This book is called “The Acts of the Holy Apostles” because it contains the acts of all the apostles. And the person who narrates these acts is the Evangelist Luke, who also wrote this book. Being an Antiochian by birth and a doctor by profession, he accompanied the other apostles, especially Paul, and writes about what he knows quite thoroughly. This book also tells how the Lord ascended to heaven at the appearance of the Angels; further tells about the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and on everyone present then, as well as the election of Matthias instead of Judas the traitor, the election of seven deacons, the conversion of Paul and what he endured. In addition, it tells about the miracles the apostles performed with the help of prayer and faith in Christ and about Paul’s journey to Rome. So, Luke sets out the acts of the apostles and the miracles performed by them. The miracles he describes are as follows: 1) Peter and John heal in the name of the Lord a man lame from birth, who was sitting at the door called Red. 2) Peter exposes Ananias and his wife Sapphira for withholding part of what they promised to God, and they immediately died. 3) Peter raises the weakened Aeneas to his feet. 4) Peter in Joppa resurrects the dead Tabitha with prayer. 5) Peter sees a vessel coming down from heaven filled with animals of every kind. 6) Peter’s shadow, falling on the weak, heals them. 7) Peter, held prisoner in prison, is freed by an Angel, so that the guards do not see this, and Herod, eaten by worms, gives up the ghost. 8) Stephen performs signs and wonders. 9) Philip in Samaria casts out many spirits and heals the lame and paralytic. 10) Paul, approaching Damascus, sees the apparition and immediately becomes a preacher of the Gospel. 11) The same Philip meets a eunuch reading on the way and baptizes him. 12) Paul in Lystra, in the name of the Lord, heals a man lame from birth. 13) Paul is called by vision to Macedonia. 14) Paul in Philippi heals a woman (youth) possessed by an inquisitive spirit. 15) Paul and Silas are imprisoned and their feet are placed in stocks; but in the middle of the night an earthquake occurs and their bonds fall away. 16) Ubrists - aprons - from the body of Paul were placed on the weak and possessed, and they were healed. 17) Paul in Troas resurrects Eutychus, who fell from the window and died, saying: “His soul is in him” (). 18) Paul in Cyprus condemns the sorcerer Elymas, and this sorcerer becomes blind. 19) Paul and all those with him on the ship are overtaken by a fourteen-day storm on their way to Rome. And when everyone expected death, an angel appeared to Paul and said: “Behold, I have given you all those who sail with you.”(), - and everyone was saved. 20) When Paul got off the ship, he was stung by a viper, and everyone thought that he would die. And since he remained unharmed, they considered him to be God. 21) Paul, by laying on of hands, heals the father of the chief Poplius, who was suffering from dysentery, on the island; He also treats many other patients.
Travels of St. Paul the Apostle
Paul began his journey from Damascus and came to Jerusalem; from here he went to Tarsus, and from Tarsus to Antioch, and then again to Jerusalem, and again, for the second time, to Antioch; from here, having been assigned together with Barnabas to the work of the apostleship, he arrived in Seleucia, then to Cyprus, where he began to be called Paul; Then he went to Perga, then to Pisidian Antioch, to Iconium, to Lystra, to Derbe and Lycaonia, then to Pamphylia, then again to Perga, then to Attalia, then again, for the third time, to Syrian Antioch, for the third time - to Jerusalem regarding circumcision, then again, for the fourth time, he arrived in Antioch, then again, a second time, to Derbe and Lystra, then to Phrygia and the country of Galatia, then to Mysia, then to Troas and from there to Naples, then - to Philippi, a city of Macedon; then, having passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, he came to Thessalonica, then to Beria, to Athens, to Corinth, to Ephesus, to Caesarea, then, for the second time, to Antioch of Pisidia, then to the country of Galatia and to Phrygia, then again, in the second time, to Ephesus; then, having passed through Macedonia, again, for the second time, he arrived at Philippi and from Philippi - again to Troas, where he resurrected the fallen Eutychus. Then he arrived at Asson, then to Mytilene; then he landed on the shore opposite Khiy; then he arrived in Samos and from there to Melitus, where he called the Ephesian elders and talked with them; then he went to Kon (Koos), then to Rhodes, from here to Patara, then to Tire, to Ptolemais and from here to Caesarea, from where again, for the fourth time, he returned to Jerusalem. From Jerusalem he was sent to Caesarea and, finally , having been sent as a prisoner to Rome, he thus arrived from Caesarea to Sidon, then to Myra in Lycia, then to Cnidus, and from here, after many hardships, arrived on the island on which he was stung by an echidna; then he headed to Syracuse, then to Rigia Calabria, then to Potioli, and from here he walked to Rome. Here, at the Appian marketplace and three taverns, the believers met him. Arriving in this way in Rome, he taught here for a sufficient time and, finally, in Rome itself he suffered martyrdom after the good deed that he labored here. The Romans erected a beautiful building and basilica on his remains, annually celebrating his feast day on the third day before the Kalends of July. And before this blessed man gave a lot of advice regarding honesty of life and virtue, and also gave a lot of practical instructions; moreover, what is especially important, in his fourteen messages he set out all the rules of human life.
