The Expositor S Bible Acts (Vol.1) (William R. Nicoll)

《The Expositor’s Bible –Acts (Vol.1)》(William R. Nicoll)

Editor

Sir William Robertson Nicoll CH (October 10, 1851 - May 4, 1923) was a Scottish Free Church minister, journalist, editor, and man of letters.

Nicoll was born in Lumsden, Aberdeenshire, the son of a Free Church minister. He was educated at Aberdeen Grammar School and graduated MA at the University of Aberdeen in 1870, and studied for the ministry at the Free Church Divinity Hall there until 1874, when he was ordained minister of the Free Church at Dufftown, Banffshire. Three years later he moved to Kelso, and in 1884 became editor of The Expositor for Hodder & Stoughton, a position he held until his death.

In 1885 Nicoll was forced to retire from pastoral ministry after an attack of typhoid had badly damaged his lung. In 1886 he moved south to London, which became the base for the rest of his life. With the support of Hodder and Stoughton he founded the British Weekly, a Nonconformist newspaper, which also gained great influence over opinion in the churches in Scotland.

Nicoll secured many writers of exceptional talent for his paper (including Marcus Dods, J. M. Barrie, Ian Maclaren, Alexander Whyte, Alexander Maclaren, and James Denney), to which he added his own considerable talents as a contributor. He began a highly popular feature, "Correspondence of Claudius Clear", which enabled him to share his interests and his reading with his readers. He was also the founding editor of The Bookman from 1891, and acted as chief literary adviser to the publishing firm of Hodder & Stoughton.

Among his other enterprises were The Expositor's Bible and The Theological Educator. He edited The Expositor's Greek Testament (from 1897), and a series of Contemporary Writers (from 1894), and of Literary Lives (from 1904).

He projected but never wrote a history of The Victorian Era in English Literature, and edited, with T. J. Wise, two volumes of Literary Anecdotes of the Nineteenth Century. He was knighted in 1909, ostensibly for his literrary work, but in reality probably more for his long-term support for the Liberal Party. He was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) in the 1921 Birthday Honours.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter I

The Origin And Authority Of The Acts Of The Apostles.

Acts 1:1-2.

Title — Apocryphal Acts — Paul And Thecla — Evidence Of Tertullian — His Chronological Position — Modern Analogies — Muratorian Fragment And Bobbio — Epistle From Lyons — Pothinus An Apostolic Man — Marcion And St. Luke — Defects Of German Criticism — Growth Of New Testament Canon — Newly-Discovered Second Century Documents — Scillitan Martyrs — Primitive Christians And Biblical Criticism — Advantages Of Uncertainty On Theology — Theological Accuracy Of St. Luke

Chapter II

The Conversations Of The Great Forty Days.

Acts 1:6-9.

Subject-Matter Revealed In The Acts — Our Lord's Post-Resurrection Appearances — Apostolic Curiosity — Messianic Idea Among Jews — Books Of Enoch And Of Jubilees — Evidence For Inspiration Of New Testament — Christianity A Practical Religion — Contrast With Paganism — Mithraism — Spiritual Blessing Of Christ's Reticence Concerning The Future — Antinomies In Scripture — Bad Effects Of Human Curiosity — At Thessalonica — In The Middle Ages — In Last And Present Centuries — Irvingism — Holy Ghost Alone The Source Of Spiritual Power

Chapter III

The Ascension Of Christ, And Its Lessons.

Acts 1:9.

Position Of Doctrine Of Ascension In Epistles — And In Apostolic Teaching — Curious And Foolish Questions About It — The Unseen Um'verse — Fitness Of The Doctrine — And Necessity If The Church Was To Rise Out Of Judaism Into Christianity — Illustrations, London And The Papacy — Renan's Theory — The Ascension Glorified Human Nature — Paganism Degraded It — Gladiatorial Shows And Story Of The Monk Telemachus — Tacitus And Slavery — Cato The Censor And The Treatment Of Slaves — The Ascension And Darwinism

Chapter IV

The Election Of Matthias.

Acts 1:24-26.

