But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.
All Commentaries on Acts 9:27 Go To Acts 9
John Chrysostom
AD 407
One may well be much at a loss here to understand how it is that, whereas in the Epistle to the Galatians Paul says, I went not to Jerusalem, but into Arabia and to Damascus, and, After three years I went up to Jerusalem, and to see Peter , (ἱ στορἥσαι Cat.) here the writer says the contrary. (There, Paul says,) And none of the Apostles saw I; but here, it is said (Barnabas), brought him to the Apostles.— Well, then, either (Paul) means, I went not up with intent to refer or attach myself to them (ἀ ναθέσθαι)— for what says he? I referred not myself, neither went I to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before me: or else, that the laying await for him in Damascus was after his return from Arabia; or else, again, that the visit to Jerusalem was after he came from Arabia. Certainly of his own accord he went not to the Apostles, but assayed to join himself unto the disciples— as being a teacher, not a disciple— I went not, he says, for this purpose, that I should go to those who were Apostles before me: certainly, I learned nothing from them. Or, he does not speak of this visit, but passes it by, so that the order is, I went into Arabia, then I came to Damascus, then to Jerusalem, then to Syria: or else, again, that he went up to Jerusalem, then was sent to Damascus, then to Arabia, then again to Damascus, then to Cæsarea. Also, the visit after fourteen years, probably, was when he brought up the [alms to the] brethren together with Barnabas: or else he means a different occasion. Acts 11:30 For the Historian for conciseness, often omits incidents, and condenses the times. Observe how unambitious the writer is, and how he does not even relate related in Acts 22:17-21 that vision, but passes it by. He assayed, it says, to join himself to the disciples. And they were afraid of him. By this again is shown the ardor of Paul's character: not (only) from the mouth of Ananias, and of those who wondered at him there, but also of those in Jerusalem: they believed not that he was a disciple: for truly that was beyond all human expectation. He was no longer a wild beast, but a man mild and gentle! And observe how he does not go to the Apostles, such is his forbearance, but to the disciples, as being a disciple. He was not thought worthy of credit. But Barnabas— Son of Consolation is his appellation, whence also he makes himself easy of access to the man: for he was a kind man Acts 11:24, exceedingly, and this is proved both by the present instance, and in the affair of John (Mark)— having taken him, brought him to the Apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord in the way. Acts 15:39 It is likely that at Damascus also he had heard all about him: whence he was not afraid but the others were, for he was a man whose glance inspired fear. How, it says, he had seen the Lord in the way, and that He had spoken unto him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of the Lord. And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem, and speaking boldly in the name of Jesus