Main Subjects of the Book of Acts
About the teaching of Christ after the resurrection, about the appearance of His disciples and the promise to them of the gift of the Holy Spirit, about the form and image of the Ascension of the Lord and about His glorious second coming. Peter's speech to his disciples about the death and rejection of Judas the traitor. About the Divine descent of the Holy Spirit on believers on the day of Pentecost. About the healing in the name of Christ of a man lame from birth; The favorable, admonishing and salvation-disposing edification made by Peter on this occasion. On the unanimous and complete communion of believers. About how the apostles imprisoned in prison were brought out of it at night by the Angel of God, commanding them to preach Jesus without restraint. On the election and ordination of seven deacons. Revolt and slander of the Jews against Stephen; his speech is about God's covenant with Abraham and about the twelve patriarchs. About the persecution and death of Stephen. About the sorcerer Simon, who believed and was baptized with many others. That the gift of the Holy Spirit is not given for money and not to hypocrites, but to believers according to their faith. About the fact that salvation is disadvantaged for good and faithful people, as can be seen from the example of the eunuch. About the Divine calling of Paul from heaven to the work of the apostleship of Christ. About the paralytic Aeneas, healed in Lydda by Peter. About how an angel appeared to Cornelius and how again there was a proclamation from heaven to Peter. How Peter, condemned by the apostles for associating with the uncircumcised, tells them in order everything that happened, and how at the same time he sends Barnabas to the brethren who were in Antioch. The prophecy of Agave about the famine that was going to happen throughout the entire universe, and the help provided by the Antiochian believing brethren in Judea. The murder of the Apostle James is also about the punishment of the guards and the bitter and disastrous death of the wicked Herod. About Barnabas and Saul, sent by the Divine Spirit to Cyprus, and about what they did in the name of Christ with the sorcerer Elimas. Pavlov's rich teaching about Christ based on the law and the prophets, with historical and evangelical characteristics. About how, preaching Christ in Iconium, the apostles were expelled from there after many believed. About the healing by the apostles in Lystra of a man lame from birth; as a result of which they were accepted by the inhabitants for the gods who had descended to them; Paul is stoned. That we should not circumcise converted pagans; reasoning and decree of the apostles. About the instruction of Timothy and the revelation to Paul to go to Macedonia. About the disturbance that occurred in Thessalonica as a result of the gospel preaching, and about the flight of Paul to Beria and from there to Athens. About the inscription on the altar in Athens and about the wise preaching of Paul. About Aquila and Priscilla, about the quick faith of the Corinthians and about the foreknowledge of God's favor towards them, which was communicated to Paul through revelation. About the baptism of those who believed in Ephesus, about the communication of the gift of the Holy Spirit to them through the prayer of Paul and about the healings performed by Paul. On the death and calling to life of Eutychus by the prayer of Paul in Troas; Pastoral exhortation to the elders of Ephesus. The prophecy of Agabus about what will happen to Paul in Jerusalem. James exhorts Paul not to forbid Jews to be circumcised. About the indignation aroused in Jerusalem against Paul and how the captain took him away from the hands of the crowd. About what Paul suffered when he appeared before the Sanhedrin, what he said and what he did. About the atrocities that the Jews plotted against Paul, and about their denunciation of him to Lysias. About the accusation of Paul by Tertill before the hegemon and about his acquittal. About Felix Fist's successor and the latter's mode of action. The arrival of Agrippa and Bernice and the communication of information about Paul to them. Filled with very many and very great dangers cruise Paul to Rome. How Paul arrived in Rome from Melitus. About Paul's conversation with the Jews who were in Rome.
