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A Charter School Principal’s Story
A Charter School Principal’s Story
A View from the Inside

Barbara Smith
University of Toronto, Canada
A C.I.P. record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.

ISBN: 978-94-6351-216-9 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-94-6351-217-6 (hardback)
ISBN: 978-94-6351-218-3 (e-book)

Published by: Sense Publishers,

P.O. Box 21858,
3001 AW Rotterdam,
The Netherlands
https://www.sensepublishers.com/

Printed on acid-free paper

All Rights Reserved © 2017 Sense Publishers

No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the
exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and
executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work.
 ADVANCE PRAISE
A CHARTER SCHOOL PRINCIPAL’S STORY

“Dr. Barbara Smith is a true and authentic educator for this complex time in
developing schools and curriculum that really matter for our children. In her roles
as teacher, consultant, leader, principal and author, she understands schooling from
the inside out. From the many forces that whirl around classrooms, to the needs
and wants of her staff and students, Barbara maintains a clear vision, backed by her
knowledge and research of how schools could and should work for the benefit of the
young people they hope to reach. Her narrative of her times in public charter schools
offers all of us insights into the struggle to create schools of high academic quality
and compassionate care, worthy of her educational mandate and mission.”
– David Booth, Professor Emeritus, The Ontario Institute for Studies in
Education, University of Toronto

“I was fortunate to have Dr. Smith join our founding team for the Jalen Rose
Leadership Academy in my hometown of Detroit. Our team worked tirelessly to
provide unique opportunities and a quality education in a public charter school
setting. Without her lifelong dedication to education and our scholars’ success, we
wouldn’t be where we are today. She’s inspired me to be an advocate for education
and her work will inspire you as well!”
– Jalen Rose, Chair of Board of Directors, Jalen Rose Leadership Academy,
Detroit, Michigan, ESPN Commentator

“A Charter School Principal’s Story: A View from the Inside is a remarkable book
written by the most creative, progressive and professional educator in the business of
educating youth ... Dr. Barbara Smith. This inside look provides an opportunity for
innovation in a field that has held to aging standards for far too long!”
– Diane C. Manica, Founding Team Member, Jalen Rose Leadership Academy,
Retired Educator, Detroit Public Schools, Former Director, Leadership and
Accreditation, University of Detroit Mercy
“There is no gain without struggle.”
– Martin Luther King Jr.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Forewordxi
Leonard A. Upson

Acknowledgementsxiii

List of Figures xv

Introductionxvii

Chapter 1: Beginning Sketches 1

Chapter 2: Trust 9

Chapter 3: Day 1 11

Chapter 4: Ten Days of Preparations 19

Chapter 5: The First Reach – WEDJ Parents 23

Chapter 6: First Week of School 27

Chapter 7: Parent Communications 29

Chapter 8: Connecting with Staff 31

Chapter 9: Initial Board of Trustees Communications 33

Chapter 10: Arts to the Core 37

Chapter 11: Learning That Sticks 41

Chapter 12: Building Relationships 47

Chapter 13: Safety, Supervision, and Discipline 51

Chapter 14: Bodies in Their Seats 55

Chapter 15: Student and Staff Performance Reviews 61

Chapter 16: Learning Communities for Staff and Parents 67

Chapter 17: November 2012 Qualitative Site Review 73

Chapter 18: Investing Time to Recognize Others 77

ix
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 19: Welcomed Visitors 81

Chapter 20: Tears in Heaven 85

Chapter 21: Arts on Fire 89

Chapter 22: Other People’s Money 91

Chapter 23: Never-Ending Talent Search 99

Chapter 24: The DCCAS Experience 105

Chapter 25: Middle States Candidacy 111

Chapter 26: First Spring Rising 113

Chapter 27: Summer Highs and Lows 119

Chapter 28: Year 2 – Welcome Back Wolves 123

Chapter 29: The Sting of the 2013 Qualitative Site Review 125

Chapter 30: Response to the Charter Board Qualitative Site Review 137

Chapter 31: Board Retreat 143

Chapter 32: WEDJ through the Eyes of TenSquare 147

Chapter 33: Dismantling Leadership 153

Chapter 34: Catching Fire 163

Chapter 35: The Chill of January 169

Chapter 36: The Ambush… “And So It Begins” 175

Charter 37: Valentine Bundle – February 14 177

Chapter 38: Leadership Performance Review 179

Chapter 39: Cracks in the Foundation 185

Chapter 40: Apology Accepted; Opportunity Denied 197

Chapter 41: Built to Last 199

Annotated Toolbox 207

References213

x
 FOREWORD

The charter school can be a space where students thrive in academic excellence
and creativity. At the center of a transformative education is the school leader.
I witnessed firsthand how a charter school can demonstrate best practice with the
kind of actions that fuel a culture of deep thinkers and confident learners, both
students and staff alike. This inside view of a charter school, from the principal’s
perspective, captures the detailing of the day-to-day ups and downs of being a school
leader in a challenging, yet inspiring inner city charter school context. Through the
eyes of a former principal and current Director of the Leadership Development at
the Capstone Institute at Howard University, I read with interest Smith’s account
of her time at the William E; Doar, Jr., Public Charter School for the Performing
Arts in Washington, DC. Her desire to promote science, technology, engineering and
mathematics, beyond the niche of the arts school, is what first caught my attention.
On the one hand, I was fascinated to hear more about the progressive approaches
Smith was using to promote teacher empowerment and student engagement, and on
the other hand, I was moved to support someone willing to make a difference in DC
charter schools. In spite, of inheriting a school that was recovering from significant
staff turnover, Smith was passionate about building a positive and fulfilling landscape
for learning.
Rather than follow a prescribed path for charter school principals, Smith grounded
her work in educational research. She did not assume everything would work in the
context of this new school, but as this story reveals, she gave what works well in
most schools a fighting chance. In other words, Smith gave the staff and students an
opportunity to understand more about what teachers and students in ideal schools
do, and by making the workings of best practices known, WEDJ could build its
own model school reputation. Her story unwraps what a curriculum and teacher
development specialist can bring to the role of school leader, and how necessary
it is to be courageous in the face of a culture narrowly defined by short term test
scores gains.
How long does it take for a school to ‘turn-around’? After reading Smith’s
account, it seems clear that significant change can happen immediately, especially
when you focus on culture. It didn’t take long for my visits to WEDJ to turn into an
informal mentoring role for the new school leader. As this book reveals, Smith did
not leave many stones unturned, when it came to supporting positive action amongst
the students and community. She was committed to developing others, and in doing
so, generated a reorganization fiercely focused on building a school crawling with
teacher leaders. Rather than investing in her own professional growth, she expanded
the school’s professional development so a dozen of her inner-city teachers could
take part for a week in the summer at Harvard’s Project Zero in Boston. Other

xi
FOREWORD

administrators were sent to Harvard’s leadership program and non-instructional staff

were sent to the Disney institute for business training. One biology teacher went to
Carnegie Mellon to learn about robotics to give the arts students additional ‘hands
on’ and practical science experiences. Rather than have a team of staff coaches,
who worked only with teachers, Smith set up reduced teaching time schedules so
seasoned and skilled teachers could continue to teach students, but have time to
mentor and support less experienced teachers.
Closing achievement gaps requires much more than having students practice
and generate high scores on multiple-choice tests. It’s not enough for students to
squeak in a score of 21 on an ACT, when many of their classmates at college have
applied with solid scores of 30 or more.
Smith’s outlook was both short and long term. The emphasis on a curriculum
beyond the testing was about building confidence and capacity for college and life.
While her brief time at WEDJ did provide ample evidence of improvement in test
scores, particularly in mathematics (nearly 10%), her work was not understood
or appreciated by her supervising Trustees, and unfortunately, her time cut short.
Unravelling the barriers to her progress are a necessary piece of this puzzle.
Nevertheless, A Charter School Principal’s Story: A View from the Inside is a
personal audit that tells of compelling initiatives that should inform the charter
school community and hopefully guide decision-makers to give time for sustainable
change to take hold. Smith often repeated: ‘how can anyone expect change by doing
the same thing over and over, again?’ I believe this real account of an inside story
can give more students in charter schools, a chance to experience schooling in more
engaging and fulfilling ways.

Leonard A. Upson
Capstone Institute, Howard University
Washington, DC

xii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Writing my DC charter school principal story was one of the most difficult pieces of
text I have ever committed to print. If it wasn’t for a number of people encouraging
me to put my WEDJ experience out there, I’m not sure this project would ever have
come to fruition.
My husband, Simon Smith, has to top the list of inspiring supporters. His words:
“Tell the human-interest story” helped me keep my charter school experience real,
by limiting educational jargon (the fencing language that can keep educators separate
at times from the world we want to service). Simon’s encouragement forced me to
be courageous, when I was resistant to put it all down.
I have brick loads of thanks to the committed staff members at WEDJ, who shared
in the making of so many powerful memories. The vast list of names as featured
in shout outs throughout the book could wallpaper this acknowledgement page. In
alpha order here are some of the names of many inspirational colleagues: Ms. Alberta,
Ms. Almonte, Ms. Alford, Mr. Bell, Ms. Belton, Ms. Bose, Ms. Bradshaw, Ms. Brown,
Ms. Burrill, Ms. Cadag, Mr. Carter, Ms. Cherry, Ms. Cummings, Mr. Dickens,
Ms. Evans, Dr. Ginsburg, Mr. Gregorio, Ms. Hamilton, Mr. Harris, Ms. Hilay,
Mr. Howard, Ms. Johnson, Mr. Johnson, Ms. Kensler, Ms. Lawson, Ms. LeVault,
Ms. Lucas, Mr. McKeiver, Ms. Moore, Ms. Morgan, Ms. Miles (Cordova),
Ms. Narrow, Ms. Nugent, Ms. O’Boyle, Ms. Palmer, Ms. Polk, Mr. Powell, Ms. Rave,
Ms. Robbins, Ms. Robinson, Mr. Sessoms, Ms. Vernaiz, Ms. Wheeler, Ms. Williams,
and Dr. Zirkle.
I have to thank David Booth, my mentor, and life-long inspiration. An educator
with a sense of humor and respect for young people, is truly a gift. David came to
WEDJ and was so generous with his time to support our staff. I am so honored that
an expert with such a teeming following, was always there for me throughout my
diverse journeys in education. David insisted that I stay the course, plough through the
publication rejections – to make sure this work would be available for people to read.
Tony Upson became my DC mentor and continues to be a trusted colleague. I was
thrilled to be able to meet and share professional conversations with someone so
full of energy and passion for DC schools and students. I relied often on Tony’s rich
understanding that math and science could pave the way for urban students to excel
in college. Tony’s work with the Capstone Institute at Howard University harvested
a rich bank of quality human and material resources that contributed to enhancing
DC schools today.
I am forever grateful for the time and inspiration shared by Jalen Rose and
Michael Thompson who donated their time to be with the students and staff at
WEDJ. I am also forever grateful to Mike Carter, who as a co-founder of the Jalen

xiii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Rose Leadership Academy, dedicated years of his life to an incredible cause. It was
Mike who inspired me to be a part of the charter school community.
In closing, I must give thanks to the Paterson family. My father, George Gordon,
inspired me to love sports and the outdoors. He passed away when I was 16, leaving
my mom, June Murray Paterson, to model for me how women can be strong,
formidable and make a powerful volunteer contribution in a community. My mom
remained the matriarch of our family, until her passing at the age of 91. She listened
to me read aloud every version of my PhD thesis and reminded me often how finding
peace mattered in our busy world.

