10. this continued . . . two years--in addition to the
former three months. See on
Ac 20:31.
But during some part of this period he must have paid a second
unrecorded visit to Corinth, since the one next recorded (see on
Ac 20:2, 3)
is twice called his third visit
(2Co 12:14; 13:1).
See on
2Co 1:15, 16,
which might seem inconsistent with this. The passage across was quite
a short one (see on
Ac 18:19)
--Towards the close of this long stay at Ephesus, as we learn from
1Co 16:8,
he wrote his
FIRST
EPISTLE TO THE
CORINTHIANS;
also (though on this opinions are divided) the
EPISTLE TO THE
GALATIANS.
(See
Introduction
to First Corinthians, and
Introduction
to Galatians). And just as at Corinth his greatest success was after
his withdrawal to a separate place of meeting
(Ac 18:7-10),
so at Ephesus.
so that all they which dwelt in--the Roman province of
Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and
Greeks--This is the "great door and effectual opened unto him"
while resident at Ephesus
(1Co 16:9),
which induced him to make it his headquarters for so long a period. The
unwearied and varied character of his labors here are best seen in his
own subsequent address to the elders of Ephesus
(Ac 20:17,
&c.). And thus Ephesus became the "ecclesiastical center for the entire
region, as indeed it remained for a very long period"
[BAUMGARTEN].
Churches arose at Colosse, Laodicea, and Hierapolis eastward, either
through his own labors or those of his faithful helpers whom he sent
out in different directions, Epaphras, Archippus, Philemon
(Col 1:7; 4:12-17;
Phm 23).
JFB.
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