Acts 11:20

Men of Cyprus and Cyrene. In the case of these men, with their more cosmopolitan background, there was probably less hesitation about mixing with Gentiles than there was among the Jews of Palestine, the home of the Jewish nation and the stronghold of their prejudices. Who these men were we can only conjecture: possibly Lucius of Cyrene, who appears in the list of prophets in ch. 13:1; possibly Simon of Cyrene, who, there is reason to think, was a disciple of Christ (see on Matt. 27:32; see Mark 15:21). The founders of the church in Antioch must remain unknown.

To Antioch. See on v. 19.

Spake. The tense of the Greek verb used here implies that they began to speak and continued speaking.

Grecians. Textual evidence is divided (cf. p. 10) mainly between two readings: Hellenistai, Greek-speaking Jews, or, more broadly, “Greek speakers,” and Hellenai, Greeks by descent — or, more loosely in the NT, Gentiles — the weight of evidence inclining slightly in favor of the former. If we accept Hellenistai, as the KJV does, then we must suppose that the stress is upon the fact that the evangelists, instead of speaking to the Jews at large (many of whom, being Syrians, would speak Aramaic), preached especially to the Greek-speaking Jews and proselytes. If so, they followed in Stephen’s footsteps, and indirectly prepared the way for Paul; for the Hellenistai were, as a body, the link between the Jews, as a race, and the Hellenai, who were Gentiles.

On the whole, however, other evidence tips the scale in favor of the reading, Hellenai, Greeks (Gentiles). Several reasons support this reading: (1) Since the Hellenistai were Jews, Luke would naturally include them among the Jews of v. 19, and so there would be no contrast indicated by their mention in v. 20. Luke would scarcely have had occasion to call attention to the fact that the preaching at Antioch was to Hellenistai, Greek Jews, for there was a large number of them already in the church at Jerusalem (see ch. 6:1), and probably these Grecian and Cyprian teachers were themselves Greek Jews. But special mention by Luke is appropriate if they began preaching to the Hellenai, that is, Greeks (Gentiles), in Antioch. (2) The contrast thus drawn between Jews and Hellenai is an entirely natural one (see chs. 14:1; 18:4), and if the word Hellenai is the true reading, here is a needed note of progress. Later references clearly imply the presence of Gentile Christians in Antioch of Syria (ch. 15:1, 28-31; AA 155-161, 188). (3) Also, if these were Hellenai, they may not have been entirely heathen idolaters when they were converted. Perhaps, like Cornelius, some of them already feared God (see on ch. 10:2), and were attending the services of the synagogue (cf. the Corinthians, Acts 18:4).

Whether the conversion of the Hellenai in this chapter preceded or followed the conversion of Cornelius cannot be known — the data are insufficient to provide an answer. It seems probable that the work went on at Antioch for many months among the Hellenistic and other Jews, and that the men of Cyprus and Cyrene arrived after the experience with Cornelius had set in motion forces that brought about the removal of restraints against reaching non-Jews.

Preaching. See on ch. 10:36.