Expectation Days — Principle Of Divine Delay — Christian Seasons And Judaism — Pentecost And Sinai — Continuity Of The Divine Purposes — Christian Chronology — Tatian's Orati.Oti — The Apostles And The Upper Room — Narratives Of Epiphanius And Cyril Of Jerusalem — Christianity Supra-Local — Last Notice Of The Blessed Virgin — Doctrine Of The Assumption — Self Restraint Of Scriptural Writers — Choice Of New Apostle — St. Peter's Proposition^his Character — Privilegium Petri — Reasons For The Election — The Christian Ministry And The Resurrection — C. Leslie's Short And Easy Method — History Of St. Matthias — Apocryphal Gospels — Papias On Fate Of Judas Iscariot

Chapter V

The Pentecostal Blessing.

Acts 2:1-4.

Origin And History Of Pentecost — Gnosticism And Antinomianism — Modern Aspect Of Ancient Pleresies — Ancient Union And Modern Divisions Of Christendom — Jeremy Taylor's Prayer — The Fiery Tongues — Protest Against Persecution And Pena Laws In Religion — Ussher And Baxter, Mistakes Of — Death Scene Of Queen Caroline — Importance Of Corporate Aspect Of Christianity — Clergy And Laity In Apostolic Church — Gift Of Tongues And Irvingism — Modern Theories About Pentecost — Hypnotism — Greek And Latin Not Universal Languages In Apostolic Times — Ramsay's Geography Of Asia Minor

Chapter VI

St, Peter's First Sermon.

Acts 2:14.

Reports Of Ancient Sermons, How Derived — Use Of Shorthand Among Ancients — St. Peter's Auditory — Celts Of Britain At Crucifixion — Jews In Arabia — Homerite Martyrs — St. Peter's Conduct At Pentecost An Evidence For The Resurrection — Contrast With His Action At Antioch — St. Peter's Universal Conceptions And Language — A Protest Against Ebionism And Unitarianism — St. Peter And Christ's Descent Into Hades — Apollinarianism And The True Doctrine Of Our Lord's Humanity — David's Sepulchre And Christ's Resurrection — Jewish Traditions

Chapter VII

The First Fruits Of Pentecost.

Acts 2:37-39.

Contrast Between Our Lord's Preaching And That Of His Apostles — Proof Of Extraordinary Work Of The Spirit — Evidence Of Tacitus — Spiritual Power A Different Thing From Religious Knowledge — Character Of St. Peter's Teaching — Repentance — Modern Antinomianism. — Williams, Baxter, Stilling Fleet, Wesley — St. Peter And Baptism — Baptism In The Didache — Story Of That Manual And Its Discovery — The Baptisma Formula — Immersion — Infant Baptism — St. Peter And The Power Of The Keys

Chapter VIII

First Recorded Miracle And First Persecution.

Acts 3:1-6.

The Acts A Mirror Of Church History — Pause After Pentecost, Reason Of — Need Of Pastoral Work — Relapses In Mission Field — The Corinthian Case — Rest And Spiritual Growth — Evils Of Excitement — Contrast Of Christianity With The Montanists And Cynics — True Religion Not, However, Purely Contemplative — Circumstances Of First Miracle — Which Was Typical Of Church's Future Work — Among The Poor And Sick — Story Of St. Crispin — St. Chrysostom's Sermons — First Franciscans Contrasted With Early Methodists — Medical Missions — Place Of Miracle — Solomon's Porch — St. Peter's Address Model For Preachers — Shows Divinity Of Christ — Exalts Christ — is Bold And Prudent Withal

Chapter IX

The First Persecution.

Acts 4:1-3, 5-7.

St. Peter's Teaching In Solomon's Porch And The Captain Of The Temple — The Romans And Jewish Law — Discovery Of Temple Tablet — The Sadducees And The Work Of Opposition — Sadduceism And Modern Theories — Sceptics And Religious Intolerance — Pliny And The Martyrs — Trial Of The Apostles — Constitution Of The Sanhedrin — Sadducism And The Priesthood — St. Peter's Defence And Christ's Promise — Afford No Support To Unprepared Teaching In Ordinary Life — St. Peter And The Power Of Christ's Name — The Sanhedrin And Miracles — The Jews And Magic — Reverence Towards The Name Of God — Early Symbolism And Christ's Name — Salvation Through Christ And The Wider Hope

Chapter X

The Community Of Goods.