xiv
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. WEDJ teaching roster (11/7/12) 14

Figure 2. WEDJ mission statement and commitment 16
Figure 3. 2012 Arts to the core conference program 20
Figure 4. PrincipalPoint parent newsletter December 2012 30
Figure 5. WEDJ Grade 3 ELA portion of progress report card 62
Figure 6. WEDJ out-sourced arts providers (2012–2014) 95
Figure 7. WEDJ metrics from 2011 to 2014 108
Figure 8. Chart of effective practices 133
Figure 9. Ms. Nugent’s red carpet performance review (planning and
curriculum)157
Figure 10. Ms. Nugent’s red carpet performance review (Dean of Teacher
Development)158
Figure 11. Ms. Nugent’s red carpet performance review (Professionalism) 160
Figure 12. Ms. Nugent’s dean of teacher development – Final evaluation
for 2012–2013 161
Figure 13. Ms. Nugent’s teaching observation (Fall, 2013) 172
Figure 14. DCCAS WEDJ reading and math results (2012–2014) 192

xv
 INTRODUCTION

I entered the school through the exit door of a tired warehouse, void of windows on
the ground floor. Inside, to my pleasant surprise, was the sound of buzzing warm
voices amidst a collage of cheerful young faces. I would soon discover upon my
return to the William E. Doar, Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts
(WEDJ) that I was about to enter a culture ripe for improvement and eager for reform.
As it turned out my WEDJ experience provided much more than a physical setting
for what turned out to be an enormous challenge, one that tested and strengthened
my resolve as an educator, fiercely focused on building a model school for young
people in Washington, DC’s northeast corridor. This story takes the reader inside the
day-to-day complexities of working in a school, in this case, a charter school, from
the perspective of a school leader. This book features a number of bold efforts with
dedicated examples of rich practice and bright lights against the dim backdrop of
DC’s test preparation charter culture.
When I first arrived on the scene as WEDJ’s principal in July of 2012, I was
committed to sharing best practices at the same time as being a dedicated co-learner.
I knew there was much a Caucasian educator had to learn in the context of a school
with 96% African American families. I wanted to inspire both the staff and the
students and realized the road to improvement would require all of us to be learners
and teacher-leaders at the same time. I learned early on that in order to shift the
achievement trends in DC charters, we needed to chip away at the testing tarmac that
shaded schools, like WEDJ, from implementing more enlightened and exceptional
ways of teaching and learning. I was ready to become immersed in a space where
educators could dream and build an ideal foundation for a model school. Expecting
we would be serving over 400 students, their families, and a staff of more than 60
people, I was well aware that such an ambitious goal could not be attained on my
own.
Each piece of a charter school puzzle is strengthened or weakened by the quality
and capacity of the systems that hold the structure in place. In a perfect world, such
systems would allow for the uniqueness of what each staff member can bring to
the table. The notion of a “one size fits all” school can limit how a distinct mix of
collective talent can fuel better schools. I believe that for a school to move from
good to great, it needs much more than 60 strong individual employees; a staff must
behave as a team committed to building the capacities of others – and each other.
The role of teachers typically is to develop their students; however, the notion of
colleagues professionally developing each other is becoming much more mainstream
in progressive schools. In much the same way, school systems can be designed to
support one other, recognizing and reinforcing distinctness, not ‘sameness’ while
sharing public resources and assets. A ranking process of schools over-simplifies

xvii
INTRODUCTION

what is defined as a great school. In the case of the Performance Management

Framework (PMF) in DC, such a measure assumes that what is quantifiable is of
most worth. The tighter the ranking and points system, the more education is defined
by a single way of doing school. From my experience, such a narrow approach,
limits growth and school improvement. Ideal systems of education will promote
links with university research, reward innovation and recognize that school is much
more that a calculated score.
At WEDJ I had to operate at both the micro level (inside my school) and the
macro level (as a player inside the charter school system). When I first addressed
my staff at WEDJ, I initiated some subtle changes at the micro level. I removed the
term ‘faculty’ from the Employee Handbook and noted that I would refer to staff
as either instructional or non-instructional. Teachers would no longer be elevated
by the status of ‘faculty’; if we were to operate as a team, we would work together
as “staff” members. I gently let go of the ‘faculty’ designation, as a subtle start
toward building the WEDJ team. Language sets a tone, and just as Disney calls their
employees, “cast members”, I wanted to remove a hierarchy that didn’t seem to
serve much of a purpose.
Beyond the staff are a host of significant people who matter in charter schools.
These include parents, the local and state education authorities, and the trustees
for both the school and the community. Together, with the staff, I considered this
collective group as guardians, ideally committing sweat equity to the mix, so we
could provide that solid foundation for our students to excel in school, in college
and in life.
Finally, the term stakeholder is often used to capture all who have stake in
the learning. Students, clearly have the most to gain or lose in an operation that
expropriates over seven hours of their day, five days a week, for over a dozen years.
All guardians have a stake in ensuring that what the students are taking part in, is
a quality education. While a school is much more than a structure, I have come to
understand that stakeholders who behave as partners, rather than separate pieces on
a game board, have much more to offer young people in schools today.
Over the course of my thirty-five years as an educator, I’ve been fortunate to
be a part of many different school installations. While the blueprints for public,
charter, independent, international and college schools are distinct, they do share
some universal ideals about what supports exceptional teaching and learning.
• There must be opportunities for all partners to learn beyond the scope of their
membership.
• A collective growth mindset supports mastery and renewed ways of teaching so
that all students have the opportunity to learn.
• Ideas for continuous improvement can come from within, as well as from sources
outside the school.
• Increasing the critical mass of exceptional learners, teachers and students alike,
takes time, more than the hours in a conventional school year.

xviii
 INTRODUCTION

I tried to write the draft of this book soon after my experience so I would be able
to provide a comprehensive description of one of the most intense and enriching
parts of my educational career, one given safe conditions, I would willingly return to
and embrace on a given notice. My hope is that these pages that follow can serve a
number of different partners in different ways, to inform, to engage in action and to
understand the possibilities of what can happen when we all commit to learning and
growing a model school.
I would be thrilled if high school or college students would read this book for a
range of purposes: as a piece of work to compare with their own learning histories; as
a text to critique leadership styles; as a resource to support peer teaching or tutoring;
as a snapshot of various careers; and, perhaps, as a stimulus for recommending ideas
or initiating action in schools where student input into improvement is welcomed by
responsible guardians.
I hope this book will encourage families to take an active interest in their local
schools by finding meaningful ways to make contributions. By gaining some
insight into school operations, it is possible to de-mystify misconceptions and
help volunteers be more prepared and assured about playing more direct roles in
schools. How school happens need not be reserved for insiders. Alas, it is not an
easy challenge for schools to be completely open to the public given the critical
need to ensure safety and limit learning distractions. This snapshot, however, can
reveal a fair bit about learning and working in a charter school. I trust this account
can speak to what happens to children after they walk through the school doors and
what happens between staff before and after the final bell. While I suspect that each
charter school story is unique, there are common challenges that all schools face.
Mind you, I would be remiss to paint WEDJ as a typical school in any case.
I would hope teachers would say they’d want to be a part of a team committed
to much more than achieving high test scores. I think teachers would welcome the
opportunity to be in a system that was transparent about expectations and fair in
their performance reviews. I believe teachers would like to know that professional
development can be broader than the confines of one roof; that schools can invest
significantly in teacher growth. I sense teachers appreciate being shown the way
by mentors and teacher-leaders, with the opportunity to co-plan and co-teach
in classrooms with students. I also think teachers like to know that fun can be
deliberately planned, at the same time as being held accountable with other partners
to a positive code of commitment.
I hope principals, new and seasoned, will think about how this story compares
with their own experiences, and how adapting to change, or challenging the
status quo or even choosing inaction, can lead to different kinds of consequences.
I think school leaders would like to know more about stories where courage
can lead the way, and how shared responsibility can help achieve the plentiful
tasks that populate a principal’s job description. I hope this narrative reveals
some thought-provoking options for re-structuring to support the making of a
school ‘crawling with teacher-leaders.’ After all, increasing the critical mass

xix
INTRODUCTION

of exceptional teachers in all schools is a worthy goal, one that requires much
thought and hard work.
I wish that Board members representing schools and school districts will be
motivated to become life-long learners, demonstrating a solid capacity to distinguish
between rigorous peer-reviewed practices, that align with a school’s mission, and
the self-published recipe books that narrowly focus on test scores as evidence of
greatness. I hope Trustees will come to understand that change takes time and that
in order to expect commitment, they, as well, must demonstrate it, too. In essence,
I believe a school needs at least three years in order to document sustainable and
significant improvement. I hope Boards will see the strength in diversity and ensure
that they are representative of the people they serve.
Finally, I hope that the public will take notice of how they can be advocates for a
free and quality education, noting that we entrust all schools with funding that should
be transparent and responsibly managed to support and enhance student growth.
No question, the charter school is a complex organism. In my quest to dream
a school – with devoted WEDJ cast members, I learned much about the forces
that serve more progressive schooling. I also discovered that it is possible for
poor practices to seep in; I suspect many charter schools, that have been open to
innovation, have also had to deal with the collateral fall out of accountability that
uses test scores as limited metrics of success.
I am proud of what the students and staff at WEDJ were able to accomplish in a
short time with the aid of many helpers along the way. We took a risk and moved
out of the shadows and embraced enlightened ideas in a charter world that could and
should recognize how innovation can inspire and shift the course of learning in any
school.

