Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

NOTICE OF

ACTA APOSTOLORUM.

Variorum Notis tum

dictionem tum materiam illustrantibus suas adjecit HASTINGS ROBINSON, A. M. Collegii Divi Joannis Socius. Cant. M.DCCC.XXIV. 8s. 8vo.

AFTER having duly exercised himself in the palæstra of profane literature by a very creditable edition of the Electra of Euripides, Mr. Robinson has judiciously descended into the arena of sacred criticism, where he will find objects much more worthy of his abilities and his industry. We hail the present publication as a very favorable specimen of his talents, and an omen of his future success, not doubting but that if he proceed diligently in the path which he has so happily chosen, he will leave a name to be added to that eminent list of divines, which sheds a lustre on the excellent college of which he is a member.

The conformity of the facts related in Scripture with the state of things in the times and countries wherein those facts occurred, as represented by foreign and independent testimonies, affords, in Paley's opinion, a convincing argument of the genuineness and truth of the Sacred Writings. This kind of argument, he observes, would be strong in any case, but, when applied to the New Testament, it receives additional weight, by reason of the mixed nature of its allusions, and the great extent and variety of the scene of action. We may add, too, that whilst additional confirmation is afforded to the truths of Christianity, additional interest is imparted to the investigation of those truths, when History is inlisted on the side of Religion, and the imperishable evidence of the gospel records is supported by incidental allusions to heathen literature. After a careful perusal of his work, we conceive that Mr. R. may have been actuated by sentiments similar to these when he undertook this edition of The Acts, which embrace a portion of history highly interesting, regarded merely in a classical point of view, comprising so many particulars relating to the moral and political state of the most civilised provinces in the Roman Empire.

Mr. Robinson's annotations on this valuable part of Holy Writ appear to be the substance of a course of lectures, given by him in his capacity of Classical Lecturer at St. John's College. They owe their appearance in print to the frequent so

tolorum nomine." For a further confirmation of episcopal authority, the reader may turn to St. Jerome on Galat. i. 19.

Ch. ii. 3. The notes on this verse deserve attention, and the rather because the common version is incorrect. There can, we think, be no doubt that the word diaμepilóμevaι relates to the distribution, rather than to the figure, of the flame. Had the historian intended to describe "cloven tongues," as in our translation, we agree with Mr. R. that the word exilóμevai, or Siaipouμévai, would have better explained his meaning. Mr. R. refers to Isaiah v. 24. for an illustration of the term yλwoo a Tupos. The expression there is N 1, which the Rabbinical writers rendern. Gilpin fancifully, though ingeniously, conjectures that the form of the episcopal mitre was derived from this idea of the γλῶσσαι διαμεριζόμεναι.

TT:

V. 27. Mr. R. understands by "Ans, not, as is generally supposed, the place of departed souls, the N of the Hebrews, but merely the grave, and cites St. Chrysostom and Athanasius in support of his opinion. We should, however, be inclined to think that, in the time of our Saviour, this sense was not given to the word, whatever might have been its signification at a later period. In Matt. xvi. 18. and Luc. xvi. 23. it is an evident translation of the Hebrew iw, and bears the same meaning. Gregory of Nyssa uses the word in the same sense: ɛis ädny πάντες οἴονται καθάπερ δοχεῖον ἐνθένδε τὰς ψυχὰς μετανίστασθαι.

V. 47. The Calvinistic interpretation of the word σwoμévous is here attacked with success. Mr. R. might have referred his readers with great effect to the 40th verse of this chapter for a confirmation of his opinion; σώθητε ἀπὸ τῆς γενεᾶς τῆς σκολιᾶς Taúτns. The late excellent Bishop of Calcutta, in his Doctrine of the Greek Article, has a very convincing note on this word. We may observe, by the way, that Mr. R. has with equal propriety commented upon a similar expression, ch. xiii. 48, tetayμένοι εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.

Ch. vi. 7. The usage of the word "xλos de numero non maximo is confirmed by quotations from the sacred writers. Another passage, however, might have been added from Luc. v. 29, ὄχλος τελωνῶν πολύς.

Ch. vii. 4. This verse is attended with chronological difficulties, which have hitherto baffled the sagacity of critics. Mr. R. has followed the most probable opinion, viz. that Stephen, in

[ocr errors]

his account of the matter, followed the Jewish tradition with regard to the moral or allegorical death of Terah. He has cited in support of this opinion, a passage from Raschius's commentary before quoted by Michaelis. Similar difficulties in the present chapter are obviated with similar propriety and success; and we think the editor has shown his judgment in recording throughout the work, those opinions only, which upon mature deliberation he deemed the true ones, without overloading his annotations with a variety of interpretations for the purpose of repeating them.

52. Mr. R. here very judiciously follows the opinion of Bishop Middleton, that Christ was called emphatically ó díxasos, and cites many passages from the Scriptures in support of this

assertion.

Ch. viii. 7. Mr. R. has given very accurately the grammatical construction of this verse. The note on the passage tends to prove, from heathen writers, that the existence of dæmoniacs was not confined to the Jewish nation, but frequent also in other countries.

37. Michaelis suspects this verse to be spurious, from the circumstance that Xpirròs is used as a proper name, which was not, he thinks, the case during the life-time of the apostles. Mr. R. however plainly vindicates the genuineness of the text, by a reference to Bishop Middleton's valuable note on Marc. ix. 40.

Ch. ix. 7. The annotations on this verse are well worthy of attention, as they fully explain the seeming contradictions between this account of Paul's conversion, and that in chapters xxii. and xxvi. We coincide with his first interpretation of the word slotýxeσav, viz. that St. Paul's companions had risen from their prostration on the ground whilst the apostle still lay there: some commentators make the word for synonymous with εἰμὶ sum, but we think they are scarcely borne out by the examples which they adduce.

