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destroyed. The death of the city followed the destruction of its harbor, and utter desolation reigns there.

9. That way. This phrase is here equivalent to "that sect." It occurs several times in the Acts in this sense. (Acts ix. 2; xix. 23; xxii. 4.) — Tyrannus. He is nowhere else mentioned. It is not known whether he was a Jewish teacher, and his school a private synagogue to which Paul withdrew when he could not preach in the public synagogue without fear of disturbance; or whether he was a Greek teacher of philosophy or rhetoric, who had become a convert to Christianity; or whether he had no interest in Paul's preaching, but only rented his apartment to him during certain hours of the day.

10. The space of two years. Ephesus was a city of great importance, visited by thousands of people for trade, amusement, or worship, so the apostle remained here a long time. So that all they which dwelt in Asia heard the word. This is one of the hyperbolical expressions which often occur in the Acts. The meaning is not that everybody in Asia heard Paul preach, but that great numbers did. By Asia is meant the province of Asia, of which Ephesus was the capital. This is the only sense in which the word is used in the New Testament.

11, 12. It is not unlikely that there is an element of truth in what is here related. Persons afflicted with insanity or nervous disease of some kind may have been relieved or cured by handkerchiefs which had been in contact with Paul's body. Cures quite as remarkable are not very uncommon. But that the cures here mentioned were "special miracles," is doubtless an erroneous opinion of the compiler of the Acts.

13

Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists. These were Jews who wandered about from place to place, professing to expel demons from those possessed of them. Exorcists were very numerous in the days of Jesus and the apostles, especially among the Jews.

23. About that way. Concerning the religion which Paul taught. "And about that time there arose no small tumult concerning the faith."- Noyes. 24. Silver shrines for Diana. Of Diana, rather. "These were small portable images, resembling the temple at Ephesus, and containing a figure of the goddess. The manufacture of these shrines was a lucrative business, as they were in great request; they were set up in houses as objects of worship, or carried about the person as having the supposed power to avert diseases and other dangers. They were not only sold here in Asia, but sent as an article of traffic to distant countries. Demetrius, it would seem, was a wholesale dealer in such shrines; he executed orders for them, and employed artisans who received lucrative wages for their labor."

- Hackett.

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29. They rushed with one accord into the theatre. "They " includes those who excited the disturbance and those who joined in it. They rushed to the theatre, because it was the custom of the Greeks, though not of the Romans, to use these theatres for public business as well as for sports. The multitude had evidently no definite plan of action, and no

definite idea of the cause of the present excitement; all they knew was that some great danger threatened their religion, and under that impression they hastened, as with one impulse, to the usual place of concourse, for further inquiry or consultation."

31.

Certain of the chief of Asia. Asiarchs. "The Asiarchs were the men chosen annually from the chief towns in pro-consular Asia, to superintend the games and festivals every year held in honor of the gods and the Roman Emperor."

33. And they drew Alexander out of the multitude. Some suppose that Alexander was a Jew, and that the Jews put him forward to exonerate them from any part they might be supposed to take with Paul and his friends; others that he was a Jewish Christian, whom they thrust forward as an object of derision,

35. The town-clerk. "The recorder."- Noyes. "The original, like our word 'secretary,' is a word of various meanings, used to characterize officers of very different rank. The title appears on coins of Ephesus, and in such connection with the title Asiarch as to suggest a quasi religious office. The secretary of the Greek cities kept the records of the public assemblages and read the laws in the public gatherings of the people; was present when money was deposited in the temple; and received and opened letters addressed to the city. That this man was one of no inconsiderable influence and authority is evident from the narrative here.". Abbott. He, like the Asiarchs, seems to have been friendly to Paul.

Although the apostle left Ephesus shortly after this disturbance, it was not on account of it, but in accordance with a purpose previously formed (verse 21). He resided in Ephesus nearly three years, A.D. 54 to A.D. 57, -and during this time probably visited Corinth, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and other cities, easily reached from EpheIt was during his residence here, probably A. D. 57, that he wrote the First Epistle to the Corinthians.

sus.

HINTS TO TEACHERS. It should be kept in mind that the chief aim of this part of the present Series of Lessons is to give an outline of the life of Paul, and that many incidental matters, interesting in themselves, are passed over hastily. Do not be diverted from the main purpose of the Lessons, but see to it that a general view of Paul's life is fixed in the mind of each one in the class.

REFERENCES. Conybeare and Howson (Chs. XIV.-XVI.); Farrar (Chs. XXXI., XXXII.); Renan's "St. Paul" (Ch. XII.); "Bible for Learners" (Vol. III., Ch. VIII. ); "Footsteps of St. Paul" (Ch. XIV.); "A Year with St. Paul" (Sundays XXXI.-XXXIV.).

PAUL AGAIN IN MACEDONIA AND GREECE.

Acts XX. 1-38.

Help us to help each other, Lord,
Each other's cross to bear,
Let each his friendly aid afford
And feel his brother's care.

GOLDEN TEXT: As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men.- GAL. vi. 10.

