Acts 15:7

ἀναστὰς, Lucan, see Acts 5:17; the position of Peter is one of authority, not of pre-eminence the latter belongs to James. The part which Peter had formerly taken in the conversion of Cornelius would naturally make him the most fitting person to introduce the discussion. From Galatians 2:3 we learn that the general principle was debated with reference to the individual case of Titus. ἀφʼ ἡμερῶν ἀρχαίων : “a good while ago,” meaning probably from the beginnings of the Christian Church, cf. Acts 11:15; Acts 21:16; cf. Philippians 4:15 (see Lightfoot's note, l. c.), and cf. Clem. Rom., Cor [282], xlvii., 2, and Polycarp, Phil., i. 2; or, if the words are referred to the one definite incident of the conversion of the Gentile Cornelius, some ten or twelve years (Blass, “fortasse”) may have passed since that event, possibly longer, see Zöckler, Page, Knabenbauer, in loco. Others take the words as referring to our Lord's declaration to St. Peter as long ago as at Cæsarea Philippi, Matthew 16:13-20; see Speaker's Commentary, so Bishop Williams of Connecticut, Studies in the Book of Acts, p. 139 (1888). Rendall connects ἐν ἡμῖν with ἀρχ. on the ground that thus the whole phrase would point to early Christian days, whereas, without qualification, confusion as to its meaning would arise, cf. Acts 15:21. But a reference to the case of Cornelius need not exhaust the meaning of the phrase, and St. Peter would naturally think of his own choice by God as going back earlier still, dating from the foundation of the Church, and receiving its confirmation and significance in the acceptance of the Gospel by Cornelius, ἐξελέξατο, see on Acts 1:2. τοῦ εὐαγγ.: not used by St. Luke in his Gospel, but here and in Acts 20:24; used once by St. Peter, 1 Peter 4:17; so also εὐαγγελίζομαι, three times in the same Epistle.

[282] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.