[i] the Spirit] In this verse the king's MS. reads thus, Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον ἐπίπεσιν ἐπὶ τὸν Εὐνοῦχον, ἄγγελος δὲ Κυρίου ἤρπασε τὸν Φίλιππον, The Holy Ghost fell upon the eunuch, and the angel of the Lord caught, or snatched, away Philip. [i] stiffnecked] Σκληροτράχηλοι proverbially signifies undisciplinable, foolish people; according to a rule in physiognomy, that those that have necks that do not easily bend are such: so saith Adamantius Physiog. l. 2. c. 26, σκληροτράχηλοι, ἀμαθεῖς, "hard-necked persons are indocile and ignorant;" and again, τισὶ διὰ μωρίαν γίνονται ἀκλινεῖς τράχηλοι, "some men have necks that will not bend, and this is an argument of folly." But I suppose the meaning of St. Stephen is not to be fetched from this notation of the word, but from the metaphor of beasts, oxen, &c., that till they be disciplined and accustomed to the yoke, are not willing or patient to bend down to it. And so hard or stiffnecked signifies no more than refractory, disobedient, undisciplinable, and so it is here set to denote them that do always resist the Holy Ghost, in all God's methods toward them walk contrary to him. And he proclaimed his vision, saying, Behold— 57, 58. And they dealt with him by the judgment of zeal, used among the Jews against those that departed from the Jewish (and set up any new) worship; and first cast him out of the gates of the city, then stoned him; and they that brought evidence against him, ch. vi. 13, and were therefore by law to throw the first stone at him, and are therefore called executioners, ch. xxii. 2, put off their clothes to fit themselves for their work; and a young man called Saul undertook to look to their clothes, who consequently had a hand in the stoning of him, ch. viii. 1. And all the time that they cast stones he continued in prayer to God, and at the last concluded in these words, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. * gave up the ghost. ### CHAP. VIII. [k] lay not this] Μὴ στήσης may here be rendered by referring to the use of that word, (among these writers,) of loans or sales, which were done by weighing out the money, and receiving it back again by weight. This is called στήσας, Isa. xxxii. 9, ἔστησα αὐτῷ ἑπτὰ σίκλους, I weighed him, or, I told him out, seven shekels; whence Hesychius, στάσιμον τὸ δεδανισμένον, "that that is weighed is that that is lent," for, saith he, σταθμῷ πάλαι ἐδάνειζον, "anciently they lent by weight." Thus the Hebrew יָשַׁע, which is answerable to it, is oft rendered τίειν and ἀποτίειν, as to weigh out is to pay, that is, to punish. So that the importance of Stephen's prayer is, that God would not require back this debt, that is, punish them for this sin. And that this prayer was heard for them that had a hand in Stephen's blood appears by God's special mercy to Saul, who was a principal person in it, and is miraculously converted in the ninth chapter, according to that saying of the father, Si Stephanus non orasset, ecclesia Paulum non habuisset; "If Stephen had not prayed, the church had not had St. Paul." And it struck him with great terror, as at the presence of God, which he knew was wont thus to exhibit himself. This made him fall prostrate on his face, and as he did so, there came to his ears a clap of thunder, and out of that this speech directed to him, Saul, Saul— b it is thy best way to be obedient to the commands that shall now be given thee, and not to be refractory. c I am most ready to do whatever thou commandest me, if thou wilt please to give me knowledge of thy will. And the Lord— d were so frightened with the thunderclap which they heard, (though they neither saw any man nor heard what was said unto him,) that they were not able to speak. e was not able to see, ver. 9, but was fain to be led to Damascus. [a] to kick against the pricks] It was a proverbial speech to kick against the goad, signifying to be refractory to punishment and discipline when it comes to teach us our duty; for then the refractoriness doth but involve us in more guilt and punishment. So in Æschylus Prometh. 321. Ὁκουν ἔμοιγε χρώμενος διδασκάλῳ Πρὸς κέντρα κῶλον ἐκτενεῖς, and in his Alex. Πρὸς κέντρα μὴ λάκτιζε, μὴ πήσας μογῆς, "If thou wilt take my counsel, thou shalt never kick against the goad, for thou wilt bring more sufferings upon thyself by that means." Parallel to this is ἀδάμαντα παίειν, "striking the adamant," πῦρ πατεῖν, "treading on the fire," in Chrysostom; so again, Ὁ γὰρ τὸν ἀδάμαντα πλήττων αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ πληττόμενος. Καὶ ὁ κέντρα λακτίζων αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ κεντούμενος, "He that strikes the adamant is himself stricken, and he that kicks the goads is himself goaded:" stimulus pugnis cædere, in Plautus, "to beat the goads with his fists," Truc. 4. 2. For this of goads was used, not to beasts only, but servants, which he calls stimuleum supplicium, Mil. 2. 