Acts 8:5

Philip (Pilippo). The deacon ( Acts 6:5 ) and evangelist ( Acts 21:8 ), not the apostle of the same name ( Mark 3:18 ). To the city of Samaria (ei thn polin th Samaria). Genitive of apposition. Samaria is the name of the city here. This is the first instance cited of the expansion noted in verse Mark 4 . Jesus had an early and fruitful ministry in Samaria ( John 4:1-42 ), though the twelve were forbidden to go into a Samaritan city during the third tour of Galilee ( Matthew 10:5 ), a temporary prohibition withdrawn before Jesus ascended on high ( Acts 1:8 ). Proclaimed (ekhrussen). Imperfect active, began to preach and kept on at it. Note euaggelizomenoi in verse Acts 4 of missionaries of good news (Page) while ekhrussen here presents the preacher as a herald. He is also a teacher (didaskalo) like Jesus. Luke probably obtained valuable information from Philip and his daughters about these early days when in his home in Caesarea ( Acts 21:8 ).