17:1 After they traveled through 4 Amphipolis 5 and Apollonia, 6 they came to Thessalonica, 7 where there was a Jewish synagogue. 8
2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, 9 and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. 10
1 tn The imperfect verb ηὐκαίρουν (hukairoun) has been translated as a customary or habitual imperfect.
2 tn BDAG 406-7 s.v. εὐκαιρέω has “used to spend their time in nothing else than telling Ac 17:21.”
3 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The reference to newness may be pejorative.
4 tn BDAG 250 s.v. διοδεύω 1 has “go, travel through” for this verse.
5 sn Amphipolis. The capital city of the southeastern district of Macedonia (BDAG 55 s.v. ᾿Αμφίπολις). It was a military post. From Philippi this was about 33 mi (53 km).
6 sn Apollonia was a city in Macedonia about 27 mi (43 km) west southwest of Amphipolis.
7 sn Thessalonica (modern Salonica) was a city in Macedonia about 33 mi (53 km) west of Apollonia. It was the capital of Macedonia. The road they traveled over was called the Via Egnatia. It is likely they rode horses, given their condition in Philippi. The implication of v. 1 is that the two previously mentioned cities lacked a synagogue.
8 sn See the note on synagogue in 6:9.
9 tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”
10 tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”
11 tn BDAG 812 s.v. πιθανολογία states, “persuasive speech, art of persuasion (so Pla., Theaet. 162e) in an unfavorable sense in its only occurrence in our lit. ἐν πιθανολογίᾳ by specious arguments Col 2:4 (cp. PLips 40 III, 7 διὰ πιθανολογίας).”
12 sn Paul’s point is that even though the arguments seem to make sense (sound reasonable), they are in the end false. Paul is not here arguing against the study of philosophy or serious thinking per se, but is arguing against the uncritical adoption of a philosophy that is at odds with a proper view of Christ and the ethics of the Christian life.