6. And the servant thus handled severely is by him called carnificinum cribrum, his back was "a kind of sieve full of holes." [b] hearing a voice] What is here said of those that were with Paul, that they heard the voice, seems directly contrary to what is affirmed, ch. xxii. 9, τὴν δὲ φωνὴν οὐκ ἤκουσαν, they heard not the voice. As for the way of reconciling it, by saying that the former belongs to Paul's voice, the latter to the voice of him that spake to him, there is little ground in the text for that nicety; but on the contrary, the μηδέναι θεωροῦντες, seeing no man, which follows in this place, belongs surely not to their not seeing of Paul, but of him that spake to him. The only way of reconciling the difficulty is by observing the notion of the word קול in Hebrew, which signifies φωνὴν and βροντὴν, a voice, and thunder, and those promiscuously taken the one for the other. So Heb. xii. 26, whose voice shook the earth, that is, whose thunder and lightnings and voice of a trumpet exceeding loud, Exod. xix. 16, and so Luke ix. 35, the voice of a cloud, saying, was the thunder with a voice in it, a revelation from heaven given in thunder. So Matt. iii. 17, a voice from heaven saying, that is, a thunder from heaven sending forth this voice, which therefore was wont to be called בת קול, the daughter of voice, or a voice coming out of it, or as the voice from heaven, John xii. 28, is expressed by the bystanders by βροντὴν γεγονέναι, that it thundered, and an angel spake to him, which is explained distinctly by St. John, Rev. iv. 5, where βρονταὶ and φωναὶ both are named, and ch. x. 3, Ἐλάλησαν ἑπτὰ βροντοὶ τὰς ἑαυτῶν φωνὰς, the seven thunders delivered their voices. By this the difficulty will be cleared: for here, ch. ix, τὴν φωνὴν, the voice, ought to be rendered (according to the notion of קול, for βροντὴ) thunder, which was here joined with lightning, which shone or flashed about him, ver. 3, περιήστραψε φῶς. As for the φωνὴν λαλοῦντός μοι, the voice of him that spake to me, ch. xxii. 9, that was the voice of the b Hom. 42. in Matt. p. 278. l. 2. l Hom. 24. in Matt. p. 174. And he was not in three days recovered out of that fit, but continued blind, and able to eat nothing, in a kind of trance or ecstasy, ver. 12. goads, xivroa. hearing indeed the voice, or, thunder. And now he is come with commission from the sanhedrim (see ver. 2.) to secure all that publicly avow the worship of Christ, Acts xxii. 16. 'a prime special person, whom as a most honourable instrument, or piece of householdstuff in my family, (the church, which I am now to erect,) I have set apart for my peculiar service, (see ch. xxvi. 17,) viz., to preach the gospel not only to the Jews but the Gentiles also, the greatest and supreme among them. And as fierce as he now appears against the Christian faith, he shall suffer very heavy pressures, run many hazards suddenly, vv. 23 and 29, and labour most abundantly, and at last suffer death itself in propugning of it, and this shall now be foretold him by thee. And Ananias went to him, and laying his hands on him, told him that Jesus (that appeared to him as he came to Damascus) had sent him to him, not only to restore his sight to him, but to endow him with many extraordinary gifts and graces, thereby to fit him for God's service in the church, to which he had designed him, and to which he is consecrated, ch. xiii. 2. ' nations, 1800. And all that heard it were amazed at this sudden change, remembering that he had so lately been a special person in the stoning of Stephen, and very vehement against all Christians, and was come to Damascus with commission for this very purpose. But Saul grew every day in spiritual strength, and was soon able to repel all the Jews' arguments to the contrary, and pressed them with such evidence that they were not able to avoid, collecting from the characters and prophecies of the Messias (and thereby demonstrating) that this Jesus is the Messias. had a design, and entered into a conspiracy, and laid wait to assault and kill him. the Christians (see note [a] Matt. v.) took him— Christians there, but they durst not venture to teaching. And he proclaimed the faith of Christ publicly, and argued and discoursed with the Jews that understood Greek (see note [a] ch. vi.): but they— ° the city where he was born. Now all the Christian assemblies through Judæa, Galilee, and Samaria, were permitted a quiet use of their religion, and daily more and more confirmed and improved, superstructing all Christian doctrine, and pure pious practice on that foundation already laid, and more were daily converted to them by the apostles' discharging that office and duty, to which they were designed by the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, upon them: (see note [b] John xiv.) And as Peter went his perambulation thorough all those churches