Acts 8:5 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Then Philip went down— We are sure that it was not Philip the apostle, both as he continued at Jerusalem, and as this Philip had not the power of communicating the miraculous gifts of the holy Spirit by laying on of hands. Comp. Acts 8:14; Acts 15:17. It must therefore have been the deacon; no other of that name, beside the apostle, having been mentioned in this history. Instead of to the city of Samaria, some would read to a city of Samaria, as it is not specified what city it was. The mode of expression, however, seems to point out the capital of Samaria, which was Sechem, or Sebaste, where Christ himself had preached in the beginning of his ministry. See John 5:40., &c. It is certain, that the Samaritans were better prepared to receive the gospel than most of the Gentile nations, as they worshipped the true God, and acknowledged the authority of the Pentateuch. Nay, indeed, in some respects they were better prepared than the body of the Jewish nation; as we do not find, that they had either such notions of the Messiah's temporal reign as the Jews, or had received the Sadducean principles, which were both very strong prejudices against the Christian religion.