Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 14]
hold out. {We must} (\dei h•m•s\). It does not follow from this
use of "we" that Luke was present, since it is a general
proposition applying to all Christians at all times (2Ti 3:12).
Luke, of course, approved this principle. Knowling asks why
Timothy may not have told Luke about Paul's work. It all sounds
like quotation of Paul's very language. Note the change of
construction here after \parakalountes\ (infinitive of indirect
command, \emmenein\, but \hoti dei\, indirect assertion). They
needed the right understanding of persecution as we all do. Paul
frankly warned these new converts in this heathen environment of
the many tribulations through which they must enter the Kingdom
of God (the culmination at last) as he did at Ephesus (Ac
20:20) and as Jesus had done (Joh 16:33). These saints were
already converted.
14:23 {And when they had appointed for them elders in every
church} (\cheiroton•santes de autois kat' ekkl•sian
presbuterous\). They needed also some form of organization,
though already churches. Note distributive use of \kata\ with
\ekkl•sian\ (2:46; 5:42; Tit 1:5). \Cheirotone•\ (from
\cheirotonos\, extending the hand, \cheir\, hand, and \tein•\, to
stretch) is an old verb that originally meant to vote by show of
the hands, finally to appoint with the approval of an assembly
that chooses as in 2Co 8:19, and then to appoint without regard
to choice as in Josephus (_Ant_. XIII. 2, 2) of the appointment
of Jonathan as high priest by Alexander. So in Ac 10:41 the
compound \procheiratone•\ is used of witnesses appointed by God.
But the seven (deacons) were first selected by the Jerusalem
church and then appointed (\katast•somen\) by the apostles. That
is probably the plan contemplated by Paul in his directions to
Titus (Tit 1:5) about the choice of elders. It is most likely
that this plan was the one pursued by Paul and Barnabas with
these churches. They selected the elders in each instance and
Paul and Barnabas "ordained" them as we say, though the word
\cheirotone•\ does not mean that. "Elders" were mentioned first
in 11:30. Later Paul will give the requirements expected in
these "elders" or "bishops" (Php 1:1) as in 1Ti 3:1-7; Tit
1:5-9. It is fairly certain that these elders were chosen to
correspond in a general way with the elders in the Jewish
synagogue after which the local church was largely copied as to
organization and worship. Paul, like Jesus, constantly worshipped
and spoke in the synagogues. Already it is plain, as at Antioch
in Syria (11:26), that the Christians can no longer count on
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/AC14.RWP.html (11 of 14) [28/08/2004 09:06:53 a.m.]