he came to the Jewish Christians that dwelt at Lydda. p being sick of the palsy, was not able to move from his bed for the space of eight years. And hereupon the inhabitants of Lydda and Saron generally received the faith, seeing this man on whom this miracle was wrought. And at Joppa there was a woman that had received the faith, her name was Tabitha, which signifies a roe, she was a very laborious woman, one that wrought much, (see note [k] Luke i., and note [a] Titus iii.,) and by that means was very liberal and charitable. ' and having, by way of preparation for her interring, washed her, according to their custom of burying, they laid her— ' the Christians of Joppa had heard— ' poor widows, which had been clothed by her liberality, came weeping to him, and shewed him the evidences and monuments of her charity, the inner and upper garments, (see note [r] Matt. v.,) which either she made, or caused to be made them, while she lived, ver. 36. There was in Cæsarea, a stately city upon the Palestine coast, some seventy miles from Jerusalem, a guard of soldiers, kept by the Romans to awe the conquered Jews, and to defend the Roman president there, and part of that was called the Italian band, and one Cornelius a Roman was captain thereof. And this Cornelius was a proselyte of the Jews, and so one that worshipped the true God, he and all his family, though he were not circumcised, and he was a very charitable and devout person, and prayed daily at the set times very constantly. a about three of clock in the afternoon, one of the times of his devotions, had a vision, and in it he saw an angel (see note [f] ch. viii.) of God— [a] a devout man] What is meant by proselytes and the two sorts of them, hath been set down in note [d] on Matt. xxiii, and the manner of initiating them by washing, note [a] on Matt. iii, and their putting off their old relations, note [d] on Matt. xix. 28, and their new birth, note [a] on John iii. Now it will be worth observing what titles the New Testament hath made use of to express the second sort of proselytes, those, not of justice, but of the gates, or the uncircumcised proselytes, And he discerned it to be a message from God, and with an earnest intent look, and great dread, he said, What is thy pleasure, Lord? And he said, Thy prayer so constantly observed at thy set times, and thy many works of charity on all occasions, have been accepted by God as a special sacrifice, and brought down a special blessing upon thee. [b] memorial] The notion of μνημόσυνον, a memorial, in this and some other places is here fit to be observed: it is a form of speech signifying an oblation or sacrifice. So Lev. ii. 9, the priest shall take from the meat offering a memorial thereof, and burn it upon the altar: it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord: where it is clearly affirmed of the אוכת, μνημόσυνον αὐτῆς, the memorial, that it is an offering, &c. So vv. 9, 16, and ch. v. 12, ch. vi. 15, and oft elsewhere. And so the ascending or coming up before God inclines it here; for that is proper to sacrifices and oblations, to go up and render a sweet savour to God; and this is here fitly attributed to his prayers and alms, which are the Christian's sacrifice, an odour of sweet smell, θυσία δεκτή, a welcome sacrifice to God, Phil. iv. 18, and Heb. xiii. 6. And telling them the whole matter of the vision he sent them accordingly to Joppa. 'went up to the roof of the house, (as a place commodious for devotion,) about twelve of the clock, or mid-day, which was another time of prayer used by pious men. 'he fell into a trance, such as in which men are wont to receive visions from heaven. [c] up upon the housetop to pray] That δῶμα signifies peculiarly not a house but the roof or top of the house, which being plain was fit for use, hath been said, note [h] on Matt. xxiv. Of this the Jews had a special use, in places out of Judea or Jerusalem, that they might more freely look that way in performing their devotions. For the temple of Jerusalem being the solemn place of worship, they that were at distance from that place were to pray toward it. So 1 Kings viii. 48, in the first institution, they that were carried captive out of the land were to pray toward their land, and accordingly, Dan. vi. 10, Daniel went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled on his knees three times a day, and prayed. So when it is said of Hezekiah, 2 Kings xx. 2, that he turned his face to the wall, and prayed, Jonathan's Targum reads towards the wall of the sanctuary, that is, toward that wall of the room which pointed towards the sanctuary, J. C. 1. p. 116. [d] a trance] The word ἱκστασις is the Greek of חרדמה, which signifies either, 1st, deep sleep, (and a trance of the nature of that,) or 2dly, amazement, astonishment, and accordingly is by the Septuagint rendered sometimes θάμβος, as Psalm lxviii. 