all important public business was transacted in these places-war was declared, peace proclaimed, and criminals were executed (Kuinoel). Wetstein well observes that the very situation of the theatre at Ephesus, would not a little premote and increase the tumult, since, as we find from the accounts of those who have surveyed the situation of the temple of Diana, it was within view of the theatre. (Bloomfield's Recens. Synop.' in loc.)

31. "Certain of the chief of Asia."-These persons. called Asiarchæ, from the name of the province over which they presided, were annual officers, chosen from the most distinguished and wealthy families, to preside, during the year of office, over the religious rites of their province and some other of its public affairs, and who also were bound, at their own expense, to exhibit every year solemn games in the theatre, in honour of the gods and of the emperor. As the expenses of this were heavy, the dignity could only be borne by very opulent persons. It appears that those who had served the office of Asiarch, continued, out of courtesy, to have the title still bestowed upon them. In the account of Polycarp's martyrdom at Smyrna (Euseb. Hist. Eccles.' 4. 15), the people are represented as calling upon Philip the Asiarch. to let out a lion upon that aged disciple, which he refused to do, telling them that the games were ended. From this it seems that it belonged to the Asiarchæ to permit the wild beasts to be produced against particular persons, and we may conjecture that it was in fear lest the infuriated mob should call upon them to let forth the wild beasts against Paul, that they desired him not to appear in the theatre.

35. "The townclerk."-This functionary appears to have been sent for to use his influence in appeasing the people He is called the Grammateus (ypauuarius)-an office which it seems difficult to express by a reference to any singl one known to ourselves. It appears to denote a chief magistrate; who, from the citations with which Wetstein illustrates his functions, seems to combine those of recorder, chancellor, and secretary of state: he presided in the senate: and, among his other duties, was that of publicly reading aloud all letters and state papers.

"The city of the Ephesians is a worshipper," &c.-The original word, NENKOPON, here rendered "worshipper," is very emphatic, and properly signifies a person dedicated to the service of some god or goddess, whose peculiar office was to attend the temple and see that it was kept clean; that, at the proper seasons, it was beautified and adorned: and that nothing necessary to the splendour of his or her worship was at any time wanting. Originally indeed the word signified nothing more than a sweeper of the temple; but as now applied, it would answer nearly to our sacristas, or perhaps, churchwarden, were it not that the office was thought to partake in some degree of the sacerdotal. In process of time the care of the temple was intrusted to this person, and at length the NEOKOPOI, or neokoroi, became persons e great consequence, and were those who offered sacrifices for the life of the emperor. Whole cities made claim to this appellation, and Ephesus had this prerogative above the other cities of Asia Minor, although some of them, as Smyrna, Laodicea, and Pergamus, disputed the primacy with her. There are extant, in various cabinets, numerous medals (one of which we introduce) in which the appellation of NEOKOPOS is given to the city of Ephesus in particular, with the several inscriptions of E+EZION NENΚΟΡΩΝ, Β and ΔΙΣ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ, Γ and ΤΡΙΣ, and 4 or ΤΕΤΡΑΚΙΣ ΝΕΩΚΟΡΩΝ; intimating that the Ephesians had borne the office of neokoroi, for the first, second, third, and fourth times. See Horne's Introduction,' i. 197.

CAIKINE

The specimen of these medals which we here give will be considered the more interesting from its evident reference to Diana and her temple, by the exhibition, which the reverse offers, of the goddess in the dress and character of a huntress.

CHAPTER XX.

1 Paul goeth to Macedonia. 7 He celebrateth the Lord's supper, and preacheth. 9 Eutychus having fallen down dead, 10 is raised to life. 17 At Miletum he calleth the elders together, telleth them what shall befall to himself, 28 committeth God's flock to them, 29 warneth them of false teachers, 32 commendeth them to God, 36 prayeth with them, and goeth his way.

AND after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia.

2 And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece,

3 And there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia.

4 And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of

Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Ty chicus and Trophimus.

5 These going before tarried for us at Troas.

6 And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days.

7 And upon the first day of the week. when the disciples came together 'to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

8 And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.

9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.

1 Chap. 2. 46.

2 Or, wait for me. 31 Cor. 4.12. 1 Thess. 2. 9. 2 Thess. 3. 8.

Verse 9. "Fell down from the third loft."-This intimates that the upper chamber in which they were assemble was on the third story. It appears that the young man had seated himself in the window, and being overpowere with sleep, fell out of the window into the court below. It will be recollected that there were no windows of glass; whence we may perceive that the window here mentioned was a lattice of joinery, or a door, which on this occasion was set open, on account of the heat from the many lights and the number of persons in the room. It should be observed that the windows of such places in general reach nearly to the floor, and differ considerably from our windows, but correspond well to what our own word "window" denotes in its original signification (window, windore, wind-door),

a door for the admission of wind or air. We introduce a cut, representing, as seen from the court-yard, such an Oriental house as appears to suggest the best idea of the situation of the upper chambers, so often mentioned in the New Testament, and which we know to have been in those times much used for devotion and for religious observances and discourse.

13. " Assos."-This was a sea-port on the southern coast of Troas in Mysia, and about twenty miles to the south of the town of Troas, affording the distance which Paul went on foot. It is famous in Pliny and other writers for a kind of stone, of such a nature that the dead bodies placed in it (in pits or coffins) were consumed in forty days, all except the teeth. Hence it was called sarcophagus (flesh-devourer).

