Resultados para: "DIONYSIUS"

<p>We have here a short account of the issue of Paul&#039;s preaching at Athens.
I. Few were the better: the gospel had as little success at Athens as any where; for the pride of the philosophers there, as of the Pharisees at Jerusalem, prejudiced them against the gospel of Christ. 1. Some ridiculed Paul and his preaching. They heard him patiently till he came to speak of the resurrection of the dead (Act 17:32), and then some of them began to hiss him: they mocked. What he had said before was somewhat like what they had sometimes heard in their own schools, and some notion they had of a resurrection, as it signifies a future state; but, if he speak of a resurrection of the dead, though it be of the resurrection of Christ himself, it is altogether incredible to them, and they cannot bear so much as to hear of it, as being contrary to a principle of their philosophy: A privatione ad habitum non datur regressus - Life when once lost is irrecoverable. They had deified their heroes after their death, but never thought of their being raised from the dead, and therefore they could by no means reconcile themselves to this doctrine of Christ&#039;s being raised from the dead; how can this be? This great doctrine, which is the saints&#039; joy, is their jest; when it was but mentioned to them they mocked, and made a laughing matter of it. We are not to think it strange if sacred truths of the greatest certainty and importance are made the scorn of profane wits. 2. Others were willing to take time to consider of it; they said, We will hear thee again of this matter. They would not at present comply with what Paul said, nor oppose it; but we will hear thee again of this matter, of the resurrection of the dead. It should seem, they overlooked what was plain and uncontroverted, and shifted off the application and the improvement of that, by starting objections against what was disputable, and would admit a debate. Thus many lose the benefit of the practical doctrine of Christianity, by wading beyond their depth into controversy, or, rather, by objecting against that which has some difficulty in it; whereas, if any man were disposed and determined to do the will of God, as far as it is discovered to him, he should know of the doctrine of Christ, that it is of God, and not of man, Joh 7:17. Those that would not yield to the present convictions of the word thought to get clear of them, as Felix did, by putting them off to another opportunity; they will hear of it again some time or other, but they know not when; and thus the devil cozens them of all their time, by cozening them of the present time. 3. Paul thereupon left them for the present to consider of it (Act 17:33): He departed from amongst them, as seeing little likelihood of doing any good with them at this time; but, it is likely, with a promise to those that were willing to hear him again that he would meet them whenever they pleased.
II. Yet there were some that were wrought upon, Act 17:34. If some would not, others would. 1. There were certain men that adhered to him, and believed. When he departed from amongst them, they would not part with him so; wherever he went, they would follow him, with a resolution to adhere to the doctrine he preached, which they believed. 2. Two are particularly named; one was an eminent man, Dionysius the Areopagite, one of that high court or great council that sat in Areopagus, or Mars&#039; Hill - a judge, a senator, one of those before whom Paul was summoned to appear; his judge becomes his convert. The account which the ancients give of this Dionysius is that he was bred at Athens, had studied astrology in Egypt, where he took notice of the miraculous eclipse at our Saviour&#039;s passion, - that, returning to Athens, he became a senator, disputed with Paul, and was by him converted from his error and idolatry; and, being by him thoroughly instructed, was made the first bishop of Athens. So Eusebius, lib. 5, cap. 4; lib. 4, cap. 22. The woman named Damaris was, as some think, the wife of Dionysius; but, rather, some other person of quality; and, though there was not so great a harvest gathered in at Athens as there was at other places, yet, these few being wrought upon there, Paul had no reason to say he had laboured in vain.</p>

