Chapter 14
[Acts 14:2] -- They stirred up the souls of the Gentiles against the brothers. What follows in Greek: "But God made peace," is missing in some Latin manuscripts. And there: "They were preaching," it follows in Greek: "And the whole multitude was moved by their teaching."
[Acts 14:6] -- But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Lystra. And these little verses are not found in some of our manuscripts.
[Acts 14:8] -- And a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, sat, etc. Just as that lame man whom Peter and John healed at the gate of the temple prefigures the salvation of the Jews, so also this sick man of Lycaonia, a people far removed from the religion of the law and temple, but gathered by the preaching of the apostle Paul. He says, "They gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship, that we should go unto the Gentiles, and they unto the circumcision." And the times agree with the exposition. For he was in the early days of faith, when the word had not yet been believed by the Gentiles; but here the Jews, having been expelled for their unbelief and sprinkled with the dust of condemnation, are healed amidst the new joys of the converted Gentiles.
[Acts 14:9] -- And seeing that he had faith to be healed. And that one seeks money in the Jewish manner, but this one seeks salvation from the apostles through faith.
[Acts 14:10] -- He said with a loud voice: Stand upright on your feet. In the Greek exemplar it is read: He said with a loud voice: I say to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, stand upright on your feet. We have added these from the translation, so that, bewildered by the variety of manuscripts, you might not be ignorant of what is true.
[Acts 14:11] -- The gods, likened to men, have come down to us. The foolish error of the Gentiles, who think that whatever they see above themselves are gods.
[Acts 14:12] -- And they called Barnabas Jupiter; indeed, because he seemed to be the chief among them. For they thought Jupiter was the father of gods and king of men.
[Acts 14:12] -- But Paul, Mercury, because he was the chief speaker; because they believed Mercury to grant eloquence and speech to mortals. Hence, they called Mercury as if running in the middle, that is, between ears and tongues, and the Greeks called him Hermes, which means interpreter.
[Acts 14:13] -- Bringing bulls and garlands before the gates. The bulls for sacrifice, and the garlands, either to decorate the face of the temple according to the custom of the Gentiles or to place them upon those they would sacrifice to as gods.
[Acts 14:14] -- Having torn their clothes, they rushed out into the crowd, and so on. They, fearing, tear their garments because they were being honored with the worship of gods. For this is a custom of the Jews whenever they hear anything blasphemous and as if against God. But Herod, because he did not give honor to God but acquiesced to the excessive favor of the people, was immediately struck by an angel.