xx
 CHAPTER 1

BEGINNING SKETCHES

Doing something the same way and expecting different results is a common phrase
used often in the dialogue about 21st century schools. Yet, many actions, deemed
as distinct for moving forward, tend to be limited by the policies and habits of the
existing school system.
Without a way of viewing the ‘fringes’ or ‘outliers’, schooling can simply be
a reinvention of what is possible within the confines of the current budget and
entrenched framework. New people with new experience can bring a new perspective
with new possibilities, but their capacity to implement new ideas will depend on
whether such individuals can influence the masses and shift the boundaries of
budgets and assumptions about what great schooling can be. When a school or
business hires a leader from within, everyone has a good idea of what that individual
brings to the mix, and if they have a track record of being courageous and improving
the landscape, they can indeed be a solid choice for success. In the case at WEDJ,
I was new and no one could predict whether my leadership DNA, shaped from a
variety of educational experiences, would make a positive difference.
No question, my background was diverse compared to most members of my new
community. While I grew up as a Canadian, I did manage to understand American
culture as I lived close to the US border in Sarnia, Ontario, a bridge away from Port
Huron, Michigan. I was afforded the opportunity to discover ABC, CBS and NBC,
long before many Canadians, who grew up viewing one television network, the CBC
(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). I remember vividly JFK’s shooting on four
channels and I witnessed the horrific flames and riots in Detroit in the late sixties. I
spent nearly 19 years in Sarnia, so I was quite familiar with the news coming from
the United States. By unwrapping the origins of my early leadership roles, I have
come to understand what trigger experiences helped develop my teaching attitudes
and behaviours. I remember volunteering as an instructor at the YMYWCA as a
gymnastics and swim instructor. I knew early on, by Grade 8, that education would
be my profession. I was inspired and felt a tremendous sense of accomplishment
when the kids in my classes learned something new! Such initial episodes led to
leadership roles in our city Parks and Recreation programming and camp counseling
at Camp Kenny and Camp Tanamakoon. I remember working on a team at Sarnia’s
Adventure Playground that was much like the ‘Maker Spaces’, poised as innovative
education spaces today. While we had our share of foot injuries from rusty nails and
other preventable workplace-type accidents, young people loved building forts and

1
CHAPTER 1

artifacts with hammers, saws and whatever materials we could gather from the local
scrap yards.
I was also fortunate to go to one of the first semester high schools in Canada.
I was thrilled to only focus on three 90-minute classes at a time. Not stretched by
the gauntlet of studying for 6 to 8 classes at one time, I could be enriched by the
band, take part in science fairs and read International Gymnast, at will. I loved sports
and athletics and represented my school at the Ontario Athletic Leadership Camp
in the summer of Grade 11. My math teacher, Mr. Strang, and my music teacher,
Mr. Timmermans, were incredible educators. Our band travelled often; we played
at an international band festival in Belgium and many of us played locally in the
school citizen band with community members. I was also thrilled to be selected as
one of the first female trumpet players in our school’s stage band! My education
included Grade 13, so I did not have to take many courses; rather I could concentrate
on learning a few at a time. While I took traditional college bound subjects, I regret,
however, not having the opportunity to learn more practical trades, such as how
to build or fix a car, how to put up dry wall or survey a plot of land. Like many
high ‘schoolers’, my perception of worth was caught up in report card scores, as
such achievement held the key to further education and choice in the job market. At
the University of Toronto, I enjoyed the smaller anatomy classes where we learned
about muscles and bone insertions through ‘hands-on’ work with cadavers, but I
must admit, I rarely attended the classes with over 1000 students, choosing to buy
the textbook and teach myself enough to pass these courses. With such numbers,
it was difficult for many university undergraduate professors to mentor, connect
or therefore, inspire students. My practical leadership experience was nurtured
by opportunities generated through the Department of Athletics. Sharon Bradley
coordinated the extensive intramural program, and it here where I found a space to
create schedules and promote activity for thousands of participants in recreational
and more competitive settings. Sharon played a significant role in my leadership
development and I will always remain grateful for the opportunities she made
available to me, and many others she mentored at U. of T. While I believe the range
of opportunities helped expand my creativity, it was the early leadership experiences
of moving people to action that probably built up my confidence and channeled me
into the world of teaching.
After completing my Bachelor’s of Education degree, I recall how difficult it
was to find a job. I sent my resume in to every school board in Ontario and I was
interviewed in London and Kitchener, Ontario. I kept every rejection letter, enough
to wallpaper a room. I was able to land two interviews. I remember meeting Wayne
Somerville from the Waterloo County Board of Education; he asked me the question:
“Where do you see yourself in five years?” I told Wayne and his team of consultants,
that I wanted to be sitting in their chairs, as a consultant. I was relieved when they
all chuckled, and when offered the position, they noted they were impressed with
my enthusiastic ambition. When many of my classmates had to settle at first for
substitute teaching positions, I was fortunate to be able to enter the workforce as a

2
 BEGINNING SKETCHES

middle school teacher of English, Mathematics, Science, and Physical and Health
Education. I recall the support from the Waterloo Board central office was incredible.
We met once a month for professional development sessions on Monday evenings;
we were given ample opportunities to write curriculum; we had committed mentors,
who inspired and supported us on an ongoing basis. I was part of a vibrant and
passionate education community.
Looking back on these times I believe my students turned out to be incredible
teachers. By paying attention to how they responded to my teaching, I was able
to tweak lessons and develop materials to suite their individual needs. I learned
to adjust and put in late hours when planning for teaching 30 to 35 students at
one time. After four years, I began my Masters of Education at the Institute of
Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto. Part way through the
program, my husband was transferred to Saskatoon, so I completed my degree
at the University of Saskatchewan (U. of S.). Here, additional research and a
thesis component was required, which shifted my interest toward further graduate
programming. My professors were extraordinary. Reg Fleming, Alan Ryan, Jack
Hope, Sam Robinson and Trevor Gambell, in particular, left a significant mark
on my thinking and desire to read and learn more about the complex context
of schools and education. U. of S. offered small classes with professors who
modeled great teaching. We didn’t just read articles and discuss them. In this
graduate program, teachers created engaging slide shows, used custom-made
teaching materials and games, and often set up simulations or enactments to
demonstrate sound instructional practices. It mattered to the professors that
the graduate students would be able to grow beyond their work. I also taught
undergraduate education courses for U. of S. Probably one of my most enriching
experiences was teaching in the indigenous education programs. My students
organized an impressive Health Fair; they contacted local community agencies
to set up booths and demonstrations filling the main college gymnasium. This
integrated experience provided an opportunity for future indigenous educators to
write letters, as well as meet, greet and introduce the visitors, who came loaded
with materials to share with students and staff at the university campus.
Just as I finished my dissertation at U. of S., my husband was relocated to
Montreal, Quebec, where I taught more courses at McGill University in teacher
education, namely, curriculum theory and teaching and instructional design courses,
in addition to gymnastics for students focusing on teaching physical education.
At this time, I also went to night school and took a course in French as a Second
Language. Just as I was about to enroll in McGill’s PhD program, my husband was
transferred back to Toronto. At this point, I was missing the classroom, so I accepted
a position in Mississauga, Ontario with the Peel Board of Education, teaching Grade
1, in addition to music, special education, and physical education for grades 4, 5, and
6. I remember developing a student leadership program where students organized
games rooms, intramurals and special events. My husband, Simon, and I were also
eager to start a family and during my second year we had our first child, Sarah.

3
CHAPTER 1

At this time, I was eager to return to the academic community and so applied
and was accepted into OISE’s PhD program where I spent four years taking
courses, completed comprehensive exams, submitted a proposal and completed
my dissertation on an inquiry into the linguistics of peer teaching interactions.
My research involved working in a K-8 school, with 15 students in grade 4 who
opted into a program of peer teaching. In addition to being exposed to a teacher
education program, students in grade 4, worked in pairs to plan sixty-minute classes
for students in K to grade 3. Students took part in weekly professional development
about multiple intelligences and lesson design. As well, the peer teachers examined
videotapes of their classes and recorded weekly journal entries about what they
would do differently in subsequent lessons. The students exceeded my expectations
and the findings contributed to the body of research supporting the benefits of peer
teaching. Students not only learned the various subject matter in a deeper way, they
also learned the language of teaching, that when applied in this authentic context,
made the learning more powerful and memorable for all the participants.
I also taught a variety of health and physical education courses at the Faculty of
Education when Michael Fullan was our Dean. In the midst of studying and teaching
at OISE-U of T, I had my second child, Martin. My graduate classes at OISE led
me to delve deeper into Vygotsky’s works and the notion of constructivism, holistic
learning and measurement and assessment in education. My advisor, Gordon Wells,
taught us much about action and participatory research, something I would continue
to use throughout my career. Jack Miller validated the significance of social and
emotional intelligence and David Booth remains a constant source of inspiration.
His warm sense of humor helped me and many others embrace a love for the arts,
and teaching literacy in purposeful and meaningful ways. I was able to complete
my Ontario Principal Part I and II courses for my administrator credentials at the
same time as completing my PhD in 1996, just in time to receive notice of our next
expatriate assignment in Paris, France.
Unable to work in Paris, I took French classes and volunteered as a parent at
Marymount School, where I became the Treasurer of the Parent-Teacher Association
and coached my kids’ basketball and soccer teams. In our third year, I was asked to
work on writing a book on the school’s 75th anniversary history. This was a fascinating
project examining a host of documents and coordinating surveys of former students
and staff who shared their perceptions of a school that survived and thrived before
and following the Second World War. The nuns had protected many Parisian Jews
by hiding them from the Nazis in the basement of their Neuilly school. A scan of
the yearbooks revealed a range of educational trends, most notably the progressive
practices of the seventies. Their musicals were a highlight, providing an ideal space
for students to showcase their applied arts and English skills. At Marymount, I was
able to meet and work with many supportive parents, people I remain close friends
with today. Just as I was ready to return to the workforce, my husband was reassigned
to Belgium where I taught English and became the Curriculum Coordinator for the
Middle School at the International School of Brussels (ISB). I worked with more

