Acts 21

-8 1 3 2 -9 1 0 0 0 0 13 96 -9 2 0 0 2 0 1 RVStyle2 7 StyleNameNormal textFontNameArialUnicode Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaUnicode Size Standard StyleNameJumpFontNameTahomaStylefsUnderlineColorclBlue HoverColorclMaroonHoverEffects rvheUnderlineUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameHeading - Module name SizeDoubleFontNameTahomaColorclMaroonUnicode SizeStandard StyleName"Heading small - Module descriptionFontNameTahomaColorclMaroonUnicode Size Standard StyleNameHeading - LinkFontNameTahomaColorclNavy HoverColorclPurpleUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaStylefsUnderlineColorclBlueUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaColorclBlue HoverColorclMaroonNextStyleNoUnicode Jump Size -9 2 0 0 2 0 2 RVStyle2 jBiDiModervbdLeftToRightTabs StyleNameCentered Alignment rvaCenterTabsStandardTabs-9 2 0 0 2 0 4 RVStyle2 -9 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 44 2 8 0 0 ) 21. The Third Missionary Journey, part 4) 21:1 16) and In Jerusalem and Caesarea, part 1) 21:17 40) ) Outline (continued)) 21:1 16 4. Travel ) 21:1 6 a. To Tyre ) 21:7 9 b. At Caesarea ) 21:10 11 1) Prophecy ) 21:12 14 2) Reply ) 21:15 16 c. To Jerusalem ) 21:17 26:32 IX.

In Jerusalem and Caesarea ) 21:17 23:22 A. At Jerusalem ) 21:17 26 1. Paul s Arrival ) 21:17 19 a. Reception ) 21:20 25 b. Advice ) 21:26 c. Vow ) 21:27 36 2.

Paul s Arrest ) 21:27 29 a. Accusation ) 21:30 32 b. Confusion ) 21:33 36 c. Intervention ) 21:37 22:21 3. Paul s Address ) 21:37 40 a. Request ) ) ) ) 4.

Travel) 21:1 16) 21 1 When we had parted from them, we set sail and headed straight to Cos; the next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2 We found a boat that was crossing over to Phoenicia; we embarked and set sail. 3 We came within sight of Cyprus and leaving it on the left, we kept sailing toward Syria. We landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo. 4 Having found the disciples, we stayed there seven days. Through the Spirit, they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem. 5 But when our time was up, we departed and began our journey. When all of them with their wives and children escorted us outside the city, we knelt on the beach and prayed. 6 We said good-byto each other and boarded the ship while they returned home. 7 We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day. 8 On the next day we left, came to Caesarea, entered the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven, and stayed with him. 9 He had four daughters who were virgins and who prophesied.) 10 After we had been there several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul s belt and tied his own hands and feet. He said, The Holy Spirit says: In this way, the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man to whom this belt belongs and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. 12 When we heard this, we and the local residents began to beg Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul asked, Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 14 Because he could not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, Let the will of the Lord be done. ) 15 After this interval, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and took us to Mnason of Cyprus, a long-time disciple, with whom we stayed.) ) In his travel narrative, Luke presents nearly a day-by-day account of the incidents that happened on the journey from Miletus to Jerusalem.

He notes that in both Tyre and Caesarea believers warn Paul through the Holy Spirit not to go to Jerusalem. In short, Luke introduces an apparent conflict: Paul being compelled by the Spirit to proceed to Jerusalem (20:22) and the believers through the Spirit warning him not to go.) a. To Tyre) 21:1 6) 1. When we had parted from them, we set sail and headed straight to Cos; the next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. 2. We found a boat that was crossing over to Phoenicia; we embarked and set sail.) We have no indication who traveled with Paul from Miletus to Jerusalem, but we presume that Luke and the travel companions who were listed in 20:4 are with him. Thus the pronoun we refers to nine men who say good-by to the elders of Ephesus.

The Greek text describes the emotional farewell scene: Just before the men embark, they tear themselves loose from the embraces of the Ephesian elders.) The ship leaves the harbor of Miletus; propelled by a northerly wind, it hugs the coastline and sails south to the island of Cos. The travelers arrive in the evening and spend the night there. The next morning the crew hoists the sails. Cruising in a southeasterly direction, the ship reaches the town of Rhodes, located at the northern tip of the island of Rhodes, by the end of the second day. The vessel is rounding the curve of southwest Asia Minor; on the third day it heads for Patara, a city with an excellent harbor, in the province of Lycia.��1��) At Patara, Paul and his friends transfer to another ship. Even though Luke fails to give a reason for this transfer, we assume that the vessel that sailed along the western coast of Asia Minor functioned as a shuttle service.

In the first century, most ships generally stayed close to shore, but larger vessels crossed the open sea from Patara to Tyre in Phoenicia. Measuring probably in excess of one hundred feet in length, these larger vessels were suited to venture far from land.��2�� Some cargo ships accommodated numerous passengers; for instance, the one stranded at Malta had 276 people aboard (27:37). Furthermore, a ship that offered a nonstop crossing from Patara to Tyre (about four hundred miles) would be much faster than a vessel that went from port to port along the coastline.) 3. We came within sight of Cyprus and leaving it on the left, we kept sailing toward Syria. We landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unload its cargo.) Paul and his associates board a large ship that sails directly to Tyre. Possibly in the course of the third day, they begin to see the mountains of Cyprus as they approach the island and pass it to the south (contrast 27:4).

Because Luke writes we kept sailing, he seems to intimate that they have the benefit of a favorable wind. They arrive at the port of Tyre on either the fourth or the fifth day of the voyage. Luke adds that the ship stayed in the harbor to unload its cargo. With the Greek construction of the present participle unloading, he indicates that the task of emptying this vessel took time seven days. This information confirms that Paul s voyage was aboard a large freighter.��3�� Paul apparently continued his voyage aboard this same vessel; otherwise he would not have had to stay in port for an entire week.) 4. Having found the disciples, we stayed there seven days.

Through the Spirit, they told Paul not to go to Jerusalem.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.87.4|AUTODETECT|” In Acts, the name Tyre occurs twice in this context (vv. 3, 7) and once in 12:20. The city was located in Phoenicia (modern Lebanon); Jewish believers who were scattered after the death of Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia (11:19) and acquainted the people with Christ s gospel. When Paul and Barnabas traveled from Antioch to Jerusalem, they went through Phoenicia to tell the believers how God had brought Gentiles to faith (15:3). These believers were very happy to hear about the growth of the church among the Gentiles. The city of Tyre, which enjoyed colonial status in Roman times, may have had a Jewish-Gentile congregation when Paul came to visit. We know little about this church, but in postapostolic times Tyre became a major center of the Christian faith 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.87.4|AUTODETECT|” Ps. 87:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 2 2 8 0 0 Tyre is approximately 110 miles to the north-northwest of Jerusalem and about 65 miles north-northeast of Caesarea. In other words, Paul could easily reach Jerusalem before the day of Pentecost (20:16). Even if he walked the entire distance, he would arrive in Jerusalem within a week. But now he has time to minister to the disciples in Tyre.) While the crew unloads the ship, Paul and his colleagues go into the city, where they try to find the members of the local church. They are successful in their search and stay for seven days (see 20:6). We presume that Paul used the time to teach these Christians, whom Luke calls disciples.

Yet these believers are not necessarily recent converts. They receive instruction from Paul and in return have a word of warning for him.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.14.32|AUTODETECT|” Luke relates that the Christians in Tyre seek to dissuade Paul from going to Jerusalem. They have received a revelation from the Holy Spirit 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.14.32|AUTODETECT|” I Cor. 14:32) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) that Paul is going to meet adversities there. This revelation supports Paul s comment that the Holy Spirit warned him about future imprisonment and hardship (20:23).) 1 1 2 8 0 0 Is there a contradiction between the revelations Paul received from the Holy Spirit and those which the believers in Tyre obtained? No, not at all. The Christians in Tyre heard the Holy Spirit say that Paul would meet adversities, but they did not understand the purpose of Paul s future suffering. Conversely, Paul understood the warnings as confirmation that he must suffer for [the Lord s] name (9:16, NIV). He considered these divine revelations to be symbols of God s grace designed to prepare him for the immediate future.��4��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.9.51|AUTODETECT|” The church members in Tyre express a normal human reaction: they warn Paul not to go to Jerusalem. They want Paul to avoid the obvious afflictions that lie ahead. But Paul becomes increasingly determined to accept the foreordained sufferings as a true servant of his Lord and to set out for Jerusalem 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.9.51|AUTODETECT|” Luke 9:51) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 3 2 8 0 0 5. But when our time was up, we departed and began our journey. When all of them with their wives and children escorted us outside the city, we knelt on the beach and prayed.) a. But when our time was up. The wording of this clause proves that the crew had finished unloading the cargo and was ready to continue the voyage. Hence, not Paul but the captain of the ship determined the duration of the stay in Tyre.) b.

All of them with their wives and children escorted us outside the city. Here follows another sketch of the closeness between Paul and the churches he served. At Miletus, the Ephesian elders embraced Paul and kissed him good-by (20:37). In Tyre nearly the entire congregation husbands, wives, and children accompanied Paul and his companions to the ship. The farewell at Tyre is less emotional than the one at Miletus; Paul had served in Ephesus almost three years and had been with the believers in Tyre for one week. Nevertheless, there is a parallel: at both Miletus and Tyre the believers pray together.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.2.8|AUTODETECT|” c. We knelt on the beach and prayed. Although kneeling is an appropriate posture in prayer,��5�� Scripture refrains from prescribing a particular pose. In the pastoral Epistles Paul speaks of lifting holy hands in prayer 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.2.8|AUTODETECT|” I Tim. 2:8) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), and the Jews usually stand when they pray. On the beach at Tyre the entire congregation, Paul, and his friends knelt and prayed for each other. What a testimony to the Gentiles who witnessed the event! The content of the prayers that were offered on the beach at Tyre is unknown, but we imagine that Paul prayed for the growth of the local church. The church members in turn prayed for Paul s safety.) 1 23 2 8 0 0 6. We said good-by to each other and boarded the ship while they returned home.) The members of the congregation accompany Paul and his companions to the ship docked along the pier. Here they take leave of one another: Paul and his friends board the vessel that has taken them to Tyre and now will take them to Ptolemais and Caesarea. The church members return to their respective homes.) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:1 6) Verses 1 2) ������������ the aorist passive participle (from ������, I tear away) should be understood as a reflexive and be given a literal interpretation: we tore ourselves away. ) �������� this present active participle from �������� (I cross over) has a futuristic sense of purpose. The purpose expressed in the particle coincides with the action of the main verb or preceding participle: We found a boat that was to cross over. This is also true of the present participle �������������� (v. 3), The ship was appointed to unload her cargo. ��6��) Verse 3) ���������� from ������� (I light up; cause to appear), the aorist active particle means we made it visible to ourselves by drawing near. ��7��) ������� the imperfect tense has a descriptive sense: we kept sailing.