Acts 4:32-35.

The Holy Scriptures And The Editors Of Their Heroes — Controversy Between St. Jerome And St. Augustine — A Mistaken View Of Christ's Second Advent The Source Of Community Of Goods — Communism And The Essenes — And Anabaptists — And Plymouthism — Source Of Poverty In Jerusalem Church — Warning To Missionary Churches — Apostolic Constitutions — And Primitive Missions — Fayum Documents — Evils Of Indiscriminate Almsgiving — True Christian Charity — Post Office Savings Banks — Jerusalem Communism And Modern Legislation And Ideals — A Warning And Yet A Noble Conception — Connection Of Enthusiasm And Spiritual Power

Chapter XI

Honesty And Pretence In The Primitive Church.

Acts 4:36, 37 ; V. 1-6.

Hebrews And Hellenists In The Synagogue And In The Church — Original Christians Were Hebrews — Introduction Of Hellenists — Who Became The Bridge Whereby Christianity Was Communicated To The World — Barnabas And Greek Culture — A Native Of Cyprus — His Personal Appearance — And History According To Simeon Metaphrastes — Personal Character — Story Of Ananias — His Sin And Punishment — Proved That Christianity Had A Stem As Well As A Loving Side — Dr. Vaughan's Application Of This Incident

Chapter XII

Gamaliel And His Prudent Advice.

Acts V. 38-40.

The Apostles Again Brought Before Sanhedrin — Because Of St. Peter's Miracles — Note On The Miraculous Effects Of St. Peter's Shadow And Hypnotism — St. Peter And Angelic Deliverances — Jortin's Theory — The Incarnation Rendered The Age A Special Time — The Sadducees And Materialism — Gamaliel A Pharisee — Effect Of A Spiritual Creed On The Character — His Address — Cases Of Judas And Theudas — Modern Illustrations — Gamaliel's Family History — Gamaliel In The Clementme Recognitions And In Greek Christian Traditions — Gamaliel And Nicodemus In The Bibliotheca Of Photius — Gamaliel And The Spirit Of Toleration — St. Augustine And Cornelius A Lapide — Conduct Of The Apostles

Chapter XIII

Primitive Dissensions And Apostolic Precautions.

Acts 6:1-4.

The Election Of The Seven A Crisis In Church History — Date Of St. Stephen's Martyrdom — Occasion Of It — Primal Relation Of Judaism To Christianity — Not Mutually Exclusive — Illustrated By Those Of First Methodists To Church Of England — Tyranny And Deposition Of Pilate — Multiplication Of Christians Led To Murmuring And Thence To Choice Of Seven — Showing Benefits And Drawbacks Of Prosperity — Imperfections Of Apostolic Church — Fallacy Of Roman ά Priori Argument For Infallibility — Reciprocal Influence Of Church And World — Various Meanings Of Term "World" — Murmuring Arose From Racial And Linguistic Differences — Hebrews And Hellenists — Modern Analogies — Diversity Of Functions In Church — Serving Of Tables Differs From Ministry Of Word — Which Demands Study, Meditation, And Prayer — Weakness Of Modern Pulpit Accounted For — Election Of Deacons And Number — The Diaconate And Cardinalate

Chapter XIV

St. Stephen And The Evolution Of The Christian Ministry.

Acts 6:5, 6 ; 8-1 1.

