Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 24]
which see. Latin _pestis_. Think of the greatest preacher of the
ages being branded a pest by a contemporary hired lawyer. {A
mover of insurrections} (\kinounta staseis\). This was an offence
against Roman law if it could be proven. "Plotted against at
Damascus, plotted against at Jerusalem, expelled from Pisidian
Antioch, stoned at Lystra, scourged and imprisoned at Philippi,
accused of treason at Thessalonica, haled before the proconsul at
Corinth, cause of a serious riot at Ephesus, and now finally of a
riot at Jerusalem" (Furneaux). Specious proof could have been
produced, but was not. Tertullus went on to other charges with
which a Roman court had no concern (instance Gallio in Corinth).
{Throughout the world} (\kata t•n oikoumen•n\). The Roman
inhabited earth (\g•n\) as in 17:6. {A ringleader of the sect
of the Nazarenes} (\pr•tostat•n t•s t•n Naz•rai•n hairese•s\).
\Pr•tostat•s\ is an old word in common use from \pr•tos\ and
\hist•mi\, a front-rank man, a chief, a champion. Here only in
the N.T. This charge is certainly true. About "sect" (\hairesis\)
see on ¯5:17. \Naz•raioi\ here only in the plural in the N.T.,
elsewhere of Jesus (Mt 2:23; 26:71; Lu 18:37; Joh 18:5,7; 19:19;
Ac 2:22; 3:6; 4:10; 6:14; 22:8; 26:9). The disciple is not above
his Master. There was a sneer in the term as applied to Jesus and
here to his followers.
24:6 {Assayed to profane} (\epeirasen beb•l•sai\). A flat
untruth, but the charge of the Asian Jews (21:28-30). _Verbum
optum ad calumnian_ (Bengel). {We seized} (\ekrat•samen\). As if
the Sanhedrin had arrested Paul, Tertullus identifying himself
with his clients. But it was the mob (21:28-31) that attacked
Paul and Lysias who rescued him (21:32ff.).
24:7 This whole verse with some words at the end of verse 6 and
the beginning of verse 8 in the Textus Receptus ("And would
have judged according to our law. But the chief captain Lysias
came upon us, and with great violence took him away out of our
hands, commanding his accusers to come unto thee") is absent from
Aleph A B H L P 61 (many other cursives) Sahidic Bohairic. It is
beyond doubt a later addition to the incomplete report of the
speech of Tertullus. As the Revised Version stands, verse 8
connects with verse 6. The motive of the added words is clearly
to prejudice Felix against Lysias and they contradict the record
in Ac 21. Furneaux holds them to be genuine and omitted because
contradictory to Ac 21. More likely they are a clumsy attempt
to complete the speech of Tertullus.
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/AC24.RWP.html (3 of 12) [28/08/2004 09:07:47 a.m.]