23. On the expression spa inaval, Mr. R. remarks, "Triennium scilicet, ut discas e Gal. i. 18." This is true: but, as the very expression here referred to has been converted into an argument against St. Paul's conversion, it would have been as well to have illustrated it by references. There is a curious coincidence to this effect cited by Dr. Paley in his Hora Paulinæ. It occurs at 1 Kings ii. 38, 39. "And Shimei dwelt at Jerusalem many days. And it came to pass, at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away." The reader may see also another very remarkable illustration of this VOL. XXX. Cl. Jl.

NO. LX.

2 B

phrase at the beginning of chapter xviii. of the same book, which escaped the notice of Paley.

Ch. x. 1. We have here a long note on the Italian band, which Mr. R. thinks was not part of the Italian legion, but an independent troop.

11. Mr. R. follows Wakefield's interpretation of the word apxaïs, and renders it "strings," as does also the late Bishop of Calcutta.

Ch. xi. 26. Mr. R. thinks that the disciples did not call themselves Christians, but that the name was given to them by the Roman inhabitants of Antioch. He brings forward some strong reasons in support of this opinion. The meaning of the word Xpnuatioal is explained in a very scholar-like manner. In the note on the next verse, and on xiii. 1., the signification of the word porns, as used by the apostles, is also well illustrated. In classical Greek its primary signification is, qui alius cujusdam sensus profert; its general sense is, sacrorum interpretes, as Aids προφήτης ἐστὶ Λοξίας πατρός. Pindar (ap. Aristid. II. p. 378.) calls himself ἀοίδιμον Πιερίδων προφάταν. The priest of the Delphic temple is called by Herodotus (viii. 36.) i #gopýτns, from his office of interpreting the responses of the god. See Dr. Blomfield's Gloss. in Esch. Agam. v. 399., who observes that the word was unknown in the Homeric age.

28. oixouμévn. The various senses of this word are collected and well explained, though we differ, with considerable diffidence, from the signification affixed to it by Mr. R. in the present instance, viz. the land of Judaa. We rather think that the famine predicted by Agabus refers to that which occurred in the fourth year of Claudius, and which extended not only to Judæa, but to various other parts of the Roman Empire, Vid. Sueton. in Vit. Claud. c. 18.

Ch. xiii. 7. The accuracy of St. Luke is here pointed out from his application of the word aveúnatos to the Proconsul of Cyprus. There is a good note on this subject at ch. xviii. 12. But Mr. R. should not have omitted to notice the curious observations of Bishop Marsh in his Lecture xxvii. p. 84, &c.

16. ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ' αὐτὸν ἄχλυς καὶ σκότος" The word ἄχους is properly explained by Mr. R. as "Cacitas cum oculi pellicula superinducta excæcantur." The disease is mentioned by Hippocrates, and is thus explained by the author of the Isagoge: ̓Αχλὺς ἐστὶ περὶ ὅλον τὸ μέλαν ἀπὸ ἑλκώσεως ἐπιπολαίου οὐλὴ λεπτοτάτη ἄερι ἀχλυώδει παραπλήσια. Aëtius gives a similar description of it, and says, ὅταν ἐπὶ τῆς κόρης γένηται, οὐ ῥᾳδίως ὁρῶσι. The passage in which it is here introduced, as well as the foregoing

[ocr errors]

quotations, have been happily brought forward by the present Christian advocate, in his defence of St. Paul against the profane attack of Gamaliel Smith, Esq., who professes himself unable to see how any thing like scales could fall from the eyes of the apostle on the recovery of his sight, after the address of Ananias. Gamaliel will have it that "in no cure, performed upon eyes in in any natural way, in these our days-on eyes that have lost their sight-do any scales fall off, or any thing in any degree resembling scales." He will have it that an operation for the cataract ought to have been performed "without any expense in the article of miracles." To be sure, we know some eyes on which no operation could be performed with success; believing as we do firmly in the old adage, " that none are so blind as those who will not see." Mr. Hughes, however, has very satisfactorily answered the jeers of his adversary, not only by adducing the above-mentioned passages, but by asserting from high living authority, "That no unfrequent cause of blindness arises from a morbid thickening and consequent want of transparency in the tunica adnata, or conjunctiva, which passes before the cornea:" if this thickened membrane were to be suddenly and miraculously removed, (be it remembered that a miracle is exhibited in the present instance,) and the natural transparent membrane restored to the eye, it would not be ill described, in common language, by "scales falling from the eyes."

[ocr errors]

At verse 24. the extent of John's baptism is accurately defined from Theophylact and Chrysostom: at v. 33. we have an apposite quotation from St. Cyril, showing that the phrase σήμερον γεγένηκά σε refers to the incarnation of our Saviour.

Ch. xiv. 12. That the gods were supposed by the ancients to appear in human shape is evident from the Pagan mythology. Mr. R. has given a satisfactory reason why Jupiter and Mer cury were fixed upon in the present instance. This and the following verses are well illustrated by quotations from profane authors.

13. Chrysostom thinks that St. Paul did not restrain the people, before they actually saw them about to commence the sacrifice, because he was unacquainted with their language. Wetstein is of the same opinion, as if the gift of tongues was only granted on particular occasions. Mr. R. has followed the more probable one, viz. that Paul and Barnabas had retired from the crowd immediately after the miracle, and consequently remained ignorant of their intention to offer a sacrifice till the arrival of the priest of Jupiter for that purpose.

Ch. xvi. 13. Mr. R. understands poreux to mean a place

« ZurückWeiter »