Acts 19:4

Χριστὸν omitted with אABE. Not represented in Vulg.

4. εἶπεν δὲ Παῦλος, Ἰωάννης ἐβάπτισεν βάπτισμα μετανοίας, and Paul said, John baptized with the baptism of repentance. Such was John’s description of his own baptism (Matthew 3:11), but after the day of Pentecost the language of the Christian preacher (Acts 2:38) is, ‘Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.’ These Ephesian disciples knew nothing of baptism for the remission of sins, or of the other sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, nor of the gift of the Spirit to the Church, nor of the doctrines of faith in Christ and salvation by grace through faith.

βάπτισμα μετανοίας, found Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3; Acts 13:24, is explained by βαπτίζειν εἰς μετάνοιαν of Matthew 3:11. The baptized were pledged to amendment of life, and to a preparation for the coming Messiah.

εἰς τὸν ἐρχόμενον μετ' αὐτόν, κ.τ.λ., on Him which should come after him, that is, on Jesus. In his preaching John had constantly used the phrase ‘He that cometh after me.’ This was the stage of instruction at which these disciples had arrived. They knew that John spake of one who was to come. St Paul’s teaching made clear to them that this was Jesus. The closing words of the sentence (εἰς τὸν Ἰησοῦν) are a condensation of all the explanations by which the Apostle convinced them that Jesus, whom he preached, was the prophet whom John announced. St Luke does not anywhere give speeches or arguments in extenso, but only so much as is needed to explain the results which he describes.