<p>20:18 <i>And when they had come to him, he said to them: You know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia</i>- But had all those elders been with Paul from his first day in Asia? Or is the idea that his reputation for sincerity was so solid that they therefore knew this? &ldquo;<em>Set foot in Asia&rdquo; is a</em>lluding to Josh. 14:9 LXX: &quot;Surely the land where you walked 'set foot' shall be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have wholly followed Yahweh my God&quot;. He saw the conquests he made for the Gospel as being part of his inheritance in the promised land; he would eternally enjoy it, and the more he took in this life, the more he would have eternally.</p><p><em>After what manner I was with you</em>- The speech is clearly based upon Samuel's final address of 1 Sam. 12:3. The similarities suggest that Paul felt that his audience were likewise going to turn away from the true God and wish to become like the nations around them, with visible leadership. And the corruption of Christianity shows that his fears were well founded, for this is indeed what happened. True Christianity comprised with paganism and imported pagan ideas such as the trinity and immortality of the soul.</p><p><em>All the time</em>- Codex Bezae adds here &quot;for three years&quot;. AV &quot;At all seasons&quot;. Paul wrote to Timothy at Ephesus, and his language in 2 Timothy has many allusions to his own behaviour whilst at Ephesus. He spoke at Ephesus of how he had preached the word &quot;at all seasons&quot; (Acts 20:18 AV)- and he tells Timothy to do likewise (2 Tim. 4:2); Paul had taught what was profitable to others (Acts 20:20); and this was to be Timothy's pattern (2 Tim. 3:16 RV). As he spoke to the Ephesians of the time of his departure, hard times to come and the need to use God's word to build us up (Acts 20:29,32), so he told Timothy (2 Tim. 4:3). Paul in writing to Timothy was consciously holding himself up as Timothy's example in the context of Ephesus.</p>