4
 BEGINNING SKETCHES

incredible educators who were adept at, and applied with ease, research-based best
practices. I recall Michael Crowley’s Journalism class, where students rigorously
attended to writing passionate work through research and relentless peer review.
His room was abuzz, emulating the context of a modern-day newsroom. He did not
need to be present; the students knew exactly what to do and how to do it. It felt like
I was observing a teaching and learning masterpiece. My mentor, Angela Purcell,
was a brilliant and passionate educator who demonstrated a wonderful openness to
new ideas and acted as a devoted support for her fellow teachers. Rather than send
teachers to Harvard’s Project Zero (PZ), we brought a PZ team to ISB. I had been
working with students on establishing a peer teaching elective course, so I presented
with my middle school students this proposal at the PZ conference, that ISB hosted
for a dozen or more European international schools.
We landed back in Toronto after Simon was transferred back home to Canada
in 2001. I interviewed for a Curriculum Coordinator position at Havergal College
in Toronto which included teaching a grade 4 math and language arts class.
I enjoyed teaching at this girls’ school, but the opportunity to establish customized
and innovative curriculum was limited, so after a year I applied to the Sterling
Hall School for boys where I worked for over five years with Ian Robinson and
a team of passionate educators eager to make a difference in the lives of young
boys. I remember how much I enjoyed learning from and with Luke Coles, Dorota
Trnik, and James Hay, some of the most creative, fun and positive people I’ve met
in education, teachers who truly resonated with our students. I also appreciated
the insight and ‘can do’ spirit of the finance director, Dave Stevenson. I was very
fortunate to work for a principal who was open to developing an elective program,
the SHARK inquiry program (Sterling Has Action Research Kids), the Stewardship
(character education) Program and The Sterling Institute, that brought together
teachers from many schools to discuss issues of social and emotional development.
At this time, I was also excited about establishing an action research network with
Mary Gauthier at Upper Canada College for local schools in Toronto. We worked on
hosting conferences where teachers displayed and defended their research. As well,
we co-edited a book filled with teachers’ research projects called: ‘Ask Me About
My Action Research.’ I was truly fortunate to work at Sterling and be supported to
participate and present at international conferences in Washington, San Francisco,
Boston, and Johannesburg, South Africa. During my time at Sterling, I was asked
to take part in several Canadian Education Standards Institute (CESI) accreditation
teams. where I had an opportunity to work with several inspiring educators. We would
read a self-study of a school in advance of our visitations and then write an external
review based on our observations of what we viewed and what recommendations
we had for further improvement. I later worked with Jackie Copp, an experienced
educator and consultant from Manitoba, on a project that involved reviewing over
30 self and external school reports, to publish examples of innovative and engaging
teaching in independent schools in Canada in the resource: Mining for Gems: A
Casebook of Exceptional Practices in Teaching and Learning.

5
CHAPTER 1

At the time this book went to print, I was approached to help establish a new
charter school in Detroit, Michigan. I was eager to learn about charters and even
more delighted to work with Diane Manica, from the University of Detroit Mercy,
Michael Carter from Nashville, Michelle Ruscitti-Miller from Chicago and Jalen
Rose. Rose grew up near the school, graduated from the University of Michigan,
played professional basketball and was working as an ESPN sportscaster at the time.
His passion for making a difference in Detroit and learning about education was
genuine. This enthusiastic and passionate planning team approached this work with
a ‘go big or go home’ attitude. It took nearly two years to complete the curriculum,
hire the teachers and provide professional development for staff at the Jalen Rose
Leadership Academy (JRLA), but these efforts were worth it. I devoted almost
every waking moment to building this dream high school. From the beginning, I had
reservations about starting a school in grade 9, recognizing the more ideal scenario
of growing a school K-12. An aligned curriculum from kindergarten to twelfth grade
would have increased the chances of student academic success many-fold. Funding,
however, was earmarked only for high school, so Jalen’s dream, etched on the back
of a napkin, for having a K-12 campus, was adapted to take the form of a four-year
college preparation high school.
At JRLA, we developed a signature leadership course that would be taught by a
staff advisor, who was supposed to follow the students each year and keep in contact
with them when they went on to college. This idea was built on an experience shared
by co-founder, Michael Carter, who after the riots in 1967, was selected to be part of
the inaugural group of inner-city high school graduates admitted to the University of
Detroit, as part of Project 100. I recall Michael speaking often about Dr. Davis-Penn,
his counselor, who called him every night during his first college semester to talk
about his classes, homework and college professors. The idea of a ‘guardian angel’
to help students keep their ‘eyes on the prize’ was a part of Mike’s education; he
was eager to see this experience replicated in some way at JRLA. I thought it was an
excellent idea and I was very pleased to see that Mike, and his wife Pam, have since
established a scholarship in Davis-Penn’s honor, to serve as a model for others to
‘pay it forward.’ Fittingly, the University of Detroit Mercy awarded Mike the Spirit
of UDM Honor.
In 1968, University of Detroit created Project 100, a program designed to admit
and support inner-city public and parochial high school graduates with high
academic potential to the University. Michael A. Carter was in the inaugural
class of that groundbreaking program…He is a member of The 100 Black Men
of Middle Tennessee and many other civic organizations…Carter attributes his
success at UDM, and in his life’s work, to his Project 100 counselor, Dr. Delores
A. Davis-Penn. Dr. Davis-Penn provided unwavering support and guidance,
particularly during Carter’s freshman year. Mindful of the support needed and
dedicated to helping students succeed, Carter and his wife Pamela L. Carter ’71
established a scholarship fund in honor of Dr. Delores A. Davis-Penn, which

6
 BEGINNING SKETCHES

provides generous financial assistance to qualified graduates of the Jalen Rose

Leadership Academy. (https://www.udmercy.edu/stay-connected/news-events/
newsletters/clae/2015/01/alumni-achievement/index.htm)
The Carters’ generosity was truly significant at JRLA. In addition to being there in
person to mentor and support the students and the school on the planning team, Pam
and Mike went above and beyond the call of duty to support the school financially.
It didn’t just take a community to build a school, it took a self-less community, and
it was a privilege to be among them. I am so proud to say that four years after the
inaugural class, my husband and I attended the first graduation in the spring of 2015.
JRLA exceeded their graduation goals by having close to 100% of their students
accepted at college.
My husband’s final expatriate assignment took us to the DC area. When I arrived
on August 22, 2011, it was just in time to experience an earthquake that registered
5.8 on the Richter scale. While I was somewhat shaken up, this did not stop my fierce
commitment to finding a job in the teaching field. Triggered by the opportunity to help
build and play a key role in opening the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (JRLA),
I was fascinated by the potential for charter schools to be a space for implementing
best practices in teaching and learning. I established a Linked’ in presence and began
browsing the local sites to see what kinds of principal roles were turning up. Given
school had already started, the options for school leadership positions, did not open
up until the next school year. I spent most of my time reading about US charter
schools while searching for a space eager to become an ideal school.
The experiences I’ve had along the way with brave, thoughtful and inspiring
people, have all contributed to the educator I am today. As much as my experience
was shaped with my staff at WEDJ, I was aware they had important stories and
experiences to bring to the table, as well. How well we could merge our passions
and ideas was all about bringing the ‘outlier’ ideas into the fold, mine and the
existing members of my new school community. My story of dreaming a school
at WEDJ was rooted in cultivating a learning environment where all students and
staff members could learn and become anything. While it is rare for things to turn
out as planned, this leadership experience at WEDJ proved to be one of the most
compelling, invigorating and challenging chapters in my educator life. This story of
rebuilding a foundation in a school is about perseverance, celebration and resolve.
I have come to understand that three key ingredients are necessary for building a
dream school: talented teachers, engaged students and an expert-driven education
system. It is hopeful that by sharing my principal story, future school leaders can
be aware of constructive actions that can contribute to sustaining engaging learning
conditions, at the same time as making provisions for adapting to limitations that can
short change the goal of cultivating an ideal school culture.

7
 CHAPTER 2

TRUST

In the spring of 2012, Katie Herman from the TenSquare consulting group contacted
me, via a series of telephone interviews, about my candidacy for the principal
position at the William E. Doar, Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts
(WEDJ). I was impressed with the questions posed, specifically by Alexandra Pardo,
Executive Director of a local charter high school in the community. Her questions
seemed to reveal a solid understanding of what it takes to lead a quality school.
Realizing I needed to learn much more about the DC charter system, I recall asking
her: “If I am offered this position, would you be my mentor?” At the time, I did not
realize that Ms. Pardo was also the recipient of the Charter Board Association’s
Administrator of the Year award, and was highly regarded in the DC charter system.
In May 2012, after a few months of phone interviews, I participated in a face-to-face
interview at WEDJ with John Goldman, the Acting Executive Director.
Locating the school for my interview in Northeast DC, proved to be an interesting
challenge for my cabbie. I recall turning around a few times on Edgewood before
finally discovering the opening to the school at the end of an unmarked street.
I entered the building through the ground floor door, not realizing that the driveway
to the right lead to the front entrance off the top floor tarmac. There was a delivery
happening. So the door was open. It was easy to ask a student: “How do I find the
front office?” I was pointed to the stairs where I made my way up to the upper floor.
I can’t help but remember the happy faces of the primary students, especially the
little ones, moving in their lines through the windy halls. If Pharrell Williams’ song
had been written in the summer of 2012, I could honestly say that I felt like clapping
along as if I was in a room “without a roof.” Such lyrics might best describe my first
impressions of WEDJ. It was easy to feel a positive energy right away.
I arrived early, but this gave me time to observe the natural ‘comings and goings’
in the school. When I reached the office, Tiffany Evans greeted me with a giant smile
and warmth beyond words. I waited while she informed the Executive Director, John
Goldman, that I had arrived. A tall bearded man with a suit jacket and jeans appeared
and we entered a conference room in a back school office for the interview.
I was initially impressed with Goldman’s desire to turn WEDJ around. The
interview moved from questions to a conversation style that made it easy to share
my concerns that doing things the same old way would rarely yield different results.
He did not mince words when he described his school. He admitted knowing little
about academics, but wanted to bring someone in who could improve the school
academically. Goldman spoke mainly about the school’s operations. In his words, he

9
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
Paul, probably caused it to be put last of all his writings, when in the
course of time, it was at length allowed a place in the canon.

first epistle to the thessalonians.

