Act 21:28-36, Act 22, Act 28 | TSK | STEP

that.It is evident that the apostle considered his extraordinary conversion as a most complete demonstration of the truth of Christianity; and when all the particulars of his education, his previous religious principles, his zeal, his enmity against Christians, and his prospects of secular honours and preferments by persecuting them, are compared with the subsequent part of his life, and the sudden transition from a furious persecutor to a zealous preacher of the gospel, in which he laboured and suffered to the end of his life, and for which he died a martyr, it must convince every candid and impartial person that no rational account can be given of this change, except what he himself assigns; and consequently, if that be true, that Christianity is Divine.

that.

9:3-5; 26:12

Damascus.

Ge 14:15; 15:2; 2Sa 8:6

about.

26:13; Isa 24:23; Mt 17:2; Re 1:16

Saul.

Ge 3:9; 16:8; 22:1,11; Ex 3:4; 1Sa 3:10

why.

Isa 43:22-26; Jer 2:5,9; Mt 25:45; 27:23; 1Ti 1:13

I am.

3:6; 4:10; 6:14; Mt 2:23

whom.

26:14,15; Ex 16:7,8; 1Sa 8:7; Zec 2:8; Mt 10:40-42; 25:40,45

1Co 12:12,26,27

saw.

9:7; Da 10:7

but.

Joh 12:29,30

What.

2:37; 9:6; 10:33; 16:30; Ps 25:8,9; 143:8-10

there.

when.

being.

one.

a devout.

having.

6:3; 10:22; 2Co 6:8; 1Ti 3:7; Heb 11:2; 3Jo 1:12

Brother.

9:17; Phm 1:16

The God.

3:13; 5:30; 13:17; 24:14; Ex 3:13-16; 15:2; 2Ki 21:22; 1Ch 12:17

1Ch 29:18; 2Ch 28:25; 30:19; Ezr 7:27; Da 2:23

hath.

9:15; Jer 1:5; Joh 15:16; Ro 1:1; Ga 1:15; 2Ti 1:1; Tit 1:1

and see.

18; 9:17; 26:16; 1Co 9:1; 15:8

that.

3:14; 7:52; 2Co 5:21; 1Pe 2:22; 1Jo 2:1

hear.

1Co 11:23; 15:3; Ga 1:12

thou shalt.

1:8,22; 10:39-41; 23:11; 26:16-18; 27:24; Lu 24:47,48; Joh 15:27

of.

4:20; 26:20

why.

Ps 119:60; Jer 8:14

arise.

2:38; Ro 6:3,4; 1Co 6:11; 12:13; Ga 3:27; Tit 3:5; Heb 10:22

1Pe 3:21

calling.

2:21; 9:14; Ro 10:12-14; 1Co 1:2

when.

9:26-28; Ga 1:18

while.

10:9,10; 2Co 12:1-4; Re 1:10

saw.

Make.

Mt 10:14,23; Lu 21:21

for.

know.

beat.

martyr.

Stephen.

consenting.

Depart.

for.

9:15; 13:2,46,47; 18:6; 26:17,18; Ro 1:5; 11:13; 15:16; 16:26

Ga 1:15,16; 2:7,8; Eph 3:6-8; 1Ti 2:7; 2Ti 1:11

Away.

7:54-57; 21:36; 25:24; Lu 23:18; Joh 19:15

for.

25:24

cast.

7:53; 26:11; Ec 10:3

The chief.As the chief captain did not understand Hebrew, he was ignorant of the charge against Paul, and also of the defence which the apostle had made; but as he saw that they grew more and more outrageous, he supposed that Paul must have given them the highest provocation, and therefore, according to the barbarous and irrational practice which has existed in all countries, he determined to put him to the torture, in order to make him confess his crime.

21:31,32; 23:10,27

that he should.

25-29; 16:22,23,37; Joh 19:1; Heb 11:35

the centurion.

10:1; 23:17; 27:1,3,43; Mt 8:8; 27:54

Is it.By the Roman law, no magistrate was allowed to punish a Roman citizen capitally, or by inflicting stripes, or even binding him; and the single expression, I am a Roman citizen, arrested their severest decrees, and obtained, if not an escape, at least a delay of his punishment.

27,28; 16:37; 25:16

Take.

