Acts 20:1

3. Paul’s Departure for Southern Greece, and Return through Macedonia and Troas , Acts 20:1-12 .

1. Uproar was ceased With the close of this tumult closed Paul’s memorable ministry of three years (with perhaps some full vacations) in Ephesus. He had made preparations for departure before the disturbance, (Acts 19:22,) and he had fixed (1 Corinthians 16:8) the Pentecost of A.D. 57 as the limit of his stay. Assuming that this was the point of his departure, as he returned to Jerusalem to the Pentecost of 58, this his third missionary circuit, measured from Ephesus, filled a precise year.

Departed As his route of departure is over old travelled ground, Luke dismisses it with few words; but the return route from Corinth is so pregnant with interest as to occupy a chapter and a half.

Into Macedonia As he promised to the Corinthians, (1 Corinthians 16:5.) After writing his first epistle to the Corinthians he was so anxious as to its effect upon that Church that he sent Titus to Corinth to ascertain and report. Titus and his report he expected to receive at Troas, on his way to Macedonia. No Titus appeared, and in deep distress the apostle crossed over the Hellespont, and visited the Philippian Church. There he would meet Luke, whom he had left in Philippi six years before. And there too, to his joy, Titus came with a joyful report (2 Corinthians 7:6-7) from the Corinthian Church. That Church had expelled the immoral, and returned to its allegiance to Paul. Yet the Judaizers were at work, headed by a bold and talented, and yet to us unknown, leader, and this, in addition to the business of the collections for the poor saints at Jerusalem, called out

Paul’s Fourth Letter THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS, from Macedonia, autumn, A.D. 57.

This epistle was sent by Titus, and a “brother” mentioned but not named in 2 Corinthians 8:18. whom we identify with Luke. For, 1. Luke was at this time at Philippi; 2. The words “whose praise in the Gospel is in all the Churches,” well describes one whose Gospel (probably published during his long residence in Antioch) was already in circulation among the Pauline Churches; 3. A few months afterward Paul, at Corinth, writing his epistle to Rome, named Luke (Lucius) as being at Corinth; 4. In this agree the ancient superscription at the end of the epistle, Origen, Jerome, Wetstein, Whitby, Wordsworth; and other high authorities. (See note on Acts 16:10.)