Our Holy Father John, Archbishop of Constantinople, Chrysostom, forewarning to the Acts of the Holy Apostles
Many, and not just anyone, knew neither the book itself nor the person who compiled and wrote it. Therefore, I considered it necessary to take up this interpretation with the goal of both teaching those who do not know, and not allowing such a treasure to be unknown and hidden under a bushel, because no less than the Gospels themselves, insight into such wisdom and such right teaching can bring us benefit, and especially that which is accomplished by the Holy Spirit. So, let us not ignore this book; on the contrary, let us study it with all possible care, because in it we can see those predictions of Christ actually fulfilled, which are contained in the Gospels; in it one can also see the truth shining in the deeds themselves, and a great change for the better in the disciples, wrought upon them by the Holy Spirit. In it you can find things that would not be so clearly understood by anyone if it were not for this book; without it, the essence of our salvation would remain hidden and some of the dogmas of the teaching and the rules of life would remain unknown. But most The contents of this book are the acts of the Apostle Paul, who labored more than anyone else. The reason for this was that the writer of this book, Blessed Luke, was a disciple of Paul. His love for his teacher is evident from many other things, but especially from the fact that he was inseparably with his teacher and constantly followed him, while Dimas and Hermogenes left him: one went to Galatia, the other to Dalmatia. Listen to what Paul himself says about Luke: "Only Luke is with me"(); and, in the Epistle to the Corinthians, says of him: “They sent... a brother, praised in all churches for his gospel”(); also when he says that “he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve; I remind you... the gospel which I preached to you, which you also received.”(), means his Gospel; so no one will sin if this work of Luke (the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles) is attributed to Him; When I say “to Him,” I mean Christ. If someone says: “Why did Luke, being with Paul until the end of his life, not describe everything?” - then we will answer that this was enough for the zealous, that he always focused on what was especially needed, and that the primary concern of the apostles was not writing books, since they conveyed a lot without writing. But everything contained in this book is worthy of surprise, especially the adaptability of the apostles, which the Holy Spirit instilled in them, preparing them for the work of housebuilding. Therefore, while talking so much about Christ, they spoke a little about His Divinity, and more about His incarnation, His suffering, resurrection and ascension. For the object to which they aimed was to make the hearers believe that He had risen and ascended into heaven. Just as Christ Himself tried most of all to prove that He came from the Father, so Paul tried most of all to prove that Christ was resurrected, ascended, departed to the Father, and came from Him. For if before the Jews did not believe that He came from the Father, then the whole teaching of Christ seemed to them much more incredible after the legend of His resurrection and ascension into heaven was added to it. Therefore, Paul imperceptibly, little by little, brings them to an understanding of more sublime truths; and in Athens Paul even calls Christ simply a man, without adding anything more, and this is not without purpose, because if Christ Himself, when He spoke of His equality with the Father, was often attempted to be stoned and was called for this a blasphemer of God, then with difficulty could have accepted this teaching from the fishermen, and, moreover, after His crucifixion on the cross. And what can we say about the Jews, when the disciples of Christ themselves, listening to the teaching about more sublime subjects, were confused and tempted? That's why Christ said: “I still have much to tell you; but now you can’t contain it”(). If they could not “accommodate,” they who had been with Him for so long, who were initiated into so many mysteries and saw so many miracles, then how did the pagans, having abandoned altars, idols, sacrifices, cats and crocodiles ( because this was the pagan religion) and from other unholy rituals, could they suddenly accept an exalted word about Christian dogmas? How did the Jews, who read and heard daily the following saying from the law: “Hear, O Israel: Our Lord, the Lord is one”(), I and there is no God except Me" (), and at the same time they saw Christ crucified on the cross, and most importantly, they crucified Him and laid Him in the tomb and did not see His resurrection - how are these people, hearing that this very man is and equal to the Father, could they not be embarrassed and not fall away completely, and, moreover, faster and easier than everyone else? Therefore, the apostles gradually and imperceptibly prepare them and show great skill in adapting, while they themselves receive the more abundant grace of the Spirit and in the name of Christ they perform greater miracles than those performed by Christ Himself, in order in one and another way to raise them, prostrate on the earth, and awaken faith in them into the word about the resurrection. And therefore this book is primarily proof of the resurrection, because by believing in the resurrection everything else was conveniently perceived. And anyone who has thoroughly studied this book will say that this is primarily its content and its whole purpose. Let us first listen to the very beginning of it.
Interpretation of the Epistles of the Holy Apostle Paul. Part 1
With the blessing of Metropolitan of Tashkent and Central Asia VLADIMIR
Published by: Blagovestnik, Commentary on the Acts and Epistles of the Holy Apostles Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria. St. Petersburg, 1911.
Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
Preface
Constant reading of the Divine Scriptures leads to knowledge of them, for He who said: Seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you (Matt. 7:7). Therefore, we will learn the secrets from the epistles of Blessed Paul if we read these epistles constantly and carefully. This apostle surpassed everyone in the word of teaching. And fair enough; for he worked harder than anyone and acquired the most abundant grace of the Spirit: which is evident not only from his epistles, but also from the Acts of the Apostles, where it is said that for his perfection in the word the unbelievers revered him as Mercury (see Acts 14:12). The Epistle to the Romans is offered to us first; however, not because it was written before the other epistles. Thus, before the Epistle to the Romans, both Epistles to the Corinthians were written, and before the Epistles to the Corinthians, the Epistle to the Thessalonians was written, in which the Apostle Paul hints with praise to them about the alms sent to Jerusalem (1 Thess. 4:9-10; cf. 2 Cor. 9, 2). In addition, before the Epistle to the Romans, the Epistle to the Galatians was written. Despite this, I say that the Epistle to the Romans is the first of the other epistles. Why did it get first place? Because in Holy Scripture this order is not necessary. Likewise, the twelve prophets, if we take them in the order in which they are in the series of sacred books, do not follow one another in time, but are separated from each other by a large interval. And Paul writes to the Romans, on the one hand, because he had the duty to perform the sacred service of Christ, and on the other hand, because the Romans were, as it were, leaders of the universe, for whoever benefits the head benefits the rest of the body.
Chapter first
1. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called an Apostle, chosen to preach the gospel of God.
Neither Moses, nor many after him, even the evangelists, put their names before their writings, but blessed Paul puts his name before each of his epistles: this is because they wrote for those who lived with them, and he sent writings from afar and according to custom fulfilled the rule of the distinctive properties of messages. Only in Hebrews does he not do this; for they hated him: therefore, so that when they immediately heard his name they would not stop listening to him, he hid his name at the beginning. Why was he renamed Paul from Saul? So that in this he would not be less than the chief of the apostles, called Cephas, which means Peter (John 1:42), or the sons of Zebedee, called Boanerges, that is, the sons of thunder (Mark 3:17).
Slave. Slavery has many types. There is slavery by creation, of which it is said: everything serves You (Ps. 119, 91). There is also slavery by faith, of which it is said: from the heart they became obedient to the way of teaching to which they devoted themselves (Rom. 6:17). Finally, there is slavery by way of life: in this regard, Moses is called a servant of God (Joshua 1, 2). Paul - slave in all these forms.
Jesus Christ. Offers the names of the Lord from the incarnation, ascending from bottom to top: for the names “Jesus” and “Christ,” that is, the Anointed One, are names after the incarnation. He anointed him not with oil, but with the Holy Spirit, which, of course, is more priceless than oil. And that anointing happens without oil, listen: do not touch my anointed (Ps. 104:15): which saying must be applied to those who existed before the law, when there was not even the name of anointing with oil.
Called. This word means humility; for the apostle shows them that he himself did not seek and find, but was called.
Apostle. The apostle used this word in contrast to the others who were called. For all the faithful are called; but they are called only to believe, and to me, he says, I was also entrusted with the apostleship, which was also entrusted to Christ when He was sent by the Father.
Chosen to evangelize God. That is, he was chosen for the ministry of evangelism. Otherwise: “chosen” instead of “predestined” to this, just as God says to Jeremiah: Before you left the womb I sanctified you (Jer. 1, 5). And Paul himself says in one place: When God was pleased, who chose me from my mother's womb (Gal. 1:15). Further, it is not in vain that he says: “called” and “chosen to the gospel.” Since he had a word for the vain, he inspires that he is worthy of faith, as sent from above. The evangelist himself calls this not only because of what has happened, but also because of future good things, and with the name evangelist he immediately comforts the listener, for the evangelist does not contain something sad, as are the predictions of the prophets, but treasures of countless blessings. And this evangelizing is evangelizing God, that is, the Father, both because it was given by Him, and because it makes Him known, for although He was known in Old Testament However, only to the Jews, but even to them, He was unknown as a Father, but later, through the gospel, He, together with the Son, revealed himself to the whole universe.
2. Which God promised before through His prophets in the holy scriptures.
Since that sermon was reviled as an innovation, this shows that it is older than paganism and was first described by the prophets; even the word “evangelizing” is found in David, who says: The Lord will give the word to those who preach the gospel with much power (Ps. 67:12), and in Isaiah: How beautiful... are the feet of the evangelist who brings peace (Isa. 52:7).