29; 23:27

But.It is extremely probable that the inhabitants of Tarsus, born in that city, had the same rights and privileges as Roman citizens, in consequence of a grant or charter from Julius Cæsar, from whom it was called Juliopolis. But if this were not the case, St. Paul's father, or some of his ancestors, might have been rewarded with the freedom of the city of Rome, for his fidelity and bravery in some military service, as Josephus says several of the Jews were; or his father might have obtained it by purchase, as in the instance of the chief captain.

examined him. or, tortured him.

24; Heb 11:35

the chief.

25,26; 16:38,39

because.

21:11,33; 23:28; 26:29; Mt 27:2

commanded.

5; 5:21; 23:15; Mt 10:17

Acts 28

1 Paul, after his shipwreck, is kindly entertained of the barbarians.

5 The viper on his hand hurts him not.

8 He heals many diseases in the island.

11 They depart towards Rome.

17 He declares to the Jews the cause of his coming.

24 After his preaching some were persuaded, and some believed not.

30 Yet he preaches there two years.

the island.

27:26,44

barbarous.

4; Ro 1:14; 1Co 14:11; Col 3:11

shewed.

27:3; Le 19:18,34; Pr 24:11,12; Mt 10:42; Lu 10:30-37

Ro 2:14,15,27; Heb 13:2

because.

Ezr 10:9; Joh 18:18; 2Co 11:27

came.

Job 20:16; Isa 30:6; 41:24; 59:5; Mt 3:7; 12:34; 23:33

fastened.

4; Am 5:19; 2Co 6:9; 11:23

barbarians.

beast.

5; Ge 3:1; Isa 13:21,22; 43:20; Zep 2:15

No doubt.

Lu 13:2,4; Joh 7:24; 9:1,2

a murderer.

Ge 4:8-11; 9:5,6; 42:21,22; Nu 35:31-34; Pr 28:17; Isa 26:21

Mt 23:35; 27:25; Re 21:8

felt.

Nu 21:6-9; Ps 91:13; Mr 16:18; Lu 10:19; Joh 3:14,15; Ro 16:20

Re 9:3,4

said.

12:22; 14:11-13; Mt 21:9; 27:22

the chief.

13:7; 18:12; 23:24

who.

2; Mt 10:40,41; Lu 19:6-9

the father.

Mr 1:30,31

prayed.

9:40; 1Ki 17:20-22; Jas 5:14-16

laid.

9:17,18; 19:11,12; Mt 9:18; Mr 6:5; 7:32; 16:18; Lu 4:40; 13:13

and healed.

Mt 10:1,8; Lu 9:1-3; 10:8,9; 1Co 12:9,28

others.

5:12,15; Mt 4:24; Mr 6:54-56

honoured.

Mt 15:5,6; 1Th 2:6; 1Ti 5:3,4,17,18

laded.

2Ki 8:9; Ezr 7:27; Mt 6:31-34; 10:8-10; 2Co 8:2-6; 9:5-11

Php 4:11,12,19

Cir. A.M. 4067. A.D. 63.

a ship.

6:9; 27:6

whose.

Isa 45:20; Jon 1:5,16; 1Co 8:4

Syracuse.Syracuse was the capital of Sicily, situated on the eastern side of the island, 72 miles S. by E. of Messina, and about 112 of Palermo. In its ancient state of splendour it was 22® in extent, according to Strabo; and such was its opulence, that when the Romans took it, they found more riches than they did at Carthage.

Rhegium.Rhegium, now Reggio, was a maritime city and promontory in Italy, opposite Messina.

the south.

27:13

Puteoli.Puteoli, now Puzzuoli, is an ancient sea-port of Campania, in the kingdom of Naples, about eight miles S. W. of that city, standing upon a hill in a creek opposite to Baiae.

we found.

9:42,43; 19:1; 21:4,7,8; Ps 119:63; Mt 10:11

and were.

20:6; Ge 7:4; 8:10-12

when.

10:25; 21:5; Ex 4:14; Joh 12:13; Ro 15:24; Ga 4:14; Heb 13:3

3Jo 1:6-8

Appii forum.Appii Forum, now Borgo Longo, was an ancient city of the Volsci, fifty miles S. of Rome.

The three taverns.The Three Taverns was a place in the Appian Way, thirty miles from Rome.

he thanked.

Jos 1:6,7,9; 1Sa 30:6; Ps 27:14; 1Co 12:21,22; 2Co 2:14; 7:5-7

1Th 3:7

Rome.Rome, the capital of Italy, and once of the whole world, is situated on the banks of the Tiber, about sixteen miles from the sea; 410 miles S. S .E. of Vienna, 600 S. E. of Paris, 730 E. by N. of Madrid, 760 W. of Constantinople, and 780 S. E. of London.

