Acts 1:14

14. καὶ τῇ δεήσει omitted with אABCDE. The Vulgate has only ‘oratione.’ The insertion of the words is probably due to a marginal note taken from Philippians 4:6.

14. τῇ προσευχῇ. It would seem from the article here as if already some religious service had taken definite form among the disciples. This is almost implied too in the fact of their continuance therein with one accord, a description hardly consistent with mere individual supplication. The disciples had long before made the request ‘Lord, teach us to pray’ (Luke 11:1), and during the three years of association with Jesus, the form given them as an example may very well have grown into the proportions suited for general worship.

σὺν γυναιξίν, best rendered ‘with certain women’ There is nothing to define them, but from the first, women played a helpful part in Christian offices.

τῇ μητρί. It is noteworthy how from first to last the Gospel history shews our Lord acknowledging a human mother, and so causing her to be cared for by His friends, but from the dawn of consciousness at twelve years old never speaking but of a Father in heaven. The blessed Virgin would naturally remain with St John, to whose care she had been confided by Jesus at the Crucifixion (John 19:27). This is the last mention of the Virgin, and thus Scripture leaves her on her knees. She is mentioned apart from the other women as having a deeper interest in all that concerned Jesus than the rest could have.

ἀδελφοῖς. See Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3. The brethren of our Lord are there named James, Joses (or Joseph), Simon and Judas. Being mentioned here as persons distinct from the Eleven, we may fairly conclude that James, the son of Alphæus, and James, the Lord’s brother, were different persons.

A change has come over these ‘brethren’ since the last mention of them (John 7:5). There we are told that they did not believe on Jesus.