Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 21]
Jerusalem and all Jewish Christians, some, alas, Judaizers (Ac
11:2; 15:1,5). This list may include the Christians from
neighbouring towns in Palestine and even some from foreign
countries here at the Feast of Pentecost, for it is probable that
Paul arrived in time for it as he had hoped. But we do not have
to count the hostile Jews from Asia (verse 27) who were clearly
not Christians at all. {All zealous for the law} (\pantes z•l•tai
tou nomou\). Zealots (substantive) rather than zealous
(adjective) with objective genitive (\tou nomou\). The word
zealot is from \z•lo•\, to burn with zeal, to boil. The Greek
used \z•l•t•s\ for an imitator or admirer. There was a party of
Zealots (developed from the Pharisees), a group of what would be
called "hot-heads," who brought on the war with Rome. One of this
party, Simon Zelotes (Ac 1:13), was in the number of the twelve
apostles. It is important to understand the issues in Jerusalem.
It was settled at the Jerusalem Conference (Ac 15; Ga 2) that
the Mosaic ceremonial law was not to be imposed upon Gentile
Christians. Paul won freedom for them, but it was not said that
it was wrong for Jewish Christians to go on observing it if they
wished. We have seen Paul observing the passover in Philippi (Ac
20:6) and planning to reach Jerusalem for Pentecost (20:16).
The Judaizers rankled under Paul's victory and power in spreading
the gospel among the Gentiles and gave him great trouble in
Galatia and Corinth. They were busy against him in Jerusalem also
and it was to undo the harm done by them in Jerusalem that Paul
gathered the great collection from the Gentile Christians and
brought it with him and the delegates from the churches. Clearly
then Paul had real ground for his apprehension of trouble in
Jerusalem while still in Corinth (Ro 15:25) when he asked for
the prayers of the Roman Christians (verses 30-32). The
repeated warnings along the way were amply justified.
21:21 {They have been informed concerning thee} (\kat•ch•th•san
peri sou\). First aorist passive indicative of \kat•che•\. A word
in the ancient Greek, but a few examples survive in the papyri.
It means to sound (echo, from \•ch•\, our word) down (\kata\), to
resound, re-echo, to teach orally. Oriental students today (Arabs
learning the Koran) often study aloud. In the N.T. only in Lu
1:4 which see; Ac 18:25; 21:21; 1Co 14:19; Ga 6:6; Ro 2:18.
This oral teaching about Paul was done diligently by the
Judaizers who had raised trouble against Peter (Ac 11:2) and
Paul (15:1,5). They had failed in their attacks on Paul's world
campaigns. Now they try to undermine him at home. In Paul's long
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