History of Israel's rebellion, and A. D. 33. A. D. 33. A. M. 4037. in the book of the prophets, O ye || it according to the fashion that he A. M. 4037. house of Israel, have ye offered to me || had seen. slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness? i 45 Which also our fathers, 5 that came after, brought in with Jesus into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David ; 1 46 1 Who found favour before God, and m desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. 47 But Solomon built him a house. 48 Howbeit, the Most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet, m 1 Kings viii. 17; 1 Chronicles xxii. 7; Psalm cxxxii. 4, 5.---- n1 Kings vi. 1; viii. 20; 1 Chron. xvii.12; 2 Chronicles iii. 1.—91 Kings viii. 27; 2 Chron. ii. 6; vi. 18; Chap. xvii. 24. "As from them in anger, and, as in many other instances, between God and Israel: hence the ark, which conpunished one sin by letting them fall into another; tained them, is frequently called the ark of the tes and at length gave them up, in succeeding ages, to timony; and the whole tabernacle in this place, the the most abandoned, public, and general idolatry, tabernacle of the testimony. This, says Stephen, even to worship all the host of heaven-The stars and was with our fathers in the wilderness, a tabernacle other heavenly bodies, and that with as little reserve, made in all respects as God had appointed, who, and as little shame, as the most stupid of the heathen speaking unto Moses, commanded him to make it nations. As it is written in the book of the prophets || according to the fashion, or model, that he had seen -Namely, of the twelve minor prophets, which the||--Namely, in the mount, Exod. xxv. 40. Jews always connected together in one book. Stephen had been accused of blaspheming the What is here quoted is' taken from the Prophet || temple, he, with great propriety, takes occasion to Amos, chap. v. 25; where see the note. The passage speak of their sacred places with due reverence, as consists of two parts; of which the former confirms || raised by special direction from God; and yet cor verse 41, concerning the sin of the people; the rects that extravagant regard for them, and conlatter, the beginning of verse 42, respecting their fidence in them, which the Jews entertained."punishment: O house of Israel, have ye offered to|| Doddridge. Which our fathers, that came after-me-To me alone; slain beasts, &c., forty years in the Or rather,as diadegauevo more properly signifies, havwilderness?—You know that even then you began || ing received; brought in with Jesus-That is, with to revolt, and provoke me to jealousy with your Joshua, when he led them over Jordan; into the abominations. They had offered many sacrifices, possession of the Gentiles-Into the land which the but did not offer them to God alone, but sacrificed to Gentiles possessed before. So that God's favour is idols also; and God did not accept even those that not a necessary consequence of inhabiting this land. they offered to him, because they did not offer them || All along Stephen intimates two things: 1st, That with an upright heart. And in succeeding ages you God always loved good men in every land. 2d, were continually renewing and aggravating your That he never loved bad men even in this. Unto rebellions and treasons against me. Yea, ye took the days of David-That is, the tabernacle continuup the tabernacle of Moloch-Instead of confining ed for many ages, even unto David's time, to be the yourselves to my tabernacle; and the star of your resort of the pious worshippers in Israel; above four god Remphan-Or Chium, as it is called in Amos. hundred years before there was any thought of Moloch probably meant the sun, and Remphan, or|| building a temple. David indeed having found Chium, the moon; or some other star. Aben Ezra favour before God, desired-Greek, nτnσato, petithinks Saturn; figures which ye made-Images, or tioned, this further blessing, on which his heart was emblematical representations, of these supposed set; even to have the honour to find a tabernacle deities; to worship them-Both the images, and the|| Or a dwelling more stable and splendid; for the God supposed deities which they were intended to repre- of Jacob-But he did not obtain his petition. For, sent. See note on Amos v. 26. I will carry you as he had been a man of war, and had shed much away beyond Babylon-Into countries more distant. blood, God would not permit him to build the temSo Dr. Prideaux reconciles Stephen's quotation with ple. He laid a plan for it, however, and consecrated the original passages in Amos, where we read, be- a considerable part of the spoils which he had taken · yond Damascus. This was fulfilled by the king of from the enemy toward erecting it. But God reAssyria, 2 Kings xvii. 6. mained without any temple till Solomon built him a Verses 44-47. Our fathers had the tabernacle || house-Which, till the reign of that prince, he never of witness-Greek, 78 μapтvρ18, of the testimony. The|| had commanded or permitted to be done. Observe two tables of stone, on which the ten command- || how wisely the word house is used here, rather than ments were written, were most properly the testi- the word temple, with respect to what follows. mony, as being a constant testimony of the relation Verses 48-50. Howbeit-A22a, but, or yet; we t Chap. iii. 14.