Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt
Phrygia was a country in Asia, and had part of Galatia on the
north, Lycaonia, Pisidia, and Mygdonia on the south, and on the
east Cappadocia F24; here the Apostle Paul afterwards
travelled, and strengthened the Christians; see ( Acts 16:6 ) ( 18:23 ) . Pamphylia, now
called Setilia, is another country in Asia, formerly called
Mopsopia F25; which had on the west Lycia, and
part of Asia, on the north Galatia, on the east Cilicia, and part
of Cappadocia, and on the south the sea of Pamphylia F26, of
which mention is made in ( Acts 27:5 ) . The chief
city in it was Perga, where was a temple of Diana F1, and
here the Apostle Paul also was; see ( Acts 13:13 ) ( Acts 14:24 Acts 14:25 ) ( 15:38 ) . Others of
these sojourning Jews lived in Egypt, which was a large country
in Africa; which had on the east the deserts of Arabia, on the
west Libya, on the south Ethiopia, and on the north the
Mediterranean sea; hither many Jews were carried captive by
Ptolomy Lagus, and these spoke the Egyptian language:
and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene;
there were others at Jerusalem, which came from hence, The Arabic
version reads this clause, "and in the parts of Africa, which is
our country"; and Pliny says F2, the Greeks call Africa,
Libya. The Jews say F3, Libya in Egypt; and for proselytes
from Libya, they wait three generations; that is, before they
receive them: Cyrene, or Cyreniaca, which is no other than upper
Libya, is called by Pliny {d}, the Pentapolitan country, from the
five cities in it; Berenice, Arsinoe, Ptolemais, Apollonia, and
Cyrene: to these are added,
and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes;
that is, as the Syriac version renders it, "those that came from
Rome"; to which the Arabic agrees: they were natives and
inhabitants of the city of Rome, though now they were at
Jerusalem; and some of these were Jews by birth, and lineal
descent, though born at Rome; and others were such as were
proselytes of righteousness, who were originally Gentiles, but
were now circumcised, and had embraced the Jewish religion;
concerning such, (See Gill on Matthew
23:15). These doubtless spoke in the Roman, or Latin
tongue.
F24 Plin. l. 5. c. 32.
F25 Ib. c. 27.
F26 Ptolom. l. 5. c. 5.
F1 Plin. l. 5. c. 27. Ptolom, ib. &. Mela, l. 1. c. 14.
F2 Plin. l. 5. in principio.
F3 T. Hieros. Kilaim, fol. 31. 3. & Sabbat, fol. 7. 2.
F4 L. 5. c. 5.