That epistle which the great majority of all modern critics consider
as the earliest of all those writings of Paul that are now preserved, is
the first to the Thessalonians. It is directed to them from Paul,
Silvanus, (or Silas,) and Timothy, which shows that it was written
after Paul had been joined by these two brethren, which was not until
some time after his arrival in Corinth. It appears by the second and
third chapters, that the apostle, having been hindered by some evil
agency of the wicked, from visiting Thessalonica, as he had
earnestly desired to do, had been obliged to content himself with
sending Timothy to the brethren there, to comfort them in their faith,
and to inquire whether they yet stood fast in their first honorable
profession; for he declares himself to have been anxious to know
whether by some means the tempter might not have tempted them,
and his labor have thus been in vain. But he now informs them how
he has lately been greatly comforted by the good news brought from
them by Timothy, who had assured the apostle of their faith and love,
and that they had great remembrance of him always, desiring much
to see him, as he them. Making known to them the great joy which
these tidings had caused in him, he now affectionately re-assures
them of his high and constant regard for them, and of his continued
remembrance of them in his prayers. He then proceeds briefly to
exhort them to a perseverance in the Christian course, in which they
had made so fair an outset, urging upon them more especially, those
virtues which were peculiarly rare among those with whom they were
daily brought in contact,――purity of life, rigid honesty in business
transactions, a charitable regard for the feelings of others, a quiet,
peaceable, inoffensive deportment, and other minuter counsels,
according to the peculiar circumstances of different persons among
them. The greater portion of this brief letter, indeed, is taken up with
these plain, practical matters, with no reference to any deep doctrinal
subjects, the whole being thus evidently well-suited to the condition
of believers who had but just begun the Christian course, and had
been in no way prepared to appreciate any learned discussion of
those obscure points which in later periods were the subject of so
much controversy among some of Paul’s converts. Their dangers
hitherto had also been mainly in the moral rather than in the doctrinal
way, and the only error of mere belief, to which he makes reference,
is one which has always been the occasion of a great deal of
harmless folly among the ignorant and the weak minded in the
Christian churches, from the apostolic age to this day. The evil
however, was considered by the apostle of so much importance, that
he thought it worth while to briefly expose its folly to the
Thessalonians, and he accordingly discourses to them of the day of
judgment, assuring them that those who might happen to be alive at
the moment of Christ’s coming, would derive no peculiar advantage
from that circumstance, because those who had died in Christ
should rise first, and the survivors be then caught up to meet the
Lord in the air. But as for “the times and the seasons,”――those
endless themes for the discursive nonsense of the visionary, even to
the present day and hour,――he assures them that there was no
need at all that he should write to them, because they already well
knew that the day of the Lord should come as a thief in the night,
according to the words of Jesus himself. The only practical benefit
which they could expect to derive then, from this part of their faith,
was the conviction of the necessity of constantly bearing in mind the
shortness and uncertainty of their earthly stay, and the importance of
watchfulness and sobriety. After several sententious moral
exhortations, he concludes with affectionate salutations, and with an
earnest, solemn charge, that the letter should be read to all the
brethren of the church.

It will be observed, that at the conclusion of the epistle is a

statement that it was written from Athens,――an assertion perfectly
absurd, and rendered evidently so by the statements contained in
the epistle itself, as above shown. All the similar statements
appended to his other epistles are equally unauthorized, and most of
them equally false;――being written by some exceedingly foolish
copyists, who were too stupid to understand the words which they
transcribed. Yet these idle falsehoods are gravely given in all copies
of the English translation, and are thus continually sent abroad to
mislead common readers, many of whom, seeing them thus
attached to the apostolic writings, suppose them to be also of
inspired authority, and are deceived accordingly. And they probably
will continue to be thus copied, in spite of their palpable and
mischievous falsehood, until such a revolution in the moral sense of
common people takes place, that they shall esteem a new negative
truth more valuable and interesting, than an old, groundless blunder.

For some time after the writing of the first epistle to the
Thessalonians, with these triumphs and other encouragements, Paul
and his faithful helpers appear to have gone on steadily in their
apostolic labors, with no special obstacle or difficulty, that is
commemorated in the sacred record. But at last their old difficulties
began to manifest themselves in the gradually awakened enmity of
the Jews, who, though at his first distinct public ministrations they
had expressed a decided and scornful opposition to the doctrine of a
crucified Savior, yet suffered the new teachers to go on, without
opposing them any farther than by scornful verbal hostility,
blasphemy and abuse. But when they saw the despised heresy
making such rapid advances, notwithstanding the contempt with
which it was visited, they immediately determined to let it no longer
take advantage of their inefficiency in resisting its progress. Of
course, deprived themselves, of all political power, they had not the
means of meeting the evil by physical violence, and they well knew
that any attempt on their part to raise an illegal commotion against
the strangers, would only bring down on the exciters of the
disturbance, the whole vengeance of their Roman rulers, who were
unsparing in their vengeance on those that undertook to defy the
forms of their laws, for the sake of persecution, or any private ends;
and least of all would a class of people so peculiar and so disliked as
the Jews, be allowed to take any such treasonable steps, without
insuring them a most dreadful punishment. These circumstances
therefore compelled them to proceed, as usual, under the forms of
law; and their first step against Paul therefore, was to apprehend
him, and take him, as a violator of religious order, before the highest
Roman tribunal,――that of the proconsul.

The proconsul of Achaia, holding his supreme seat of justice in

Corinth, the capital of that Roman province, was Lucius Junius
Gallio, a man well known to the readers of one of the classic Latin
writers of that age,――Seneca,――as one of the most remarkable
exemplifications of those noble virtues which were the great theme
of this philosopher’s pen. Out of many beautiful illustrations which
may be drawn from Roman and Jewish writers, to explain and
amplify the honest and faithful apostolic history of Luke, there is
none more striking and gratifying than the aid here drawn from this
fine philosophical classic, on the character of the noble proconsul,
who by his upright, wise, and clement decision, against the mean
persecutors of Paul,――and by his indignant refusal to pervert and
degrade his vice-regal power to the base ends of private abuse, has
acquired the grateful regard and admiring respect of all Christian
readers of apostolic history. The name of Lucius Junius Gallio, by
which he is known to Roman writers as well as in apostolic history,
was not his original family designation, and therefore gives the
reader no idea of his interesting relationship to one of the finest
moralists of the whole period of the Roman empire. His original
family name was Marcus Annaeus Novatus Seneca,――which
appellation he exchanged for his later one, on being adopted by
Lucius Junius Gallio, a noble Roman, who being destitute of
children, adopted, according to a very common custom of the
imperial city, one of a family that had already given promise of a fine
reward to those who should take its offspring as theirs. The famous
philosopher before mentioned,――Lucius Annaeus Seneca,――was
his own brother; both of them being the sons of Marcus Annaeus
Seneca, a distinguished orator and rhetorician of the Augustan age.
A strong and truly fraternal affection always continued to hold the
two brothers together, even after they had been separated in name
by the adoption of the older into the family of Gallio; and the
philosopher often commemorates his noble brother, in terms of high
respect; and dedicated to him one of the most perfect of those moral
treatises which have immortalized the name of Seneca.

The philosopher Seneca, after having been for many years

banished from Rome by Claudius, was at length recalled by that
emperor in the ninth year of his reign, corresponding to A. D. 49. He
was immediately made a senator, and was still further honored by
being intrusted with the education of Domitius, the son of Agrippina,
afterwards adopted by Claudius as heir to the throne, to which he
succeeded on the emperor’s death, under the name of Nero, by
which he has now become so infamous wherever the Roman name
is known. Being thus elevated to authority and great influence with
the emperor, Seneca made use of his power, to procure for his
brother Gallio such official honors as his talents and character justly
claimed. In the eleventh year of Claudius he was made consul, as is
recorded in the Fasti Consulares; and was soon after sent into
Greece, as proconsul of Achaia. Arriving at Corinth in the year 53, he
was immediately addressed by the Jewish citizens of that place in
behalf of their plot against Paul; for they naturally supposed that this
would be the best time for the attempt to bend the new governor to
their purposes, when he was just commencing his administration,
and would be anxious to please the subjects of his power by his
opening acts. But Gallio had no disposition to acquire popularity with
any class of citizens, by any such abuse of power, and by his
conduct on this occasion very fairly justifies the high character given
him by his brother Seneca. When the Jews came dragging Paul
before the proconsular tribunal, with the accusation――“This fellow
persuades men to worship God in a manner contrary to the
ritual,”――before Paul could open his mouth in reply, Gallio
carelessly answered――“If it were a matter of crime or
misdemeanor, ye Jews! it would be reasonable that I should bear
with you; but if it be a question of words and names, and of your
ritual, look ye to it; for I do not wish to be a judge of those things.”
With this contemptuous reply, he cleared the court of them. The
Jews thus found their fine scheme of abusing Paul under the
sanction of the Roman tribunal, perfectly frustrated; nor was their
calamity confined to this disappointment; for all the Greeks who were
present at the trial,――indignant at the scandalous character of the
proceeding,――took Sosthenes, the ruling elder of the synagogue,
who had probably been most active in the persecution of Paul, as he
was the regular legal chief of the Jews, and gave him a sound
threshing in the court, before he could obey the orders of the
Proconsul, and move off from the tribunal. Gallio was so far from
being displeased at this very irregular and improper outbreak of
public feeling, that he took no notice of the action whatever, though it
was a shameful violation of the dignity of his tribunal; and it may
therefore be reasonably concluded that he was very much provoked
against the Jews, and was disposed to sympathize with Paul;
otherwise he would have been apt to have punished the outrage of
the Greeks upon Sosthenes.

“The name of this proconsul was Marcus Annaeus Novatus, but being adopted by
Lucius Junius Gallio, he took the name of his adopted father; he was brother to the famous
Seneca, tutor to Nero. That philosopher dedicated to Gallio his book, ‘De Vita Beata.’ The
Roman historians concur in giving him the character of a sweet disposition, an enemy to all
vice, and particularly a hater of flattery. He was twice made proconsul of Achaia, first by
Claudius, and afterwards by Nero. As he was the sharer of his brother’s prosperity, so he
was of his misfortunes, when he fell under Nero’s displeasure, and was at length put to
death by the tyrant, as well as his brother.” (Calmet’s Commentary. Poole’s Annotations.
Williams on Pearson.)