<p>We do not find that Paul was much persecuted at Athens, nor that he was driven thence by any ill usage, as he was from those places where the Jews had or could make any interest; but this reception at Athens being cold, and little prospect of doing good there, he departed from Athens, leaving the care of those there who believed with Dionysius; and thence he came to Corinth, where he was now instrumental in planting a church that became on many accounts considerable. Corinth was the chief city of Achaia, now a province of the empire, a rich and splendid city. Non cuivis homini contingit adire Corinthum - It is not permitted every man to see Corinth. The country thereabouts at this day is called the Morea. Now here we have,
I. Paul working for his living, Act 18:2, Act 18:3. 1. Though he was bred a scholar, yet he was master of a handicraft trade. He was a tent-maker, an upholsterer; he made tents for the use of soldiers and shepherds, of cloth or stuff, or (as some say tents were then generally made) of leather or skins, as the outer covering of the tabernacle. Hence to live in tents was to live sub pellibus - under skins. Dr. Lightfoot shows that it was the custom of the Jews to bring up their children to some trade, yea, though they gave them learning or estates. Rabbi Judah says, &quot;He that teaches not his son a trade is as if he taught him to be a thief.&quot; And another says, &quot;He that has a trade in his hand is as a vineyard that is fenced.&quot; An honest trade, by which a man may get his bread, is not to be looked upon by any with contempt. Paul, though a Pharisee, and bred up at the feet of Gamaliel, yet, having in his youth learned to make tents, did not by disuse lose the art. 2. Though he was entitled to a maintenance from the churches he had planted, and from the people to whom he preached, yet he worked at his calling to get bread, which is more to his praise who did not ask for supplies than to theirs who did not supply him unasked, knowing what straits he was reduced to. See how humble Paul was, and wonder that so great a man could stoop so low; but he had learned condescension of his Master, who came not to be ministered to, but to minister. See how industrious he was, and how willing to take pains. He that had so much excellent work to do with his mind, yet, when there was occasion, did not think it below him to work with his hands. Even those that are redeemed from the curse of the law are not exempt from that sentence, In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread. See how careful Paul was to recommend his ministry, and to prevent prejudices against it, even the most unjust and unreasonable; he therefore maintained himself with his own labour that he might not make the gospel of Christ burdensome, Co2 11:7, etc.; Th2 3:8, Th2 3:9. 3. Though we may suppose he was master of his trade, yet he did not disdain to work at journey-work: He wrought with Aquila and Priscilla, who were of that calling, so that he got no more than day-wages, a bare subsistence. Poor tradesmen must be thankful if their callings bring them in a maintenance for themselves and their families, though they cannot do as the rich merchants that raise estates by their callings. 4. Though he was himself a great apostle, yet he chose to work with Aquila and Priscilla, because he found them to be very intelligent in the things of God, as appears afterwards (Act 18:26), and he owns that they had been his helpers in Christ Jesus, Rom 16:3. This is an example to those who are going to service to seek for those services in which they may have the best help for their souls. Choose to work with those that are likely to be helpers in Christ Jesus. It is good to be in company and to have conversation with those that will further us in the knowledge of Christ, and to put ourselves under the influence of such as are resolved that they will serve the Lord. Concerning this Aquila we are here told, (1.) That he was a Jew, but born in Pontus, Act 18:2. Many of the Jews of the dispersion were seated in that country, as appears Pe1 1:1. (2.) That he was lately come from Italy to Corinth. It seems he often changed his habitation; this is not the world we can propose ourselves a settlement in. (3.) That the reason of his leaving Italy was because by a late edict of the emperor Claudius Caesar all Jews were banished from Rome; for the Jews were generally hated, and every occasion was taken to put hardship and disgrace upon them. God&#039;s heritage was as a speckled bird, the birds round about were against her, Jer 12:9. Aquila, though a Christian, was banished because he had been a Jew; and the Gentiles had such confused notions of the thing that they could not distinguish between a Jew and a Christian. Suetonius, in the life of Claudius, speaks of this decree in the ninth year of his reign, and says, The reason was because the Jews were a turbulent people - assiduo tumultuantes; and that it was impulsore Christo - upon the account of Christ; some zealous for him, others bitter against him, which occasioned great heats, such as gave umbrage to the government, and provoked the emperor, who was a timorous jealous man, to order them all to be gone. If Jews persecute Christians, it is not strange if heathens persecute them both.
II. We have here Paul preaching to the Jews, and dealing with them to bring them to the faith of Christ, both the native Jews and the Greeks, that is, those that were more or less proselyted to the Jewish religion, and frequented their meetings.