29, and δεῖνός φύβος, 1 Sam. xxvi. 12, (see note [b] on Rom. xi,) and sometimes ἱκστασις, as Gen. ii. 21, where it is (though we render it a deep sleep,) of the same kind with that here, a trance or ecstasy, and therefore is rendered by the Targum שָׁנָא, a strong sleep, signifying or intimating it to be something more than that sleep which is ordinary among men. Proportionably to these acceptions of the Hebrew, the word ἱκστασις in the New Testament signifies sometimes amazement and astonishment from fear or wonder, Mark v. 42, and xvi. 8, Luke v. 26, Acts iii. 10, and sometimes a trance or ecstasy, when the outward senses being bound up as it were with sleep, God's will is inwardly revealed to the understanding by way of intellectual vision. Thus is it in all the other places of the New Testament: ch. xi. 5, εἶδον ἐν ἱκστάσει ὅραμα, in an ecstasy or trance I saw a vision, and ch. xxii. 17, γενέσθαι με ἐν ἱκστάσει, I was in a trance, and so here speaking of the same matter. Where therefore it sufficiently appears to denote, not a natural sleep, such as men dispirited with fasting may be thought apt to fall into, (which the mention of Peter's fasting in the beginning of the verse hath made some men apprehend of it,) but a transportation or trance into which he was cast by God, (or a binding up his outward senses, which is answerable to a deep sleep, such as Adam's was, Gen. ii, when the rib was taken out of him,) to make him capable of the vision or revelations of God's will, which here he was to receive. To which purpose it will be observable, that Gen. xvii. 3, when the Hebrew text saith, Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, the Jerusalem Talmud reads, Inclinavit se Abram super faciem ejus, et obstupuit, "Abram bowed himself upon his face, and was astonished;" where the et obstupuit, "and was astonished," is clearly the ἱκστασις here, (the Hebrew word signifying, as was said, both astonishment and trance,) wherein God talked with him by way of vision to his understanding, not to his senses. And in a vision he seemed to see heaven— In which were all sorts of creatures, clean and unclean, those that by the Jewish law a Jew might touch, and those that he might not, noting the Gentiles and Jews together: (see note [d] Matt. xxiii.) And the voice bid him eat freely and indifferently of them all, that is, converse and preach freely to the Gentiles as well as the Jews. But Peter refused, as having thought himself bound to eat nothing that was forbidden by the law concerning clean and unclean. [c] proving Συμβίβασις, πείσις, διδαχή, πίστις, saith Hesychius. It signifies persuasion, doctrine, faith; and συμβιβασθέντες, διδαχθέντες, διαλεχθέντες; and συμβιβάνω (it should be συμβιβασάνω) διδαξάνω, all to the same purpose, that the word signifies to teach or persuade. And so it is used in the Septuagint, Exod. iv. 12, Ἀνοίξω τὸ στόμα καὶ συμβιβάσω, I will open thy mouth and teach thee; and so Jud. xiii. 8, and Ps. xxxi. 8, and Isai. xl. 13. And Peter would not receive that expression from him, telling him that he was an ordinary man, though thus employed on God's errand to him. m Ye all know that the laws of the Jewish religion permit not a Jew to converse familiarly with any Gentile; but God hath by vision revealed to me, that I should not make any difference between Jews and Gentiles. n an angel appeared to me in the shape of a man in bright shining apparel. HAMMOND, VOL. I. L 1 [d] edified Οἰκοδομεῖν signifies properly to build or superstruct upon a foundation, and add all the perfection of the building designed or belonging to it. And so, being accommodated to spiritual matters, it signifies to teach the whole Christian doctrine of strict and pious life, of which Christ's being the Messias sent from God is the foundation or corner-stone, and the receiving and practising all that he commands, is that which is naturally and necessarily built upon it: and therefore to their being edified here, is added in the next words, walking in the fear of the Lord. The word is elsewhere very often used in these books, especially in St. Paul's Epistles; and therefore it will here be fit to premise that which may give light to it in all those places. It is generally used in this metaphorical sense with application to the church of God, and the spiritual building thereof, partly in respect of knowledge, but principally in respect of Christian practice. The church is the house of God, οἶκος πνευματικὸς, 1 Pet. ii. 5, a spiritual house, and every Christian one of the λίθοι ζώντες, living stones, which οἰκοδομοῦνται, are edified or built, and of which this house is made up. And the building itself, that is, edification, is the compacting or orderly joining together of these living stones, in belief of the truth and charitable living together, from both which proceeds the strength and comeliness of the structure, and the fitness for the use