2:10; 18:2; 19:21; 23:11; Ro 1:7-15; 15:22-29; Re 17:9,18

the centurion.

27:3,31,43

captain.

Ge 37:36; 2Ki 25:8; Jer 40:2

but.

30,31; 24:23; 27:3; Ge 39:21-23

though.

23:1-11; 24:10-16; 25:8,10; Ge 40:15

was.

21:33-40; 23:33

22:24,25,30; 24:10,22; 25:7,8; 26:31

I was.

25:10-12,21,25; 26:32

not.

Ro 12:19-21; 1Pe 2:22,23

this cause.

17; 10:29,33

for the.

23:6; 24:15; 26:6,7

this chain.That is, the chain with which he was bound to the "soldier that kept him;" (ver. 16;) a mode of custody which Dr. Lardner has shown was in use among the Romans. It is in exact conformity, therefore, with the truth of St. Paul's situation at this time, that he declares himself to be "an ambassador in a chain," [en halusis ,] (Eph 6:20;) and the exactness is the more remarkable, as [halusis ,] a chain is no where used in the singular number to express any other kind of custody.

26:29; Eph 3:1; 4:1; 6:20; Php 1:13; Col 4:18; 2Ti 1:10; 2:9

Phm 1:10,13

We.

Ex 11:7; Isa 41:11; 50:8; 54:17

for.

16:20,21; 17:6,7; 24:5,6,14; Lu 2:34; 1Pe 2:12; 3:16; 4:14-16

sect.

5:17; 15:5; 26:5; 1Co 11:19; *marg:

there came.

Phm 1:2

he expounded.

17:2,3; 18:4,28; 19:8; 26:22,23

both.

26:6,22; Lu 24:26,27,44

from.

20:9-11; Joh 4:34

13:48-50; 14:4; 17:4,5; 18:6-8; 19:8,9; Ro 3:3; 11:4-6

agreed.

well.

Mt 15:7; Mr 7:6; 2Pe 1:21

Go.

Isa 6:9,10; Eze 12:2; Mt 13:14,15; Mr 4:12; Lu 8:10; Joh 12:38-40

Ro 11:8-10

Hearing.

De 29:4; Ps 81:11,12; Isa 29:10,14; 42:19,20; 66:4; Jer 5:21

Eze 3:6,7; 12:2; Mr 8:17,18; Lu 24:25,45; 2Co 4:4-6

it known.

2:14; 4:10; 13:38; Eze 36:32

the salvation.

Ps 98:2,3; Isa 49:6; 52:10; La 3:26; Lu 2:30-32; 3:6

sent.

11:18; 13:46,47; 14:27; 15:14,17; 18:6; 22:21; 26:17,18

Mt 21:41-43; Ro 3:29,30; 4:11; 11:11; 15:8-16

great reasoning.

25; Mt 10:34-36; Lu 12:51; Joh 7:40-53

Paul.St. Paul, after his release, is supposed to have visited Judæa, in the way to which he left Titus at Crete, (Tit 1:5,) and then returned through Syria, Cilicia, Asia Minor, and Greece, to Rome; where, according to primitive tradition, he was beheaded by order of Nero, A.D. 66, at Aquae Saiviae, three miles from Rome, and interred in the Via Ostensis, two miles from the city, where Constantine erected a church.

dwelt.

Cir. A.M. 4069. A.D. 65. Preaching.

23; 8:12; 20:25; Mt 4:23; Mr 1:14; Lu 8:1

and teaching.

5:42; 23:11

with.

4:29,31; Eph 6:19,20; Php 1:14; Col 4:3,4; 2Ti 4:17 CONCLUDING REMARKS ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. The Acts of the Apostles is a most valuable portion of Divine revelation; and, independently of its universal reception in the Christian church, as an authentic and inspired production, it bears the most satisfactory internal evidence of its authenticity and truth. St. Luke's long attendance upon St. Paul, and his having been an eyewitness of many of the facts which he has recorded, independently of his Divine inspiration, render him a most suitable and credible historian; and his medical knowledge, for he is allowed to have been a physician, enabled him both to form a proper judgment of the miraculous cures which were performed by St. Paul, and to give an authentic and circumstantial detail of them. The plainness and simplicity of the narrative are also strong circumstances in its favour. The history of the Acts is one of the most important parts of the Sacred History, for without it neither the Gospels nor Epistles could have been so clearly understood; but by the aid of it the whole scheme of the Christian revelation is set before us in a clear and easy view.