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We have here a further account of the travels of Paul, and his services and sufferings for Christ. He was not like a candle upon a table, that gives light only to one room, but like the sun that goes its circuit to give light to many. He was called into Macedonia, a large kingdom, Ac 16:9. He began with Philippi, because it was the first city he came to; but he must not confine himself to this. We have him here, I. Preaching and persecuted at Thessalonica, another city of Macedonia, Ac 17:1-9. II. Preaching at Berea, where he met with an encouraging auditory, but was driven thence also by persecution, Ac 17:10-15. III. Disputing at Athens, the famous university of Greece (Ac 17:16-21), and the account he gave of natural religion, for the conviction of those that were addicted to polytheism and idolatry, and to lead them to the Christian religion (Ac 17:22-31), together with the success of this sermon, Ac 17:32-34.

Paul and his company, passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, come to Thessalonica, were they preach the Gospel to the Jews, several of whom believe, Acts 17:1-4. Others raise a mob, and bring Jason, who had received the apostles, before the magistrates, who, having taken bail of him and his companions, dismiss them, Acts 17:5-9. Paul and Silas are sent away by night unto Berea, where they preach to the Jews, who gladly receive the Gospel, Acts 17:10-12. Certain Jews from Thessalonica, hearing that the Bereans had received the Gospel, come thither and raise up a persecution, Acts 17:13. Paul is sent away by the brethren to Athens, where he preaches to the Jews, Acts 17:14-17. He is encountered by the Epicureans and Stoics, who bring him to the Areopagus, and desire him to give a full explanation of his doctrine, Acts 17:18-20. The character of the Athenians, Acts 17:21. Paul preaches to them, and gives a general view of the essential principles of theology, Acts 17:22-31. Some mock, some hesitate, and some believe, and, among the latter, Dionysias and Damaris, Acts 17:32-34.

CHAPTER 17

Acts 17:2. διελέγετο] A B א, min. have διελέξατο (so Lachm.). D E, min. have διελέχθη, which Griesb. has recommended and Born. adopted. Different alterations of the imperf. into the aor. (in conformity with εἰσῆλθε).

Acts 17:4. After σεβομ. Lachm. has καί (A D loti. Vulg. Copt.). Offence was taken at the combination σεβομ. Ἑλλήν., and therefore sometimes Ἑλλήν. was omitted (min. Theophyl. 1), sometimes καί was inserted.

Acts 17:5. προσλαβ. δὲ οἱ Ἰουδ.] So Griesb. But Elz. has ζηλώσαντες δὲ οἱ ἀπειθοῦντες Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ προσλαβ. Lachm.: ζηλώσαντες δὲ οἱ Ἰουδ. καὶ προλαβ. which also Rinck prefers. Matthaei: προσλαβ. δὲ οἱ Ἰουδ. οἱ ἀπειθ. So Scholz and Tisch. Still other variations in codd. vss. and Fathers (D: οἱ δὲ ἀπειθοῦντες Ἰουδαῖοι συστρέψαντες, so Born.). The reading of Lachm. has most external evidence in its favour (A B א, min. Vulg. Copt. Sahid. Syr. utr.), and it is the more to be preferred, since that of Griesb., from which otherwise, on account of its simplicity, the others might have arisen as amplifications in the form of glosses, is only preserved in 142, and consequently is almost entirely destitute of critical warrant; the ἀπειθοῦντες in the Recepta betrays itself as an addition (from Acts 14:2), partly from its being exchanged in several witnesses for ἀπειθήσαντες and partly from the variety of its position (E has it only after πονηρούς).

ἀγαγεῖν] So H, min. Chrys. Theoph. Oec. But D, 104, Copt. Sahid. have ἐξαγαγεῖν (so Born.); A B א, min. Vulg.: προαγαγεῖν (so Lachm.); E: προσαγαγεῖν G, 11 : ἀναγαγεῖν. All of them more definite interpretations.

Acts 17:13. After σαλεύοντες, Lachm. and Born have καὶ ταράσσοντες. So A B D, א, min. and several vss. But σαλ. was easily explained after Acts 17:8 by ταρ. as a gloss, which was then joined by καὶ with the text.

Acts 17:14. ὡς] A B E א, min. have έως, which Lachm. has adopted. But ὡς was not understood, and therefore was sometimes changed into ἕως sometimes omitted (D, min. vss.)

Acts 17:15. After ἤγαγον, Elz. Scholz have αὐτόν, against preponderating testimony. A familiar supplement.

