19. ἱκανοὶ δὲ τῶν τὰ περιέργα πραξαντών. Here also there is an euphemism. The word épiepyos, as applied to persons, signifies too much occupied, occupied to little purpose, vainly industrious, nimis sedulus, what the Latins call ardelio. Hence, as applied to things, it denotes supervacuus, vanus; and in this sense the term was specially appropriated to designate the arts of magic, and such "superstitious vanities," both by the Scriptural and Classical writers, from whom examples are adduced by Wolf, Wetstein, Kypke, Irmisch on Herodot. 4, 12, 5. and Burman on Petron. p. 46; ex. gr. Philostrat. 175. gúvai, περίεργον χρῆμα καὶ μαντικὴν συσκευάζοντες. Isidor. 3, 139. τὴν πάρα Χαλδαίοις περιέργον παίδευσιν. Aristæn. 2, 18. where rís Tv Tegiégy signifies a magician, who is further described as ὑποκρινάμενος τῶν περιέργων τὸ oxia. Vide Catull. Ep. 7. Hor. Ep. 17. where see the Scholiast. D. Cass. Exc. Vales. 714. ó'Adgavòs πeρIεργότατος ἦν καὶ μαντείαις καὶ μαγγανείαις παντοδαπαῖς Expro. And that this is the sense, is clear from the words immediately subjoined. See Ursin. Anal. Sacr. 1. 2, 2, 5. p. 48., Seber's Diss. de egyi Ephes., Wakef. Silv. Crit. 2, 148., and Deyling Obss. S. p. 277. This view of the Tepepyía of the Ephesians is confirmed and illustrated by the follow ing words, Ἐφέσια γράμματα, which were scrolls of parchment or paper, inscribed with certain formulæ, and bound to the body, like the aλeipápμaka, or amulets, in order to keep off disorders, demons, &c. &c. All such amulets were specially termed 'Epéria rgáμpara, since Ephesus seems to have been the chief manufactory of them. So Diogenian. Prov. Cent. 4. 78. Εφέσια γράμματα ἐπωδαί τινες ἦσαν, ὡς οἱ φο ροῦντες ἐνίκων ἐν παντὶ. And these are mentioned, or alluded to, in numerous passages cited by Wets. and Valckn., in his Schol. ex. gr. Menander. èéria tois γαμοῦσιν οὗτος περιπατεῖ λέγων αλεξιφάρμακα. Eustath. on Hom. Od. 7. p. 694. 35. Athen. 548 c. Plut. Sympos. 7, 5. οἱ Μάγοι τοὺς δαιμονιζομένους κελεύ ουσι τὰ ἐφέσια γράμματα πρὸς αὐτοὺς καταλέγειν καὶ

ὀνομάζειν. Clemens. Alex. p. 360. τινες δὲ μυθικώτερον τῶν ἰδαίων καλουμένων δακτύλων σοφούς τινας πρώτους γενέσθαι λέγουσιν, εἰς οὓς ἦτε τῶν Ἐφεσίων λεγομένων γραμμάτων, καὶ ἡ τῶν κατὰ Μουσικὴν εὕρεσις ῥυθμῶν ἀναφέρεται. & 67. (Schl. and Kuin.) i add Euseb. c. Hierocl. p. 464. edit. Olear. εἰσι οι περιέργους μηχανὰς -κατειληφέναι. See Olear. on Philostr. V. Aj. 35, 1. . 19. συνενέγκαντες τὰς βίβλους, κατέκαιον. * These books, no doubt, denoted the various forms of incantation, and the other methods of exercising magic arts. Καὶ συνεψήφισαν τὰς τίμας, “ computed, calculated the price.” This word comes from ψήφος, calculus, a counting stone.