It indicates that the winds were favorable throughout the voyage. By contrast, the aorist tense in ���������� (we landed) denotes single occurrence.) Verse 4) �P��� an adverb of place , not the genitive case of the personal pronoun.��8��) ����� the imperfect tense signifies repetition: they kept on telling him not to go. �t ��������� is a negative purpose clause with a present infinitive.) Verses 5 6) �������� this aorist active infinitive from the verb ������� (I finish, complete) probably is a nautical term.��9��) �x ������ the definite article appears to support the interpretation that Paul boarded the same vessel that brought him to Tyre.) �p 4��� the term is idiomatic: to their own homes. ) ) ) b. At Caesarea) 21:7 9) 7. We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and stayed with them for a day.) Luke reports that from Tyre the group continued the voyage to the port of Ptolemais. The distance between the two places is about twenty-seven miles; with a favorable wind a ship can readily cover it within part of a day. With minor differences many translations read, When we had finished the voyage from Tyre. ��10�� The implication is that Paul debarked at Ptolemais and intended to walk the rest of the way.

However, the Greek verb dianyo (to complete) can also be interpreted to continue, as is evident from Greek literature).��11�� Paul, then, resumed his journey after a brief pause in Ptolemais.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=7.1.31|AUTODETECT|” The city of Ptolemais has a history that goes back to Old Testament times, when it was known as Acco 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=7.1.31|AUTODETECT|” Judg. 1:31) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). But during the inter-testamental era after the death of Alexander the Great, the area was occupied by the Ptolemies of Egypt, who gave the city the name Ptolemais (see I Macc. 5:22; 10:39; 12:48). In Roman times, the city became a colony and kept the Egyptian name.��12�� Later, the Semitic name came back in vogue, and today the city is known as Acre. We conjecture that when the gospel spread along the coast in the northerly direction to Phoenicia (11:19), it also reached Ptolemais.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 While the crew of the ship loads and unloads cargo, the passengers have time to go ashore. Paul and his fellow travelers meet the members of the local church the phrase we greeted the brothers has the same connotation as having found the disciples (v. 4). After staying with them for one day, Paul continues his journey to Caesarea, some thirty-five miles south.) 8. On the next day we left, came to Caesarea, entered the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven, and stayed with him. 9. He had four daughters who were virgins and who prophesied.) The Greek text gives no indication whether Paul traveled to Caesarea on foot or by boat. If we translate the verb in the preceding verse (v. 7) as continued, it is logical to suppose Paul sailed from Ptolemais to Caesarea.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.11.5|AUTODETECT|” When Paul and his associates arrive in Caesarea,��13�� he is no stranger in the city, for twice on his voyages to and from Jerusalem (9:30; 18:22) he visited it. Here Philip, one of the seven deacons in Jerusalem (6:5), lives. He is called the evangelist because of his evangelistic endeavors in Samaria (8:4 13) and along the Mediterranean coast from Azotus to Caesarea (8:40). In the two decades since his first public appearance, Philip had settled in the port city of Caesarea. Luke adds the interesting comment that Philip had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy. Unfortunately, he provides no details, so that we know nothing about the nature of their prophecies. The word prophesied should be interpreted in harmony with Paul s reference to the gifts of the Spirit 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.11.5|AUTODETECT|” I Cor. 11:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.14.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.14.1|AUTODETECT|” 14:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.14.39|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.14.39|AUTODETECT|” 39) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Evidently these four women were well versed in the Scriptures and, like their father, evangelized the Gentile society in which they lived.) 1 22 2 8 0 0 From the church fathers of the second century we learn that Philip and his daughters eventually moved to the city of Hierapolis in western Asia Minor and were buried there.��14��) 1) Prophecy) 21:10 11) 10. After we had been there several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11. And coming to us, he took Paul s belt and tied his own hands and feet. He said, The Holy Spirit says: In this way, the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man to whom this belt belongs and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. ) a. After we had been there several days. From the data Luke provides in his travel narrative, we can chart how Paul spent the time between Passover and Pentecost:) First week Leave Philippi after Easter ) Travel to Troas (20:6; five days) ) Second week Spend seven days in Troas (20:6) ) Third week Travel to Miletus (20:13 16; four days) ) Fourth week Travel from Miletus to Tyre (21:1 3; seven days) ) Fifth week Spend seven days in Tyre (21:4) ) Sixth week Travel to Ptolemais (21:7; one day) ) Spend one day in Ptolemais (21:7) ) Travel to Caesarea (21:8; one day) ) Seventh week Spend several days in Caesarea (21:10, 15) ) Travel to Jerusalem (21:15; two or three days) ) Arrive in Jerusalem (21:17) ) ) ) Paul was counting the days prior to Pentecost, for six weeks had passed since he had left Philippi.

From Caesarea he would have to travel sixty-five miles to Jerusalem. And this journey would take two, if not three, days. Because of the numerous warnings Paul has received in many places (20:23), he is not interested in arriving early in Jerusalem. He wants to spend his time with Philip (who, incidentally, must have owned a large house to be able to accommodate Paul and his friends). In the meantime, Luke has opportunity to hear from Philip s lips the accounts of the baptisms of the Samaritans and the Ethiopian official and of his mission work along the coast.) b. A prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.

This is the second time Luke mentions the prophet Agabus (see also 11:28). Why Luke thinks it necessary to introduce this person and his office once more is not clear; perhaps it is because this is the first time Luke meets Agabus.) In the preceding decade, Agabus had traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch, where he predicted the coming of a severe famine in the entire Roman world. Paul and Barnabas heard him prophesy in Antioch, and the believers there delegated them to carry gifts to the elders in Judea. Now once again Agabus meets Paul. As a prophet inspired by the Holy Spirit, Agabus comes from Judea, that is, the land of the Jews, with a personal message for Paul.��15��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.20.2|AUTODETECT|” c. He took Paul s belt and tied his own hands and feet. Agabus follows the Old Testament example of the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, who used visual signs to warn the Israelites of their impending exile 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.20.2|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 20:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.13.1-24.13.11|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.13.1-24.13.11|AUTODETECT|” Jer. 13:1 11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.4.1-26.4.12|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=26.4.1-26.4.12|AUTODETECT|” Ezek. 4:1 12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Agabus takes the belt that belongs to Paul and deftly ties his own hands and feet with it. The belt presumably was made of cloth and not of leather; a cloth belt would facilitate the process of tying oneself.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 The difference between Old and New Testament prophets should not be overlooked. While the function of the Old Testament prophets was to reveal the coming of the Messiah, Agabus predicts immediate future events.��16��) d. The Holy Spirit says: In this way, the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man to whom this belt belongs. The Spirit speaks directly through Agabus and addresses Paul. By this visible sign the Holy Spirit is telling Paul the manner in which he will become a prisoner in Jerusalem. Of course, the facts should not be pushed to their logical extreme; the Jews in Jerusalem did not bind Paul with a belt.

Instead, the Jews would have killed Paul if the Roman commander had not intervened. The commander rescued Paul and had him bound with two chains (vv. 31 33).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.20.19|AUTODETECT|” e. And deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. With these words, the Holy Spirit is alluding to Jesus, who predicted that he would be betrayed, condemned, and handed over to the Gentiles 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.20.19|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 20:19) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=41.10.33|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=41.10.33|AUTODETECT|” Mark 10:33) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The Gentiles are the Roman authorities who, influenced by the Jewish hierarchy, crucified Jesus and soon will imprison Paul. Note, however, that the Holy Spirit predicts Paul s binding and incarceration but not his death. By implication, his gospel ministry will continue even in prison.) 1 4 2 8 0 0 ) Doctrinal Considerations in 21:11) In Acts, the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is taught in many chapters. Because of this emphasis, the early church father Chrysostom referred to Acts as the Gospel of the Holy Spirit.��17�� God s Spirit speaks directly through the prophets. In Antioch, the Holy Spirit uses Agabus to predict a worldwide famine (11:28). Through the prophets and in harmony with the Antiochean church, he makes his will known concerning the apostolic ministry of Paul and Barnabas (13:1 2). And in Caesarea, the Spirit once again employs the prophet Agabus to speak directly to Paul.) Paul experiences the compelling power of the Holy Spirit, who tells him to go to Jerusalem, where he will endure hardship and affliction. Paul obediently responds to the guidance of the Spirit. He also demonstrates his trust in God.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.15.30-45.15.32|AUTODETECT|” Sometime before Paul decided to travel to Jerusalem, he wrote his epistle to the Romans. In that epistle, he exhorted the Christians in Rome to pray to God on his behalf. He asked them to pray that he might be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that his service to the saints in Jerusalem might be acceptable. And he expected that in answer to this prayer he might visit the church in Rome 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.15.30-45.15.32|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 15:30 32) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Paul, then, trusted that the prayers of the saints would be answered and that the Holy Spirit would guide him through the difficulties he was about to face. In faith, he accepted the words of the Spirit spoken by Agabus as a detailed revelation of future events.��18��) 1 9 2 8 0 0 ) ) 2) Reply) 21:12 14) 12. When we heard this, we and the local residents began to beg Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13. Then Paul asked, Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. ) a. We and the local residents began to beg Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Paul s companions and the Christians in Caesarea want to shield him from harm and plead with him not to visit Jerusalem.

At an earlier occasion in Ephesus, Paul s disciples and certain provincial officials had successfully restrained Paul from entering the theater to address the unruly crowd. Thus they rescued Paul from possible physical injury (19:30 31). But in Caesarea the situation has a different focus because Paul knows that the Holy Spirit compels him to travel to Jerusalem (19:21; 20:22). He sees every manifestation of the Spirit on this point as a confirmation of the mandate to demonstrate in Jerusalem the unity of Christ s expanding church.) Paul s fellow travelers must have been struck by the Spirit s recurring message in both Tyre and Caesarea. Observe the similar response of the two groups; the difference is that in Caesarea, the people accompany their plea with weeping.) b. Then Paul asked, Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?