———" Exod. xx. 1 "Exod. xx. 1; Gal. iii. 19; Hebrews ii. 2. * Chap. v. 33.-* St. Stephen's Day, epistle, verse 55 to the 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16;|| end.- -y Chap. vi. 5.—z Ezk. i. 1; Matt. iii.16; Chap. x. 11. a Dan. vii. 13. p Isa. lxvi. 1, 2; Matt. v. 34, 35; xxiii. 22. 9 Exod. xxxii. 9; xxxiii. 3; Isa. xlviii. 4.- - Lev. xxvi. 41; Deut. x. 16; Jer. iv. 4; vi. 10; ix. 26; Ezk. xliv. 9. Matt. xxi. 35; xxiii. 34, 37; 1 Thess. ii. 15. are not to imagine that God permitted a temple to Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?-Some have inferred from this, that many writings, containing the history of these persecutions, have been destroyed by the Jews; but it seems more natural to understand the words in a limited sense, as only intimating that most of the prophets had suffered such unworthy usage. Attempts, however, were sometimes made to cut off all the prophets of the Lord at once. See 1 Kings xix. 10, 14; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 16. They have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just or righteous One-That is, Christ; so called by way of eminence, as being alone perfectly righteous: of whom-When you ought to have heard of him with delight, and to have received him with the most humble reverence and joyful gratitude; you have been now the perfidious betrayers, and cruel murderers. Who have received the law-Delivered from Sinai with astonishing circumstances of solemnity, majesty, and terror, by the disposition, or administration of angels, and have not kept, but continually violated it-When the Son of God gave the law on mount Sinai, he was attended with thousands of angels, Gal. iii.19; Psa. lxvii. 17. Dr. Doddridge Verses 51-53. Ye stiff-necked, &c.-Stephen, find- || renders the original expression, ɛıç dıatayaç ayyɛkwv, ing by a confused murmur in the place that they || understood whither his discourse tended, and perceiving by the eagerness of their countenances that they would soon interrupt him, applied himself more closely to his persecutors in these remarkable words, which he boldly addressed to them under the influence of the Holy Spirit, by whose direction he spoke; Ye stiff-necked-Inflexible and obstinate || sinners, not bowing your necks to God's yoke; and || original word being the same that is used chap. v. 33. uncircumcised in heart and ears—So that you will || not hearken to instruction, or be seriously affected with it. This they immediately showed. See verses 54, 57. So far were they from receiving the word of God with their hearts, that they would not hear it even with their ears. Ye-And your fathers; ye, as a people, in all ages; resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did-In former ages; so do ye now. This is the sum of what he had shown at large. || || through ranks of angels, "marshalled in solemn array upon that grand occasion:" and he thinks it is evident, from Heb. ii. 2, that God made use of the instrumentality of angels to form the voice heard at that awful time. Verses 54-56. When they heard these things— These plain, and undeniable, and alarming truths; they were cut to the heart-Or sawn asunder, the And not permitting him to proceed any further, in a transport of rage, they gnashed on him with their teeth-As if they would have devoured him alive. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost-And therefore no way terrified with the foresight of the evil which appeared to be determined against him; looked up steadfastly into heaven-From whence alone he could expect help or mercy; and saw the glory of God-Prepared for him; and Jesus stand Stephen is stoned by the Jews; A. M. 4037. e A. D. 33. 