1. He reasoned with them in the synagogue publicly every sabbath. See in what way the apostles propagated the gospel, not by force and violence, by fire and sword, not by demanding an implicit consent, but by fair arguing; they drew with the cords of a man, gave a reason for what they said, and gave a liberty to object against it, having satisfactory answers ready. God invites us to come and reason with him (Isa 1:18), and challenges sinners to produce their cause, and bring forth their strong reasons, Isa 41:21. Paul was a rational as well as a scriptural preacher.
2. He persuaded them - epeithe. It denotes, (1.) The urgency of his preaching. He did not only dispute argumentatively with them, but he followed his arguments with affectionate persuasions, begging of them for God&#039;s sake, for their own soul&#039;s sake, for their children&#039;s sake, not to refuse the offer of salvation made to them. Or, (2.) The good effect of his preaching. He persuaded them, that is, he prevailed with them; so some understand it. In sententiam suam adducebat - He brought them over to his own opinion. Some of them were convinced by his reasonings, and yielded to Christ.
3. He was yet more earnest in this matter when his fellow-labourers, his seconds, came up with him (Act 18:5): When Silas and Timothy had come from Macedonia, and had brought him good tidings from the churches there, and were ready to assist him here, and strengthened his hands, then Paul was more than before pressed in spirit, which made him more than ever pressing in his preaching. He was grieved for the obstinacy and infidelity of his countrymen the Jews, was more intent than ever upon their conversion, and the love of Christ constrained him to it (Co2 5:14): it is the word that is used here, it pressed him in spirit to it. And, being thus pressed, he testified to the Jews with all possible solemnity and seriousness, as that which he was perfectly well assured of himself, and attested to them as a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah promised to the fathers and expected by them.
III. We have him here abandoning the unbelieving Jews, and turning from them to the Gentiles, as he had done in other places, Act 18:6.
1. Many of the Jews, and indeed the most of them, persisted in their contradiction to the gospel of Christ, and would not yield to the strongest reasonings nor the most winning persuasions; they opposed themselves and blasphemed; they set themselves in battle array (so the word signifies) against the gospel; they joined hand in hand to stop the progress of it. They resolved they would not believe it themselves, and would do all they could to keep others from believing it. They could not argue against it, but what was wanting in reason they made up in ill language: they blasphemed, spoke reproachfully of Christ, and in him of God himself, as Rev 13:5, Rev 13:6. To justify their infidelity, they broke out into downright blasphemy.
2. Paul hereupon declared himself discharged from them, and left them to perish in their unbelief. He that was pressed in spirit to testify to them (Act 18:5), when they opposed that testimony, and persisted in their opposition, was pressed in spirit to testify against them (Act 18:6), and his zeal herein also he showed by a sign: he shook his raiment, shaking off the dust from it (as before they shook off the dust from their feet, Act 13:51), for a testimony against them. thus he cleared himself from them, but threatened the judgments of God against them. As Pilate by washing his hands signified the devolving of the guilt of Christ&#039;s blood from himself upon the Jews, so Paul by shaking his raiment signified what he said, if possible to affect them with it. (1.) He had done his part, and was clean from the blood of their souls; he had, like a faithful watchman, given them warning, and thereby had delivered his soul, though he could not prevail to deliver theirs. He had tried all methods to work upon them, but all in vain, so that if they perish in their unbelief their blood is not to be required at his hands; here, and Act 20:26, he plainly refers to Eze 33:8, Eze 33:9. It is very comfortable to a minister to have the testimony of his conscience for him, that he has faithfully discharged his trust by warning sinners. (2.) They would certainly perish if they persisted in their unbelief, and the blame would lie wholly upon themselves: &quot;Your blood be upon your own heads, you will be your own destroyers, your nation will be ruined in this world, and particular persons will be ruined in the other world, and you alone shall bear it.&quot; If any thing would frighten them at last into a compliance with the gospel, surely this would.
3. Having given them over, yet he does not give over his work. Though Israel be not gathered, Christ and his gospel shall be glorious: Henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles; and the Jews cannot complain, for they had the first offer, and a fair one, made to them. The guests that were first invited will not come, and the provision must not be lost; guests must be had therefore from the highways and the hedges. &quot;We would have gathered the Jews (Mat 23:37), would have healed them (Jer 51:9), and they would not; but Christ must not be a head without a body, nor a foundation without a building, and therefore, if they will not, we must try whether others will.&quot; Thus the fall and diminishing of the Jews became the riches of the Gentiles; and Paul said this to their faces, not only because it was what he could justify, but to provoke them to jealousy, Rom 11:12, Rom 11:14.</p>