Paul shows unflinching determination in the face of an emotional response from his own companions and the believers in Caesarea. Paul shows no obstinacy but rather obedience. For that reason, he perceives the well-intended efforts of the people as an obstacle. He rebukes them by asking what they are trying to do. With their weeping, they are breaking Paul s heart and are trying to dissuade him. But Paul objects to their crying, first, because he himself has an emotional proclivity that often makes him weep (20:19, 31), and second, because he wants to obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit.) c.

I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. The Spirit gives Paul inner strength and enables him to withstand the temptation to escape. Immediately after his conversion in Damascus, Jesus told Paul that he would have to suffer much for the name of Christ (9:15 16).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.23-47.11.28|AUTODETECT|” Paul is unafraid, for he knows that God determines the outcome of all things. His attitude is completely free from fatalism; in full reliance on Christ, he accepts the message of the Holy Spirit and tells his audience that he is ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem (compare 20:24). In view of the suffering he already endured on behalf of Christ 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.23-47.11.28|AUTODETECT|” II Cor. 11:23 28) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), Paul has proved his willingness to die for the Lord Jesus. Conversely, Paul s statement should not be interpreted to mean that he expects his life to come to an end in Jerusalem. He still intends to extend the church to the ends of the earth.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 14. Because he could not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, Let the will of the Lord be done. ) Luke writes that Paul could not be dissuaded. Luke ought to have known that at the end of his Ephesian ministry Paul had expressed his desire to go to Jerusalem (19:21). When he finally left Troas on his way south and east, Paul was in a hurry, for he had only one desire: to be in Jerusalem before Pentecost (20:16). Within sixty-five miles of his destination, Paul could not be persuaded to change his mind. He remained obedient to his Lord. Although he was apprehensive he, like his Master, set his face in the direction of Jerusalem.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.42|AUTODETECT|” Even Luke had joined the effort to dissuade Paul. But when he and the rest of the group perceived Paul s steadfast desire to obey God s will, they said, Let the will of the Lord be done. This is not a pious statement but rather an echo of the third petition of the Lord s Prayer, Your will be done. ��19�� We are confident that in the second half of the first century, the Lord s Prayer was widely used, certainly by the apostles and their helpers. Further, the words spoken by the people in Caesarea are reminiscent of Jesus prayer uttered to his Father in Gethsemane: Not my will, but & yours be done 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.42|AUTODETECT|” Luke 22:42) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 5 2 8 0 0 ) Practical Considerations in 21:14) Luke portrays Paul as a true follower of Jesus Christ. As he reports on Paul s travel, Luke indirectly draws a number of parallels:) Paul wished to go to) Jerusalem to attend Passover) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.3|AUTODETECT|” 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.3|AUTODETECT|” Acts 20:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.16|AUTODETECT|” ) or Pentecost 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.16|AUTODETECT|” Acts 20:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) Jesus traveled to Jerusalem) 1 1 2 8 0 0 for his last Passover) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.12.1|AUTODETECT|” feast 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.12.1|AUTODETECT|” John 12:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.13.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.13.1|AUTODETECT|” 13:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) ) 1 1 2 8 0 0 The Spirit warned Paul) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.23|AUTODETECT|” three times 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.23|AUTODETECT|” Acts 20:23) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ; ) 1 1 2 8 0 0 21:4, 11) Jesus spoke of his passion) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.9.22|AUTODETECT|” three times 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.9.22|AUTODETECT|” Luke 9:22) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.9.44|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.9.44|AUTODETECT|” 44) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ; ) 1 2 2 8 0 0 18:31 33) ) Paul was bound by Roman) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.21.33|AUTODETECT|” soldiers 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.21.33|AUTODETECT|” Acts 21:33) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) Jesus was bound by) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.18.12|AUTODETECT|” soldiers 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.18.12|AUTODETECT|” John 18:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) ) 1 1 2 8 0 0 Paul knelt down and prayed) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.36|AUTODETECT|” 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.20.36|AUTODETECT|” Acts 20:36) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.21.5|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.21.5|AUTODETECT|” 21:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) Jesus knelt down and prayed) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.41|AUTODETECT|” 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.41|AUTODETECT|” Luke 22:41) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) ) 1 1 2 8 0 0 Let the Lord s will be done ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.21.14|AUTODETECT|” 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.21.14|AUTODETECT|” Acts 21:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) Let your will be done ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.42|AUTODETECT|” 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.42|AUTODETECT|” Luke 22:42) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) ) 1 6 2 8 0 0 ) ) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:12 14) Verses 12 13) ��� �t ��������� the present infinitive with the definite article in the genitive case and the negative particle �� expresses negative purpose. For a comparable construction, see verse 4.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.11.24|AUTODETECT|” ������������� the compound form of the present participle occurs only once in the New Testament. Similarly, the single verb ������ (I break in small pieces) appears once in the New Testament 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.11.24|AUTODETECT|” I Cor. 11:24) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The compound verb is intensive and means thoroughly break in pieces. ) 1 29 2 8 0 0 �0� the preposition in this context is equivalent to � (at).) ������ �� I hold myself ready. This is an idiomatic expression that should be translated with the verb to be: I am ready. ) Verse 14) ���������� this is the genitive absolute construction. The present participle of the verb ����� (I persuade) indicates continued action; the passive implies that the audience is the agent.) �0������ following the !��������� (we remained silent), the construction parallels the idiom he answered and said.) ) ) c. To Jerusalem) 21:15 16) 15. After this interval, we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. 16. Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and took us to Mnason of Cyprus, a long-time disciple, with whom we stayed.) After the believers give up their attempt to persuade Paul to stay away from Jerusalem, Paul and his travel companions make preparations to leave Caesarea.

The Greek text literally says, after these days (that is, when they conclude their stay of several days). The time has come to complete the journey to Jerusalem. Luke fails to indicate whether the travelers walked or rode; the text only relates that they made preparations for the journey.��20�� However, the reading of the Western text implies that the trip was completed in two days: Paul and his companions stayed overnight at the house of Mnason of Cyprus and departed for Jerusalem the next day.��21�� To cover a distance of sixty-five miles within two days can best be done on horseback. If they walked, the travelers might have taken an extra day.) The church in Caesarea extended its care to Paul and his associates by sending a number of believers to accompany them part way to Jerusalem. Paul s party of nine people (seven companions [20:4] plus Luke) in addition to several Caesarean Christians must have formed an impressive group.) The Greek sentence construction in the latter part of verse 16 is ambiguous. Two different translations are possible.

The first one is, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge. ��22�� The second one is, and took us to Mnason of Cyprus, a long-time disciple, with whom we stayed. ��23�� The sense of the passage favors the second translation, for it would seem strange to have Mnason as both a travel companion and a host.) Numerous travelers were on their way to Jerusalem for Pentecost, so lodging must have been difficult to find. However, Mnason (the name may be the Greek spelling of the Hebrew name Manasseh) provided shelter;��24�� he must have been a man of means to own a house that could accommodate a large group of visitors. Luke s remark that Mnason, a native of Cyprus (compare 4:36), was a long-time disciple may mean that he was among the first converts at Pentecost.) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:15 16) Verse 15) ���p �r �p� !����� ������ the temporal phrase after these days refers directly to the clause after we had been there several days (v. 10).) �������������� having made preparations. The Textus Receptus has ��������������, which probably means pack up and leave. ��25��) Verse 16) ��� ������� to give meaning to the partitive genitive of this construction, we must supply the indefinite pronoun ����� (some).) ������ this present participle from the verb to bring needs a direct object (!���, us) to complete the meaning of this transitive verb.) ���������� the aorist passive subjunctive from ������ (I receive as a guest) has a volitive sense, we should lodge. ��26�� The preceding relative clause ���� � (with whom) expresses purpose.) ) ) IX. In Jerusalem and Caesarea) 21:17 26:32) A. At Jerusalem) 21:17 23:22) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.2.1-48.2.2|AUTODETECT|” After every missionary tour, Paul returned to the church in Jerusalem. When Paul and Barnabas had completed the first tour, they went to Jerusalem to give a report at the council 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.2.1-48.2.2|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 2:1 2) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Although Luke is extremely concise in the narrative about the conclusion of Paul s second tour, he seems to indicate that Paul went up to Jerusalem (18:22). And last, Paul came to the leaders of the church in Jerusalem to report what God had done during the third missionary journey.) 1 18 2 8 0 0 Even though Antioch became the mission center of the early church and commissioned men to bring the message of the gospel to the Gentile world, the church in Jerusalem occupied a leading, albeit diminishing, role.) ) 1. Paul s Arrival) 21:17 26) 17 When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers joyfully welcomed us. 18 The next day Paul went with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 Having greeted them, Paul began to relate in detail all the things God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.) 20 When they heard this, they began to glorify God and said to him: You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have come to believe, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21 They have been informed concerning you that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children and not to keep our traditions. 22 What shall we do? In fact, they will hear that you have arrived. 23 So do what we tell you. There are four men who have taken a vow. 24 Take these men, be purified with them, and pay their expenses, so that they will shave their heads. Then everyone will know that the things they have heard about you are not true, but that you yourself adhere to and keep the law. 25 Concerning the Gentile believers, we have sent our decision that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. ) 26 The following day, Paul took the men and was purified with them. He entered the temple and gave notice of the time when the days of purification would be fulfilled and when the offering would be brought for each of them.) ) Jerusalem the golden, with milk and honey blessed,) Beneath thy contemplation sink heart and voice oppressed.) I know not, oh, I know not what joys await us there,) What radiancy of glory, what joys beyond compare!) In the twelfth century, Bernard of Cluny composed a hymn in which he described the joys of the heavenly Jerusalem.

But when Paul arrived in the earthly Jerusalem, he experienced the joy of being warmly welcomed by the local Christians and the anxiety of being arrested by the Romans.) a. Reception) 21:17 19) 17. When we arrived in Jerusalem, the brothers joyfully welcomed us. 18. The next day Paul went with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19. Having greeted them, Paul began to relate in detail all the things God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.) a. The brothers joyfully welcomed us.

After spending the night at the house of Mnason, the group arrives in Jerusalem the next day, probably late in the evening. When Paul and his friends reach Jerusalem, representatives of the church are on hand to extend to them a warm welcome. Luke calls these representatives brothers, which is a term that signifies fellow believers. Paul is safe in the presence of fellow Christians, but the repeated warnings from the Holy Spirit intensify his awareness of the dangers in this city (compare 9:29).) b. James and all the elders were present. The next day, which may have been the Jewish Sabbath, James and the elders receive Paul and his companions.

