either in the New Testament or in the early ecclesiastical writers; though most of those writers seem to have taken it for granted. His whole plan was probably deranged by the occurrences at Jerusalem, which led to his long imprisonment at Cesarea, and his being sent in bonds to Rome." Hodge.

Ibid. ἐὰν ὑμῶν ἐμπλησθῶ. μλnow. "To be filled with a thing, is to have great satisfaction in the enjoyment of it. By adding ȧrò μépovç, in some measure, the Apostle insinuated that his desire of their company was so great, that the few days he was to remain with them would satisfy it only in part." Macknight.

25-27. But now I am on my way to Jerusalem (Acts xix. 21. xxiv. 17) on an errand of relief (Heb. vi. 10) unto the Lord's people (Heb. x. 29). For Macedonia and Achaia (the Churches of Northern and Southern Greece) have thought good to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord's people in Jerusalem. They have thought good, I say, to do this-the writer here repeats his own words (compare note on ch. viii. 1)—and to this extent they are their debtorsthey are doing but what it is their bounden duty to do for them-for if &c. &c. "The word rendered to minister (λεiтovρyñσαι) may have the general sense of serving; or it may be used with some allusion to the service being a sacred duty, a kind of offering which is acceptable to God." Hodge.

28. σφραγισάμενος αὐτοῖς τὸν καρπὸν τοῦτον, when I have safely delivered (made sure) to them this benefaction; compare 2 Kings xxii. 4. σφράγισον τὸ ἀργύριον τὸ εἰσενεχθὲν ἐν οἴκῳ Κυρίου: and Chrysostom in loc. σφραγισάμενος, τοῦτ ̓ ἐστιν, ὡς εἰς βασιλικὰ ταμεῖα ἐναποθέμενος, ὡς ἐν ἀσύλῳ καὶ ἀσφαλεῖ χωρίῳ. "Commentators compare the use of the Latin words consignare, consignatio; and of the English word consign." Hodge.

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29. ἐν πληρώματι εὐλογίας τ. ε., “ hoc est ἐν πλήρει εὐλογίᾳ: τελείους εὐαγγελίου καρποὺς παρέχων, plena evangelii beneficia vobis afferens; Rom. i. 13." Ammon.

30. διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Πνεύματος, by the Christian love which the Spirit has wrought in you; compare Phil. ii. 1. Col. i. 8.

31. iva pvolu, that so I may be delivered-compare Acts xx. 22, 23, and Paley's remarks thereon, ut supra No. v.— Kaì iva K.T.λ. "There are three objects for which he parκαὶ κ.τ. ticularly wished them to pray; his safety, the successful issue of his mission, and [as the result of these, iva ver. 32] that he might come to them with joy. How much reason Paul had to dread the violence of the unbelieving Jews, is evident from the history given of this visit to Jerusalem in the Acts of the Apostles. They endeavoured to destroy his life, accused him to the Roman governor, and effected his imprisonment for two years in Cesarea, whence he was sent in chains to Rome. Nor were his apprehensions confined to the unbelieving Jews; he knew that even the Christians there, from their narrow-minded prejudices against him as a preacher to the Gentiles, and as advocating the liberty of Christians from the yoke of the Mosaic Law, were greatly embittered against him..

"The words service which I have etc. ( Siakovía μov) means the contribution which I carry to Jerusalem: see 2 Cor. viii. 4. ix. 1, 13. Paul laboured for those who, as he was aware, regarded him with little favour; he calls them saints, recognises their Christian character notwithstanding their unkindness, and urges the Roman believers to pray that they might be willing to accept of kindness at his hands." Hodge.

32. καὶ συναναπαύσωμαι ὑμῖν, " and rest myself on my journey in your company. Many MSS. omit these words." Burton.

"Paul seems to have looked forward to his interview with the Christians at Rome, as a season of relief from conflict and labour. In Jerusalem he was beset by unbelieving Jews, and harassed by Judaizing Christians; in most other places he was burdened with the care of the Churches; but at Rome, which he looked upon as a resting-place rather than

a field of labour, he hoped to gather strength for the prosecution of his Apostolic labours in still more distant lands." Hodge. Compare ch. i. 12.

CHAPTER XVI.

1. οὖσαν διάκονον. "There appear to have been two orders of female officers in the primitive Church; namely, πρεσβύτιδες and διάκονοι. The πρεσβύτιδες (Tit. ii. 3) were aged women who watched over the manners and morals of the younger women. The office of the διάκονοι, ministra (see Plin. Ep. x. 97a), was to attend upon the sick, and to relieve the poorer members of the Church, either from their own funds, or from the common stock. Of this latter class was Phoebe, who appears from the next verse to have been a woman of property. See Suicer Thes. Eccl. ad v. diákovos. Bingham Antiq. Eccl. pp. 341. 360." Terrot. Compare note on ch. xii. 8, and 1 Tim. iii. 11. v. 9, 10: and Apostohical Constitutions, iii. c. 15. Προχειρίσαι δὲ καὶ διάκονον πιστὴν καὶ ἁγίαν εἰς τὰς τῶν γυναικῶν ὑπηρεσίας.