1. What did you learn in the last Lesson about Paul at Ephesus?

2. Where did he go when he left Ephesus?

He went into Macedonia.

3. Will you point out Macedonia on the map?

4. What cities of Macedonia had Paul already visited?

5. What letter did he write while in Macedonia?

The Second Epistle to the Corinthians.

6. Where did he go shortly after writing this Epistle? To Corinth.

7. Where was Corinth?

8. When had Paul been there before?

9. What letters did Paul write from Corinth during his first visit there?

10. What letters did he now write from Corinth?

The Epistles to the Galatians and Romans.

11. Will you point out on the map the places to which these Epistles were sent?

1. Will you give a brief account of Paul's three years' residence at Ephesus?

2. Where did he go when he left Ephesus? Acts xx. 1.

3. What cities of Macedonia had he already visited, and when?

4. Where had he been since he was in this country before? 5. Which of his Epistles did he now write?

6. After preaching a while in Macedonia, where did he go? 7. What cities of Greece had he visited during his second missionary journey?

8. Which of these cities did he now make his abode?

9. Which of his Epistles were written from Corinth at this time?

10. How many visits had he made to the Galatians?

11. Had he at this time visited Rome ?

12. By what route did he start for Syria when he had been in Greece three months? 3.

13. Why did he not sail for that country direct from Corinth? 3.

14. Who accompanied him a part of the way? 4, 5.

15. How did he go from Philippi to Troas? 6.

16. Who are meant by "we," in verse 6?

17. What remarkable event is said to have occurred during Paul's stay at Troas ? 7-12.

18. Where did the apostle go next? 13.

19. Where were Assos and Mitylene, and what account can you give of them?

20. How long was the voyage from Mitylene to Miletus? 15. 21. What can you say of the places mentioned in verse 15? 22. What is related in verses 17-38?

23. How far was Ephesus from Miletus?

...

NOTES. Acts xx. 1. And after the uproar was ceased. The tumult at Ephesus described in the last chapter. - Paul . departed for to go into Macedonia. Here were the churches of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. On his way to Macedonia he waited some time at Troas for Titus to come to him with news from Corinth (2 Cor. ii. 1, 2). Titus did not come, and the apostle pursued his way. On his arrival in Macedonia he was greatly depressed on account of the opposition to himself and his cause which he found there, and the divided and disorderly state of the church in Corinth when he last heard from that city. He was cheered, however, by the coming of Titus with favorable news (2 Cor. vii. 4–7). While in Macedonia he wrote the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. The date of this epistle is probably A.D. 57. On leaving Macedonia, he went

westward as far as Illyricum, where he founded Christian churches in the principal towns; then southwards into Greece.

2. Greece. This is the only instance in which the word "Greece" occurs in the New Testament. Achaia is the term employed in other instances to designate this region.

3. And there abode three months. On his first visit to Greece he spent a few weeks at Athens and a year and a half at Corinth. He founded no church at Athens and met with no success there, while he did found one and met with great success at Corinth. This and other considerations make it certain that he spent nearly if not quite the whole of the three months here mentioned at Corinth. During this period, early in A.D. 58, he wrote the Epistle to the Romans and probably the Epistle to the Galatians, although some good authorities are of the opinion that the latter was written at Ephesus during the latter part of his residence there. - The Jews laid wait for him. His plan was to go to Cenchrea, the eastern port of Corinth, sail thence to some port on the Syrian coast, and then go afoot to Jerusalem; but learning that the Jews had laid a plot to kill him, perhaps at Cenchrea, he took the circuitous land route through Macedonia until he came to Philippi.

4. There accompanied him into Asia. Little or nothing is known of most of the associates of Paul mentioned in this verse. Timothy, however, had long been his companion, and some of the others are elsewhere alluded to in the New Testament.

5. These going before. Why these associates of Paul went before him as far as Troas and there waited for him is not known, and perhaps it is idle to conjecture.

6. We sailed away from Philippi. "We" refers to Paul and the person who kept the diary from which a part of the Acts was compiled. Some think that it was Luke who kept this diary, others that it was Titus. Both of them were, a part of the time, companions of Paul. After the days of unleavened bread. The Passover. Bread made with leaven was forbidden during this festival; hence the days of the Passover were called days of unleavened bread. The Passover of A.D. 58 is here meant. — - And came unto them to Troas in five days. On his second missionary journey Paul sailed from Troas to Neapolis, the port of Philippi, in two days (Acts xvi. 11). Difference in the wind would account for this difference in time. This was Paul's third visit to Troas.

7. Upon the first day of the week. It was the practice of the early Christians to come together on the first day of the week, in commemoration of the resurrection of Christ. For a time they held public religious services both on the first and seventh days. Gradually, however, they discontinued the observance of the Jewish Sabbath, -i. e, the seventh day, — and observed only the first day of the week, which they called the Lord's day. 9. Was taken up dead. Doubtless, he was only apparently dead. Paul's words, "his life is in him," would seem to be most naturally interpreted in accordance with this view.

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