The leaders of the Jerusalem church thus acknowledge the seven representatives of the Gentile churches as brothers in Christ. They are able to see the bond of fellowship in the worldwide church of Jesus Christ. Although Luke does not specifically report that Paul s companions transmitted the gifts from the Gentile churches,��27�� we assume that they did, and that James and the elders rejoiced in receiving those gifts.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.2.9|AUTODETECT|” In this verse Luke says nothing about the apostles; apparently they were elsewhere, and some perhaps had already died. He focuses on the elders and on James, who was Peter s successor in the Jerusalem church (see 12:17). James made the decisive speech at the Jerusalem Council (15:13 21) and was one of the three pillars who extended the right hand of fellowship to Paul and Barnabas 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.2.9|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 2:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 2 2 8 0 0 In this verse Luke also changes his use of pronouns. For literary purposes to emphasize that Paul is the central figure in the account he shifts from the first person plural to the third person plural.��28�� He resumes use of the first person plural in his account of Paul s voyage to Rome (27:1), on which Luke was a fellow traveler.) c. [Paul] began to relate in detail all the things God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. The purpose of Paul s visit is threefold: first, to deliver the monetary gift from the Gentile churches; next, to strengthen the bond between Jews and Gentiles by having James and the elders meet Gentile representatives; last, to give a report of the growth and influence of Gentile churches.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.1.17|AUTODETECT|” Paul presents a detailed account of his third missionary journey; to relate his narrative, he needs time. So James and the elders spend the greater part of the day listening to what God has done among the Gentiles through his servant Paul. These Jerusalem leaders must develop an understanding of the unity of the church universal. Luke stresses that God did the work and, therefore, he ascribes to God the praise and glory. Soli Deo Gloria! (to God alone the honor [) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.1.17|AUTODETECT|” I Tim. 1:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ]).) 1 3 2 8 0 0 ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:17 19) ��������� the genitive absolute construction with a verb that expresses motion: when we arrived. Hence, the preposition �0�, although translated in, can have the usual connotation, toward. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.9.6|AUTODETECT|” �0���� this is the past (imperfect) tense of the verb �4����� (I enter). See 3:3; 21:26; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=58.9.6|AUTODETECT|” Hebrews 9:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 . This verb lacks the aorist, so the imperfect has to do double duty.) 1 13 2 8 0 0 ������� notice the imperfect tense of the verb �������� (I report). In this context, the imperfect denotes continued action. Further, the idiom ���� � ������ (one by one) indicates that Paul related his experiences in considerable detail and made known God s hand in the development of the church abroad.) ) ) b. Advice) 21:20 25) 20. When they heard this, they began to glorify God and said to him: You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have come to believe, and all of them are zealous for the law. ) We make two observations:) a. Glorify.

Hearing about the tremendous growth of the church in Asia Minor, Macedonia, Greece, Rome, and Illyricum and about Paul s intention to go to Spain, James and the elders keep on shouting hallelujah. They praise God for his marvelous work among the Gentiles and see the fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures that speak about the Gentiles coming to know the Lord. They are thankful that the negative reports they have heard about Paul and his work among the Gentiles are incorrect. Nevertheless, they feel constrained to inform Paul about the sentiments of numerous Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.) b. Alert. Paul comes to the elders to promote the unity of the church and expects them to accept Gentile Christians from abroad on a par with the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.

But the converse is also true, namely, that Paul pay due attention to those Jewish Christians who zealously keep the law. James and the elders involve Paul directly by saying to him, You see, brother. The verb to see means to perceive something and thus to reflect and ponder. The word brother intimates that James and the elders consider Paul a brother in Christ. And they also distance themselves from those Jewish Christians who in their zeal have voided the decisions of the Jerusalem Council (15:19 21, 23 29).) James showed wisdom by inviting only the elders to come and listen to Paul. He wanted to maintain peace in the church and avoid any rift that might result from Paul s report of his work among the Gentiles.

James also wished to alert Paul to the thinking and practices of the many thousands of Jewish believers. He desired that Paul would clear himself of the suspicions the Jewish Christians had, for Paul could not abandon all these people who, with the Gentile believers, formed the body of Christ.��29��) Multitudes of Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and Judea strictly observed the law and expected all believers to do the same. They were like the Judaizers who opposed Paul and Barnabas at the conclusion of their first missionary journey to Cyprus and Asia Minor (15:1, 5). Because of its zeal for the law the Jerusalem church had lost its zeal for missions. Whereas Paul had forged ahead by preaching the message of salvation to the Greco-Roman world, the Jews who came to faith in Christ sought to merit salvation by keeping their Jewish traditions and by observing the Mosaic law. In all fairness, we note that the decisions of the Jerusalem Council addressed Gentile Christians but allowed Jewish Christians to continue their adherence to the time-honored customs and rituals of Judaism.) We presume that the expression thousands includes all the Jewish Christians who lived in Palestine.

After the persecution following the death of Stephen, the believers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria (8:1). More, the church in Jerusalem in the course of time began to grow, so that literally thousands of believers resided in the city and countryside.) 21. They have been informed concerning you that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children and not to keep our traditions. 22. What shall we do? In fact, they will hear that you have arrived. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.3.25|AUTODETECT|” a. You are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to abandon Moses. While Paul proclaimed the gospel in Ephesus, news concerning his labors reached Jerusalem. The people in Jerusalem interpreted this news from their perspective, which differed considerably from that of Paul in Ephesus. The Christian Jews in Jerusalem placed the gospel within the context of Mosaic law and traditions, but Paul in Ephesus taught Gentile Christians that they were not obligated to abide by Mosaic regulations. Paul told the Gentiles about the decisions of the Jerusalem Council, which instructed them to abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from strangled animals, and from fornication (15:29). He taught the Jews in Ephesus the gospel of God s grace (20:24) and showed them that faith in Jesus Christ overshadowed Mosaic laws and customs 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.3.25|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 3:25) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.9.20-46.9.22|AUTODETECT|” In Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece, Paul preached the gospel to both Jews and Greeks (20:21). To the Jew he was a Jew and to the Gentile he became a Gentile so that he might gain them both for Christ 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.9.20-46.9.22|AUTODETECT|” I Cor. 9:20 22) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Paul fully realized the difficulty he faced in preaching the gospel to two groups of people, yet his conscience was clear. He called both Jews and Greeks to repentance. Among the Jews in dispersion were those who disagreed with Paul s approach (see vv. 27 29). They registered complaints to the Jews and Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and said that Paul told all the Jews not to observe Jewish laws and customs.) 1 6 2 8 0 0 b. [You tell] them not to circumcise their children and not to keep our traditions. The Christian Jews in Jerusalem heard reports concerning Paul s mission activities and saw serious flaws in his work. On the basis of the reports they had received that Paul did not require the Jews in dispersion to circumcise their children and observe Jewish customs they considered Paul outside the mainstream. Although James and the elders knew that Paul applied the decisions of the Jerusalem Council, the multitude of Jewish Christians wanted Paul to stress circumcision and Jewish laws. They refused to realize that Gentiles had become more numerous than Jews in the church, and that they themselves would have to promote the unity of the body of Christ.) To Paul s credit, we should note that in his work and life he demonstrated his loyalty to the Jews by adhering to Jewish customs. For instance, he had Timothy circumcised at the very time when he was delivering the letter of the Jerusalem Council to the churches in Galatia (16:3 4).

Next, he himself had taken a Nazirite vow that required cutting his hair and appearing at the Jerusalem temple before a specified date (18:18). And last, in his epistles, he never forbids Jews to circumcise their children.) c. What shall we do? In fact, they will hear that you have arrived. The Majority Text has an expansion, shown in italics: What then? The assembly must certainly meet, for they will hear that you have come. ��30�� The intent is obvious, for the difference between Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians could be resolved only in an assembly.

Even though the addition appears to be original, scholars hesitate to include it in their translations.) James and the elders supported Paul in his work and teachings, but they had to find a way to defuse the volatile atmosphere in Jewish Christian circles. If the Christian Jews in Jerusalem had a strong prejudice against Paul, the non-Christian Jews were enraged in the highest degree. ��31�� With numerous Jews violently opposed to Paul, the situation was grave indeed. And the news of Paul s arrival in the city could not be kept secret, especially not when the Jewish Christians met the delegates from the Gentile churches (see vv. 17 19).) 23. So do what we tell you. There are four men who have taken a vow. 24. Take these men, be purified with them, and pay their expenses, so that they will shave their heads.

Then everyone will know that the things they have heard about you are not true, but that you yourself adhere to and keep the law. ) We make these observations:) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.6.14-4.6.17|AUTODETECT|” a. Advice. The elders of the Jerusalem church offered a prudent proposal to Paul. They knew of four men, Christian Jews, who had taken a vow. We presume that they took a Nazirite vow prior to the feast of Pentecost. At the end of the month-long period of the vow, they were unable to pay the expenses involved with fulfilling the vow. According to ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.6.14-4.6.17|AUTODETECT|” Numbers 6:14 17) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 , the Nazirite had to offer three animals (a male and a female lamb, and a ram), a grain and a drink offering, and a basket of bread.��32�� The cost for the individual Nazirite was high but served as an expression of his undivided commitment to God.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.6.18|AUTODETECT|” b. Vow. During the period of his vow, a Nazirite might not use a razor on his head and had to let his hair grow. But when the period was over, he shaved off his hair, dedicated it to the Lord, and burned it together with the sacrifice for the fellowship offering 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.6.18|AUTODETECT|” Num. 6:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��33��) 1 1 2 8 0 0 c. Rites. James and the elders advised Paul to take these four men, join in their purification rites, and pay their expenses. We should understand that James himself was acquainted with the Nazirite vow. Church historian Eusebius quotes from a book written by Hegesippus, who belonged to the generation that succeeded the apostles. In the quote, Hegesippus portrays James as a Nazirite.��34��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.*?id=4.6.3|AUTODETECT|” Although the four men had taken the Nazirite vow, Paul himself evidently had not. Therefore, the purification rites for the Nazirites and for himself could not be the same. Paul had come to Jerusalem from Gentile territory and was ceremonially unclean. He had to submit to Levitical purification before he could be the benefactor for the four Nazirites and participate in their ceremonies. For him, the prescribed days of purification lasted one week. On the third day of the week, he was sprinkled with atonement water (v. 26); a second sprinkling took place on the seventh day (v. 27).