“In Acts xviii. 12‒16, we find Paul is brought before Gallio by the Jews, but this
proconsul refused to judge any such matters, as not coming within his jurisdiction. The
character for justice, impartiality, prudence, and mildness of disposition, which this passage
gives to Gallio, is confirmed by Seneca, his brother, in these words:――Solebam tibi dicere,
Gallionem fratrem meum (quem nemo non parum amat, etiam qui amare plus non potest,)
alia vitia non nosse, hoc etiam, (i. e. adulationem,) odisse.――Nemo enim mortalium uni
tam dulcis est, quam hic omnibus. Hoc quoque loco blanditiis tuis restitit, ut exclamares
invenisse te inexpugnabilem virum adversus insidias, quas nemo non in sinum recipit.
(Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Natural Questions, lib. iv. in preface, op. tom. iv. p. 267, edited by
Bipont.) In our translation Gallio is styled the deputy, but the real Greek word is
Ανθυπατευοντος, proconsul. The accuracy of Luke in this instance is very remarkable. In the
partition of the provinces of the Roman empire, Macedonia and Achaia were assigned to
the people and Senate of Rome. In the reign of Tiberius they were, at their own request,
made over to the emperor. In the reign of Claudius, (A. U. C. 797. A. D. 44,) they were
again restored to the Senate, after which time proconsuls were sent into this country. Nero
afterwards made the Achaians a free people. The Senate therefore lost this province again.
However, that they might not be sufferers, the emperor gave them the island of Sardinia, in
the room of it. Vespasian made Achaia a province again. There is likewise a peculiar
propriety in the name of the province of which Gallio was proconsul. The country subject to
him was all Greece; but the proper name of the province among the Romans was Achaia,
as appears from various passages of the Roman historians, and especially from the
testimony of Pausanias. Καλουσι δε ουχ’ Ἑλλαδος, αλλα’ ♦ Αχαιας ἡγεμονα οἱ Ῥωμαιοι διοτι
εχειρωσαντο Ἑλληνας δε Αχαιων, τοτε του Ἑλληνικου προεστηκοτων. (Pausanias Description of
Greece. lib. vii. p. 563. Lardner’s Works, 4to. vol. I. p. 19.)

♦ “Ααχιων” replaced with “Αχαιων”

“The words Γαλλίωνος δε ἀνθυπατεύοντος ought to be rendered, with Heumann, Walch,

Antiquities, Corinth, p. 35., and Reichard, (as indeed is required by the context,) ‘when
Gallio had been made Proconsul,’ or ‘on Gallio’s entering on the Proconsulship.’ (Kuinoel.)
In the same sense it was also taken by Beza and Piscator; and this appears to be the true
one. The Jews, it seems, waited for the arrival of a new Proconsul to make their request, as
thinking that they should then be less likely to meet with a refusal.” (Bloomfield’s
Annotations, Vol. IV. p. 600.)

“‘Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogues.’ verse 17. In the
8th verse we read that Crispus was the chief ruler of the synagogue in Corinth. And from
this we may suppose that there were more than one synagogue in that city, or that there
might be more than one ruler in the same synagogue; or that Crispus, after his conversion
to Christianity, might have been succeeded by Sosthenes; but then we are at a loss to know
who the people are that thus beat and misused him; the Greek printed copies tell us that
they were the Gentiles; and those that read the text imagine, that when they perceived the
neglect and disregard wherewith the proconsul received the Jews, they, to insult them more,
fell upon the ruler of their synagogue, whether out of hatred to them, or friendship to St.
Paul, it makes no matter. But others think, that Sosthenes, however head of the synagogue,
was nevertheless the friend of St. Paul, and that the other Jews, seeing themselves slighted
by Gallio, might vent their malice upon him; for they suppose that this was the same
Sosthenes, whose name St. Paul, in the beginning of his first Epistle to the Corinthians,
written about three years after this time, joins with his own. This opinion, however, was not
universally received, since, in the time of Eusebius, it was thought the Sosthenes mentioned
in the epistle was one of the seventy disciples, and, consequently, could not be the chief of
the synagogue at Corinth, twenty years after the death of Jesus Christ.” (Beausobre’s
Annotations. Calmet’s Commentary and Dictionary.)

“‘xviii. 17. ἐπιλαβόμενοι δὲ πάντες οἱ Ἕλληνες There is here some variation of reading, and
no little question raised as to the true one; which consequently leaves the interpretation
unsettled. Two ancient MSS. and versions omit οἱ Ἕλληνες, and others read οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι. As
to the latter reading, it cannot be tolerated; for why should the Jews have beaten him?
Neither is it likely that they would have taken such a liberty before so solemn a tribunal. The
words οἱ Ἕλληνες are thought by many critics, as Grotius, Mill, Pierce, Bengel, and Kuinoel,
to be derived from the margin, like the last. Now those were Gentiles (say they) who beat
Sosthenes; and hence some one wrote οἱ Ἕλληνες. As to the reason for the beating, it was
to make the Jews go away the faster; and to this they were actuated partly by their hatred
towards the Jews, and partly by a desire to please the Procurator.’ But this appears to be
pressing too much on the word ἀπήλασεν, which has by no means any such meaning.
Besides, it is strange that the words Ἕλληνες should have crept into nearly all the MSS;
even into so many early ones. And, supposing Ἕλληνες to be removed, what sense is to be
given to παντες? None (I think) satisfactory, or agreeable to the style of the New Testament.
It must therefore be retained: and then the sense of πάντες will be as follows: ‘all the Greeks,
both Gentiles and Christians:’ which is so evident, that I am surprised the commentators
should not have seen it. Some explain it of the Gentiles, and others of the Gentile
Christians. Both indeed had reason to take umbrage at the intolerance and bitter animosity
of the Jews. It is not likely that any should have joined in the beating, merely to please the
Proconsul, who was not a man to be gratified by such a procedure. So that the gnomes
brought forward by Grotius on the base assentatio of courtiers, are not here applicable.

“By ἔτυπτον is merely to be understood beating, or thumping him with their fists, as he
passed along. Anything more than that, we cannot suppose they would have ventured
upon, or the Proconsul have tolerated.”

“By τούτων, (verse 17,) we may, I think, understand both the accusation brought forward,
and the cuffs which followed; to neither of which the Proconsul paid much attention; and this
from disgust at the litigious conduct of the Jews; as also from the custom, mentioned by
Pricaeus, of the Roman governors, to pass by any conduct which did not directly tend to
degrade the dignity of the Roman name, or weaken its influence, in order that the yoke
might be as easy as possible to the provincials.” (Bloomfield’s Annotations, Vol. IV. pp. 603‒
605.)

CORINTH――CENCHREA.
Romans xvi. 1. Acts xviii. 18.
 His character having been thus vindicated, and his safety thus
assured him by the supreme civil authority, Paul resided for a long
time in Corinth, steadily pursuing his apostolic work, without any
direct hindrance or molestation from the Jews. There is no reason to
suppose that he confined all his labor entirely to the city; on the
contrary, it is quite certain, that the numerous smaller gospel fields
throughout the adjacent country, must have attracted his attention,
and it appears, from the commencement of his second epistle to the
Corinthians, that many throughout all Achaia had received the
gospel, and had been numbered among the saints. Corinth,
however, remained the great center of his operations in Greece, and
from this place he soon after directed another epistle to one of his
apostolic charges in Macedonia,――the church of Thessalonica.
Since his former epistle had been received by them, there had arisen
a new occasion for his anxious attention to their spiritual condition,
and in his second letter he alludes distinctly to the fact that there had
been misrepresentations of his opinion, and seems to imply that a
letter had been forged in his name, and presented to them, as
containing a new and more complete account of the exact time of the
expected coming of Christ, to which he had only vaguely alluded in
the first. In the second chapter of his second epistle, he renews his
warning against these delusions about the coming of Christ, alluding
to the fact, that they had been deceived and disturbed by
misstatements on this subject, and had been led into error, both by
those who pretended to be inspired, and by those who attempted to
show by prediction, that the coming of Christ was at hand, and also
by the forged epistle pretending to contain Paul’s own more decisive
opinions on the subject. He exhorts them to “let no man deceive
them by any of these means.” He warns them moreover, against any
that exalt themselves against the doctrines which he had taught
them, and denounces all false and presumptuous teachers in very
bitter terms. After various warnings against these and all disorderly
persons among them, he refers to his own behavior while with them,
as an example for them to follow, and reminds them how blamelessly
and honestly he behaved himself. He did not presume on his
apostolic office, to be an idler, or to eat any man’s bread for naught,
but steadily worked with his own hands, lest he should be
chargeable to any one of them; and this he did, not because his
apostolic office did not empower him to live without manual labor,
and to depend on those to whom he preached for his means of
subsistence, but because he wished to make himself, and his fellow-
laborers, Silas and Timothy, examples for their behavior after he was
gone. Yet it seemed that, notwithstanding the pains he had taken to
inculcate an honest and industrious course, several persons among
them had assumed the office of teaching and reproving, and had
considered themselves thereby excused from doing anything for
their own support. In the conclusion, he refers them distinctly to his
own signature and salutation, which authenticate every epistle which
he writes, and without which, no letter was to be esteemed genuine.
This he specifies, no doubt, for the sake of putting them on their
guard against the repetition of any such deception as had been lately
practised on them in his name.

his voyage back to the east.

Soon after Paul had written his second epistle to the

Thessalonians, he left Corinth, in the spring of A. D. 56, as it is
commonly calculated, and after bidding the brethren farewell,
journeyed back to Asia, from whose shores he had now been absent
not less than three years. On his return journey, he was
accompanied by his two acquaintances and fellow-laborers, Aquilas
and Priscilla, who were now his most intimate friends, and
henceforth were always esteemed among the important aids of the
apostolic enterprise. Journeying eastward across the isthmus, they
came to Cenchreae, the eastern port of Corinth, and at the head of
the great Saronic gulf, about seven miles from the city itself. At this
place Paul discharged himself of the obligation of a vow, which he
had made some time before, in conformity with a common Jewish
custom of thus giving force to their own sense of gratitude for the
accomplishment of any desired object. He had vowed to let his hair
grow until some unknown end was attained, and now, having seen
the prayers which sanctioned that vow granted, he cut off his hair in
token of the joyful completion of the enterprise on which he had thus
solemnly and formally invoked the blessing of heaven. The actual
purpose of this vow is not recorded,――but when the occasion on
which he thus exonerated himself is considered, it seems most
reasonable to suppose that now, embarking from the shores of
Europe, after he had there passed so many years of very peculiar
labor and trials, he was thus celebrating the prosperous and happy
achievment of his first great western mission, and that this vow had
been made for his safe return, when he first sailed from the eastern
coast of the Aegean, at Alexandria Troas.