The Seven Were Scriptural — Origin Of Diaconate — Bishop Lightfoot's View — Influence Of The Synagogue Upon The Church — Illustrated By Marcionites — And By Pilgrim Fathers In New England — Constitution Of Synagogues — Jewish Almoners Or Deacons — Evidence To Diaconate Of Apostolic Fathers — Of Pliny — Of Irenaeus — Connection Of Community Of Goods With The Eucharist — Poor Law Among Jews — And Christians — Testimony Of Lucian — Christianity Viewed From The Outside — Difference Between Ancient And Modern Office — Life-Long Diaconate In Ancient Celtic Church — St. Patrick's Father — Election Of Deacons In The Synagogues — Imposition Of Hands And Ordination — Names Of Deacons And Nicolas Of Antioch — St. Stephen And The Charge Of Blasphemy — Every True Teacher Must Expect Misrepresentation

Chapter XV

St. Stephen's Defence And The Doctrine Of Inspiration.

Acts 6:12-14; 7:1, 2.

Derivation And Meaning Of Name " Stephen " — Libertine Assailants Of St. Stephen — United With Cilicians — St. Paul And The Sanhedrin — Selden On Sanhedrin — Use Of Shorthand Among The Ancients — The Acts Of The Martyrs And Investigations Of M Le Blant — Effective Character Of Stephen's Apology — Analysis Of It — Naturally Irritating To Jewish Officialism — Charity Towards Persecutors — Reverence Towards The Past — A Good Thing, But May Be Pressed Too Far — Lessons For Our Age — Science And Religion — Mistakes In The Martyr's Speech — Natural — Useful, Too, As Testifying To Honesty Of Report — And Teaching True Doctrine Of Inspiration — Dr. Vaughan On St. Stephen's Mistakes — St. Stephen And Freedom Of Church Worship — Christian Universalism Not Inconsistent With Sacred And Consecrated Buildings

Chapter XVI

The First Christian Martyrdom.

Testimony Of Church Of Lyons To St. Stephen's Martyrdom — Earliest Celtic Martyrdoms And Celtic Assemblies — Christmas Day And St. Stephen's Day — Christmas Season And Three Classes Of Martyrs — Dies Natalis And The Liturgies — Immediate Cause Of St. Stephen's Death — Locality Of The Martyrdom — Newly-Discovered Church Of St. Stephen — Survey Of Western Palestine — Jewish Stonings — St. Stephen Died Under Forms Of Law — Christianity And Human Law — Testimony Of St. Clement's Epistle — St. Stephen And Prayer To Jesus Christ — Doctrine Of Book Of Common Prayer — St. Stephen's Funeral — Early Christian View Of Resurrection — Story Told By John Malalas — Persecution And Church Extension

Chapter XVII

Simon Magus And The Conversion Of Samaria.

Prominence Of Hellenists In The Church's Earliest Days — Apostles And Deacons Contrasted — Source Of St. Luke's Knowledge Of Early Church History — St. Philip At Csesarea — Exact Locality Where Philip Taught In Samaria — Our Lord's Ministry In Samaria A Failure — Why? — Because The Spirit Was Not Yet Given — Presence Of The Holy Ghost The Condition Of Permanent Blessing — St. Philip And Simon Magus — Story Of Simon As Told By Justin Martyr — Evidence For Early Date Of The Acts — Justin And Simon's Statue — Simon A Sorcerer — Jews And Sorcery — Jewish Gnosticism — Fayum Manuscripts And Magic — Contrast Between Philip's Miracles And Simon's Magic — Need Of Miracles At Outset Of Christianity — Philip's Doctrine Concerning The Kingdom Of God — What It Involved — Church's Prosperity Dependent Entirely Upon Christ — Threefold Result Of Philip's Teaching — John Keble On Christian Joy

Chapter XVIII

The Apostles And Confirmation.

Apostolic Mission To Samaria — Development Of Church — Position Of St. Peter — False Decretals — Confirmation, Origin Of — New Testament Is Not An Exhaustive Manual Of Rites And Ceremonies — Tertullian On Standing At Prayer — Conservative Character Of Church Ritual — Illustrated By Cases Of Dean Hook, J. H. Newman, Tate And Brady, And The Plymouth Brethren — Apostolic Example Perpetuated In Second Century Practice — And In Case Of Confirmation — Calvin On Its Apostolic Origin

Chapter XIX

St. Peter And Simon Magus.