Afterward, when the sacrifices were scheduled to be offered, Paul would then defray the expenses of the four Nazirites.��35�� He could take part in the ceremonies only when he himself was Levitically clean. On the seventh day of Paul s cleansing, the time of abstentions for the Nazirites also had ended 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.*?id=4.6.3|AUTODETECT|” Num. 6:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��36�� And if Paul sought to obtain ceremonial cleansing in a one-week period, he would not need to shave his hair.) 1 23 2 8 0 0 d. Proof. By paying the expenses for four Nazirites, by going to the priest with them to set the time for the sacrifices, and by participating in the purification rites, Paul demonstrated that he was a law-abiding Jew. A discernible display of his integrity as a Jew would be much more effective than an extended explanation. He applied the old adage: A picture is worth a thousand words. ) The leaders of the church and Paul expected that the Christian Jews in Jerusalem would be able to see that the reports they had received about Paul s teaching were false. To pay the expenses for four Nazirites was considered an act of piety.

The leaders anticipated that Paul s participation in the ceremonies, even if he himself were not a Nazirite, would convince the Christian Jews that Paul was a traditional son of Abraham. In brief, Paul s association with four Nazirites should be overwhelming evidence that he was a Jew dedicated to keeping the law of God in very respect.) 25. Concerning the Gentile believers, we have sent our decision that they should abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. ) a. Translation. The Western text both adds and deletes material in this verse. The added words (in italics) are intended to show the difference between Jewish and Gentile Christians: Concerning the Gentile believers, they [that is, the Jewish Christians] have nothing to say to you, for we sent and decreed that they should observe nothing of the kind, except to keep themselves from what is offered to idols, from blood and from sexual immorality.

The expansion adds nothing to the meaning of the text and appears to be a paraphrase. For this reason, scholars delete the augments��37�� and adopt the shorter version. Conversely, the Western text has omitted one of the stipulations of the Jerusalem Council: to abstain from eating the meat of strangled animals. For a discussion on this omission, see the Textual Note on 15:20.) b. Intent. James and the elders of the Jerusalem church wanted to avoid any misunderstanding about the issue at stake.

They knew that the matter involved Jewish Christians who lived in the Dispersion, not Gentile Christians. Nonetheless, the elders thought it wise to repeat the decisions made by the Jerusalem Council so that everyone would realize that Gentile Christians were not required to observe Jewish ceremonial laws and customs. The repetition was not meant to instruct the Gentile Christian delegates.��38�� They already had been instructed by Paul, were acquainted with the prescribed rules, and enjoyed their freedom in Christ. The leaders of the Jerusalem church reiterated the stipulations to imply that they had settled the Gentile Christian question but not the Jewish Christian question. Indeed, the church would have to convene another meeting to debate the matter of freedom in Christ for the Jewish believers.) ) Doctrinal Considerations in 21:20 25) Strengthened by the decisions of the Jerusalem Council, Paul returned to the Greco-Roman world on his second and third missionary journeys. He was determined to preach the gospel of Christian liberty to every Gentile who would listen to him.

He instructed the Gentile that he would not have to become a Jew, for Christ had fulfilled the ceremonial laws of Judaism.) But in Jerusalem, Paul willingly accepted the advice of the Jerusalem elders to pay for sacrifices offered by four Nazirites and to submit to Levitical purification rites. Did Paul compromise his own teachings and beliefs? Should he have rejected the advice of the elders? No, not really. Paul maintained that Gentile Christians would sin if they were to observe Jewish ceremonial laws and customs, and Jewish Christians would sin if they kept the law for the purpose of meriting salvation. Observing the Jewish ceremonies in itself is not sinful.��39�� Paul himself remained a Jew and continued to observe Jewish customs.

Thus, he had made a vow in Cenchrea and had traveled to Jerusalem to fulfill it (18:18). In his defense before Governor Felix, Paul stated that he had come to Jerusalem to present offerings (24:17).) Paul s purpose for going to Jerusalem was to promote the unity of the church. He wanted to bring together representatives of the Gentile Christian churches abroad and those of the Jewish Christian church in Jerusalem. He himself would do everything in his power to maintain that unity, even if he had to undergo purification rites and pay for sacrifices.) ) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:20 25) Verse 20) ������� �x� ��x� �6��� the imperfect and the aorist tenses indicate continuous action in the one case and single action in the other. They praised God for sometime and in various ways until they finally said. ��40��) ��� ����� the genitive case is objective . The influence and numerical increase of believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees (15:5) seem to have been substantial.

A literal translation from the Greek is tens of thousands but in idiomatic English thousands. ) Verse 21) ��������� the verb to teach takes a double accusative: one a thing (���������, apostasy) and the other persons (8��������, Jews). The adjective ������ (all), due to its place in the sentence, reveals a touch of exaggeration in the report concerning Paul. The word order throughout this sentence is awkward.) ���� ����� the dative of sphere signifies according to our customs. ��41��) Verses 23 24) !��� the dative of possession. In translation the verb to be becomes to have: we have four men. ) �� ����� on themselves. The reading �� in at least two major manuscripts (Sinaiticus and Vaticanus) means on their own initiative. ) �������� the aorist passive imperative of ����� (I purify) should be understood as a causative middle: purify yourself. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.7.3|AUTODETECT|” ���������� the 5�� particle introduces a purpose clause, but in a number of leading manuscripts the verb appears in the future indicative instead of the aorist subjunctive. In the New Testament, the use of the future tense in place of the subjunctive is common 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.7.3|AUTODETECT|” John 7:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.3.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=60.3.1|AUTODETECT|” I Peter 3:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.6.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.6.4|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 6:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The passive is equivalent to a permissive middle: so that they may have their heads shaved. ��42��) 1 8 2 8 0 0 Verse 25) ����������� the external evidence for either this reading or ����������� is equally strong. The intent of the verse remains the same with either reading.) ) ) c. Vow) 21:26) 26. The following day, Paul took the men and was purified with them. He entered the temple and gave notice of the time when the days of purification would be fulfilled and when the offering would be brought for each of them.) Within the compass of this one verse Luke compresses a number of details that need an explanatory footnote, so to speak. (In Acts, Luke repeatedly condenses information to the point that the clarity of a particular verse is affected [see, e.g., 6:13 14; 7:16; 18:22].) When he writes the following day, Luke is referring to the third day of Paul s arrival in Jerusalem (see vv. 17 18). We venture to say that if Paul came to Jerusalem on a Friday and met with James and the elders on Saturday, then Sunday (the day of Pentecost) is the third day. For a full discussion, see the commentary on 24:11.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.19.12|AUTODETECT|” When Paul took the four Nazirites to a priest in the temple on that Pentecost Sunday, he had to subject himself to a week-long purification process in order to qualify as the sponsor for these four men. The priest sprinkled Paul with water of atonement on the third day of this purification process (Tuesday) and again on the seventh day (Saturday) the days specified for purification were the third and the seventh days 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.19.12|AUTODETECT|” Num. 19:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Paul himself could not take the Nazirite vow, but for one week he had to join these men in purification rites. Later, speaking in his own defense before Governor Felix, Paul testified that he was ceremonially clean. He had gone to the temple to bring gifts for the poor, that is, for his own people (24:17 18). From this information, we do not learn that Paul paid the expenses for the Nazirites from the gifts he brought to Jerusalem. We assume that he paid the expenses from his own resources. Moreover, with Paul paying their expenses, the Nazirites were able to complete the prescribed ceremonies. According to Jewish regulations, the presentation of sacrifices and the shaving of the heads lasted seven days.��43��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.6.18|AUTODETECT|” In short, Paul made the necessary provisions for the Nazirites by going to the priest in the temple, stating the duration of the days of purification, and scheduling the time for the sacrifices for each of the Nazirites. He also scheduled the shaving of their heads and the burning of their hair with the fellowship offering 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.6.18|AUTODETECT|” Num. 6:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 23 2 8 0 0 ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:26) �0���� see the discussion of this verb in verse 18.) ���������� from the verb to give notice of, this present participle expresses purpose.) Q��� the basic meaning of this preposition is singularly applicable in the present context: in behalf of, for the sake of someone. ��44��) ) 2. Paul s Arrest) 21:27 36) 27 When the seven days were almost fulfilled, the Jews from the province of Asia saw him in the temple, began to stir up the whole multitude, and seized him. 28 They shouted, Men of Israel! Help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people, the law, and this place. He even has brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place. 29 They had seen Trophimus of Ephesus with him in the city and supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.) 30 The whole city was aroused and the people rushed together. They took Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut. 31 While they were trying to kill him, a report went to the commander of the occupation forces that all of Jerusalem was aroused. 32 At once he took some soldiers and officers and ran to the crowd.

When the Jews saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.) 33 Then the commander approached Paul, arrested him, and had him bound with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done. 34 But when some in the crowd shouted one thing and others something else, and because the commander was unable to discover the truth, he ordered Paul to be brought to the barracks. 35 As Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob forced the soldiers to carry him. 36 The multitude of Jewish people kept following and shouted: Away with him. ) ) For Paul, the temple was both the safest and the most perilous place in Jerusalem. It was safe because he had submitted himself to purification rites and so could not be accused of defiling the temple or breaking Jewish customs. But because the temple attracted the Jewish masses, especially during a festival, it was extremely dangerous for Paul to appear there.) a. Accusation) 21:27 29) 27. When the seven days were almost fulfilled, the Jews from the province of Asia saw him in the temple, began to stir up the whole multitude, and seized him.) The relationship between the Jews and the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem was harmonious, especially at the time of religious festivals.

As long as the Jewish Christians continued to observe the customs and traditions of Judaism, the Jews were willing to overlook some aberrations.��45�� In the Jews opinion, the Christians were no threat. The persecution following Stephen s death belonged in the past.) Jews in the dispersion did not extend tolerance to Paul, however. Jews in Corinth had plotted to take Paul s life when he was about to sail for Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover (20:3), but Paul foiled their plot by traveling through Macedonia and arriving in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. In Jerusalem, Jews from western Asia Minor, probably from Ephesus, recognized Paul, who had lived in that city for nearly three years. These Jews perhaps had waited to see if Paul would appear in Jerusalem to celebrate the feast; when he did, they saw an opportunity to eliminate him, which, in spite of their plotting (20:19), they had been unable to do.) For the first week of his stay in Jerusalem, Paul remained undetected by the crowds. The Jews in Jerusalem did not recognize him, because he had been absent from the city for more than two decades.

But when he entered the temple precincts with four men whom they did not know, the Jews from Asia were outraged. They had seen him in the city with Trophimus, a Gentile from Ephesus, and assumed that Paul had brought Gentiles into the holy place. So these Jews stirred up the crowds in the temple courts. Luke specifies that the Jews, not the Jewish Christians, instigated the riot that resulted in Paul s arrest.) Why were the Jews so set against Paul? In their opinion, he represented a menace to Judaism: he allegedly taught the Jews in dispersion not to observe the customs and the ceremonial laws of Moses. The accusations against Paul parallel those brought against Stephen.