57 Then they cried out with a loud 59 And they stoned Stephen, call- A. M. 4037. voice, and stopped their ears, and ran ||ing upon God, and saying, Lord Jeupon him with one accord, sus, f receive my spirit. ing on the right hand of God-Risen up from the || off their upper garments, and gave them to be kept throne of his glory, (for he is generally represented by persons equally hearty in the prosecution with as sitting,) to afford help to his distressed servant, themselves; and on this occasion the witnesses laid and ready to receive him. Doubtless many other their clothes at the feet of Saul, afterward called martyrs, as Mr. Addison has observed, when called || Paul, who, it seems, willingly took charge of them, to suffer the last extremities, had extraordinary to show how heartily he concurred with them in the assistances of a similar kind; otherwise frail mor- execution. O Saul! wouldst thou have believed, if tality could not have endured the torments under one had told thee, while thou wast urging on the which they rejoiced, and sometimes preached Christ, || cruel multitude, that the time would come when to the conversion of spectators, and, in some in- || thou thyself shouldst be twice stoned in the same stances, of their guards and tormentors. cause, and shouldst triumph in committing thy soul as many others. And the martyr Stephen, and Saul the persecutor, (afterward his brother, both in faith and martyrdom,) are now joined in everlasting friendship, and dwell together in the happy company of those who have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Verses 57-59. Then they cried out with a loud || likewise to that Jesus whom thou wast now blasvoice-Being provoked to such a degree that they || pheming? His dying prayer reached thee, as well could not contain themselves, and meaning to drown the voice of Stephen; and stopped their ears-As if they could not bear to hear such blasphemy as they wished to have it thought he had spoken.|| And ran upon him—Greek, wpμnoav, -Greek, wpunoav, rushed on him | with one accord, before any sentence was regularly || passed; and cast-Greek, ɛ«bahovtes ežw tng toλews, Verses 59, 60. And thus they stoned Stephencasting him out of the city-It seems by a gate near Who, during this furious assault, continued with his the place where the sanhedrim sat; and as soon as eyes fixed on the heavenly glory, of which he had they had got without the boundaries of that sacred so bright a vision, calling upon God-The word place, of which they judged it would be a profana- || God is not in the original, which is literally, invoktion to stain it with human blood, they stoned him- || ing; and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spiritThis, like the stoning of Paul at Lystra, seems to|| For Christ was the person to whom he prayed: and have been an act of popular fury, exceeding the surely such a solemn prayer addressed to him, in power which the Jews regularly had; which, though which a departing soul was thus committed into his it might have extended to passing a capital sentence, || hands, was such an act of worship as no good man was certainly not sufficient for carrying it into could have paid to a mere creature; Stephen here execution, without the consent of the Romans. The worshipping Christ in the very same manner in Jews were more than once ready to stone Christ, which Christ worshipped the Father on the cross. not only when by their own confession they had || And he kneeled down, &c.-Having nothing further not power to put any one to death, (John xviii. 31,) || relating to himself which could give him any solibut when nothing had passed which had the shadow || citude, all his remaining thoughts were occupied in of a legal trial. How far they now might have compassion to these inhuman wretches, who were formed those express notions of what the rabbis employed in effecting his destruction. Having, call the judgment of zeal, is not easy to say; but it therefore, as we have reason to suppose, received certain they acted on that principle, and as if they || many violent blows, rising as well as he could upon had thought every private Israelite had, like Phine- his knees, he cried, though with an expiring, yet has, who is pleaded as an example of it, a right to with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their put another to death on the spot, if he found him in charge-With severity proportionable to the weight a capital breach of the divine law; a notion, by the of the offence, but graciously forgive them, as indeed way, directly contrary to Deut. xvii. 6, which re- I do from my heart. The original expression, un quired at least two witnesses in capital cases, where ζησης αυτοις την αμαρτίαν, has a peculiar emphasis, and there was a legal process. And the two witnesses- is not easy to be exactly translated, without multiWhose hands were first upon him to put him to plying words to an improper degree. It is literally death; laid down their clothes, &c.