1 Cor. x.

xi. 20, &c.

m ch. i. 18.

:

1 ch. ii. 42, 46: together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. 8 And there were many lights m in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. 9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. 10 And Paul 21. Kings went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, • read, with all our ancient authorities, we. f render, on the window-seat.

n 1 Kings xvii.

iv. 34.

tinuance of the practice, which seems to have begun immediately after the Resurrection (see John xx. 26), of assembling on the first day of the week for religious purposes. Perhaps the greatest proof of all, that this day was thus observed, may be found in the early (see 1 Cor. xvi. 2) and at length general prevalence, in the Gentile world, of the Jewish seven-day period as a division of time,-which was entirely foreign to Gentile habits. It can only have been introduced as following on the practice of especial honour paid to this day. But we find in the Christian Scriptures no trace of any sabbatical observance of this or any day nay, in Rom. xiv. 5 (where see note), St Paul shews the untenableness of any such view under the Christian dispensation. The idea of the transference of the Jewish sabbath from the seventh day to the first was an invention of later times.

to

break bread] See note on ch. ii. 42. The breaking of bread in the Holy Communion was at this time inseparable from the agapa or love-feasts. It took place apparently in the evening (after the day's work was ended), and at the end of the assembly, after the preaching of the word (ver. 11).

unto them, in the third person, the discourse being addressed to the disciples at Troas: but the first person is used before and after, because all were assembled, and partook of the breaking of bread together. Not observing this, the copyists have altered we above into "the disciples," and again into they below to suit this to them. 8. there were many lights] This may be noticed, as Meyer observes, to shew that the fall of the young man could be well observed: or, perhaps, because many lights are apt to increase drowsiness at such times. Calvin and Bengel suppose it to have been done,— in order that all suspicion might be removed from the assembly, others that the lights were used for solemnity's sake,-for

that both Jews and Gentiles celebrated their festal days by abundance of lights. But surely the adoption of either Jewish or Gentile practices of this kind in the Christian assemblies was very improbable.

9.] Who Eutychus was is quite uncertain. The occurrence of the name as belonging to slaves and freedmen (as it appears from inscriptions) determines nothing.

on the window-seat] The windows in the East were (and are) without glass, and with or without shutters. being fallen into a deep sleep] Literally, borne down by a deep sleep. I believe the word is used here and below in the same sense, not, as usually interpreted, here of the effect of sleep, and below of the fall caused by the sleep. It implies that relaxation of the system, and collapse of the muscular power, which is more or less indicated by our expressions falling asleep,' 'dropping asleep. This effect is being produced in this clause, but as Paul was going on long discoursing, took complete possession of him, and having been overpowered,— entirely relaxed in consequence of the sleep, he fell. In the words, was

taken up dead, here there is a direct assertion, which can hardly be evaded by explaining it, was taken up for dead, or by saying that it expresses the judgment of those who took him up, as Meyer. It seems to me, that the supposition of a mere suspended animation is as absurd here as in the miracle of Jaïrus's daughter, Luke viii. 41-56. Let us take the narrative as it stands. The youth falls, and is taken up dead: so much is plainly asserted. Paul, not a physician, but an Apostle,-gifted, not with medical discernment, but with miraculous power, goes down to him, falls on him and embraces him, a strange proceeding for one bent on discovering suspended animation, but not so for one who bore in mind the action of Elijah (1 Kings xvii. 21) and Elisha (2 Kings

Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. 11 When o Matt. ix. 24. he therefore was come up again, and had broken 8 bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. 12 And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted. 13 And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. 14 And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene. 15 And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Chios; and the next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium; and the next day we came to Miletus. 16 For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, i because he would not spend the time in Asia: for Phe hasted, if it

g render, the bread.

h render, put

i render, that he might not have to spend time.

iv. 34), each time over a dead body,-and having done this, not before, bids them not to be troubled, for his life was in him. I would ask any unbiassed reader, taking these details into consideration, which of the two is the natural interpretation, and whether there can be any reasonable doubt that the intent of St. Luke is to relate a miracle of raising the dead, and that he mentions the falling on and embracing him as the outward significant means taken by the Apostle to that end? 11.] The intended breaking of bread had been put off by the accident. The article here may import, 'the bread which it was intended to break,' alluding to ver. 7 above.

and

eaten] The agapé was a veritable meal. Not having tasted it,' viz. the bread which he had broken;-though that is implied, usage decides for the other meaning. so] i. e. after so doing.'