The Jews charged Stephen with speaking against the law, God, and the temple (6:11, 13 14). The Jews from Asia accuse Paul of teaching against the law and the temple (vv. 28 29).) 28. They shouted, Men of Israel! Help us! This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people, the law, and this place. He even has brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place. 29.

They had seen Trophimus of Ephesus with him in the city and supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.) These are the significant points:) a. Concern. In the Greek Luke is able to record in one sentence a twofold charge which the Ephesian Jews level against Paul. In fact, when Paul makes his defense before Governor Felix in Caesarea, he challenges these Jews to come before the court and press their charges (24:19). What they have said in the courts of the temple can hardly be considered a charge!) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.4|AUTODETECT|” The Dispersion Jews introduce the matter as a typical Jewish concern. Accordingly, they shout: Men of Israel! They consider themselves to be the watchmen on the walls of Zion; they are the defenders of the orthodox faith. They call on fellow Jews to lend a hand and cry out: Help us! But if they needed help, they should have summoned the captain of the temple guard and his officers 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.4|AUTODETECT|” Luke 22:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 0 b. First charge. The Jews from Asia begin their accusation against Paul with these words: This is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people, the law, and this place. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.11.1-45.11.2|AUTODETECT|” This part of the charge reveals exaggeration: all men everywhere. The words all men are inclusive: Jews and Gentiles. If the allegation were true, then Paul should have been teaching in Jerusalem, too. Moreover, the accusation that Paul taught against the Jewish people simply cannot be substantiated; information from Acts and Paul s epistles shows that Paul preached the gospel first in the synagogues and that, despite rejection, Paul expressed concern for the Jews 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.11.1-45.11.2|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 11:1 2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.11.13-45.11.15|AUTODETECT|” a, ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.11.13-45.11.15|AUTODETECT|” 13 15) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Although Paul instructed the Jewish people that the ceremonial laws were fulfilled by Jesus Christ, he stressed the meaning and application of the moral law. Lastly, the facts that Paul was in the temple to be purified and that he paid the expenses for four Nazirites confute the indictment that Paul spoke against the temple.) 1 22 2 8 0 0 c. Second charge. The second part of the accusation is also groundless. No Gentile would think of entering the sacred temple courts; according to Josephus, numerous signs in Greek and Latin forbade Gentiles to go beyond the Court of the Gentiles.��46�� Anyone in the city of Jerusalem, whether Jew or Gentile, was acquainted with the posted inscription: No Gentile may enter within the railing around the sanctuary and within the enclosure. Whoever should be caught will render himself liable to the death penalty which will inevitably follow. ��47��) If Paul had brought Greeks into the specific temple area the Court of the Women and the Court of the Israelites that was forbidden to Gentiles, then the Jews would have had evidence: captured trespassers. But this is not at all the case.

The angry Jews rely on assumptions and hearsay, not on facts.) d. Explanation. The Ephesian Jews had seen Paul a few days earlier in the city. At that time he was accompanied by Trophimus of Ephesus, whom they knew to be a Gentile who had become a Christian. They now saw Paul in the temple courts with four men. Not knowing who these men were, the Ephesian Jews presumed that they were Gentile Christians who had accompanied Paul to Jerusalem.

But Paul stood with four Nazirites near the so-called chamber of the Nazirites, which was located in the southeast corner of the Court of the Women.��48�� Here Paul and the Nazirites were making the final arrangements with a priest for offering their sacrifices and completing their vows.) The assumptions of the Jews from Asia do not match reality. If they had seen Trophimus in the temple area, they should have captured him without delay. Then they would have had incontrovertible proof that Paul had defiled the temple by taking Trophimus, a Gentile, into the Court of the Women and the Court of the Israelites. Then the temple guard (see 4:1) could have made an arrest.) ) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:27 29) Verse 27) �� instead of the more appropriate preposition � (out of), Luke resorts to �� (from). Compare 6:9.) �������� the imperfect tense of the verb ������ (I stir up) depicts a continued effort to confuse the crowd. The literal meaning of this verb is to pour together. ) Verse 28) ��� ���� notice the use of the definite article for this noun and for the words law and place.

The Jews specify three distinct categories. The noun ���� means God s own people.) ������ ������� everyone everywhere. This combination perhaps is an idiomatic expression.) �0������� the aorist tense of �0���� (I enter) denotes a single occurrence; but notice that the verb ���������� is in the perfect tense that shows continued effect and lasting consequences.��49��) Verse 29) &��� �p� ������������ the perfect periphrastic construction of the verb to be with the perfect participle of ������� (I see previously) indicates that the act of observing Trophimus in the city continued to upset the Ephesian Jews.) ������� the imperfect tense of the verb ������ (I think) adds descriptive liveliness to the narrative.) ) ) b. Confusion) 21:30 32) 30. The whole city was aroused and the people rushed together. They took Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the doors were shut.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.21.10|AUTODETECT|” By word of mouth the people spread the accusation that Paul taught against the Jewish people, the law, and the temple. This accusation was sufficient to arouse the entire population of Jerusalem and the numerous visitors. At the time of a festival, the people were attuned to extraordinary reports. For instance, when Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the whole city was agitated 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.21.10|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 21:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ); when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, the crowd came together in confusion (2:6). Similarly, the people now amassed throughout the city and rushed to the temple area without knowing any precise details. This is typical of oriental cities, where even today large crowds gather in record time and are easily aroused to take up a chant and carry various placards and banners.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.10.23|AUTODETECT|” The instigators of the riot, the Ephesian Jews, had apprehended Paul (v. 27). Now they and other men dragged him outside the temple courts. Luke fails to distinguish the different courts of the temple complex; for him, the temple included all the areas that could be closed off by gates and that were forbidden to the Gentiles. These were the temple proper, the Court of the Priests, the Court of the Israelites, and the Court of the Women. The unrestricted areas of the temple the court of the Gentiles, Solomon s Colonnade 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.10.23|AUTODETECT|” John 10:23) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.3.11|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.3.11|AUTODETECT|” Acts 3:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.5.12|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.5.12|AUTODETECT|” 5:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), and the Royal Portico, where the moneychangers and the merchants conducted their business afforded ample room for thousands of people.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=12.11.15-12.11.16|AUTODETECT|” The captain of the temple guard and his men quickly moved to shut the doors between the Court of the Gentiles and the Court of the Women. The captain was in charge of maintaining order in and around the temple complex.��50�� By shutting the doors, he prevented the crowd from rioting within the courts. If the crowd should kill Paul on the sacred temple grounds, his blood would defile the temple 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=12.11.15-12.11.16|AUTODETECT|” II Kings 11:15 16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=14.24.21|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=14.24.21|AUTODETECT|” II Chron. 24:21) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 7 2 8 0 0 31. While they were trying to kill him, a report went to the commander of the occupation forces that all of Jerusalem was aroused. 32. At once he took some soldiers and officers and ran to the crowd. When the Jews saw the commander and his soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.) Paul was in danger of losing his life, for he had no recourse to legal action. Anyone accused of defiling the temple could be killed instantly, without benefit of trial. The mob could have dragged Paul outside the city and stoned him to death, as they did Stephen (7:58).

But they had no patience and, as Luke reports, already were trying to kill Paul. Only the intervention of the Roman military spared Paul.) The Romans had constructed Fortress Antonia and its adjacent barracks (v. 34) on a rock fifty cubits [75 feet] high and on all sides precipitous. ��51�� The fortress itself was fifty feet high but had turrets that were at least a hundred feet high. From this elevated vantage point, the Romans were able to survey the crowds not only in the temple area but also in other parts of the city. If tumults should break out, the commander immediately would send in his troops to restore order.) Luke calls the commander a chiliarch (a leader of one thousand); today, such an officer would have the rank of major or colonel.��52�� He was superior to a centurion and held equestrian rank in Roman society. This commander was well known in Jerusalem: Luke records his name, Claudius Lysias (23:26). When the commander heard from his sentry in the lookout tower that the entire city was in an uproar, he immediately took action.

He noticed large crowds milling around, so he ordered some of his officers and soldiers at least two hundred men to accompany him. They ran into the crowds to arrest the troublemaker.) Immediately Paul s attackers stopped beating him, for they had no intention of being arrested with Paul. They would rather release him to the Roman commander than to be apprehended themselves and charged with rioting.) ) Doctrinal Considerations in 21:30 32) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.27.51|AUTODETECT|” When Jesus died at Calvary, the curtain separating the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple proper split from top to bottom 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.27.51|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 27:51) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). By this supernatural incursion, God decisively showed that the Levitical priesthood and the temple were obsolete. Yet God gave the Jews forty years before he terminated the priesthood and destroyed the temple.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.26.61|AUTODETECT|” Throughout that forty-year period, the temple remained sacred to the Jewish people. Anyone who spoke words about the temple that could be understood negatively was put to death. For instance, both Jesus 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.26.61|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 26:61) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.6.13|AUTODETECT|” ) and Stephen 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.6.13|AUTODETECT|” Acts 6:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ) were accused of speaking against the temple and were killed. To the Jews, Israel was central to the nations of the world, Jerusalem was central to Israel, and the temple was central to everything.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.4.21-43.4.24|AUTODETECT|” Yet with the influx of Gentile Christians into the church, the Jewish Christians had to solve a problem of immense magnitude. They themselves continued to worship with the non-Christian Jews in the temple. But if they were to promote the unity of the universal church, they had to come to terms with temple worship which excluded Samaritan and Gentile Christians. Jesus had told the Samaritan woman that true worshipers would worship the Father in spirit and truth 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.4.21-43.4.24|AUTODETECT|” John 4:21 24) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), but they would worship neither in Jerusalem nor on Mount Gerizim. Jesus, the promised Messiah, ushered in a new system of worship that is not tied to any particular holy place. ��53��) 1 31 2 8 0 0 A Gentile Christian, Luke witnessed the arrest of Paul and the subsequent closing of the temple gates. From his perspective, the act of closing the gates symbolically signified that the temple was of no importance to the Gentile Christian church and within time after a.d. 70 would be meaningless to the Jewish Christian segment as well.) In the land of fadeless day) Lies a city four-square;) It shall never pass away,) And there is no night there.) And the gates shall never close) To the city four-square;) There life s crystal river flows,) And there is no night there.) John R. Clements) ) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:30 32) Verse 30) �7���� the imperfect tense of ��� (I drag) is descriptive and denotes process. But the aorist passive verb ���������� (from �����, I shut) connotes single action. While the Jews were dragging Paul out of the Court of the Women and into the Court of the Gentiles, the temple guard shut the gates.) Verses 31 32) ��������� the genitive absolute construction lacks the pronoun �P��� in the genitive case. The pronoun is implied.��54�� The verb ����� (I seek) conveys the unfavorable connotation of attempting to kill someone.) ����������� this is a variation of the present tense of ������ (I confuse).