19. εὗρον ἀργυρίου μυριάδας πέντε. An example of this sense of ευρίσκω, as used of the total price of any thing sold, has been produced by Raphel from Xenoph. (Ec. 2, 3., and by Wolf from Polyb. 1995. In explaining άpyupíou (silver coin) the Commentators are not agreed. Drusius, Grotius, and others, take it to mean the silver shekel, which was equivalent to four Attic drachms. But (as others observe) it is not probable that at Ephesus the reckoning should have been by shekels, unless indeed these were foreign Jews. The objection against estimating them as minæ, is, that the sum hence arising would be too large. Yet

* Here Ecumenius observes, from Chrysostom: Σημειωτέον δὲ ὅτι καὶ τοι πολυτίμους οὔσας τὰς γοητικὰς αὐτῶν βίβλους, ὡς τῶν ἐν βίῳ ἐχουσῶν τὰ κάλλιστα, οἱ εἰς Χριστὸν πιστεύσαντες, οὐκ ἐπώλη σαν, ἀλλ ̓ ἔκαυσαν, καὶ τοιγε ἄλλων ἐκεῖσε τοιούτων ὄντων τῶν θελόν των τὰς βίβλους κτήσασθαι, πρῶτον μὲν ἵνα μὴ τις μετάσχῃ τῆς ἀπ' αὐτῶν ψυχοφθόρου λύμης, ἔπειτα δὲ ἵνα μὴ ἀπὸ τοιαύτης αἰτίας κτήσ σωνταί τι

Wetstein has numerous citations, from similar passages; ex. gr. Timon. ap. Sext. Εmpir. 56. Πρωταγόρῃ, ἔθελον δὲ τέφρην συγγράμ ματα θεῖναι, ὅττι θεοὺς κατέγραψ ̓ οὔτ ̓ εἰδέναι, οὔτε δύνασθαι, ὁποῖοι τινες εἰσι, καὶ οἵτινες ἀθρήσασθαι. He also gives several instances of pernicious books being burnt by the hands of the hang. man, or public herald; as in Diog. Laert. 9, 52. Tacit. Agr.2. Julius Paulus 5, 23. Libros magicæ artis apud se neminem habere licet, et si penes quoscunque reperti sunt, bonis ademtis, ambustisque his publice, in insulam deportantur, humiliores capite puniunTur. Liv. 40, 29. Libri in comitio, igne a victimariis facto, in conspectu populi cremati sunt.

if that were all, I should not think it of force enough to reject the interpretation; for I find by Sueton. Aug. 31. that such books were very numerous, and we have reason to suppose that they sold at a very high price. The words of that writer are these:

Quicquid fatidicorum librorum Græci Latinique generis nullis, vel parum idoneis auctoribus vulgo ferebatur, supra duo millia, contracta undique, cremavit." However, if I rightly recollect, the word apyúpion, when thus used, invariably stands for a drachm. So Polyb. 16, 36, 3. πevt' åpyupíov, scil. Spaypal, where see the Scholiast. We must, therefore understand drachms; as almost all Commentators now do. But one difficulty still meets us. Are we certain that Attic drachms were used in computation at Ephesus? I think not. Until, then, it can be determined what kind of drachms is here meant, we can never calculate the exact amount of the sum total. See Deyling on this passage, Lakem. Obss. Phil. 2, 153., and Fisch. de Vit. Lex. N. T. 3, 11. & 24, 12.

20. οὕτω κατὰ κράτος ὁ λόγος τοῦ Κυρίου ηὔξανε. Karà κpáros has here the sense of vehementer, extremely. So Hesych. Teλeíws' io xupws. See the exτελείως· amples of this sense adduced by Wets. and Munthe. The most apposite are from Plut. 2. 213 E. ŐTI Kai αὐτὸς φίλος αὐτῷ κατὰ κράτος ἔσοιτο· ὥστε κατὰ κράτος ἐλέγχεσθαι τὸν Πυθαγόραν. Thucyd. 1, 64. κατὰ κράτος ἡ Ποτιδαία—ἐπολιορκεῖτο. Αὐξάνειν and ἰσχύειν are terms nearly synonymous. Valckn. compares Luke 1, 80. τὸ παιδίον ηύξανε καὶ ἐκραταιοῦτο; and Munthe, Diodor. Sic. 37 D. But in all these the terms used are not quite synonymous: and I prefer, with Schleusner, to explain love, auctoritate valuit, vim exseruit.