In the holy scriptures. The prophets not only spoke, but also wrote and depicted actions, for example: Abraham through Isaac, Moses through the serpent, the raising of hands and the slaughter of a lamb. For when God was about to prepare something great, he foretold it long before. Therefore, when He says that many prophets wanted to see what you see, but didn’t see (Matt. 13, 17); then he expresses by this that they did not see His very flesh, and therefore did not see the signs happening before their eyes.
3.ABOUT His Son Who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh.
This clearly shows two births; for through words O His Son, that is, God, indicates a higher birth, and through the expression from the seed of David - longer for birth. By the addition: “according to the flesh,” he showed that birth according to the Spirit belongs to Him. Therefore, the evangelist is not about common man, for it is about the Son of God, and not about a simple God, for it is about one born of the seed of David according to the flesh, so that one and the same is both, that is, both the Son of God and the Son of David. Therefore, let Nestorius finally be ashamed. The apostle also mentions His birth according to the flesh, just like the three evangelists, in order to lead the listeners from him to a higher birth. So the Lord himself was first seen as a man, and then recognized as God.
4. And he was revealed to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, through the resurrection from the dead, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Said above: about His Son, and now he proves how He is known to be the Son of God, and says that It opened - in Slavic “named”, that is, shown, approved, recognized; for naming is the very recognition, sentence and decision. For everyone recognized and decided that He was the Son of God. How so? In force, that is, through the power of the signs that He performed. Moreover according to the Spirit, through whom he sanctified them that believe; for it is characteristic of God to grant this. Also through the resurrection from the dead, for He is the first, and He alone, who resurrected Himself. So, He was recognized and revealed as the Son of God through the resurrection; for this is a great thing, as He Himself says: when you lift Me up from the earth, then you will know that it is I (John 8:28).
5. Through whom we have received grace and apostleship, so that in His name we might bring all nations under faith.
Gratitude here. Nothing, he says, is ours, but everything has been received by us through the Son. I have received apostleship and grace through the Spirit. He, says the Lord, will guide you (John 16:13). And the Spirit says: Separate Paul and Barnabas for Me (Acts 13:2), and: Word of wisdom given by the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:8). What does it mean? That which belongs to the Spirit belongs to the Son and vice versa. Grace, he says, and apostleship got, that is, we did not become apostles by our own merits, but by grace from above. But conviction is also a matter of grace; for the work of the apostles was to go and preach, and to convince those who listened belongs entirely to God.
INTRODUCTION
This book is called "The Acts of the Apostles"; because it contains the acts of (all) the apostles together. And the person who narrates these acts is the Evangelist Luke, who also wrote this book. Being an Antiochian by birth and a doctor by profession, he accompanied the other apostles, especially Paul, and writes about what he knows quite thoroughly. This book also tells how the Lord ascended to heaven at the appearance of angels; further tells about the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and on everyone present then, as well as the election of Matthias instead of Judas the traitor, the election of seven deacons, the conversion of Paul and what he suffered. In addition, he tells about the miracles the apostles performed with the help of prayer and faith in Christ; and about Paul's journey to Rome. So, Luke sets out the acts of the apostles and the miracles performed by them. The miracles he describes are as follows: 1) Peter and John heal in the name of the Lord a man lame from birth, who was sitting at the door called red. 2) Peter exposes Ananias and his wife Sapphira for withholding part of what they promised to God, and they immediately died. 3) Peter restores the paralytic Aeneas. 4) Peter in Joppa resurrects the deceased Dorcas with prayer. 5) Peter sees a vessel coming down from heaven filled with animals of every kind. 6) Peter’s shadow, falling on the weak, heals them. 7) Peter, held prisoner in prison, is released by an angel, so that the guards do not see this; and Herod, eaten by worms, gives up the ghost. 8) Stephen performs signs and wonders. 9) Philip in Samaria casts out many spirits and heals the lame and paralytic. 10) Paul, approaching Damascus, sees the apparition and immediately becomes a preacher of the Gospel. 11) The same Philip meets a eunuch reading on the way and baptizes him. 12) Paul in Lystra, in the name of the Lord, heals a man lame from birth. 13) Paul is called by vision to Macedonia. 14) Paul in Philippi heals a wife (a young woman) possessed by an inquisitive spirit. 15) Paul and Silas are imprisoned and their feet are secured in stocks; but in the middle of the night an earthquake occurs and their bonds fall away. 16) Ubrists from the body of Paul were placed on the weak and possessed, and they were healed. 17) Paul in Troas resurrects Eutychus, who fell from the window and died, saying: his soul is in him. 18) Paul in Cyprus condemns the sorcerer Elymas, and this sorcerer becomes blind. 19) Paul and all those with him on the ship are overtaken by a fourteen-day storm on their way to Rome. And when everyone expected death, the Lord, appearing to Paul, said: for your sake I will give them life; and everyone was saved. 20) When Paul got off the ship, he was stung by a viper, and everyone thought that he would die. And since he remained unharmed, they considered him to be God. 21) Paul, by the laying on of hands, heals the chief Poplius, who was suffering from dysentery, on the island; He treats many other patients.