See verse 27.) ���������� from ��������� (I run down), this verb in the second aorist vividly depicts the commander running down the stairs toward the Court of the Gentiles.) ) ) c. Intervention) 21:33 36) 33. Then the commander approached Paul, arrested him, and had him bound with two chains. He asked who he was and what he had done.) From Luke s narrative we learn that Roman authorities were kindly disposed toward Paul. Except in Philippi (16:22), officials of the Roman government repeatedly favored and sheltered Paul. For instance, in Corinth the Roman proconsul acquitted Paul even before he had an opportunity to defend himself (18:14 15).

In Ephesus, the Asiarchs advised Paul not to enter the theater (19:31). During the voyage to Rome, the centurion named Julius was kindly disposed toward Paul and allowed him to go ashore at Sidon to see his friends (27:3).) The commander in Jerusalem approached Paul, arrested him, and had him bound with two chains (compare 12:6).��55�� By having Paul bound, the commander cut off any possible attempt to escape. (Paul realized that the prophecy of Agabus and his demonstration of being bound was fulfilled [21:10 11].) By intervening, the commander saved Paul from death. He began to ask the attackers about Paul s identity and transgressions. The tense of the Greek verb indicates that the commander asked the question repeatedly.) 34. But when some in the crowd shouted one thing and others something else, and because the commander was unable to discover the truth, he ordered Paul to be brought to the barracks.) The commander demonstrated that he was fully in control of the situation. Whereas a few years earlier Governor Cumanus had ordered his troops to quell a riot and as a consequence killed thousands of Jews,��56�� Claudius Lysias himself stood in the midst of the mob and tried to find out what had happened.) The crowd was unable to give an answer because they themselves had no idea why they were there (see 19:32 for a parallel).

Some people shouted that Paul had led Jewish people astray, while others cried out that he had broken the law and still others declared that he had defiled the temple (v. 28). Consequently, when the commander received no satisfactory answers to his inquiry, he ordered his troops to take Paul into the barracks, where he personally would interrogate him (22:27 28).) 35. As Paul reached the steps, the violence of the mob forced the soldiers to carry him. 36. The multitude of Jewish people kept following and shouted: Away with him. ) The attackers saw that the object of their hatred was being carried away in Roman custody and possibly would escape the death penalty which they longed to administer. When Paul, bound between two soldiers, reached the two flights of stairs that led to Fortress Antonia, the mob tried to prevent him from ascending these steps.��57�� The press of the mob was so great that the soldiers had to lift Paul from the ground and carry him up the stairs.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.19.15|AUTODETECT|” The mob kept following the Roman soldiers, who undoubtedly tried to prevent the people from mounting the steps. When the multitude realized that they had lost their victim, they began to shout to the soldiers, Away with him. This chant did not mean that the soldiers should take Paul inside the barracks but that they should kill him. Notice the similarity to the mob s chant when Pontius Pilate sought to release Jesus. Then the multitude screamed, Away with him! Crucify him! 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.19.15|AUTODETECT|” John 19:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.23.18|AUTODETECT|” ; and see ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.23.18|AUTODETECT|” Luke 23:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.22.22|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.22.22|AUTODETECT|” Acts 22:22) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.10.24|AUTODETECT|” ). Indeed Paul could affirm the truth of Jesus words that no servant is greater than his master 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.10.24|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 10:24) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.13.16|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.13.16|AUTODETECT|” John 13:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 58 2 8 0 0 ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:33 36) Verse 33) �P��� the genitive case of the pronoun depends on the aorist verb �������� (he arrested). Verbs that denote grasping, catching, and arresting govern the genitive case.) ��������� the imperfect tense depicts repeated questioning by the commander, who tried to learn the details about Paul as a person (���, who) and as the cause of the riot (��, what).) �4� the present optative of the verb �0�� (I am) with the perfect periphrastic construction of ���� and the perfect participle ���������. The use of the optative and the periphrastic construction probably reflect the very words spoken by the commander. Compare the frequent use of the optative in the relatively short speech of Governor Festus (25:16 [twice], 20).) Verse 34) ���� �� ��� some one thing, some another. See 19:32 for this idiomatic expression.��58��) �������� the imperfect tense shows repetitive action; the compound verb reveals intensity: they kept crying loudly. ) ��������� �r �P��� although the construction is the genitive absolute, it is not true to form because the subject of the main verb �������� (he ordered) is the same as that of the genitive absolute.) Verses 35 36) ����� this aorist from �������� (I meet, happen) is a stylistic variant of ������ (it happened). With the present infinitive ����������� (to carry), it describes Luke s amazement that Roman soldiers would carry Paul to safety.) �������� the imperfect tense of the verb �������� (I follow) shows the persistence of the crowd and their passionate hatred of Paul.) ) ) 3.

Paul s Address) 21:37 22:21) Paul is now a prisoner of Rome, and he remains a prisoner from this point in Acts to the end of the book. Yet by being in Roman custody, Paul takes his first steps on his way to the capital of the empire. Even though he is in chains, he eventually fulfills his intention to visit Rome (see 19:21).) Rome constituted the hub of the empire from which roads, like spokes issuing from the hub of a wheel, extended to the ends of the world. Accordingly, for Paul to reach Rome meant to fulfill the missionary mandate Jesus gave the apostles: You will be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (1:8).) ) a. Request) 21:37 40) 37 When Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he asked the commander, May I say something to you? And the commander exclaimed, Do you know Greek? 38 Then you are not the Egyptian who some time ago started a revolt and led four thousand assassins into the desert? 39 Paul replied, I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no unimportant city.

Please allow me to speak to the people. 40 The commander gave him permission, so Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people with his hand. The people became silent and Paul spoke to them in Aramaic.) ) 37. When Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he asked the commander, May I say something to you? And the commander exclaimed, Do you know Greek? 38. Then you are not the Egyptian who sometime ago started a revolt and led four thousand assassins into the desert? ) a. Paul was about to be brought into the barracks.

Having taken an interest in Paul, the commander stays next to him. His soldiers have prevented the multitude from climbing the steps and Paul is shielded from the brutal force of the mob. While the officers and soldiers are still on the steps outside the barracks, Paul, using excellent Greek, addresses a question to the commander.) b. May I say something to you? The commander is surprised to hear Paul speak fluent Greek and to be addressed courteously, for he had supposed Paul was an Egyptian Jew and a criminal. Further, the commander s attempt to make inquiries in the Court of the Gentiles had proved to be futile.

Without giving Paul an answer, the commander reveals his amazement and in turn asks an obvious question, Do you know Greek? He probably wants to know whether Paul s native tongue is Greek and where he learned the language.) c. Then you are not the Egyptian. The rhetorical question the officer poses demands a positive answer. He knows that the native tongue of an Egyptian Jew would be Greek. But Paul is not the Egyptian the commander has in mind, that is, the one who started a rebellion against Rome and led some four thousand dagger-carrying men into the desert a few years earlier.) d. [The Egyptian] who some time ago started a revolt.

Josephus relates that an imposter from Egypt who claimed to be a prophet had led a band of thirty thousand people from the desert to the Mount of Olives. This imposter claimed that at his command the walls of Jerusalem would fall. He intended to overthrow the Roman garrison in Fortress Antonia and then become a tyrant. But Governor Felix heard about the uprising and sent out his cavalry. His soldiers killed numerous Jews and made many others captives (compare 5:36). The Egyptian and a few followers escaped.��59��) e.

And led four thousand assassins into the desert. The discrepancy in numbers between Josephus s account and that of Acts probably stems from a scribal error. In ancient manuscripts, numbers are signified by abbreviated letter forms, whereby in Greek a capital D (�) equals four and a capital L (�) represents thirty. In Greek, the difference is only a short stroke of the pen.��60��) During the administration of Governor Felix, a terrorist group known as the Sicarii engaged in selective assassinations of Jewish leaders friendly toward the Romans. These assassins derived their name from the sica (dagger) which they concealed in their flowing robes.��61�� Especially during Jewish festivals, they mingled with the crowds, swiftly struck down their opponents, joined the mourners, and thus escaped detection.) No wonder the commander wants to know Paul s identity. He realizes that Paul is not a notorious murderer but an educated person from abroad.) 39.

Paul replied, I am a Jew of Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no unimportant city. Please allow me to speak to the people. ) Standing on the steps with a seething mob below in the Court of the Gentiles, Paul wisely refrains from giving a lengthy explanation of his identity. He merely discloses that he is a Jew born in Tarsus in the province of Cilicia. Then he adds by way of clarification, a citizen of no unimportant city. Paul s comment was not trifling; Tarsus was the capital of Cilicia (9:11; 22:3; 23:34) and a university city that ranked with Athens. It was known as the seat of learning for Stoic philosophers.��62��) The commander, however, is unimpressed by Paul s assertion that he hails from no insignificant city in Asia Minor.

But when Paul subsequently reveals that he is a Roman citizen, the officer is intrigued and informs Paul that he paid a large sum of money to obtain his citizenship (22:28). Paul states that he was born a Roman citizen.) Paul asks permission to address the milling crowd below. By doing so, he identifies himself with the people who only moments earlier had tried to kill him. To address these unruly people shows boldness and character. Hence, Paul s request gains him the commander s respect, and the officer readily grants permission.) 40. The commander gave him permission, so Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the people with his hand.

The people became silent and Paul spoke to them in Aramaic.) When Paul receives permission to speak to the crowd, he motions to the crowd (see 12:17; 13:16; 19:33). And the crowd, seeing the gesture, gradually becomes silent and is ready to listen to what Paul has to say.) Paul shows tact and skill by addressing the crowd in Aramaic, the vernacular of the Jewish people. He wants to address the Jews to acquaint them with his background, training, conversion, and calling. For that reason, he communicates in the language of the people to gain their confidence in him. He takes this opportunity to tell the Jews about Jesus.) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 21:37 40) Verse 37) �0 when this particle introduces a direct question, it does not need to be translated (see 19:2).) ��������� the verb to know in this context means to understand. However, Lake and Cadbury assert that the present infinitive ������ should be added after ���������: Do you know how to speak Greek? ��63��) Verses 39 40) �r� & �� notice the contrast in this verse.