12.] As in the raising of Jaïrus's daughter, our Lord commanded that something should be given her to eat, that nature might be recruited, so doubtless here rest and treatment were necessary, in order that the restored life might be confirmed, and the shock recovered. The time indicated by break of day must have been before or about 5 A.M.: which would allow about four hours since the miracle. We have here a minute but interesting touch of truth in the narrative. Paul, we learn afterwards, ver. 13, intended to go afoot. And accordingly here we have it simply related that he started away from Troas before his companions, not remaining for the reintroduction of the now recovered VOL. I.

Eutychus in ver. 12.

p ch. xviii. 21: 4, 12.

ix. 21: xx

in to.

13. Assos] A

sea-port (also called Apollonia, Plin. v. 32)
in Mysia or Troas, opposite to Lesbos,
twenty-four Roman miles from Troas, built
on a high cliff above sea, with a precipitous
descent. Paul's reason is not given for
wishing to be alone: probably he had some
apostolic visit to make.
14. Mitylene]

The capital of Lesbos, on the E. coast
of the island, famed for its beautiful situa-
tion. It had two harbours: the northern,
into which their ship would sail, was large
and deep, and defended by a breakwater.
15. we put in to Samos] Then
they made a short run in the evening to
Trogyllium, a cape and town on the Ionian
coast, only five miles distant, where they
spent the night. He had passed in front
of the bay of Ephesus, and was now but
a short distance from it. Miletus]
The ancient capital of Ionia. See 2 Tim.
iv. 20, and note. 16. Paul had deter-
mined] We see here that the ship was
at Paul's disposal, and probably hired at
Philippi, or rather at Neapolis, for the
voyage to Patara (ch. xxi. 1), where he
and his company embark in a merchant
vessel, going to Tyre. The separation of
Paul and Luke from the rest at the be-
ginning of the voyage may have been in
some way connected with the hiring or
outfit of this vessel. The expression he
had determined is too subjectively strong
to allow of our supposing that the Apostle
merely followed the previously determined
course of a ship in which he took a passage.

to sail by (i. e. to omit visiting)] He may have been afraid of detention 3 F

rch. ii. 1. 1

Cor. xvi. 8.

xix. 1, 10.

4 ch. xxiv. 17. were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost. 17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. 18 And when they were ch. xviii. 19: come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, 19 serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with [many] tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: 20 [and] how "I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you 1 ch. xviii. 5. publickly, and from house to house, 21 x testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now,

t ver. 3.

u ver. 27.

y Mark i. 15. Luke xxiv. 47. ch. ii. $8.

krender, was.

there, owing to the machinations of those
who had caused the uproar in ch. xix.
Another reason has been given: "He
seems to have feared that, had he run up
the long gulf to Ephesus, he might be de-
tained in it by the westerly winds, which
blow long, especially in the spring." But
these would affect him nearly as much at
Miletus.
17.] The distance from
Miletus to Ephesus is about thirty miles.
He probably, therefore, stayed three or
four days altogether at Miletus. the
elders] called, ver. 28, bishops. This cir-
cumstance began very early to contradict
the growing views of the apostolic insti-
tution and necessity of prelatical epis-
copacy. Thus Irenæus (Cent. 2), He
called together at Miletus the bishops and
presbyters (elders), who came from Ephesus
and the rest of the churches near." Here
we see (1) the two, bishops and presbyters,
distinguished, as if both were sent for, in
order that the titles might not seem to
belong to the same persons, and (2) other
neighbouring churches also brought in, in
order that there might not seem to be
bishops in one church only. That neither
of these was the case, is clearly shewn by
the plain words of this verse: "he sent to
Ephesus, and summoned the elders of the
church." So early did interested and dis-
ingenuous interpretations begin to cloud
the light which Scripture might have
thrown on ecclesiastical questions. The
A. V. has hardly dealt fairly in this case
with the sacred text, in rendering the
designation episcopous, ver. 28,' overseers:'
whereas it ought there, as in all other places,
to have been bishops, that the fact of
elders and bishops having been originally
and apostolically synonymous might be

y

Χ

1 omit.

apparent to the ordinary English_reader, which now it is not. 18.] The evidence furnished by this speech as to the literal report in the Acts of the words spoken by St. Paul, is most important. It is a treasure-house of words, idioms, and sentiments, peculiarly belonging to the Apostle himself. See this shewn in my Greek Test. The contents of the speech may be thus given: He reminds the elders of his conduct among them (vv. 18–21): announces to them his final separation from them (vv. 22-25): and commends earnestly to them the flock committed to their charge, for which he himself had by word and work disinterestedly laboured (vv. 26-35).

from the first day] These words hold a middle place, partly with "ye know," partly with "after what manner I was with you." The knowledge on their part was coextensive with his whole stay among them: so that we may take the words with ye know, at the same time carrying on their sense to what follows.

