19:27. There is no doubt a special emphasis intended to be given to Ἕλληνας in this clause which may explain St Luke’s irregular language.

There was in the Temple a ‘court of the Gentiles,’ but the accusation against St Paul was that, during his own sojourn in the sacred precincts, he had brought his Gentile companions into places which were forbidden to them. How unscrupulous their charge was is indicated by the plural ‘Greeks,’ whereas the only person to whom such a term could be applied was Trophimus.

καὶ κεκοίνωκεν κ.τ.λ., and hath defiled this holy place. They themselves as Jews were in the court allotted to their nation, which was deemed more sacred than that of the Gentiles. The Greek word κεκοίνωκεν is literally ‘hath made common,’ and carries the thought back to St Peter’s vision, where the Gentiles were figured by the beasts which the Apostle deemed ‘common (κοινά) or unclean’ (Act 10:14).