Book Description

Excerpt from Notes, Critical and Explanatory: On the Acts of the Apostles It has been the aim of the Author, which he has cherished and prosecuted during several years past, to present, in a single volume, for popular use, an Exposition of "The Acts." He has been aware of a very general desire, among Bible readers, to study this book with the aid of a manual commentary that should embody the most valuable results of investigation. And he has had some reason to believe that notwithstanding the important aids lately furnished, there remained something to do for the elucidation of the history on the plan which he has here pursued. The method adopted by the Author in the other Historical Books, is much more advantageous in this - namely, to arrange the materials under appropriate headings throughout, so as to call attention, all along, to the points and periods of the history, and then to group together all these headings in a Synoptical view. Thus there is presented to the eye at once a comprehensive Outline, by the aid of which the separate epochs and progressive stages of the History may be viewed in their proper relations. For lack of this aid, many cursory readers have not yet understood that the History in this book extends through a period of thirty-two, or three years - equal in extent to the time covered by the Gospel History, and embracing the second third part of the century, as the Gospel history embraces the first third. Nor is it likely to be seen, without some such tabular view, how the History in "The Acts" covers the times and circumstances in which the Epistles of Paul were written. For this reason the author has believed an important end would be gained by incorporating, at the time and place where they belong, (so nearly as can be ascertained, ) the briefest notices of the several Epistles of Paul. Indeed this has seemed necessary for a proper comprehension of the whole. These Letters are indeed among the Acts of the Apostles, and light is often thrown upon them by bringing to view their connections with the Narrative. Though the chronology of some of them, especially of the Pastoral Epistles, is not positively fixed, yet it is quite sufficiently established for this purpose. The facts scattered through the Epistles are necessary for a thorough understanding of "the Acts." And as the Epistles are not arranged in their chronological order, in our common version, and as the Holy Spirit had a plan, doubtless, in the very order in which these Inspired Books were put in circulation, we cannot doubt that the method adopted will conduce greatly to a proper understanding of the New Testament. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.