and honour of him whose it is, that is, Christ. So that whatsoever tends in any eminent manner either to the converting of infidels, bringing them into the church, to the advancing of Christian knowledge, or especially of piety, in any one or more particular men, or to the planting of unity, peace, and charity in any particular national, or in the universal church of God, that is said to edify or build up: and which of these senses peculiarly belongs to the word in any place, must be judged by the context and circumstances of the place where it is found, and may not be here set down more particularly. But of what nation soever a man be, if he undertake the service of the true God, and exercise works of mercy and devotion, ver. 2, he shall be sure to be accepted by God, and rewarded with higher revelations and graces from him. 36—38. The doctrine which hath been preached thorough all Judæa by God's appointment, to wit, that of salvation by Jesus, appointed by God to be our King, and which was first preached in Galilee presently after John Baptist's preaching and baptizing; this doctrine you cannot but have heard of, viz., concerning Jesus of Nazareth, how by the testimony of the Holy Ghost descending on him, and by the power of working miracles, God authorized him, and accordingly he hath executed his office, an office of mercy, instructing and calling to repentance, curing diseases, and casting out devils by the power of God, which was present with him. • The Syriac and old Latin read, thee. [e] anointed] That the use of oil among the Jews was for festi- But this manifestation was not immediately made to all the multitude of the Jews, but only to his disciples, persons whom God had inclined to leave all and follow Christ, and to receive the faith which he preached to them, and to repose their whole trust in him; for being crucified by the Jews, and taken from them, and so they left destitute and hopeless for a while, God was pleased to revive him again; and as he had chosen them to be witnesses of all that Christ did when he was alive, so he chose them to be the witnesses most distinctly of his resurrection, giving them the honour to eat and drink with him, and to see him eat and drink after he rose from the dead. Whom therefore he appointed to preach the gospel of Christ to the world, and to proclaim to all that this crucified Christ is raised to God's right hand, to be judge of all men that shall die before, and that shall be found alive at the day of doom. This is he of whom all the prophets foretell, that in him God would strike a new covenant with mankind, of which this is the sum, that although men were sinners, yet upon receiving of him, embracing his doctrine, they should by their prayers, offered to God in his name, obtain pardon and remission. Whilst Peter was thus speaking, the Holy Spirit (either by some way of visible appearance, such as that was on the apostles, Acts xv. 8, or else manifesting himself in them by the effects, the same that had attended the visible descent, Acts ii, the gift of tongues, &c., ver. 46.) came down upon them, (see ver. 47, and ch. xi. 15.) and gave unto those that heard him (power of doing miracles, of speaking strange languages, ver. 46, to some, to others) other gifts and graces, fitting them for several conditions in the church: see ch. xix. 6. And the Jews which had received the gospel, and came with Peter, wondered extremely that on the Gentiles— 'bless God for his great mercies to them. Then— a Christians in Judæa heard that the people of other nations, which were not Jews, had embraced the doctrine of Christ. 2, 3. And at Peter's coming to Jerusalem the Jewish Christians (who, though they were converted to Christianity, yet still continued constant to the observation of the Mosaical law of circumcision, of abstaining from unclean things, and the conversation with men of any other nation, &c.) accused him, that he conversed freely with those that were not circumcised, Cornelius, &c., and eat with them, which the Jews count absolutely unlawful. And Peter thus made his apology, giving an exact account of all that had befallen in this matter. b See note [d] ch. x. c beasts and fowls, and creepers of all sorts, clean and unclean. a in like manner even as we? καθὼς καὶ ἡμεῖς; orderly, ἀρξάμενος ἱξοῦτο αὐτοῖς καθιέξις. b began and expounded to them And as soon as I had seen this vision, there was a thing fell out, which made me discern to what end this vision was designed, not only to reveal to me the lawfulness of eating all sorts of meats, but more principally of conversing with and preaching the gospel to the Gentiles: for immediately— And the Spirit of God, by a secret afflation or incitation, (see note [f] ch. viii.,) commanded me to make no scruple, (this was the interpreting of my vision to me,) but freely to go along with them, though they were not Jews or circumcised