Ethiopia. The region of the Upper Nile, the territory of the modern Nubia and Abyssinia. Candace seems to have been a title of the dowager queens of Ethiopia, as Caesar was of the emperors of Rome.
Eating with Gentiles. In order to avoid ceremonial defilement, it was the custom of the Jews never to eat with Gentiles. The early Christians kept their Jewish customs in this respect as in others. Before the close of the first Christian century, however, the custom had been dropped by Christians, along with most other parts of the Jewish ceremonial. By that time the church itself was mostly Gentile.
"We" portions. There are certain passages in the Book of Acts where the word "we" is used. It is believed that Luke himself, the author of the book, was present when this pronoun is used.
The Roman Provincial Government and Army. The whole New Testament history takes place within the Roman Empire. There was a petty king in Judea, subject to Rome, but the real governor was the proconsul or procurator. These officials were in charge of the various districts of the Empire and Paul frequently came in contact with them. Paul also came in contact very frequently with the Roman army, and some of his strongest illustrations are drawn from that organization. Three legions were garrisoned in Palestine--the 5th, the 10th, and the 15th. These legions corresponded to our brigade, mustering about 6,000 infantry and a detachment of cavalry. The legion was divided into ten companies of 600 men called cohorts. These also had names, and reference is made to the Italian and the Augustan cohorts. The captain of a cohort was called a centurion. It is probable that the troops under whose escort Paul went to Rome were a part of the Praetorian Guard, the emperor's special soldiers stationed at Rome and rarely sent to the provinces.
Prison. The Roman prison had usually three parts: the outer part, where the prisoners had light and air; the inner part, shut off by iron gates and bars, more secure than the outer part; and a dungeon, probably a place of execution. The sufferings and barbarities of all ancient prisons were such as would not be allowed to-day.
Cyprus. The greatest island of the Eastern Mediterranean. The seat of government was Paphos, though Salamis, the seaport, was the largest and most important town. Many Jews were in the island. Copper, which word comes from Cyprus, was mined there from early time, and in all ancient history the island was an important place.
Galatia was the name both of an ancient kingdom, and, in the time of Paul, of a Roman province. There is a difference of opinion as to which is its meaning in the New Testament. If it is used for the old kingdom only, the cities of Galatia are in the north central part of Asia Minor; Ancyra and Tavium are cities not mentioned in the New Testament. If it is used for the new Roman province, as seems probable to many, the cities are in the southern part of Asia Minor, Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, towns often mentioned in Acts.
Troas. An important shipping port, the nearest to Europe of the important Asiatic towns. The Troy of Homer was in this region.
Macedonia, the ancient kingdom of Alexander the Great, was at this time under the Romans. At Philippi great battles in the Roman empire had been fought, and later a group of Romans settled, making the place a colony, with certain important privileges for its citizens. Thessalonica was an important seaport, the outlet for the products of a large section of country. It had a large Jewish population. The modern town, under the name Salonica, is still a port of some importance. Berea, about fifty miles southwest of Thessalonica, was the center of a large, fertile district, and had an important local trade.