Acts 17:16. θεωροῦντι, Lachm. and Tisch. read θεωροῦντος, which also Griesb. recommended, after A B E, א, min. Fathers. Rightly; the dative is adapted to the αὐτῷ.

Acts 17:18. Instead of αὐτοῖς (which with Lachm., according to witnesses of some moment, is to be placed after εὐηγγελ.) Rinck would prefer αὐτοῦ, according to later codd. and some vss. A result of the erroneous reference of the absolute τὴν ἀνάστασιν to the resurrection of Jesus. The pronoun is entirely wanting in B G א, min. Chrys. So Tisch.; and correctly, both on account of the frequency of the addition, and on account of the variety of the order. In D the whole passage ὅτι … εὐηγγελίζετο is wanting, which Born approves.

Acts 17:20. Instead of τί ἄι, A B א, min. vss. have τίνα, and instead of θέλοι: θέλει. Lachm. has adopted both. But TINA was the more easily converted after the preceding τινα into TINA, as ταῦτα follows afterwards. The removal of the ἄν then occasioned the indicative.

Acts 17:21. καὶ ἀχούειν] Lachm. Tisch. Born, read ἢ ἀκούειν, which, according to A B D א, Vulg. Sahid. Syr. p. is to be adopted.

Acts 17:23. Instead of ὅν and τοῦτον, A* B D א* loti Vulg. Cant. Or. Jer. have ὅ and τοῦτο. So Lachm. Tisch. Born. Rightly; the masculine is an old alteration (Clem. already has it) in accordance with what precedes and follows.

Acts 17:25. ἀνθρωπίνων] Elz. Scholz have ἀνθρώπων, against decisive evidence.

καὶ τὰ πάντα] B G H most min. and some vss. and Fathers have κατὰ πάντα. So Mill, and Matth. An error of transcribers, to whose minds κατὰ πάντα, from Acts 17:22, was still present.

Acts 17:26. αἵματος] is wanting in A B א, min. Copt. Sahid. Aeth. Vulg. Clem. Beda, Lachm. The omission easily took place after ἐνΟΣ. Had there been a gloss, ἀνθρώπου would most naturally have suggested itself; comp. Romans 5:12 ff.

πᾶν τὸ πρόσωπον] Lachm. Tisch. Born, read παντὸς προσώπου, according to A B D א, min. Clem. But the article is necessary, and in the scriptio continua ΠΑΝΤΟ was easily taken together, and παντος made out of it.

προστεταγμ.] Elz. Born, read προτεταγμ., against decisive testimony. A frequent interchange.

Acts 17:27. Κύριον] Griesb. Lachm. read Θεόν, according to A B G H א, min. and several vss. and Fathers. So Tisch. and Born. But certainly an interpretation, which was here in particular naturally suggested, as Paul is speaking to Athenians. Τὸ θεῖον in D, Clem. Ir. Ambr., inserted from Acts 17:29, is yet more adapted to this standpoint.

χαίτοιγε So א. But B D G H, min. Fathers read καίγε, which Griesb. has recommended, and Lachm. Tisch. Born, have adopted. A E, Clem, read καίτοι. See on Acts 14:17.

Acts 17:30. πᾶσι] A B D** E א, min. Ath. Cyr. and vss. have πάντας. Recommended by Griesb., adopted by Lachm. Born.; and rightly. The dative came in after ἀνθρώποις.

Acts 17:31. διότι] Lachm. Tisch. Born, read καθότι, according to A B D E א, min. and Fathers. Rightly; it was supplanted by the more usual διότι.

Ac 17:1-15.

AT THESSALONICA THE SUCCESS OF PAUL'S PREACHING ENDANGERING HIS LIFE, HE IS DESPATCHED BY NIGHT TO BEREA, WHERE HIS MESSAGE MEETS WITH ENLIGHTENED ACCEPTANCE--A HOSTILE MOVEMENT FROM THESSALONICA OCCASIONS HIS SUDDEN DEPARTURE FROM BEREA--HE ARRIVES AT ATHENS.