Acts 8:18, 19.

Change In Confirmation At Reformation Yet The Rite Remained Essentially The Same As Of Old — Importance Of Tertullian's Testimony For Its Primitive Origin — Cyprian's And Augustmes View — Relation Of Cyprian To Tertullian — Imposition Of Hands United With Prayer In Ancient And Modern Church — Utility And Blessings Of The Rite — Improvement Which Might Be Made In Its Administration-Conduct Of Simon Magnums Was Intellectually Convinced But Spiritually Unconverted — Application Of His Example To Foreign Missions — Late Controversy Concerning Educational Missions-Simon's Conduct And Simony — Definition Of Simony — Sin Not Confined To Established Churches — Takes Subtle Shapes In Every Community — St. Peter's Exhortation To Simon Magus — Corrects A Modern Error

Chapter XX

Evangelistic Work In The Philistine's Land.

Acts 8:6-8 ; 9:32.

Those Passages Typical Of Evangelistic Efforts And Qualifications For Success In Them — St. Philip Contrasted With St. Peter — Need Of Education For Mission Field — Christian Missionaries Of Early Centuries Partook Of Highest Culture — Pantrenus Oricren — Clement — These Texts Show Importance Of Clear Conception In Theology-Clear Views Need Not Be Narrow Views — Distinction Between St. Philip's Guidance And That Of St. Peter — Reasons For Angelic 'Interference — Archbishop Trench On John V. 4. — Apostolic Labours All Tended Westward — philip's Mission Towards Gaza — Obstinate Paganism Of Gaza — Proved By Survey Of Palestine — Ethiopian Eunuch — Candace And Her Kingdom — St. Philip's Doctrines — Abyssinian Traditions — Revised Version And The Eunuch's Confession — Creed Of Apostolic Church — Witness Of Aristides' Apology

00 Preface

THIS volume contains an exposition of the Acts of the Apostles down to, but not including, the conversion of St. Paul and the baptism of Cornelius. There is a natural division at that point. Prior to these events, the inspired narrative is engaged with what the late Bishop Lightfoot of Durham called great "representative facts," prophetical or typical of the future developments of the Church, whether among Jews or Gentiles;[1] while the subsequent course of the history deals almost entirely with missionary work among the heathen and the labours of St. Paul.[2]

We are dependent for the story of these earliest days of the Church's life upon the Acts of the Apostles. I have endeavoured, however, to illustrate the narrative by copious references to ancient documents, some of which may appear of dubious value and authority, such as the Ads of the Saints and the writings of the mediaeval Greek hagiologist, Simeon Metaphrastes, who lived in the tenth century.[3] The latter writer has been hitherto regarded as more famous for his imagination than for his historical accuracy. This age of ours is a noted one, however, for clearing characters previously regarded as very doubtful, and Simeon Metaphrastes has come in for his own share of this process of rehabilitation. The distinguished writer just referred to, Dr. Lightfoot, as we have shown in a note on p. 218, has proved that Metaphrastes embodied in his works valuable early records, dating back to the second century, which in critical hands can shed much light upon primitive Christian history.[4] In fact, students of Holy Scripture and of early Christianity are learning every day to look more and more to ancient Greek, Syriac, and Armenian writers, and to the libraries of the Eastern Churches, for fresh light on these important subjects. It is only natural we should do so. Writers like Simeon Metaphrastes and Photius, the student Patriarch of Constantinople, lived a thousand years nearer the apostolic times than we do. They flourished in an age of the highest civilization, when precious literary works, in hundreds and thousands, which are no longer known amongst us, lay all around them and at their command. These men and their friends gathered them up and extracted them, and common sense alone teaches that a critical study of their writings will reveal to us somewhat of the treasures they possessed. The libraries of the East again form a great field for investigation. During the last fifty years we have paid some little attention to them, which has been amply rewarded. The recovery of the complete works of Hippolytus and of Clement of Rome, the discovery of the Teaching of the Apostles and of the Diatessaron of Tatian, are only specimens of what we may yet hope to exhume from the dust of ages.