<p>Howbeit certain men clave unto him--Instead of mocking or politely waiving the subject, having listened eagerly, they joined themselves to the apostle for further instruction; and so they &quot;believed.&quot;

Dionysius the Areopagite--a member of that august tribunal. Ancient tradition says he was placed by the apostle over the little flock at Athens. &quot;Certainly the number of converts there and of men fit for office in the Church was not so great that there could be much choice&quot; [OLSHAUSEN].

a woman named Damaris--not certainly one of the apostle&#039;s audience on the Areopagus, but won to the faith either before or after. Nothing else is known of her. Of any further labors of the apostle at Athens, and how long he stayed, we are not informed. Certainly he was not driven away. But &quot;it is a serious and instructive fact that the mercantile populations of Thessalonica and Corinth received the message of God with greater readiness than the highly educated and polished Athenians. Two letters to the Thessalonians, and two to the Corinthians, remain to attest the flourishing state of those churches. But we possess no letter written by Paul to the Athenians; and we do not read that he was ever in Athens again&quot; [HOWSON].




Next: Acts Chapter 18</p>

<p>The . . . at Babylon--ALFORD, BENGEL, and others translate, &quot;She that is elected together with you in Babylon,&quot; namely, Peter&#039;s wife, whom he led about with him in his missionary journeys. Compare Pe1 3:7, &quot;heirs together of the grace of life.&quot; But why she should be called &quot;elected together with you in Babylon,&quot; as if there had been no Christian woman in Babylon besides, is inexplicable on this view. In English Version the sense is clear: &quot;That portion of the whole dispersion (Pe1 1:1, Greek), or Church of Christianized Jews, with Gentile converts, which resides in Babylon.&quot; As Peter and John were closely associated, Peter addresses the Church in John&#039;s peculiar province, Asia, and closes with &quot;your co-elect sister Church at Babylon saluteth you&quot;; and John similarly addresses the &quot;elect lady,&quot; that is, the Church in Babylon, and closes with &quot;the children of thine elect sister (the Asiatic Church) greet thee&quot;; (compare Introduction to Second John). ERASMUS explains, &quot;Mark who is in the place of a son to me&quot;: compare Act 12:12, implying Peter&#039;s connection with Mark; whence the mention of him in connection with the Church at Babylon, in which he labored under Peter before he went to Alexandria is not unnatural. PAPIAS reports from the presbyter John [EUSEBIUS, Ecclesiastical History, 3.39], that Mark was interpreter of Peter, recording in his Gospel the facts related to him by Peter. Silvanus or Silas had been substituted for John Mark, as Paul&#039;s companion, because of Mark&#039;s temporary unfaithfulness. But now Mark restored is associated with Silvanus, Paul&#039;s companion, in Peter&#039;s esteem, as Mark was already reinstated in Paul&#039;s esteem. That Mark had a spiritual connection with the Asiatic&#039; churches which Peter addresses, and so naturally salutes them, appears from Ti2 4:11; Col 4:10.