TRAVELS OF SAINT APOSTLE PAUL
Paul began his journey from Damascus and came to Jerusalem; from here he went to Tarsus, and from Tarsus to Antioch, and then again to Jerusalem, and again for the second time to Antioch; from here, having been assigned together with Barnabas to the work of the apostle, he arrived in Seleucia, then in Cyprus, where he began to be called Paul; further (went) to Perga, then to Pisidian Antioch, then to Iconium, then to Lystra, Derbe and Lycaonia, then to Pamphylia, then again to Perga, then to Attalia, then again for the third time to Syrian Antioch, then again to the third time to Jerusalem regarding the issue of circumcision, then again for the fourth time to Antioch, then again a second time to Derbe and Lystra, then to Phrygia and the country of Galatia, then to Moisia, then to Troas and from there to Naples, then to Philippi, the city Macedonian; then, having passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, he came to Thessalonica, then to Beria, then to Athens, then to Corinth, then to Ephesus, then to Caesarea, then a second time to Pisidian Antioch, then to the country of Galatia and Phrygia, then again to the second time to Ephesus; then, having passed through Macedonia, he again arrived at Philippi for the second time and from Philippi again to Troas, where he resurrected the fallen Eutychus; then he arrived in Asson, then in Mytilene; then he landed on the shore opposite Khiy; then he arrived in Samos and from there to Miletus, where he called the Ephesian elders and talked with them; then he went to Con (Koos), then to Rhodes, from here to Patara, then to Tire, then to Ptolemais, and from here to Caesarea; from where he returned to Jerusalem again for the fourth time. From Jerusalem he was sent to Caesarea, and finally, having been sent as a prisoner to Rome, he thus arrived from Caesarea to Sidon, then to Myra in Lycia, then to Cnidus, and from here, after many hardships, he arrived on the island on which he was stung by an echidna , then to Syracuse, then to Rigia Calabria, then to Potioli, and from here he came to Rome on foot. Here, at the Appian marketplace and three innkeepers, believers met him. Having thus arrived in Rome, he taught here for a sufficient time, and finally in Rome itself he accepted martyrdom after the good deed he fought here. The Romans erected a beautiful building and basilica on his remains, annually celebrating his feast day on the third day before the Kalends of July. And before this blessed man gave a lot of advice regarding honesty of life and virtue, and also gave a lot of practical instructions; moreover, what is especially important, in his fourteen messages he set out all the rules of human life.
MAIN SUBJECTS OF THE BOOK OF THE ACTS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES
About the teaching of Christ after the resurrection, about the appearance of His disciples and the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit to them, about the form and image of the Ascension of the Lord and about His glorious second coming.
Peter's speech to his disciples about the death and rejection of Judas the traitor.
About the divine descent of the Holy Spirit on believers on the day of Pentecost.
About the healing in the name of Christ of a man lame from birth; The edification made by Peter on this occasion is favorable, exhorting and conducive to salvation.
On the unanimous and complete communion of believers.
About how the apostles imprisoned in prison were brought out of it at night by an angel of God, commanding them to preach Jesus without restraint.
On the election and ordination of seven deacons.
Revolt and slander of the Jews against Stephen; his speech is about God's covenant with Abraham and about the twelve patriarchs.
About the persecution of the Church and the death of Stephen.
About the sorcerer Simon, who believed and was baptized with many others.
That the gift of the Holy Spirit is not given for money and not to hypocrites, but to those who believe according to their faith.
That God favors salvation for good and faithful people is clear from the example of the eunuch.
About the Divine calling of Paul from heaven to the work of the apostleship of Christ.
About the paralytic Aeneas, healed in Lydda by Peter.
About how an angel appeared to Cornelius, and how again there was a proclamation from heaven to Peter.
How Peter, condemned by the apostles for associating with the uncircumcised, tells them in order everything that happened, and how at the same time he sends Barnabas to the brethren who were in Antioch.
