Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 1]
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1:1 _The Title_ is simply _Acts_ (\Praxeis\) in Aleph, Origen,
Tertullian, Didymus, Hilary, Eusebius, Epiphanius. _The Acts of
the Apostles_ (\Praxeis apostol•n\) is the reading of B D (Aleph
in subscription) Athanasius, Origen, Tertullian, Cyprian,
Eusebius, Cyril of Jerusalem, Theodoret, Hilary. _The Acts of the
Holy Apostles_ (\Praxeis t•n hagi•n apostol•n\) is read by A2 E G
H A K Chrysostom. It is possible that the book was given no title
at all by Luke, for it is plain that usage varied greatly even in
the same writers. The long title as found in the Textus Receptus
(Authorized Version) is undoubtedly wrong with the adjective
"Holy." The reading of B D, "_The Acts of the Apostles_," may be
accepted as probably correct.
{The former treatise} (\ton men pr•ton\). Literally, the first
treatise. The use of the superlative is common enough and by no
means implies, though it allows, a third volume. This use of
\pr•tos\ where only two are compared is seen between the Baptist
and Jesus (Joh 1:15), John and Peter (Joh 20:4). The idiom is
common in the papyri (Robertson, _Grammar_, pp. 662, 669). The
use of \men solitarium\ here, as Hackett notes, is common in
Acts. It is by no means true that \men\ requires a following \de\
by contrast. The word is merely a weakened form of \m•n\=surely,
indeed. The reference is to the "first treatise" and merely
emphasizes that. The use of \logos\ (word) for treatise or
historical narrative is common in ancient Greek as in Herodotus 6
and 9. Plato (_Phaedo_, p. 61 B) makes a contrast between
\muthos\ and \logos\. {I made} (\epoi•sam•n\). Aorist middle
indicative, the middle being the usual construction for mental
acts with \poie•\. {O Theophilus} (\O Theophile\). The
interjection \O\ here as is common, though not in Lu 1:3. But
the adjective \kratiste\ (most excellent) is wanting here. See
remarks on Theophilus on ¯Lu 1:3. Hackett thinks that he lived
at Rome because of the way Acts ends. He was a man of rank. He
may have defrayed the expense of publishing both Luke and Acts.
Perhaps by this time Luke may have reached a less ceremonious
acquaintance with Theophilus. {Which Jesus began} (\h•n •rxato
I•sous\). The relative is attracted from the accusative \ha\ to
the genitive \h•n\ because of the antecedent \pant•n\ (all). The
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Word Pictures in the New Testament
(Acts: Chapter 1)