-In executions weigh not out to them this sin; that is, a punishment of this kind, it was usual for those who had borne proportionable to it; alluding, it seems, to passages witness against the criminal to cast the first stones of Scripture where God is represented as weighing at him; and for this purpose they were wont to put || men's characters and actions in the dispensations of Persecution of the CHAPTER VIII. church at Jerusalem. his justice and providence. This prayer of Stephen || soul into the Saviour's hand, with a sacred serenity, was heard, and remarkably answered, in the conver- || in the midst of this furious assault, he sweetly fell sion of Saul, of whose history we shall shortly hear asleep-Leaving the traces of a gentle composure, more. When he had said this-Calmly resigning his rather than a horror, upon his breathless corpse. CHAPTER VIII. (1,) While Stephen is buried and lamented, the Christians at Jerusalem are terribly persecuted by Saul and others, 1-3. (2,) The church is enlarged by the dispersion of the persecuted, particularly Philip the evangelist, in the country of Samaria, 4-13. (3,) Peter and John confirm the new converts there, and severely reprove Simon the sorcerer, 14-25. (4,) By divine direction, Philip goes toward the south, and joining an Ethiopian eunuch, whom he found reading the prophecy of Isaiah, he preaches Christ to him, converts him to the faith, and baptizes him, 26–38. (5,) While the eunuch joyfully pursues his journey homeward, Philip preaches the gospel along the western borders of Canaan, 39, 40. be the object of congratulation, rather than condolence. NOTES ON CHAPTER VIII. Verses 1, 2. And Saul was consenting-Hv ovvevδοκων τη αναιρέσει αυτ8, was consenting with delight; Verse 3. As for Saul-Who was one of the main to his death--Or, more literally, was well pleased instruments in this persecution; he made havoc of with his slaughter; for he was so full of rage and || the church-Like some furious beast of prey. So malice against the Christian name, that he thought the Greek word properly signifies. He did his utno severities were too great to be exercised on those most to ruin it, not caring what mischief he did to who thus zealously endeavoured to propagate it. the disciples of Christ, and setting no bounds to his And at that time--Ev ɛkɛɩvn în nμɛpa, in that day, in rage and cruelty: entering into every house-Where the very day in which this inhuman murder was the Christians used to assemble for the worship of committed on Stephen, who leads the van in the|| God; or every house that had, or was thought to glorious army of martyrs; there was a great perse- || have, any Christians in it; haling men and women cution-Which continued to rage for some time;||--Dragging them along the streets, without any reagainst the church at Jerusalem--Which was no gard to age or sex; committed them to prison—For sooner planted than it was persecuted, as Christ had no crime, real or pretended, but that of having beoften intimated, signifying that tribulation and per- lieved in Jesus, and embraced the gospel. Theresecution would arise, because of the word, particu-|| fore they that were-Greek, oɩ μɛv ev diaorapevtes, larly at Jerusalem, that city having been formerly they, therefore, being scattered abroad, went everyfamous for killing the prophets, and stoning them || where-Went through Judea and Samaria, (verse 1,) that were sent to it, Matt. xxiii. 37. And now preaching the word-Wherever they came; scatthe adversaries of the Christians, having tasted || tering the knowledge of Christ and his gospel blood, were the more eager to shed it. And they wherever they were scattered: they went, evayyɛwere all scattered abroad-Not all the church, for soμevol Tov hoyov, evangelizing, or, declaring the if so, who would have remained for the apostles to || glad tidings of the word—Those of them that had teach, or Saul to persecute? but all the teachers, || ability to preach, in their preaching, and others in except the apostles, who, though in the most danger, their common converse. And in many places they stayed with the flock. And devout men-Who feared And devout men—Who feared were remarkably successful. So that God overruled God more than persecution; carried Stephen to his the cruelty and rage of his people's enemies to subburial-Having the courage to show themselves serve his own wise and gracious purposes. There openly as the friends of that holy man, whose blood is no room to inquire where these poor refugees had had been so unrighteously shed; and made great their orders. Some of them were endowed with lamentation over him--Mourning that the church || miraculous gifts: and, if none of them had been had lost so excellent an instrument of usefulness, so, the extraordinary call they had to spread the though he himself was so much a gainer by it, as to || knowledge of Christ wherever they came, among h 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Sa- mon, which beforetime in the same city 1 used maria and preached Christ unto them. 6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. e Matt. x. 23; Chap. xi. 19.