Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Acts 20:15
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
And we sailed thence, etc.] From Mitylene: and came the next day over against Chios; which, according to R. Benjamin Tudelensis f1011, was three days’ sail from Mitylene; according to Pliny f1012 it was sixty five miles from it, and is an island in the Icarian or Aegean sea, and lies between Lesbos and Samos, next mentioned; and has its name from the nymph Chione, so called from the exceeding whiteness of her skin, as snow: it was famous for marble; from hence came the best mastic, and good figs, and the wine called malmsey wine f1013. And of this place Jerom says f1014, Chios, an island before Bithynia, whose name in the Syriac language signifies “mastic”, because that mastic grows there; some add, he called it “Chia” from Chione the nymph: the reason of its name, as Pausanias f1015 relates, was this; Neptune coming into a desert island, had carnal knowledge of a nymph, and in the time of her travail, a snow fell from heaven on the ground; and from this Neptune called his son Chius, from whom the island has its name. Others f1016 conjecture, that it was called from aywj, “Chivja”, which signifies a serpent; this island having been very much terrified, as Aelianus f1017 says, by the hisses of a serpent of a monstrous size, until it was consumed by fire. It was common to sail from Mitylene hither, and “vice versa”: so we read f1018 of Herod seeking Agrippa, he came to Chios, and from thence to Mitylene. We read nothing of the apostle’s stay and preaching here, nor of any Gospel church here, till ages after: in the “fourth” century, Heathenism prevailed to such a degree in it, that Dionysius Omadius was worshipped here with human sacrifice; and yet, in the fifth century, a bishop of Chios was present in the council of Chalcedon; and in the “sixth” century another assisted in the fifth Roman synod; and in the “seventh” century there was a bishop of this place at the sixth synod at Constantinople; and in the “eighth” century, Leon, bishop of Chios, was in the Nicene f1019 synod. It is now called Chio or Scio, by the Turks Saches, and is inhabited by Italian Genoese. And the next day we arrived at Samos; another island in the Icarian sea, not a very fruitful one, unless for olives f1020; and for nothing more famous than for being the birth place of Pythagoras f1021, hence called the Samian, and of Melissus. It was ninety three miles distant from Chios f1022; and, according to R. Benjamin, two days sail from it f1023; but Paul sailed hither in a day. Of this place Jerom f1024 thus writes; Samos, an island in the Aegean sea, in which, it is reported, earthen vessels were first made. Herodotus f1025 speaks of three things for which it was famous, a very high mountain in it, a bulwark about the haven in the sea, and a temple the largest of all he ever saw. Some say it has its name from the height of it, Samos signifying an high place. Pausanias f1026, from Asius, a Samian, suggests, that it was so called from Samus, the son of Ancaeus and Samia; and observes, that the inhabitants of it affirm, that Juno was born here; and here was a famous temple, said to be dedicated to her by the Argonautes. One of the Sybils dwelt here, called from hence Samia, and Polycrates, a noted tyrant. Lycurgus, the famous lawgiver, died in this place, as did also Pherecydes, the Syrian f1027. It is now called Samo. The apostle stayed not here to preach the Gospel; nor do we read of its being preached here by any: idolatry greatly prevailed in this place in the “sec…
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