Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 19]
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19:1 {While Apollos was at Corinth} (\en t•i ton Apoll• einai en
Korinth•i\). Favourite idiom with Luke, \en\ with the locative of
the articular infinitive and the accusative of general reference
(Lu 1:8; 2:27, etc.). {Having passed through the upper country}
(\dielthonta ta an•terika mer•\). Second aorist active participle
of \dierchomai\, accusative case agreeing with \Paulon\,
accusative of general reference with the infinitive \elthein\,
idiomatic construction with \egeneto\. The word for "upper"
(\an•terika\) is a late form for \an•tera\ (Lu 14:10) and
occurs in Hippocrates and Galen. It refers to the highlands (cf.
Xenophon's _Anabasis_) and means that Paul did not travel the
usual Roman road west by Colossae and Laodicea in the Lycus
Valley, cities that he did not visit (Col 2:1). Instead he took
the more direct road through the Cayster Valley to Ephesus. Codex
Bezae says here that Paul wanted to go back to Jerusalem, but
that the Holy Spirit bade him to go into Asia where he had been
forbidden to go in the second tour (16:6). Whether the upper
"parts" (\mer•\) here points to North Galatia is still a point of
dispute among scholars. So he came again to Ephesus as he had
promised to do (18:21). The province of Asia included the
western part of Asia Minor. The Romans took this country B.C.
130. Finally the name was extended to the whole continent. It was
a jewel in the Roman empire along with Africa and was a
senatorial province. It was full of great cities like Ephesus,
Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, Laodicea (the
seven churches of Re 2;3), Colossae, Hierapolis, Apamea, to go
no further. Hellenism had full sway here. Ephesus was the capital
and chief city and was a richer and larger city than Corinth. It
was located at the entrance to the valley of the Maeander to the
east. Here was the power of Rome and the splendour of Greek
culture and the full tide of oriental superstition and magic. The
Temple of Artemis was one of the seven wonders of the world.
While in Ephesus some hold that Paul at this time wrote the
Epistle to the Galatians after his recent visit there, some that
he did it before his recent visit to Jerusalem. But it is still
possible that he wrote it from Corinth just before writing to
Rome, a point to discuss later. {Certain disciples} (\tinas
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/AC19.RWP.html (1 of 21) [28/08/2004 09:07:12 a.m.]
Word Pictures in the New Testament
(Acts: Chapter 19)