Babylon--The Chaldean Babylon on the Euphrates. See Introduction, ON THE PLACE OF WRITING this Epistle, in proof that Rome is not meant as Papists assert; compare LIGHTFOOT sermon. How unlikely that in a friendly salutation the enigmatical title of Rome given in prophecy (John, Rev 17:5), should be used! Babylon was the center from which the Asiatic dispersion whom Peter addresses was derived. PHILO [The Embassy to Gaius, 36] and JOSEPHUS [Antiquities, 15.2.2; 23.12] inform us that Babylon contained a great many Jews in the apostolic age (whereas those at Rome were comparatively few, about eight thousand [JOSEPHUS, Antiquities, 17.11]); so it would naturally be visited by the apostle of the circumcision. It was the headquarters of those whom he had so successfully addressed on Pentecost, Act 2:9, Jewish &quot;Parthians . . . dwellers in Mesopotamia&quot; (the Parthians were then masters of Mesopotamian Babylon); these he ministered to in person. His other hearers, the Jewish &quot;dwellers in Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia,&quot; he now ministers to by letter. The earliest distinct authority for Peter&#039;s martyrdom at Rome is DIONYSIUS, bishop of Corinth, in the latter half of the second century. The desirableness of representing Peter and Paul, the two leading apostles, as together founding the Church of the metropolis, seems to have originated the tradition. CLEMENT OF ROME [First Epistle to the Corinthians, 4.5], often quoted for, is really against it. He mentions Paul and Peter together, but makes it as a distinguishing circumstance of Paul, that he preached both in the East and West, implying that Peter never was in the West. In Pe2 1:14, he says, &quot;I must shortly put off this tabernacle,&quot; implying his martyrdom was near, yet he makes no allusion to Rome, or any intention of his visiting it.</p>

<p>I was--Greek, &quot;I came to be&quot;; &quot;I became.&quot;

in the Spirit--in a state of ecstasy; the outer world being shut out, and the inner and higher life or spirit being taken full possession of by God&#039;s Spirit, so that an immediate connection with the invisible world is established. While the prophet &quot;speaks&quot; in the Spirit, the apocalyptic seer is in the Spirit in his whole person. The spirit only (that which connects us with God and the invisible world) is active, or rather recipient, in the apocalyptic state. With Christ this being &quot;in the Spirit&quot; was not the exception, but His continual state.

on the Lord&#039;s day--Though forcibly detained from Church communion with the brethren in the sanctuary on the Lord&#039;s day, the weekly commemoration of the resurrection, John was holding spiritual communion with them. This is the earliest mention of the term, &quot;the Lord&#039;s day.&quot; But the consecration of the day to worship, almsgiving, and the Lord&#039;s Supper, is implied in Act 20:7; Co1 16:2; compare Joh 20:19-26. The name corresponds to &quot;the Lord&#039;s Supper,&quot; Co1 11:20. IGNATIUS seems to allude to &quot;the Lord&#039;s day&quot; [Epistle to the Magnesians, 9], and IRENÆUS [QuÃ&amp;brvbrst ad Orthod., 115] (in JUSTIN MARTYR). JUSTIN MARTYR [Apology, 2.98], &amp;c., &quot;On Sunday we all hold our joint meeting; for the first day is that on which God, having removed darkness and chaos, made the world, and Jesus Christ our Saviour rose from the dead. On the day before Saturday they crucified Him; and on the day after Saturday, which is Sunday, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught these things.&quot; To the Lord&#039;s day PLINY doubtless refers [Epistles, Book X., p. 97], &quot;The Christians on a fixed day before dawn meet and sing a hymn to Christ as God,&quot; &amp;c. TERTULLIAN [The Chaplet, 3], &quot;On the Lord&#039;s day we deem it wrong to fast.&quot; MELITO, bishop of Sardis (second century), wrote a book on the Lord&#039;s day [EUSEBIUS 4.26]. Also, DIONYSIUS OF CORINTH, in EUSEBIUS [Ecclesiastical History, 4.23,8]. CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA [Miscellanies, 5. and 7.12]; ORIGEN [Against Celsus, 8. 22]. The theory that the day of Christ&#039;s second coming is meant, is untenable. &quot;The day of the Lord&quot; is different in the Greek from &quot;the Lord&#039;s (an adjective) day,&quot; which latter in the ancient Church always designates our Sunday, though it is not impossible that the two shall coincide (at least in some parts of the earth), whence a tradition is mentioned in JEROME [Commentary on Matthew, 25], that the Lord&#039;s coming was expected especially on the Paschal Lord&#039;s day. The visions of the Apocalypse, the seals, trumpets, and vials, &amp;c., are grouped in sevens, and naturally begin on the first day of the seven, the birthday of the Church, whose future they set forth [WORDSWORTH].

great voice--summoning solemn attention; Greek order, &quot;I heard a voice behind me great (loud) as (that) of a trumpet.&quot; The trumpet summoned to religious feasts, and accompanies God&#039;s revelations of Himself.</p>