τῆς ἐν Κεγχρεαῖς. Cenchrea was the eastern sea-port of Corinth, on the Saronic gulf, some eight or nine miles from the city. It is mentioned in Acts xviii. 18.

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3. Πρίσκιλλαν καὶ ̓Ακύλαν. Aquila and Priscilla were Jews who retired from Rome to Corinth, when the Jews were expelled from the city by Claudius (Acts xviii. 2). Uniting themselves to Paul at Corinth, they accompanied him to Ephesus (Acts xviii. 19). At Ephesus, after the first departure of Paul, they instructed Apollos (ibid. 26), and

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a "Quo magis necessarium credidi ex duabus ancillis, quæ MINISTRÆ dicebantur, quid esset veri, et per tormenta quærere." Plin. ad Traj. Ejusmodi ministrarum officium in eo erant positum, ut mulieres baptizandas fontibus sacris immergerent, catechumenas docerent, feminas ægrotas vel afflictas viserent et curarent, aliisque pluribus operam darent, quas recenset Binghamus in Origg. Eccles. ii. 22." Küttn.

were still there when he wrote his First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. xvi. 19). We find them again at Ephesus many years after, when St. Paul wrote his Second Epistle to Timothy (2 Tim. iv. 19). But in the interval between the dates of these two Epistles (A.D. 52-66) they had returned to Rome, and were there when this Epistle was written." Terrot. Most MSS. read Пpíoкav here, as in 2 Tim. iv. 19. Of this Пpioka is the diminutive form, Acts xviii. 2, 19, 26. 1 Cor. xvi. 19.

4. τὸν ἑαυτῶν τράχηλον ὑπέθηκαν. « This is said in allusion to the custom of placing on blocks the necks of criminals whose heads are to be cut off [see note on ch. xiii. 4]. The expression is proverbial, and denotes the undergoing the greatest perils. It is thought the Apostle alluded to some great danger, to which Aquila and Priscilla exposed themselves in defending him from the Jews, in the tumult raised at Corinth during the proconsulship of Gallio, Acts xviii. 12-17." Macknight. Or it may have been at Ephesus, Acts xix. 29-34.

5. “ τὴν κατ ̓ οἶκον αὐτῶν ἐκκλησίαν, their Christian household. Cf. Col. iv. 15. Philem. 2. So Theophylact: ourws ἦσαν εὐδόκιμοι, ὥστε τὸν οἶκον αὐτῶν πάντα ποιῆσαι πιστούς· τούτους γὰρ ἐκκλησίαν ὠνόμασε.” Terrot—and so Macknight: "the expression may signify that all the members of their family were Christians. For Origen tells us, when a whole family was converted, the salutation was sent to the Church in such a house; but, when part of a family only was converted, the salutation was directed to those in the family who were in the Lord, ver. 11; or to the brethren with them, ver. 14; or to all the saints with them, ver. 15." But Prof. Stuart: "Aquila and Priscilla are spoken of, as having a church in their house, while at Ephesus also (1 Cor. xvi. 19); whence some have argued that only their family, which consisted of Christians, are meant by ккλŋoíav-a criticism which is destitute of support from the usus loquendi of the New Testament. On the contrary, nothing is more natural than the supposition that these zealous advocates of the

Christian cause, wherever they sojourned, were accustomed to hold assemblies at their own house for the purpose of Christian worship and instruction. All the meetings of the primitive Christians must have been in this way, inasmuch as they had at first no churches or temples where they could convene."

Ibid. ἀπαρχὴ τῆς ̓Αχαΐας εἰς Χριστόν— the first offering which Achaia made to Christ. In 1 Cor. xvi. 15, the house of Stephanas is called ἀπαρχὴ τῆς ̓Αχαΐας. Epænetus was probably related to Stephanas; and if so, was baptized by St. Paul himself (1 Cor. i. 16); but nearly all the old MSS., and several other authorities, read 'Aoías for 'Axatas, which is considered to be the true reading by Grotius, Mill, Valckenaer b." Burton.

7. ̓Ανδρόνικον καὶ Ἰουνίαν. "It is very doubtful whether the latter of these words be the name of a man or of a woman, as the form in which it occurs admits of either explanation. If a man's name, it is Junias; if a woman's, it is Junia. It is commonly taken as a female name, and the person intended is supposed to have been the wife or sister of Andronicus c. My kinsmen, that is, relatives, and not merely of the same nation; at least there seems no sufficient reason a for taking the word in this latter general sense. Fellow-prisoners. Paul, in 2 Cor. xi. 23, when enumerating his labours, says, In stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft, etc. He was therefore often in bonds (Clemens Romanus, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, sect. 5, says seven times); he may therefore have had numerous fellow-prisoners. Who are of note among the Apostles. This may mean either, they were distinguished Apostles; or, they were highly respected by the Apostles. The latter is most probably the correct interpretation: (1) because the word apostle, unless connected with some other word, as in the phrase messengers (apostles) of the Churches [2 Cor. viii. 23], is very rarely applied in the

b Add the names of Bengelius, Whitby, Griesbach, and Koppe. By 'Aoiaç we must understand proconsular Asia, the capital of which was Ephesus. • Compare the mention of Φιλόλογον καὶ Ἰουλίαν, ver. 15.

d Yet see ver. 21 and ch. ix. 3.