He sailed from Cenchreae to Ephesus, a great city of Ionic Asia,

which had never been the scene of his apostolic labors, though he
had traversed much of the country around it; for it will be
remembered, that on his last journey through Asia Minor, when he
had passed over Galatia and Phrygia, he was about to enter Asia
Proper, but was hindered by a special impulse of the Spirit, which
sent him in a different direction. But having thus achieved his great
western enterprise, there was now no longer any more important
commission to prevent him from gratifying his eyes with a sight of
this very interesting region, and making here an experimental effort
to diffuse the knowledge of the gospel through the numerous,
wealthy, refined and populous cities of this, the most flourishing and
civilized country in the world. He did not intend, however, to make
anything more than a mere call at Ephesus; for the great object of
his voyage from Europe was to return to Jerusalem and Syria, and
give to his brethren, a full statement of all the interesting particulars
of his long and remarkable mission in Macedonia and Greece. But
he took occasion to vary this eastern route, so as to effect as much
good as possible by the way; and therefore embarked first for
Ephesus, where he landed with Aquilas and Priscilla, whom he left
there, while he continued on his journey, southeastwards. He
stopped with them however, a few days, with a view to open this new
field of labor with them; and going into the synagogue, discoursed
with the Jews. He was so well received by his hearers, that he was
earnestly besought to prolong his stay among them; but he excused
himself for his refusal of their kind invitation, by stating the great
object which he had in view in leaving Europe at that particular
time:――“I must by all means keep this coming feast at Jerusalem;
but I will return to you,――God willing.” And bidding them farewell,
he sailed away from Ephesus to Caesarea, on the coast of
Palestine, where he landed. Thence he went up to Jerusalem, to
salute the church. In this part of the history of Paul, Luke seems to
be exceedingly brief; perhaps because he was not then with him,
and had never received from him any account of this journey. There
is therefore no way of ascertaining what was the particular motive or
design of this visit. It would appear, however, from the very hurried
manner in which the visit was noticed, that it was exceedingly brief,
and his departure thence may, as Calvin conjectures, have been
hastened by the circumstance, that possibly the business on which
he went thither did not succeed according to his wishes. At any rate,
there seems to have been something very mysterious about the
whole matter, else there would not have been this very studied
concealment of the motives and details of a journey, which he
announced to the brethren of the church at Ephesus, as absolutely
necessary for him to perform. This also may have been concealed
for the same reason, which has been conjectured to have caused
the visit to be so short, as would seem from the manner in which it is
noticed. From Jerusalem he went down to Antioch, by what route is
not specified,――but probably by way of Caesarea and the sea.

“xviii. 22. Caesarea. A town on the sea-coast. [See the note on p. 173.] Ἀναβὰς, ‘and
having gone up.’ Whither? Some commentators, as Camerarius, De Dieu, Wolf, Calov.,
Heumann, Doddridge, Thaleman, Beck, and Kuinoel, refer it to Caesarea. But this requires
the confirmation of examples. And we must take for granted that the city was built high
above the port, (which is not likely,) or that the church was so situated; which would be
extremely frigid. Neither is it certain that there was a church. Besides, how can the
expression καταβαίνω be proper, as used of traveling from a seaport-town, like Caesarea, to
Antioch? I therefore prefer the mode of interpretation adopted by some ancient and many
modern commentators, as Beza, Grotius, Mor., Rosenmueller, Reichard, Schott, Heinrichs,
and others, who supply εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα. This may indeed seem somewhat harsh; yet it must
be remembered that not a few things are so in the New Testament; and ἀναβαίνω is there
often used absolutely of going up to Jerusalem, and καταβαίνω of going from thence. Nor is
this unexampled in the classical writers. Xenophon uses the word in the very same sense,
of those going from Greece to the capital of Persia. See Anabasis 1, 1, 2. Hist. 2, 1. 9, 10.
Anabasis 1, 4, 12. Hist. 4, 1, 2. 1, 5, 1. 1, 4, 2. and many other passages referred to by
Sturz in his Lexicon Xenophon in voce. Besides, as the words εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα have just
preceded, it is not very harsh to repeat them. Kuinoel, indeed, and some others, treat those
words as not genuine; but their opinion rests on mere suspicion, unsupported by any proof.”
(Bloomfield Annotations. Vol. IV. p. 607.)

From the very brief and general manner in which the incidents of
this visit of Paul to the eastern continent are commemorated, the
apostolic historian is left to gather nothing but the most naked
circumstances, of the route pursued, and from the results, it is but
fair to conclude that nothing of consequence happened to the
apostle, as his duties consisted merely in a review and completion of
the work he had gone over before. Luke evidently did not
accompany Paul in this Asian journey, and he therefore only states
the general direction of the apostle’s course, without a single
particular. He says that Paul, after making ♦ some stay in
Antioch,――where, no doubt he greatly comforted the hearts of the
brethren, by the glad tidings of the triumphs of Christ in
Europe,――went in regular order over the regions of Galatia, and
Phrygia, everywhere confirming the disciples. Beyond this, no
incident whatever is preserved; yet here great amplification of the
sacred record might be made, from the amusing narrative of that
venerable monkish story-teller, who assumes the name of Abdias
Babylonius. But from the specimens of his narrative already given, in
the lives of Andrew and John, the reader will easily apprehend that
they contain nothing which deserves to be intruded into the midst of
the honest, authentic statements, of the original and genuine
apostolic history; and all these with many other similar inventions are
wholly dismissed from the life of Paul, of whose actions such ample
records have been left in the writings of himself and his companions,
that it is altogether more necessary for the biographer to condense
into a modernized form, with proper illustrations, the materials
presented on the authority of inspiration, than to prolong the
narrative with tedious inventions. In this part of the apostolic history,
all that Luke records is, that Paul, after the before-mentioned survey
of the inland countries of Asia Minor, came down to the western
shore, and visited Ephesus, according to the promise which ♠he had
made them at his farewell, a few months before. Since that hasty
visit made in passing, some events important to the gospel cause
had happened among them. An Alexandrine Jew named Apollos, a
man of great Biblical learning, (as many of the Jews of his native city
were,) and indued also with eloquence,――came to Ephesus, and
there soon distinguished himself as a religious teacher. Of the
doctrines of Jesus Christ and his apostles, indeed, he had never
heard; but he had somewhere been made acquainted with the
peculiar reforming principles of his great forerunner, John the
Baptist, and had been baptized, probably by some one of his
disciples. With great fervor and power, he discoursed learnedly of
the things of the Lord, in the synagogue at Ephesus, and of course,
was brought under the notice of Aquilas and Priscilla, whom Paul
had left to occupy that important field, while he was making his
southeastern tour. They took pains to draw Apollos into their
acquaintance, and found him, like every truly learned man, very
ready to learn, even from those who were his inferiors in most
departments of sacred knowledge. From them he heard with great
interest and satisfaction, the peculiar and striking truths revealed in
Jesus, and at once professing his faith in this new revelation, went
forth again among the Jews, replenished with a higher learning and
a diviner spirit. After teaching for some time in Ephesus, he was
disposed to try his new powers in some other field; and proposing to
journey into Achaia, his two Christian friends gave him letters of
introduction and recommendation to the brethren of the church in
Corinth. While he was there laboring with great efficiency in the
gospel cause, Paul returning from his great apostolic survey of the
inland and upper regions of Asia Minor, came to Ephesus. Entering
on this work of perfecting and uniting the results of the various
irregular efforts made by the different persons, who had before
labored there, he found, among those who professed to hold the
doctrines of a new revelation, about a dozen men, who knew very
little of the great doctrines which Paul had been in the habit of
preaching. One of his first questions to them, of course, was whether
they had yet received that usual convincing sign of the Christian
faith,――the Holy Spirit. To which they answered in some surprise,
that they had not yet heard that there was any Holy Spirit;――thus
evidently showing that they knew nothing about any such sign or its
effects. Paul, in his turn considerably surprised, at this remarkable
ignorance of a matter of such high importance, was naturally led to
ask what kind of initiation they had received into the new
dispensation; and learning from them, that they had only been
baptized according to the baptism of John,――instantly assured
them of the incompleteness of that revelation of the truth. “John truly
baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people that they
must believe on him that should come after him,――that is on Christ
Jesus.” Hearing this, they consented to receive from the apostle of
Jesus, the renewal of the sign of faith, which they had formerly
known as the token of that partial revelation made by John; and they
were therefore baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus,――a form of
words which of course had never been pronounced over them
before. Paul, then laying his hands on them, invoked the influence of
the Holy Spirit, which was then immediately manifested, by the usual
miraculous gifts which accompanied its effusion.

♦ removed duplicate word “some” ♠ removed duplicate word “he”

“xviii. 24. Apollos. A name contracted from Apollonius, (which is read in the Cod. Cant.)
as Epaphras from Epaphroditus, and Artemas from Artemonius. Of this Apollonius, mention
is also made in 1 Corinthians i. 12. iii. 5 seq. where Paul speaks of the labor he underwent
in the instruction of the Corinthians. (1 Corinthians iv. 6. xvi. 12.) Γένει, by birth, i. e. country;
as in 18, 2. The Jews of Alexandria were eminent for Biblical knowledge. That most
celebrated city of Egypt abounded with men of learning, both Jews and Gentiles.” Kuinoel.
(Bloomfield’s Annotations, Vol. IV. p. 608.)

“The Baptism of John is put, by synecdoche, for the whole of John’s ordinances. See the
note on Matthew xxi. 25. (Kuinoel.) It is generally supposed that he had been baptized by
John himself: but this must have been twenty years before; and it is not probable that during
that time he should have acquired no knowledge of Christianity. It should rather seem that
he had been baptized by one of John’s disciples; and perhaps not very long before the time
here spoken of.” (Bloomfield’s Annotations, Vol. IV. p. 610.)