proselytes. And these six men, converted or Christian Jews, went along with me: and we all went into the house of Cornelius, a Gentile, but proselyte of the Jews, though uncircumcised. And he told how in a vision, received from an angel in this house of his, (and might not we enter where an angel had been before us, sent by God immediately, as we also were?) he was commanded to send to Joppa for Simon Peter to come to him; Who, said the angel, shall teach thee that doctrine, by believing and embracing of which thou and all thy family, if they believe also, shall be made heirs of everlasting salvation. And I had not long discoursed with them, and preached the gospel of Christ, but the Holy Ghost came down (see ch. x. 44.) upon Cornelius and his company, either in the same manner or with the same effects as he did upon us apostles (Acts ii.) presently after the ascension of Christ, before we entered upon our office. And I could not but apply to these also what Christ said to us, viz., that John Baptist's manner and And therefore, when God hath allowed these Gentiles the same privilege which he bestowed on us after our continuing steadfast to the faith of Christ so long, attending him as his constant disciples, when that which we look on as the solemnity of our mission or apostleship—the descent of the Holy Ghost—hath been also allowed to them, it must have been a downright disobedience to God if I had made a scruple to receive them into the church, or indifferently to preach unto or converse with them. With this account of Peter's they were satisfied, and blessed God for that communicativeness of his goodness, that he had afforded the same mercy to the Gentiles as to the Jews, that if they will return, and amend, and receive Christ, they shall be saved, and that he had given them the grace to do so. Then the disciples that were driven from Jerusalem (ch. viii. 1.) went about publishing the gospel (see note [b] ch. viii.) to the Jews, but to none else. And some of these disciples were men that had been born in Cyprus and Cyrene, and they, when they came to Antioch, preached the faith of Christ to those Jews which spake and used the Greek language and Bibles. And God prospered their preaching of Christ, and brought in many converts to them daily. And the apostles that remained at Jerusalem hearing of it, sent Barnabas to confirm them from city to city as far as Antioch. Who coming and seeing with what good success the gospel had been preached among them (see ⁴ when we had believed, πιστεύωσαν. ἰγὼ τίς ἥμην δυνατὸς κωλύσαι τὸν Θεόν; and MS., read Ἑλληνιστάν, Hellenists. ⁵ who was I, able to withstand or hinder God? ⁶ speaking, λαλοῦντες. ⁷ Many copies, printed For Barnabas was a very pious person, a believer that had many excellent gifts and graces, and by his means also the gospel was received by very many. Paul and Barnabas, for the space of a year, resorted to the place of public assemblies, and instructed and confirmed all that came. And the disciples, or those that received the faith of Christ, being formerly called Nazarites or Galilæans, instead of those names, were styled Christians, and that first in Antioch of any place. [a] called Christians] The use of χρηματίζω in the active for to be called in a passive sense, is to be seen, Rom. vii. 3, μοιχαλὶς χρηματίσει, she shall be called an adulteress. So in ¹ Œcumenius, ἀστῆρες δὲ πλανῆται χρηματίζουσι καὶ αὐτοί, "they also are called wandering stars:" but that in an eminent manner, as may be discerned by that acceptance of it in Epiphanius; 'Αστρονομία, saith he, παρὰ Φαρισαίοις σφόδρα ἐχρηματίζει: "Astronomy was much cried up, was in great reputation among the Pharisees." So here χρηματίζειν Χριστιανοὺς, is to be famously known under that name of Christians. And some of the chief men, possibly bishops of Judæa, that had also the gift of prophecy, came by appointment of the church of Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them, named Agabus, by revelation from the Spirit of God, foretold that there should shortly be a great famine over all Judæa, (see note [e] Matt. xxiv., and note [a] Luke ii,) which accord- ingly came to pass in the reign of the emperor Claudius: see 1 Cor. xvi. 1. And all the Christians in all places, according to their abilities, resolved to send relief to the Christians in Judæa in this time of dearth, (and among them Helen, queen of the Adiabeni, saith Eusebius, lib. 2. c. 12.) bought a great deal of corn out of Egypt, and sent it to be distributed to them that were in want: see Jos. Ant. lib. 20. cap. 2. And this liberality from other parts of the church was by Paul and Barnabas brought and put into the hands of the bishops of Judæa. assembled in the church, συναχθῆναι ἐν τῇ ἑκαλησίᾳ. [b] the elders] The word πρεσβύτεροι, elders, is here first met with in the Christian church, and therefore will deserve to be explained. ¹ On Jude.