With the particle ��� Paul answers the commander s question, and with �� he poses a question.) ����� the genitive absolute construction: when there was great silence. Luke corroborates this statement in the next chapter by saying: they became even more quiet (22:2).) Summary of Chapter 21) After leaving the Ephesian elders at Miletus, Paul and his companions board ship and sail via Cos and Rhodes to Patara. From there they cross over to Tyre, where they stay for a week with the Christians. These believers urge Paul not to go to Jerusalem, but he tells them that the Spirit compels him to do so. Before he leaves, they pray together on the beach. Afterward Paul and his associates go aboard ship and travel to Ptolemais and Caesarea.

In Caesarea they are the guests of Philip the evangelist, whose four daughters prophesy.) The prophet Agabus travels from Judea to Caesarea with a prophecy for Paul. He takes Paul s belt, which he ties around his own hands and feet, and says that the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles. Even though his friends tearfully plead with him not to go to Jerusalem, Paul is determined to go for the sake of Jesus Christ. He and his friends leave Caesarea, stop overnight at the home of Mnason, and arrive in Jerusalem the following day.) The Christians in Jerusalem warmly welcome Paul, who meets with James and the elders of the church the following day. He reports all that God has done through his ministry. The elders advise him to dispel the rumors that he teaches the Jews in dispersion not to circumcise their children.

They tell him to pay the expenses for four men who have made a Nazirite vow. By doing this, they say, everybody will know that the rumors they have heard are false.) Paul follows the elders advice and submits to purification rites in the temple. Some Jews from the province of Asia see him there and seize him. They loudly call for help by saying that Paul has defiled the temple. They drag him from the temple and try to kill him. The Roman commander receives word that the whole city of Jerusalem is in an uproar.

Backed by about two hundred soldiers, the commander arrests Paul and has him bound with two chains. As they ascend the steps to the barracks, Paul asks for permission to address the people. When the commander gives permission, Paul addresses them in Aramaic, the vernacular.) ) 1 According to the Western text, Paul and his companions voyaged to Myra. The other major manuscripts lack this reference, which may have been inserted in the Western text through assimilation to 27:5 or the Acts of Paul and Thecla. Consult Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 3d corrected ed. (London and New York: United Bible Societies, 1975), p. 482.) 2 Refer to Earle Hilgert, Ships; Boats, ISBE, vol. 4, pp. 482 89.) 3 Consult William M.

Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen (1897; reprint ed., Grand Rapids: Baker, 1962), p. 300.) NIV New International Version) 4 John Calvin, Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, ed. David W. Torrance and Thomas F. Torrance, 2 vols. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1966), vol. 2, p. 193.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=14.6.13|AUTODETECT|” 5 See ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=14.6.13|AUTODETECT|” II Chron. 6:13) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.95.6|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.95.6|AUTODETECT|” Ps. 95:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.6.10|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.6.10|AUTODETECT|” Dan. 6:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.9.40|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.9.40|AUTODETECT|” Acts 9:40) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 21 2 8 0 0 6 A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (Nashville: Broadman, 1934), pp. 891, 1115.) 7 Consult Friedrich Blass and Albert Debrunner, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, trans. and rev. Robert Funk (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961), #309.1.) 8 Bauer, p. 124.) 9 F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 3d (rev. and enl.) ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), p. 439.) 10 KJV, NKJV, RSV, NASB, MLB, JB, Moffatt.) 11 Bauer, p. 187.

See the use of this verb in Xenophon Ephesius 1.11.2; 3.2.12; 5.1.5; 5.10.3; 5.11.1.) 12 Refer to H. Porter, Acco, ISBE, vol. 1, pp. 23 24.) 13 At least two translations (KJV, NKJV), following the Majority Text, add the words given here in italics: On the next day we who were Paul s companions departed. However, the major manuscripts do not support the addition.) 14 Clement of Alexandria Stromata 3.6.52; Eusebius quotes from Polycrates of Ephesus in Ecclesiastical History 3.31.3 5.) 15 Located in the province of Judea, Caesarea was the Roman military and administrative center of Palestine and, in the eyes of the Jews, not part of Israel. Compare Josephus Antiquities 15.9.6 [331 41]; 16.5.1 [136 41].) 16 Consult Donald Guthrie, New Testament Theology (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity, 1981), p. 740.) 17 Chrysostom Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles 1.5.) 18 Refer to E. Earle Ellis, The Role of the Christian Prophet in Acts, in Apostolic History and the Gospel, ed. W.

Ward Gasque and Ralph P. Martin (Exeter: Paternoster; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970), pp. 55 67.) 19 Henry Alford, Alford s Greek Testament: An Exegetical and Critical Commentary, 7th ed., 4 vols. (1877; Grand Rapids: Guardian, 1976), vol. 2, p. 238.) 20 Ramsay states that the verb to make ready means to equip or saddle a horse. St. Paul the Traveller, p. 302. Because this verb appears only once in the New Testament (and twice elsewhere), the evidence supporting Ramsay s interpretation is slim.) 21 Additions to the text are in italics; the Western text reads: And these [the Caesarean disciples] brought us to those with whom we were to lodge; and when we arrived at a certain village, we stayed with Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple. And when we had departed thence we came.& See Metzger, Textual Commentary, p. 483.) 22 With minor variations, KJV, NKJV, RV, ASV, NEB.) 23 A few changes aside, JB, NASB, NAB, NIV, RSV, SEB, Phillips, and Moffatt.) 24 Bruce, Acts (Greek text), p. 443.) 25 Bauer, p. 98.) 26 Robertson, Grammar, p. 955.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.15.25-45.15.28|AUTODETECT|” 27 See also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.15.25-45.15.28|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 15:25 28) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.16.1-46.16.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.16.1-46.16.4|AUTODETECT|” I Cor. 16:1 4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.8.1-47.8.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.8.1-47.8.4|AUTODETECT|” II Cor. 8:1 4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 8 2 8 0 0 28 Consult Ernst Haenchen, The Acts of the Apostles: A Commentary, trans. Bernard Noble and Gerald Shinn (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1971), p. 608.) 29 Calvin, Acts of the Apostles, vol. 2, p. 199.) 30 NKJV; see also KJV, JB. The Greek addition can also mean a mob will congregate. See Lake and Cadbury, Beginnings, vol. 4, p. 272; James Hardy Ropes, Beginnings, vol. 3, p. 205.) 31 William M. Ramsay, Pictures of the Apostolic Church: Studies in the Book of Acts (reprint ed.; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1959), p. 272.) 32 Refer to SB, vol. 2, p. 755.) 33 Compare Josephus Antiquities 4.4.4 [72]; 19.6.1 [294].) 34 Eusebius Ecclesiastical History 2.23.4 6.) 35 See SB, vol. 2, pp. 757 58; Haenchen, Acts, p. 612.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.6.9|AUTODETECT|” 36 Josephus War 2.15.1 [313]. We have difficulty believing that all four men simultaneously were defiled because of a death in their presence 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=4.6.9|AUTODETECT|” Num. 6:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), just at the time when Paul made the necessary arrangements for his own purification rites.) 1 15 2 8 0 0 37 But see KJV and NKJV.) 38 Refer to I. Howard Marshall, The Acts of the Apostles: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale New Testament Commentary series (Leicester: Inter-Varsity; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 346. Marshall adds that Luke failed to edit the [we-]source in the light of the earlier mention of the decree in chapter 15. This explanation has merit if we understand that the we-source is Luke s own diary.) 39 F. W. Grosheide, De Handelingen der Apostelen, Kommentaar op het Nieuwe Testament series, 2 vols. (Amsterdam: Van Bottenburg, 1948), vol. 2, p. 267 n. 2.) 40 Blass and Debrunner, Greek Grammar, #327.) 41 Robertson, Grammar, p. 524.) 42 Bauer, p. 549; Robertson, Grammar, p. 809.) 43 Mishnah Nazir 3.6.) 44 Bauer, p. 838; C.

F. D. Moule, An Idiom-Book of New Testament Greek, 2d ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1960), p. 64.) 45 Richard B. Rackham, The Acts of the Apostles: An Exposition, Westminster Commentaries series (1901; reprint ed., Grand Rapids: Baker, 1964), p. 411.) 46 Josephus War 5.5.2 [194]; 6.2.4 [124 26]; Antiquities 15.11.5 [417]. See also SB, vol. 2, pp. 761 62.) 47 Harold G. Stigers, Temple, Jerusalem, ZPEB, vol. 5, p. 650.) 48 Refer to Shmuel Safrai and Michael Avi-Yonah, Temple, Encyclopaedia Judaica, vol. 15, p. 966.) 49 Blass and Debrunner, Greek Grammar, #342.4; Robertson, Grammar, p. 894.) 50 Emil Sch�rer, The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (175 b.c. a.d. 135), rev. and ed.

Geza Vermes and Fergus Millar, 3 vols. (Edinburgh: Clark, 1973 87), vol. 2, p. 278.) 51 Josephus War 5.5.8 [238].) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.18.12|AUTODETECT|” 52 Bauer, p. 882; see also, e.g., ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.18.12|AUTODETECT|” John 18:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 . There was a cohort of 760 foot soldiers and a squadron of 240 horsemen in Jerusalem. Consult Lake and Cadbury, Beginnings, vol. 4, p. 275.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 53 Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, New International Commentary on the New Testament series (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1971), p. 270.) 54 Robertson, Grammar, p. 1126.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.28.20|AUTODETECT|” 55 Compare Josephus Antiquities 18.6.7 [196]; see also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.28.20|AUTODETECT|” Acts 28:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.6.20|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.6.20|AUTODETECT|” Eph. 6:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=55.1.16|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=55.1.16|AUTODETECT|” II Tim. 1:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 9 2 8 0 0 56 Josephus War 2.12.1 [223 26]; Antiquities 20.5.3 [105 12].) 57 Josephus War 5.5.8 [243]. Consult Sch�rer, History of the Jewish People, vol. 1, p. 366.) 58 Robertson, Grammar, p. 747.) 59 Josephus War 2.13.1 [261 63]; Antiquities 20.8.1 [169 72].) 60 Lake and Cadbury, Beginnings, vol. 4, p. 277.) 61 Josephus Antiquities 20.8.10 [186]. See Sch�rer, History of the Jewish People, vol. 1, p. 463; Terence L. Donaldson, Zealot, ISBE, vol. 4, p. 1178.) 62 Refer to E. M. Blaiklock, Cities of the New Testament (Westwood, N.J.: Revell, 1965), p. 21; Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller, pp. 31 32; and see Colin J. Hemer, Tarsus, ISBE, vol. 4, pp. 734 36.) 63 Lake and Cadbury, Beginnings, vol. 4, p. 276.) )