The prophecy of Agave about the famine that was going to happen throughout the entire universe, and the help (provided by the Antiochian believers) to the brethren in Judea.
1 There was a certain man in Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion from the Spira of Italy. 2 Be reverent and fear God with all your household, give alms to many people, and always pray to God: 3 In a clear vision, at the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God came down to him and said to him: Cornelius. 4 And he looked up and was afraid, saying, “What is the Lord?” He said to him: Your prayers and your alms have been lifted up as a memorial before God. 5 And now send men to Joppa, and call Simon, who is called Peter. 6 This one wanders with a certain Simon, who has a house by the sea: he speaks to you words in which you and your whole house will be saved. 7 And as the angel departed, Cornelia said, inviting two from his servants, and a pious warrior from those serving him. 8 And having told them everything, she sent them to Joppa.
This (Cornelius) was neither a Jew nor one of those under the law, and yet he already led the same lifestyle as us. Now two of the people endowed with honors already believe in Christ, the Ethiopian woman’s treasurer and this one. Reverence and fear God with all your household. Let us listen to this; We do not take care of our household, but this one took care of the soldiers. Centurion from the Italian Spira. He, he says, was from the great Spira, which is called Italian, and Spira is the same thing that we now call Rota (νεμερον). For this purpose, he makes this person known and provides detailed information about him, so that someone does not say that in the Scriptures (the Holy) there are errors against history. You need to know that the spira consisted of two hundred warriors, and the custodia of sixty. He saw in a vision, as if at the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God descending to him. Sees an angel to replenish Peter's faith. Or better not for him, but for others weaker in faith. At nine o'clock, when he left his worries and was in peace and quiet. Since the true Eye and the great Judge knows that even great deeds, without faith, are dead: He sends an angel who confirms their significance behind deeds, so that those who struggle well may be crowned with faith. The vision aroused fear in Cornelius, however moderate, as much as was necessary in order to arouse his attention. Then the angel's words destroyed the fear. Your prayers and your alms are raised as a memorial before God. Look where the prayer goes to the highest heaven and becomes before the very throne of the king. Pay attention to the angel too; he first elevates and elevates the thoughts of his Cornelius to the highest, then he says what he says next: And now send men to Joppa, and call Simon, called Peter. This one wanders with a certain Simon Usmar. To prevent them from going to someone else, he identifies this person not only by name, but also by the place where he is. He also has a house near Mora. The apostles chose places remote from cities: they loved the desert and silence. What if it happens that there is another Simon Usmar? Here's a sign: this one lives by the sea. The angel did not say why this should be done in order to fill him with joy. Having invited two from his servants and a pious warrior. Look, it’s not for nothing that it was said that these were people who were constantly with him. And having told them everything, she sent them to Joppa. Notice the lack of arrogance. He did not say: call me Peter, but he told me everything in order to encourage him to come to him; because he considered it indecent to call him due to his authority. That’s why I told everything to the messengers.
9 While they were traveling and approaching the city, Peter went up to the upper room to pray about the sixth hour. 10 He was greedy and wanted to taste: but those who were cooking were struck with horror. 11 And we saw the heavens opened, and a certain vessel descending like a great shroud, tied at the four edges, and lowered to the ground at the bottom: 12 In it there are all four-legged creatures of the earth and animals and creeping things and birds of the air. 13 And a voice came to him: Peter rose up and slaughtered and ate. 14 Peter said: “It is not like the Lord: for no one has eaten anything that is dirty or unclean.” 15 16 This happened quickly: and again the vessel was taken to heaven.