“With respect to the letters here mentioned, they were written for the purpose of
encouraging Apollos, and recommending him to the brethren. This ancient ecclesiastical
custom of writing letters of recommendation, (which seems to have originated in the
necessary caution to be observed in times of persecution, and arose out of the interrupted
and tardy intercourse which, owing to their great distance from each other, subsisted
between the Christians,) has been well illustrated by a tract of Ferrarius de Epistolis
Ecclesiasticis, referred to by Wolf.” (Bloomfield. Vol. IV. p. 611.)

“Ephesus was the metropolis of proconsular Asia. It was situated at the mouth of the
river Cayster, on the shore of the Aegean sea, in that part anciently called Ionia, (but now
Natolir,) and was particularly celebrated for the temple of Diana, which had been erected at
the common expense of the inhabitants of Asia Proper, and was reputed one of the seven
wonders of the world. In the time of Paul, this city abounded with orators and philosophers;
and its inhabitants, in their gentile state, were celebrated for their idolatry and skill in magic,
as well as for their luxury and lasciviousness. Ephesus is now under the dominion of the
Turks, and is in a state of almost total ruin, being reduced to fifteen poor cottages, (not
erected exactly on its original site,) and its once flourishing church is now diminished to
three illiterate Greeks. (Revelation ii. 6.) In the time of the Romans, Ephesus was the
metropolis of Asia. The temple of Diana is said to have been four hundred and twenty-five
feet long, two hundred and twenty broad, and to have been supported by one hundred and
twenty-seven pillars of marble, seventy feet high, whereof twenty-seven were most
beautifully wrought, and all the rest polished. One Ctesiphon, a famous architect, planned it,
and with so much art and curiosity, that it took two hundred years to finish it. It was set on
fire seven times; once on the very same day that Socrates was poisoned, four hundred
years before Christ.” (Horne’s Introduction. Whitby’s Table. Wells’s Geography. Williams on
Pearson.)

After this successful effort to confirm and complete the

conversions already effected, Paul went about his apostolic labors in
the usual way,――going into the synagogue, and speaking boldly,
disputing the antiquated sophistry of the Jews, and urging upon all,
the doctrines of the new revelation. In this department of labor, he
continued for the space of three months; but at the end of that time,
he found that many obstacles were thrown in the way of the truth by
the stubborn adherents of the established forms of old Judaism, who
would not allow that the lowly Jesus was the Messiah for whom their
nation had so long looked as the restorer of Israel. Leaving the
hardened and obstinate Jews, he therefore, according to his old
custom in such cases of the rejection of the gospel by them,
withdrew from their society, and thenceforth went with those who had
believed among the more candid Greeks, who, with a truly
enlightened and philosophical spirit, held their minds open to the
reception of new truths, even though they might not happen to
accord with those which were sanctioned to them by the prejudices
of education. After leaving the synagogue, his new place of
preaching and religious instruction was the school of one
Tyrannus,――doubtless one of those philosophical institutions with
which every Grecian city abounded. This continued his field of
exertion for two years, during which his fame became very widely
established,――all the inhabitants of Ionic and Aeolic Asia, having
heard of the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. Among
the causes and effects of this general notoriety, was the
circumstance, that many miraculous cures were wrought by the
hands of Paul; and many began even to attach a divine regard to his
person;――handkerchiefs being brought to the sick from his body,
which, on application to those afflicted, either with bodily or mental
diseases, produced a perfect cure. This matter becoming generally
known and talked of, throughout Ephesus, became the occasion of a
ludicrous accident, which occurred to some persons who entertained
the mistaken notion, that this faculty of curing diseases was
transferable, and might be exercised by anybody that had enterprise
enough to take the business in hand, and say over the form of words
that seemed to be so efficacious in the mouth of Paul. A set of
conjurers of Jewish origin, the seven sons of Sceva, who went about
professedly following the trade of casting out devils, straightway
caught up this new improvement on their old tricks, (for so they
esteemed the divinely miraculous power of the apostle,) and soon
found an opportunity to experiment with this, which they considered
a valuable addition to their old stock of impositions. So, calling over
the miserable possessed subject of their foolish experiment, they
said――“We exorcise you by Jesus, whom Paul preaches.” But the
devil was not slow to perceive the difference between this second-
hand, plagiaristic mode of operation, and the commanding tone of
divine authority with which the demoniacal possessions were treated
by the apostle of Jesus. He therefore quite turned their borrowed
mummery into a jest, and cried out through the mouth of the
possessed man,――“Jesus I know, and Paul I know:――but who are
ye?” Under the impulse of the frolicsome, mischievous spirit, the
man upon whom they were playing their conjuring tricks, jumped up
at once, and fell upon these rash doctors with all his might, and with
all the energy of a truly crazy demoniac, beat the whole seven, tore
their clothes off from them, and threshed them to such effect, that
they were glad to stop their mummery, and make off as fast as
possible, but did not escape till they were naked and wounded. The
affair of course, was soon very generally talked of, and the story
made an impression, on the whole, decidedly favorable to the true
source of that miraculous agency, which, when foolishly tampered
with, had produced such appalling results. Many, among both Jews
and Greeks, were thereby led to repentance and faith, and more
particularly those who had been in the way of practising these arts of
imposition. A very general alarm prevailed among all the conjurers,
and many came and confessed the mean tricks by which they had
hitherto maintained their reputation as controllers of the powers of
the invisible world. Many who had also, at great expense of time and
money, acquired the arts of imposition, brought the costly books in
which were contained all the mysterious details of their magical
mummery, and burned them publicly, without regard to their
immense estimated pecuniary value, which was not less than nine
thousand dollars. In short, the results of this apparently trifling
occurrence, followed up by the zealous preaching of Paul, effected a
vast amount of good, so that the word of God mightily grew and
prevailed.

EPHESUS.――Ruins of the Temple of Diana.

Ephesians i. 1. Revelation ii. 1, 7.

“In Acts xx. 31, the apostle says, that for the space of three years he preached at
Ephesus. Grotius and Whitby hold that these three years are to be reckoned from his first
coming to Ephesus, xviii. 19; that he does not specify his being in any other city; and that
when it is said here, ‘So that all Asia heard the word,’ xix. 40, it arose from the concourse
that, on a religious account, continually assembled in that city. The Jews also, from different
parts of Asia, were induced by commerce, or obliged by the courts of judicature, to frequent
it. Other commentators contend that, as only two years, with three months in the
synagogue, are here mentioned, the remaining three-quarters of a year were partly
engaged in a progress through the neighboring provinces. (Elsley, from Lightfoot and
Doddridge.)

“While he was at Ephesus, ‘God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul; so that
from his body were brought unto the sick, handkerchiefs or aprons,’ &c. &c. Acts ♦xix. 11,
12. Σιμικίνθιον, aprons, is slightly changed from the Latin semicinctum, which workmen put
before them when employed at their occupations, to keep their clothes from soiling. The
difference which Theophylact and Oecumenius make between these and σουδάρια, is, that
the latter are applied to the head, as a cap or veil, and the former to the hands as a
handkerchief. ‘They carry them,’ says Oecumenius, ‘in their hands, to wipe off moisture
from their face, as tears,’” &c. &c. (Calmet’s Commentary.)

♦ removed spurious “v.”

“‘And they counted the price of them, [the books,] and found it to be fifty thousand pieces
of silver,’ verse 19――αργυριον is used generally in the Old Testament, LXX. for the shekel,
in value about 2s. 6d., or the total 6250l. as Numbers vii. 85. Deuteronomy xxii. 19. 2 Kings
xv. 20. Grotius. If it means the drachma, as more frequently used by the Greeks at 9d. each,
the sum will be 1875l.” [$9000.] Doddridge. Elsley’s Annotations. (Williams on Pearson, pp.
53‒55.)

the epistle to the galatians.

There is hardly one of the writings of Paul, about the date of which
there has been so much discussion, or so many opinions as this; but
the results of all the elaborate investigations and argumentations of
the learned, still leave this interesting chronological point in such
doubt, that this must be pronounced about the most uncertain in
date, of all the Pauline epistles. It may however, without any
inconsistency with the historical narrative of the Acts, or with any
passages in the other epistles, be safely referred to the period of this
residence in Ephesus, probably to the later part of it. The epistle
itself contains no reference whatever, direct or indirect, to the place
in which he was occupied at the time of writing, and only bare
probabilities can therefore be stated on it,――nor can any decisive
objection be made to any one of six opinions which have been
strongly urged. Some pronounce it very decidedly to have been the
first of all the epistles written by Paul, and maintain that he wrote it
soon after his first visit to them, at some time during the interval
between Paul’s departure from Galatia, and his departure from
Thessalonica. Others date it at the time of his imprisonment in
Rome, according to the common subscription of the epistle. Against
this last may, however, perhaps be urged his reproof to the
Galatians, that they “were so soon removed from him that called
them to the grace of Christ,”――an expression nevertheless, too
vague to form any certain basis for a chronological conclusion. The
great majority of critics refer it to the period of his stay in
Ephesus,――a view which entirely accords with the idea, that it must
have been written soon after Paul had preached to them; for on his
last journey to Ephesus, he had passed through Galatia, as already
narrated, confirming the churches. Some time had, no doubt,
intervened since his preaching to them, sufficient at least to allow
many heresies and difficulties to arise among them, and to pervert
them from the purity of the truth, as taught to them by him. Certain
false teachers had been among them since his departure, inculcating
on all believers in Christ, the absolute necessity of a minute and rigid
observance of Mosaic forms, for their salvation. They also directly
attacked the apostolical character and authority of
Paul,――declaring his opinion to be of no weight whatever, and to
be opposed to that of the true original apostles of Jesus. These, Paul
meets with great force in the very beginning of the epistle, entering
at once into a particular account of the mode of his first entering the
apostleship,――showing that it was not derived from the other
apostles, but from the special commission of Christ himself,
miraculously given. He also shows that he had, on this very question
of Judaical rituals, conferred with the apostles at Jerusalem, and had
received the sanction of their approbation in that course of open
communion which he had before followed, on his own inspired
authority, and had ever since maintained, in the face of what he
deemed inconsistencies in the conduct of Peter. He then attacks the
Galatians themselves, in very violent terms, for their perversion of
that glorious freedom into which he had brought the Christian