14. "Mitylene."-The name of the chief town of the island of Lesbos. This island lay very near the coast of Mysia, the distance at two points being not more than ten miles. Mitylene was however thirty miles by sea from Assos. It was a well-built city, but its situation was so imprudently chosen, that the inhabitants were inconveniently affected by the winds. It was the birth-place of several noted persons, among whom were Alcæus, the poet; Sappho, the poetess; Pittacus, one of the "seven sages;" Theophrastus; Theophanes, the historian; and Diophanes, the rhetorician. It does not appear that any Christian was established here in the apostolical times, and no mention is made of it in ecclesiastical history until a comparatively late day. The Lesbians were still notorious idolaters in the second century, and continued to sacrifice a man to Dionysius. But in the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth centuries there were bishops of Mitylene present at several councils. The town has since given the name of Metelin to the whole island, and is now an insignificant place in the hands of the Turks.

15. "Chios."-Another and smaller island, to the south of Lesbos, and very near the peninsular projection of the Ionian coast. It was a very rich and beautiful island, noted for a particular kind of turpentine used in medicine, and for its excellent mastick, wine, figs, and marble. The apostle did not visit, but only passed the island. It partook of the heathen and the Christian condition of Lesbos, as in the preceding note; and in the same ages its bishops appeared in the same councils with those of Mitylene. The island now bears the name of Scio; during the late Greek revolu tion it acquired a melancholy distinction by the horrible massacre of about twenty thousand of its inhabitants by the Turks. Its previous population was estimated at 150,000, of whom only 1400 were Turks.

"Samos."This island, about eighty miles in circumference, approached, in one part, very near to the coast of Ionia, being not more than six miles from the Trogyllium promontory. Ephesus was nearly opposite this island. Pythagoras was a native of it, and Lycurgus died in it. Herodotus notes the island for three remarkable thingsvery high mountain, a bulwark about the haven in the sea, and the largest temple he ever saw. (Thalia, 60.) Idolatry prevailed here so late as the fourth century: but there were then some Christians, as we read of some which they sustained. Heraclius, bishop of Samos, assisted at the council of Nice. The island is exceedingly fertile, and is accounted the richest in the Archipelago.

persecutions

"Trogyllium."-This was, as we have seen in the preceding note, a promontory opposite Samos. The form of ex pression, "We arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium," would seem to suggest that Trogyllium was in Samos,

which was not the case. Hence the addition, "tarried at Trogyllium," is not found in the Alexandrian, Vulgate, and Ethiopic versions. However, agißáλoμy does not necessarily denote arrival at Samos, but "we made (the coast of) Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium." They must have made the coast of Samos, before they reached the main land at Trogyllium and landed there.

17. "Miletus."-This town was a sea-port of Caria, near the mouth of the river Mæander, and thirty miles to the south of Ephesus. It was originally the seat of a petty kingdom, but successively partook in the same alterations of condition which the country at large sustained. It was noted for a magnificent temple of Apollo, and for being the birth-place of Thales, one of the seven sages," and of the philosophers Anaximander and Anaximenes. Paganism was still predominant here in the fourth century, when Licinius consulted its oracle of Apollo, as to the result of an event in the war against Constantine; but in the fifth, seventh, and eighth centuries, we read of a bishop of the Christian church at this place, as assisting at several councils. The place is now in ruins, and is called Melas by the Turks.

1 Chap. 6. 5.

Verse 1. "Coos."-This was one of the largest of several small islands (the Sporades) off the coast of Caria. It lay at the mouth of the Ceramic Gulf, on that coast. It was chiefly famous for its worship of Esculapius and its temple of Juno; as also for being the birth-place of Hippocrates the physician, and Apelles the painter. It is not known when the Gospel was first preached here; but, in the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries, ecclesiastical history notices that it had a Christian church and a succession of bishops.

"Rhodes.”—The nearest part of this famous island to the continent lies about nine miles to the south of the promontory of Cynosema, on the coast of Caria, and is 120 miles in circumference. It was originally an independent state, which got into a flourishing condition, and was some time able to keep in subjection the adjoining parts of the continent. It ultimately fell into the hands of the Romans; from the Eastern Empire it passed to the Saracens ; but it was recovered by the Greeks, who held it 600 years longer, until it was wrested from them by the Turks: it was taken from them by the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, who held it till 1522, when the Turks recovered it, after a year's siege and the loss of 90,000 men,-the knights withdrawing to Malta. Rhodes was noted for its fine climate and excellent wines; and its inhabitants were powerful at sea, and profited largely by commerce. It was most talked of, however, for the brazen Colossus, which bestrode the entrance of the harbour of the city of Rhodes. It was reckoned one of the "seven wonders," and admitted the largest ships of the time to sail between its legs. It stood 70 cubits high, and was reckoned to contain 720,000 lbs. weight of brass. It was thrown down by an earthquake, after standing fifty or sixty years. It seems that, on account of this statue, the Rhodians were sometimes called Colossians, whence some have very strangely imagined that they are the persons to whom Paul addressed his epistle under that name. Ai the present date, the city of Rhodes was one of the principal seats of learning in the Roman empire; the others being Athens, Alexandria, Tarsus, and Marseilles.