Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 5]
of the seven rabbis termed "Rabban." It is held by some that he
was one of the doctors who heard the Boy Jesus in the temple (Lu
2:47) and that he was a secret disciple like Joseph of Arimathea
and Nicodemus, but there is no evidence of either position.
Besides, he appears here as a loyal Pharisee and "a doctor of the
law" (\nomodidaskalos\). This word appears already in Lu 5:17
of the Pharisaic doctors bent on criticizing Jesus, which see.
Paul uses it of Judaizing Christians (1Ti 1:7). Like other
great rabbis he had a great saying: "Procure thyself a teacher,
avoid being in doubt; and do not accustom thyself to give tithes
by guess." He was a man of judicial temper and not prone to go
off at a tangent, though his brilliant young pupil Saul went to
the limit about Stephen without any restraint on the part of
Gamaliel so far as the record goes. Gamaliel champions the cause
of the apostles as a Pharisee to score a point against the
Sadducees. He acts as a theological opportunist, not as a
disciple of Christ. He felt that a temporizing policy was best.
There are difficulties in this speech of Gamaliel and it is not
clear how Luke obtained the data for the address. It is, of
course, possible that Saul was present and made notes of it for
Luke afterwards. {Had in honour of all the people} (\timios panti
t•i la•i\). Ethical dative. \Timios\ from \tim•\, old word
meaning precious, dear. {The men} (\tous anthr•pous\). Correct
text as in verse 35, not "the apostles" as Textus Receptus.
5:35 {Take heed} (\prosechete heautois\). Hold your mind (\noun\,
unexpressed) for or on yourselves (dative case), the usual idiom.
5:36 {Theudas} (\Theudas\). Luke represents Gamaliel here about
A.D. 35 as speaking of a man who led a revolt before that of
Judas the Galilean in connection with the enrolment under
Quirinius (Cyrenius) in A.D. 6. But Josephus (_Ant_. XX. 5, 1)
tells of a Theudas who led a similar insurrection in the reign of
Claudius about A.D. 44 or 45. Josephus (_Ant_. XVIII. 1, 6; XX.
5, 2; _War_ ii. 8, 1 and 17, 8) also describes Judas the Galilean
or Gaulonite and places him about A.D. 6. It is not certain that
Josephus and Luke (Gamaliel) refer to the same Theudas as the
name is an abbreviation of Theodosus, a common name. "Josephus
gives an account of four men named Simon who followed each other
within forty years, and of three named Judas within ten years,
who were all instigators of rebellion" (Hackett). If the same
Theudas is meant, then either Josephus or Luke (Gamaliel) has the
wrong historical order. In that case one will credit Luke or
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