19.

I was with you] So 1 Thess. i. 5, ii. 10. See 1 Cor. ix. 20, 22. serving the Lord] With the sole exception of the assertion of our Lord, Ye cannot serve God and mammon,' Matt. vi. 24; Luke xvi. 13, this peculiar verb (“ to be a bond-servant to"), for serving God,' is used by Paul only, and by him seven times, viz. Rom. vii. 6, 25; xii. 11; xiv. 18; xvi. 18; Phil. ii. 22; Col. iii. 24; 1 Thess. i. 9. with all humility of mind] Also a Pauline expression, 2 Cor. viii. 7; xii. 12. temptations] See especially Gal. iv.

14. 20. I kept back nothing] So again ver. 27. The sense in Gal. ii. 12 is similar, though not exactly identical— ' reserved himself,' withdrew himself from

behold, I go bound in m the spirit unto Jerusalem, not z ch. xix. 21, knowing the things that shall befall me there: 23 save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. 24 But bn none of

these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, e which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to e Gal. i. 1. testify the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now,

behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.

n read, I hold my life of no account, nor is it so precious to me as the finishing of my course: omitting all else.

g ch. xviii. 6.

2 Cor. vii. 2. h ver. 20.

g

26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. 27 For I have not Luke vii. 30. shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. 28k Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the 11 Cor. xii. 28. flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you

John xv. 15.

Eph. i. 11.

k 1 Tim. iv. 16. 1 Pet. v. 2.

m Eph. i. 7,

m

HCP overseers, to feed the church of 4 God, TM which he [hath]

Heb. ix. 12.

1 Pet. i. 19. 9.

n see Heb. ix.

14.

o Matt. vii. 15. 2 Pet. ii. 1.

1 John ii. 19.

Rev. v. purchased "with his own blood. 29 [ For] I know [this], that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in P1 Tim. i. 20. among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also, Pof your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. 31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. 32 And now,

q ch. xix. 10.

r Heb. xiii. 9. sch. ix. 31.

tch. xxvi. 18.
fii. 24.

Eph. i. 18.
Col. i.

t

brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his Heb. grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

ix. 15. 1 Pet. i. 4.

u 1 Sam. xii. 8.

1 Cor. ix. 12. have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.

2 Cor. vii. 2: xi. 9; xii. 17.

an 33 u I

34 Yea,

chavit, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered

x xviii. 3.

1 Thess. ii. 9 unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.

2 Thess. 8.

• render, witness.

Prender, bishops.

The most ancient authorities have, as here, God: some of the very ancient have, the Lord: the early Syriac version, and Origen, have, Christ: many others have, the Lord and God.

romit.

and other dangers awaiting him, he might well expect never to return. Consequently, what he here says need not fetter our judgment on the above question.

28. the flock] This similitude does not elsewhere occur in Paul's writings. We find it, where we should naturally expect it, used by him, to whom it was said, Feed my sheep,' 1 Pet. v. 2, 3. But it is common in the O. T. and sanctioned by the example of our Lord Himself: Luke xii. 32. over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you...] See ch. xiii. 2. bishops] See on ver. 17, and Theodoret on Phil. i. 1, "The Apostle calls the elders (presbyters) bishops: for at that time they had both names."

the

church of God] On the variety of reading here, and the reasons which have led me to adhere to that in the text, see in my Greek Test. 29. grievous wolves] Not persecutors, but false teachers, from the words "enter in among you," by which it appears that they were to come in among the flock, i. e. to be baptized Christians. In fact ver. 30 is explanatory of the metaphoric meaning of ver. 29. 30.] your

render, the disciples.

own selves does not necessarily signify the presbyters: he speaks to them as being the whole flock. 31.] On the three years spoken of in this verse, see note, ch. xix. 10. We may just remark here (1) that this passage being precise and definite, must be the master-key to those others (as in ch. xix.) which give wide and indefinite notes of time: and (2) that it seems at first sight to preclude the idea of a journey (as some think) to Crete and Corinth having taken place during this period. But this apparent inference may require modifying by other circumstances: compare Introduction to 1 Cor. § v. 4.

32.

which is able] Clearly spoken of God, not of the word of His grace, which cannot be said to give an inheritance, however it might build up.-The expression “an isheritance among all them that are sanctified" is strikingly similar to " his inheritance in the saints" Eph. i. 18, addressed to this same church. See also ch. xxvi. 18.

33.] See 1 Sam. xii. 3; and for similar avowals by Paul himself, 1 Cor. ix. 11, 12; 2 Cor. xi. 8, 9; xii. 13. these hands] Also strikingly in Paul's

34.