as appears from the following passage Livii Hist. Lib. XLV. 29. Capita regionum, ubi concilia fierent, primae regionis Amphipolin, secundae Thessalonicen, &c. But the difficulty is not so great as it appears to be. For, though Amphipolis was made the capital of the first district of Macodonia in the time of Paulus Æmilius, and therefore entitled to the name of [Greek: prôtê], it is not impossible that in a subsequent age, the preference was given to Philippi. Or even if Amphipolis still continued to be the capital of the district, or the seat of the Roman provincial government, yet the title [Greek: prôtê] may have been claimed by the city of Philippi, though it were not the very first in point of rank. We meet with many instances of this kind, on the medals of the Greek cities, on which we find that more than one city of the same province, assumed the title of [Greek: prôtê]. St. Luke, therefore, who spent a long time at Philippi, and was well acquainted with the customs of the place, gave this city the title which it claimed, and which, according to the custom of the Greek cities, was inscribed probably on its coins. Hence it appears that the proposal made by Pierce to alter [Greek: prôtê tês meridos] to [Greek: prôtês meridos], is unnecessary." (Michaelis's Int. Vol. IV. pp. 152-154. Marsh's trans.)
"Where prayer was wont to be made. xvi. 13. This proseuchae signifies an oratory, a place appointed for prayer; in heathen countries, they were erected in sequestered retreats, commonly on the banks of rivers (as here) or on the sea-shore. Josephus has preserved the decree of the city of Halicarnassus, permitting the Jews to erect oratories, part of which is in the following terms:—'We ordain that the Jews, who are willing, both men and women, do observe the Sabbaths and perform sacred rites according to the Jewish law, and build proseuchae by the seaside, according to the custom of their country; and if any man, whether magistrate or private person, give them any hinderance or disturbance, he shall pay a fine to the city.' (Jos. Ant. lib. xiv, cap. 10.) (Al. 24.)
"Many commentators, viz. Grotius, Drs. Whitby, Doddridge, and Lardner, agree with Josephus, Philo, and Juvenal, that these places of worship were synonymous with synagogues. But Calmet, Prideaux, and Hammond, contend that they were nearly the same, yet there was a real difference between them; the synagogues were within the cities, while the proseuchae were without, in retired spots, particularly in heathen countries, by the river-side, with galleries or the shades of trees for their only shelter. Prideaux considers them to be of greater antiquity than the synagogues, and that they were formed by the Jews in open courts, that those who lived at a distance from Jerusalem might offer their private worship as in the open courts of the Temple or Tabernacle. In the synagogues, Prideaux observes, public worship was performed, and in the proseuchae private prayer was used to be made. It is highly probable that these proseuchae were the same which are called in the Old Testament "high places." (Hammond on Luke vi. 12, and Acts xvi. 13-16. Calmet's Dict. voce proseucha. Prideaux's Connec, part i. book iv. sub anno 444. vol. I. pp. 387-390. edit. 1720.) (Horne's Introd.)
"'And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira.' v. 14. It is a remarkable fact, that among the ruins of Thyatira, there is an inscription extant with the words [Greek: OI BAPHEIS], the dyers. Wheler's Journey into Greece, vol. iii. p. 233. Spon. Miscellanea Eruditae Antiquitates, p. 113; from whence we learn that the art and trade of dyeing purple were carried on in that city." (Horne's Introd.)
Here was fine business for the apostle and his companion!
"Come over into Macedonia and help us!" Such were the
words of deep agonizing entreaty, in which the beseeching Macedonian
had, in the night-vision, summoned the great apostle of
the Gentiles to this new field of evangelizing labor. Taking that
summons for a divine command, he had obeyed it—had crossed
the wide Aegean, and sought in this great city of Macedonia, the
occasions and the means of "helping" the idolatrous citizens to a
knowledge of the truth as it was in Jesus. Week after week they
had been inoffensively toiling in the faithful effort to answer this
Macedonian cry for help; and what was the result and the re-
