translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: ACT

label: NET study note

text: Amphipolis. The capital city of the southeastern district of Macedonia (BDAG 55 s.v. ᾿Αμφίπολις ). It was a military post. From Philippi this was about 33 mi (53 km).


text: Apollonia was a city in Macedonia about 27 mi (43 km) west southwest of Amphipolis.


text: Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was a city in Macedonia about 33 mi (53 km) west of Apollonia. It was the capital of Macedonia. The road they traveled over was called the Via Egnatia . It is likely they rode horses, given their condition in Philippi. The implication of v. 1 is that the two previously mentioned cities lacked a synagogue. map For location see JP1-C1 ; JP2-C1 ; JP3-C1 ; JP4-C1 .


text: See the note on synagogue in 6:9 .


text: The Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead. These two points (suffering and resurrection) would have been among the more controversial aspects of Paul’s messianic preaching. The term translated “had to” ( δεῖ , dei ) shows how divine design and scripture corresponded here.


text: The attack took place at Jason’s house because this was probably the location of the new house church.


text: Acting…saying…Jesus. The charges are serious, involving sedition ( Luke 23:2 ). If the political charges were true, Rome would have to react.


text: Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea ; Greek Beroia ) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) west of Thessalonica. map For location see JP1-C1 ; JP2-C1 ; JP3-C1 ; JP4-C1 .


text: Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica). map For location see JP1-C1 ; JP2-C1 ; JP3-C1 ; JP4-C1 .


text: Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia (modern Salonica).


text: Berea (alternate spelling in NRSV Beroea ; Greek Beroia ) was a very old city in Macedonia on the river Astraeus about 45 mi (75 km) from Thessalonica.


text: They left. See 1 Thess 3:1-2 , which shows they went from here to Thessalonica.


text: An Epicurean was a follower of the philosophy of Epicurus, who founded a school in Athens about 300 b.c. Although the Epicureans saw the aim of life as pleasure, they were not strictly hedonists, because they defined pleasure as the absence of pain. Along with this, they desired the avoidance of trouble and freedom from annoyances. They saw organized religion as evil, especially the belief that the gods punished evildoers in an afterlife. In keeping with this, they were unable to accept Paul’s teaching about the resurrection.


text: A Stoic was a follower of the philosophy founded by Zeno (342-270 b.c. ), a Phoenician who came to Athens and modified the philosophical system of the Cynics he found there. The Stoics rejected the Epicurean ideal of pleasure, stressing virtue instead. The Stoics emphasized responsibility for voluntary actions and believed risks were worth taking, but thought the actual attainment of virtue was difficult. They also believed in providence.


text: This is a parenthetical note by the author.


text: This is a parenthetical note by the author. The reference to newness may be pejorative.


text: On the statement does not live in temples made by human hands compare Acts 7:48 . This has implications for idols as well. God cannot be represented by them or, as the following clause also suggests, served by human hands .


text: The one man refers to Adam (the word “man” is understood).


text: Perhaps grope around for him and find him. The pagans’ struggle to know God is the point here. Conscience alone is not good enough.


text: This quotation is from Aratus (ca. 310-245 b.c. ), Phaenomena 5. Paul asserted a general relationship and accountability to God for all humanity.


text: He now commands all people everywhere to repent. God was now asking all mankind to turn to him. No nation or race was excluded.


text: The world refers to the whole inhabited earth.