- -f Chap. vi. 5. || sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: 10 To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. 11 And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries. g Mark xvi. 17.-h Chap. xiii. 6.—i Chap. v. 36. that city-Both on account of those benevolent mi racles which were performed by Philip in it, and of that excellent doctrine which he preached among them, containing such welcome tidings of pardon and eternal salvation. those who were ignorant of him, abundantly justi- ing the miracles-Which he performed, in confirmfied them in what they did. They were now in a ation of his doctrine. For unclean spirits-At country where many of them were no strangers, for Philip's command, came out of many persons that Christ and his disciples had conversed much in the had been possessed by them, crying with a loud regions of Judea and Samaria, so that a foundation voice-Which showed that they came out with had been laid for them to build upon, and it was re- || great reluctance, and much against their wills, but quisite to let the people in those parts know what || were forced to acknowledge themselves overcome had been the issue of the preaching Christ's doc-by a superior power. And there was great joy in trine, and that it was not now left neglected and forgotten, as perhaps they had been made to believe. Verses 5-7. Then Philip, &c.—The sacred historian here proceeds to record one particular instance of the success of the preaching of the persons disersed by the above-mentioned persecution. The Verses 9-11. But there was, &c:-At the time Philip here spoken of was not the apostle of that || when the gospel was thus brought to them by Phiname, for all the apostles continued at Jerusalem, || lip, a man was there, called Simon, which before(verse 1,) and this Philip, as appears from verses || time in the same city used sorcery—Greek, had been 14-17, had not the power of communicating the mi- || uayɛvwv, using magic arts. Some think the exraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, by laying on of pression is entirely of the same signification with the hands. He was, therefore, Philip the deacon, men-word payos, and is intended to tell us, that this Simon tioned chap. vi. 5; no other of that name, besides was one of the sect of the magi; (see on Matt. ii. 1; the apostle, having been mentioned in this history. and it is possible he might profess himself of that Went down to the city of Samaria-Or, as some sect: but certainly the expression here used imports read it, to a city of Samaria; as it is not specified much more, and amounts to the same with one who what city of that country it was. The mode of ex-used enchantments, pretending, in consequence of pression, however, seems to point out the capital of them, to exert some supernatural powers; whereas Samaria, which was Sychar, or Sichem, where the word magus, at least about Christ's time, seems Christ had preached in the beginning of his minis- to have signified much the same with our English try: and preached Christ unto them-It is certain || word sage, and to have denoted a proficient in learnthat the Samaritans were better prepared to receive || ing, and especially in astronomy, and other branches the gospel than most of the Gentile nations, as they of natural philosophy, to which the Persian magi worshipped the true God, and acknowledged the au- || addicted themselves, and so gave name to many who thority of the pentateuch. Nay, indeed, in some were far from holding the peculiarities of that sect. respects they were better prepared than the body of || Yet as many natural philosophers pretended also to the Jewish nation, as we do not find that they had be magicians in the common sense of the word either such notions of the Messiah's temporal reign || among us, and might make their natural knowledge as the Jews had, or had received the Sadducean || subservient to that pretence when it was mere imprinciples, which were both very strong prejudices posture, it is not improbable that they generally against the Christian doctrine. And the people- || called themselves magi; and so the verb μayɛvwv Who inhabited that city, notwithstanding their na- might come to signify the making use of unlawful tural prejudices against the Jews; with one accord-arts, (as it plainly does here,) while the noun, from Oμovvμadov, unanimously; gave heed unto those whence it was derived, might still retain a more exthings which Philip spake-Of the truth and im- tensive and innocent signification. See Doddridge. portance of which, upon their attending to them, || And bewitched the people—Eği5wv to evvoç, astonishthey were soon persuaded; hearing-The rational || ing the nation; of Samaria-By his magic arts he and convincing arguments which he used; and see- | showed many signs and lying wonders, which |