Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 28]
3:5 instead of the adverb (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 657). {To
Puteoli} (\eis Potiolous\). It was 182 miles from Rhegium and
would require 26 hours (Page). It was eight miles northwest from
Neapolis (Naples) and the chief port of Rome, the regular harbour
for the Alexandrian ships from Rome. Portions of the great mole
are said to be still visible.
28:14 {Where we found brethren} (\hou heurontes adelphous\).
Possibly from Alexandria, but, as Blass observes, it is no more
strange to find "brethren" in Christ in Puteoli when Paul arrives
than in Rome. There was a large Jewish quarter. {Seven days}
(\h•meras hepta\). Accusative of extent of time. Paul and his
party remained so long at the urgent request of the brethren. He
was still a prisoner, but clearly Julius was only too glad to
show another courtesy to Paul to whom they all owed their lives.
It was 130 miles by land from Puteoli to Rome over one of the
great Roman roads. {And so we came to Rome} (\kai hout•s eis t•n
Rom•n •lthamen\). So at last. Luke is exultant as Page observes:
_Paulus Romae captivus: triumphus unicus_. It is the climax of
the book of Acts (19:21; 23:11), but not the close of Paul's
career. Page rightly remarks that a new paragraph should begin
with verse 15, for brethren came from Rome and this part of the
journey is touched with the flavour of that incident. The great
event is that Paul reached Rome, but not as he had once hoped
(Ro 15:22-29).
28:15 {When they heard of us} (\akousantes ta peri h•m•n\). How
"they heard the things concerning us" we do not know. Good news
had its way of travel even before the days of telegraph,
telephone, daily papers. Possibly Julius had to send on special
couriers with news of his arrival after the shipwreck. Possibly
some of the brethren in Puteoli at once (beginning of the week)
sent on news to the brethren in Rome. The church in Rome had long
ago received Paul's letter from Corinth at the hands of Phoebe.
{To meet us} (\eis apant•sin h•min\). Idiomatic phrase, "for
meeting with us" (associative instrumental case). _Koin•_ word
\apant•sis\ from verb \apanta•\, to meet, in N.T. only here; Mt
25:6; 1Ti 4:17. Use after \eis\ rather than infinitive like a
translation Hebraism (Robertson, _Grammar_, p. 91). {As far as
the Market of Appius} (\achri Appiou Phorou\). The Forum of
Appius, 90 miles from Puteoli, 40 from Rome, on the great Appian
Way. The Censor Appius Claudius had constructed this part of the
road, B.C. 312. Paul probably struck the Appian Way at Capua.
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/AC28.RWP.html (6 of 11) [28/08/2004 09:08:26 a.m.]