1. when they had passed through Amphipolis--thirty-three miles southwest of Philippi, on the river Strymon, and at the head of the gulf of that name, on the northern coast of the Ægean Sea.

and Apollonia--about thirty miles southwest of Amphipolis; but the exact site is not known.

they came to Thessalonica--about thirty-seven miles due west from Apollonia, at the head of the Thermaic (or Thessalonian) Gulf, at the northwestern extremity of the Ægean Sea; the principal and most populous city in Macedonia. "We see at once how appropriate a place it was for one of the starting-points of the Gospel in Europe, and can appreciate the force of what Paul said to the Thessalonians within a few months of his departure from them: "From you, the word of the Lord sounded forth like a trumpet, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but in every place,""

(1Th 1:8)

[HOWSON].

where was a synagogue of the Jews--implying that (as at Philippi) there was none at Amphipolis and Apollonia.

Amphipolis - This was the capital of the eastern province of Macedonia. It was originally a colony of the Athenians, but under the Romans it was made the capital of that part of Macedonia. It was near to Thrace, and was situated not far from the mouth of the river Strymon, which flowed around the city, and thus occasioned its name, around the city. The distances laid down in the Itineraries in regard to these places are as follows: Philippi to Amphipolis, 33 miles; Amphipolis to Apollonia, 30 miles; Apollonia to Thessalonica, 37 miles. "These distances are evidently such as might have been traversed each in one day; and since nothing is said of any delay on the road, but everything to imply that the journey was rapid, we conclude (unless, indeed, their recent sufferings made rapid traveling impossible) that Paul and Silas rested one night at each of the intermediate places, and thus our notice of their journey is divided into three parts. The position of Amphipolis is one of the most important in Greece. It stands in a pass which Traverses the mountains bordering the Strymonic Gulf, and it commands the only easy communication from the coast of that gulf into the great Macedonian plains, which extend, for 60 miles, from beyond Meleniko to Philippi. The ancient name of the place was 'Nine Ways,' from the great number of Thracian and Macedonian roads which met at this point. The Athenians saw the importance of the position, and established a colony there, which they called Amphipolis, because the river surrounded it.

And Apollonia - This city was situated between Amphipolis and Thessalonica, and was formerly much celebrated for its trade.

They came to Thessalonica - This was a seaport of the second part of Macedonia. It is situated at the head of the Bay Thermaicus. It was made the capital of the second division of Macedonia by Aemilius Paulus, when he divided the country into four districts. It was formerly called Therma, but afterward received the name of Thessalonica, either from Cassander, in honor of his wife Thessalonica, the daughter of Philip, or in honor of a victory which Philip obtained over the armies of Thessaly. It was inhabited by Greeks, Romans, and Jews. It is now called Saloniki, and, from its situation, must always be a place of commercial importance. It is situated on the inner bend of the Thermaic Gulf, halfway between the Adriatic and the Hellespont, on the sea margin of a vast plain, watered by several rivers, and was evidently designed for a commercial emporium. It has a population at present of 60,000 or 70,000, about half of whom are Jews. They are said to have 36 synagogues, "none of them remarkable for their neatness or elegance of style." In this place a church was collected, to which Paul afterward addressed the two epistles to the Thessalonians.

Where was a synagogue - Greek: where was the synagogue (ἡ συναγωγὴ hē sunagōgē) of the Jews. It has been remarked by Grotius and Kuinoel that the article used here is emphatic, and denotes that there was probably no synagogue at Amphipolis and Apollonia. This was the reason why they passed through those places without making any delay.

Passed through Amphipolis - This city was the metropolis of the first division of Macedonia, as made by Paulus Aemilius: see the note on Acts 16:10. It was builded by Cimon, the Athenian general, who sent 10,000 Athenians thither as a colony. It stood in an island in the river Strymon, and had its name of Amphipolis because included between the two grand branches of that river where they empty themselves into the sea, the river being on both sides of the city.

Apollonia - This was another city of Macedonia, between Amphipolis and Thessalonica. It does not appear that St. Paul stopped at any of these cities: and they are only mentioned by the historian as places through which the apostles passed on their way to Thessalonica. It is very likely that in these cities there were no Jews; and that might have been the reason why the apostles did not preach the Gospel there, for we find them almost constantly beginning with the Jews; and the Hellenist Jews, living among the Gentiles, became the medium through which the Gospel of Christ was conveyed to the heathen world.

Thessalonica - This was a celebrated city of Macedonia, situated on what was called the Thermaic Gulf. According to Stephanus Byzantinus, it was embellished and enlarged by Philip, king of Macedon, who called it Thessalonica, the victory of Thessalia, on account of the victory he obtained there over the Thessalians; but, prior to this, it was called Thermae. But Strabo, Tzetzes, and Zonaras, say that it was called Thessalonica, from Thessalonica, wife of Cassander, and daughter of Philip. It is now in possession of the Turks, and is called Salonichi, which is a mere corruption of the original name.

