2. ἀλλὰπροπαθόντεςκτλ.] See Acts 16:19 ff., Philippians 1:30. Προπαθόντες (class., ἅπ. λεγ. N.T.) finds its full explanation in the second participle which is almost = ὥστεκαὶὑβρισθῆναι: cf. Dem. c. Conon. ad init. ὑβρισθείς, ὦἄνδρεςδικασταί, καὶπαθὼνὑπὸΚόνωνος (cited by Wetstein). More than the bodily suffering it was the personal indignity that had been offered to him as a Roman citizen that had awakened a sense of contumely in St Paul’ s mind. For a similar use of ὑβρίζειν cf. Matthew 22:6, Luke 18:32, Acts 14:5, 2Ma 14:42, 3Ma 6:9. The somewhat awkward repetition of καθὼςοἴδατε after οἴδατε (v. 1) brings out strongly the writers’ desire to carry their readers along with them (Intr. p. 44). ἐπαρρησιασάμεθαἐντῷθεῷκτλ.] In itself ἐπαρρησιασάμεθα may refer generally to the Apostles’ whole attitude, but as the verb is always used elsewhere in the N.T. (Acts 7, Ephesians 1) of the bold proclamation of the Gospel it is better to give it the full meaning ‘ became bold of speech’ (aor. of inception, Kühner3 § 386. 5), the nature of this boldness being further brought out by the explanatory inf. λαλῆσαι (1:8 note), while the added clause ἐντ. θεῷἡμ. points to its true source. Oecum.: διὰτὸνἐνδυναμοῦνταθεὸντοῦτοποιῆσαιτεθαρρήκαμεν. The expression ‘ our God’ is rare in the Pauline Epp., occurring elsewhere only in 3:9, 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, 1 Corinthians 6:11 : it is common in the Apocalypse. ἐνπολλῷἀγῶνι] ‘ in much conflict’— the reference, as the context shows, being to the external dangers to which the Apostles had been subjected (O.L. in multo certamine) rather than to any internal fears on their part (Vg. in multa sollicitudine, cf. Colossians 2:1): cf. Philippians 1:30 τὸναὐτὸνἀγῶναἔχοντεςοἷονεἴδετεἐνἐμοί 1 Timothy 6:12 ἀγωνίζουτὸνκαλὸνἀγῶνατῆςπίστεως. The metaphor, as in the case of the allied ἀθλεῖν, ἄθλησις (2 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 10:32), is derived from the athletic ground: cf. Epict. Diss. 4:4. 30 where life is compared to an Olympic festival in which God has given us the opportunity of showing of what stuff we are made—ἐλθὲἤδηἐπὶτὸνἀγῶνα, δεῖξονἡμῖντίἔμαθες, πῶςἤθλησας.