Acts 4:19

Parallel sayings may be quoted from Greeks and Romans, and from Jewish sources, see instances in Wetstein, cf. Plato, Apol., 29,., the famous words of Socrates: πεισόμεθα τῷ θεῷ μᾶλλον ἢ ὑμῖν, and Livy, xxxix., 37; Jos., Ant., xvii., 6, 3; xviii. 8, 2; on ἐνώπιον see Acts 4:10; ἀκούειν = πειθαρχεῖν, Acts 5:29, and cf. Acts 3:22; Luke 10:16; Luke 16:31; μᾶλλον = potius, cf. Romans 14:13; 1 Corinthians 7:21. κρίνατε : this appeal to the Sadducees could only be justified on the ground that the Apostles were sure of the validity of their own appeal to a higher tribunal. No man could lay down the principle of obedience to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king or to governors, more plainly than St. Peter (1 Peter 2:13, cf. Romans 13:1), and he and his fellow-disciples might have exposed themselves to the charge of fanaticism or obstinacy, if they could only say οὐ δυν.… μὴ λαλεῖν; but they could add ἃ εἴδομεν καὶ ἠκούσ., cf. Acts 1:8. The same appeal is made by St. John, both in his Gospel (Acts 1:14) and in his First Epistle (Acts 1:1-2), in vindication of his teaching; and here the final answer is that of St. John and St. Peter jointly.