A synagogue of the Jews - Ἡ συναγωγη, The synagogue; for the article here must be considered as emphatic, there probably being no other synagogue in any other city in Macedonia. The Jews in different parts had other places of worship called proseuchas. as we have seen, Acts 16:13. At Thessalonica alone they appear to have had a synagogue.

Now when they had passed through Amphipolls,.... A city of Macedonia, where it is placed by Pliny (q); according to Ptolomy (r), it was in that part of Macedonia, which is called Edonis, and was near Philippi, and lay in the way from thence to Thessalonica; Harpocratian (s) says, it was a city of Thrace, formerly called "the Nine Ways"; it was upon the borders of Thrace, and had its name Amphipolis from the river Strymon running on both sides of it, making it a peninsula; it was also called Crademna, and Anadraemum; it is now in the hands of the Turks, and by them called Empoli; this city was originally built by Cimon the Athenian, into which he sent ten thousand Athenians for a colony, as the writer of his life reports (t). The apostle only passed through this place; it does not appear that he at all preached in it, or at any other time, nor do we read of it in ecclesiastical history, nor of the following place:

and Apollonia; this is also placed by Pliny (u) in Macedonia, and is said by him to have been formerly a colony of the Corinthians, and about seven miles from the sea; and by Ptolomy (w), in that part of Macedonia called Mygdonia, and with him its name is Apollonia of Mygdonia; it was situated by the river Echedorus, and was famous for Augustus Caesar's learning Greek here, and is now called Ceres: there was another of this name in the region of Pentapolis, and was one of the five (x) cities in it; and another in Palestine mentioned by Pliny (y), along with Caesarea; and by Josephus (z), with Joppa, Jamnia, Azotus, &c. but this was near Thessalonica; it is said to be about twenty miles from it: here also the apostle did not stay to preach the Gospel, nor is there any mention made of it elsewhere in the Acts of the Apostles, and yet Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas, is said to be bishop of Apollonia; See Gill on Luke 10:1, but whether the same place with this, or whether fact, is not certain;

they came to Thessalonica; a free city of Macedonia (a); it was formerly called Halis (b), and sometimes Therme; it had its name of Thessalonica from the victory which Philip king of Macedon obtained over the Thessalians; and not from his daughter Thessalonica, the wife of Cassander, who also had her name from the same victory: in this place a sedition being raised, and some magistrates killed, Theodosius the Roman emperor suffered seven thousand men to be slain; and when he came to Milain, Ambrose bishop of that place having heard of it, would not suffer him to enter into the church and receive the Lord's supper, until he repented of his sin, and made public confession of it (c). Thessalonica has been since the head of a new kingdom erected by Boniface marquis of Montferrat; it was for some time in the hands of the Venetians, but was taken from them by Amurath emperor of the Turks (d). The Italians call it now Saloniki; it has been since inhabited by Christians, Turks, and Jews, and chiefly by the latter, their number, according to their own account, is fourteen thousand, and their synagogues fourscore. There always were many Jews in this place, and so there were when the apostle was here, for it follows;

where was a synagogue of the Jews; it seems as if there was none, neither in Philippi, nor in Amphipolis, nor in Apollonia: why these two last places should be passed through by the apostle, without making any stay at them, cannot be said; it is very likely he had, as in some other instances before, some particular directions from the Spirit of God, there being none of the chosen vessels of salvation to be called there, at least, at this time, when there were many at Thessalonica.

(q) Nat. Hist. l. 4. c. 10. (r) Geograph. l. 3. c. 13. (s) Lexic. Decem. Orat. p. 20, 104. Vid. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 8. (t) Cornelius Nepos in Vita Cimon. c. 2.((u) Nat. Hist. l. 3. c. 23. (w) Geograph. l. 8. c. 13. Vid. Plin. l. 4. c. 10. (x) Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 5. (y) Ib. c. 13. (z) Antiqu. l. 13. c. 15. sect. 4. & de Bello Jud. l. 1. c. 8, sect. 3.((a) Plin. l. 4. c. 10. (b) Ptolom. l. 3. c. 13. (c) Magdeburg. Hist. Eccles. cent. 4. c. 3. p. 82. (d) Petav. Rationar. Temp. par. 1. p. 462, 475.