Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 9]
so, he would know more of him than those who only knew his record
as a persecutor of Christians. That fact Barnabas knew also, but
he was convinced that Jesus had changed the heart of Saul and he
used his great influence (Ac 4:36; 11:22) to win the favour of
the apostles, Peter in particular (Ga 1:19) and James the
half-brother of Jesus. The other apostles were probably out of
the city as Paul says that he did not see them. {To the apostles}
(\pros tous apostolous\). Both Barnabas and James are termed
apostles in the general sense, though not belonging to the
twelve, as Paul did not, though himself later a real apostle. So
Barnabas introduced Saul to Peter and vouched for his story,
declared it fully (\di•g•sato\, in detail) including Saul's
vision of Jesus (\eiden ton kurion\) as the vital thing and
Christ's message to Saul (\elal•sen aut•i\) and Saul's bold
preaching (\•parr•siasato\, first aorist middle indicative of
\parr•siaz•\ from \pan--r•sia\ telling it all as in Ac 2:29).
Peter was convinced and Saul was his guest for two weeks (Ga
1:18) with delightful fellowship (\histor•sai\). He had really
come to Jerusalem mainly "to visit" (to see) Peter, but not to
receive a commission from him. He had that from the Lord (Ga
1:1f.). Both Peter and James could tell Saul of their special
experiences with the Risen Christ. Furneaux thinks that Peter was
himself staying at the home of Mary the mother of John Mark (Ac
12:12) who was a cousin of Barnabas (Col 4:10). This is quite
possible. At any rate Saul is now taken into the inner circle of
the disciples in Jerusalem.
9:28 {Going in and going out} (\eisporeumenos kai
ekporeuomenos\). Barnabas and Peter and James opened all the
doors for Saul and the fear of the disciples vanished.
9:29 {Preaching boldly} (\parr•siazomenos\). For a while.
Evidently Saul did not extend his preaching outside of Jerusalem
(Ga 1:22) and in the city preached mainly in the synagogues of
the Hellenists (\pros tous Hellenistas\) as Stephen had done (Ac
8:9). As a Cilician Jew he knew how to speak to the Hellenists.
{Disputed} (\sunez•tei\). Imperfect active of \sunz•te•\, the
very verb used in 6:9 of the disputes with Stephen in these
very synagogues in one of which (Cilicia) Saul had probably
joined issue with Stephen to his own discomfort. It was
intolerable to these Hellenistic Jews now to hear Saul taking the
place of Stephen and using the very arguments that Stephen had
employed. {But they went about to kill him} (\Hoi de epecheiroun
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/AC9.RWP.html (12 of 17) [28/08/2004 09:06:38 a.m.]