Ouro is well explained by Kuinoel, thus, viz. "after it had so plainly appeared how great a difference there was between the miracles of the Apostles and the tricks of those impostors ;" the truth of Christ's

doctrine thus effectually triumphing over Gentile superstition, &c.

21. ὡς δὲ ἐπληρώθη ταῦτα, “when these things were fulfilled." Many events referred to in the Epistles happened during this period. It is probable that Philemon, a convert of Paul, (Philem. ver. 19.) and Epaphras, afterwards a minister of the Church at Colosse, were converted about this time: Col. 1. 4, 7, 8. 2, 1, 4. 12, 13. The Apostle was also visited by several Christians from neighbouring parts, during his abode here, particularly by Sosthenes and Apollos from Corinth, and by some of the family of Chloe, a woman, as it seems, of some figure there, (1 Cor. 1, 11.) as also by Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, all from the same place, (1 Cor. 16. 17.) and Onesiphorus, who afterwards visited him so affectionately at Rome, was, as Timothy had frequent opportunities of observing, very serviceable to the Apostle here (2 Tim. 1, 16-18). And there is great reason to believe he wrote his first Epistle to the Corinthians from hence, (1 Cor. 17, 18.) and about this time; for it is plain that Aquila and Priscilla were then with him in Asia (1 Cor. 16, 19.) as they now were (Acts 18, 18, 19, 26.); that it was after Apollos had visited Corinth, had watered Paul's plantation there, and was returned to Ephesus again (1 Cor. 3, 6. 16, 8, 12.); and that it was when Paul himself, having lately given a charge to the Galatian Churches on that head, (compare 1 Cor. 16, 1, 2. with Acts 18, 23.) intended a journey from Asia to the Macedonian and Corinthian Churches, and was sending Timothy to prepare his way. See 1 Cor. 4, 17, 19. 16, 5, 10. compared with the verse now before us, and that which follows. (Doddr.)

21. ἔθετο ὁ Παῦλος ἐν τῷ πνεύματι. It is not certain from the original ἔθετο ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι, whether this relates to a determination he was moved to by the Holy Spirit, by whom he was directed in his journies, or (as Beza and Grotius suppose) to a purpose

he formed in his own mind. But as we find that he delayed the execution of it, and was by several circumstances led to alter his intended course, and to continue longer in his progress than he first designed, it seems more reasonable to refer it to his own spirit; nor is it unusual to insert the article, where it only relates to the human spirit. See Acts 17, 16. Rom. 1, 9. 8, 16. 1 Cor. 2, 11. 5, 5. 6, 20. Gal. 6, 18. Eph. 4, 23. Gr. Accordingly, Beza renders it, "statuit apud se," and Stephens, "induxit in omnium." (Doddr.)

And so the expression is understood by almost all recent Commentators, who, take it for eis rò VEÛμα, and compare the Hebr. 5; though it is also used by the Classical writers. It may therefore be rendered resolved, took counsel, &c. And in this view Wets. compares Dan. 1, 8. Hagg. 2, 19. 1 Cor. 7,37.

Kuinoel is of opinion that the Apostle meant to visit the Churches he had founded in Greece and Macedonia, and to collect a fund for the relief of the poorer Christians at Jerusalem. See Rom. 19, 25 & 26.

22. ἐπέσχε χρόνον. The verb ἐπέχειν signifies, 1st. to hold to; and, 2dly. to keep to, stay: and has a reflected force by the subaudition of Eaurov. In the sense of stay it occurs frequently in the best authors, either without, or (as here) with the addition of an accusative (depending on Karà), denoting duration of time; of which many examples are adduced by Raphel, Wets. Munthe, and Loesner. I add Thucyd. 4, 124. δύο ἢ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐπέσχον where the Scholiast supplies the pronoun auToùs. Now the difference between the Classical and Hellenistical use is this; that in the former, the word denoting time, whether χρόνος or ἡμέρα, &c. has some numeral, or adjective denoting much, or little, or sometimes TS, which a Classical writer would have used in the present passage; though Hemsterhuis, in the Obser. Mis. t. 3. says, that there are instances in the Classics of