See how the Spirit brings times together and makes it happen neither earlier nor later. Peter went up to the upper room to pray about the sixth hour, that is, in special place and in silence, like on the roof. Horror attacked, and the sky was opened. Horror (εκστασις) means both amazement at the sight of a miracle and the state when a person does not control his feelings, being raptured into the spiritual world. So he had a kind of spiritual vision. And a certain vessel like a shroud came down. The first of the apostles, Peter, needed divine revelation regarding his calling to Christian faith pagans; because he did not know that circumcision and uncircumcision make no difference in relation to faith. He, of course, did not clearly know that the Lord said that when service by faith was revealed, the pagans would be taught this faith, he did not know until His ineffable will through this phenomenon revealed this secret, convincing him of this on the one hand example through the shroud, and on the other hand, by the fact that the grace of the Holy Spirit was taught to the pagans after converting them to faith, convincing them that in Christ there is no difference between Jew and Greek. It is tied at four edges and lowered to the ground at the bottom. The four edges show the four elements, the vessel that appears means the roughest world, and various animals are symbols of the state of people. The symbol of the entire universe was this man (Cornelius) with foreskin; because he had nothing in common with the Jews. Everyone would accuse him (Peter) as a criminal, and therefore the Spirit arranges for him to have protection; That is why he objects to the angel. Because he had to fully comply with the law. So this is being arranged so that he will not be accused. Maybe he knelt down and saw a vision. And what happened was a divine deed, that is, that he saw the highest, and was in a state of frenzy and heard a voice from there, and that he confessed three times that there were unclean animals there; and the fact that the vessel descended from heaven from there and ascended there is a great proof of purity. So this is done for those to whom it is to be told. Because Peter himself heard the commandment of the Lord: do not go into the way of the tongue (Matthew 10:5). If even Paul needed circumcision and sacrifice, then even more so at the beginning of his sermon, when they were very weak. But Peter did not say about everyone that they were filthy and unclean, but only about those whom the law called filthy and unclean. And God, who drew the image of his Church, said that she should not consider anything unclean for herself. Because everything is pure to him, which he accepts with thanksgiving and God’s blessing. But if this contained an additional instruction regarding the calling of the peoples, so that, that is, those with uncircumcised foreskin would not be considered filthy and unclean, then Peter’s speech nevertheless contained an indication not of people, but of animals prohibited by the Law of Moses. Because animal species are taken instead of human properties, and from the description of Petrov’s vision it is known that in the vessel that came down from heaven there were all kinds of animals: reptiles, birds and four-legged animals. Because the word covertly depicts that those who turn to faith are under the dominion of various sins, that they have become like either four-legged animals in cruelty, or reptiles in poisonousness, or birds in the lightness and inconstancy of their nature. And besides, snakes are taken as a symbol of the Sadducees and Pharisees, and a fox as a symbol of Herod, and horses excited by passion for sexual intimacy as a symbol of voluptuous people; sheep - for the gentlest people, kids - for the unsociable and indifferent, and hedgehogs - for the rich; The Lord said about them that they pierce the word with their thorns and make it fruitless. And behold, the second voice came back to him: even if God has cleansed it, do not defile it. Apparently, the voice refers to him (Peter), but meanwhile everything is said to the Jews. Because if this teacher suffers censure, then all the more they deserve it.
17 For Peter, being perplexed within himself, that there was a vision which he saw, and behold, men sent a message from Cornelius, inquiring, and leading away the house of Simon, stood before the gate: 18 And he asked the question whether Simon, called Peter, was wandering here. 19 Peter, thinking about the vision, said to him the Spirit: behold, three men are looking for you. 20 But get up, come down, and go with them, reasoning about nothing, since I sent them.
What would be the vision. The Shroud means the earth, and the animals on it mean the pagans. The saying: slaughter and vengeance means that they too must come to Christ; and the fact that this is repeated three times signifies baptism. So true meaning the vision points him to the doctrine of the Trinity, just as faith in the Trinity represents true worship of God. And this is the message from Cornelius. These men come in good time to resolve the confusion. For Christ also allowed Joseph to be afraid first, and then sent an angel. Because the soul easily accepts resolution from previously experienced bewilderment. And besides, he did not have to remain perplexed for long, and it was not before that it became aroused, but at the very time when they asked about him whether he was hanging around here. Peter, thinking about the vision, said to him the Spirit: behold, men are looking for you. Again, this serves as Peter’s apology to the disciples, so that they can see that he was thinking and was instructed not to think. Because listen: go with them without reasoning, I sent them beforehand. Great is the power of the Spirit; because what God the Father does, the Holy Spirit does the same. The angel said: Your prayers and your alms are to show that he was sent from there; But the Spirit does not do so, but says: I have already sent them. So we must obey the Spirit.
21 And Peter went down to the men sent to him from Cornelius, saying, “Behold, I am the one you seek: what guilt is there if you have come?” 22 And they said: Cornelius the centurion, a man brought and fearing God, testified from the whole tongue of the Jews, exhorted by the holy angel to call you to his house, and to hear words from you. 23 Having called them, he established them. In the morning Peter rose up and went with them, and some of the brethren who went from Joppa went with him. 24 And the next morning I went down to Caesarea.
I am. First he admitted that he was the one they were looking for, and then he asked about the reason for their coming, so that he could either be ready immediately and go with them, or, if this was not necessary, accommodate them in the house. And the messengers praise Cornelius in order to convince Peter that an angel appeared to him. The leadership of the people is in the hands of a pious man, who, according to his own merits, has proven himself worthy of it. True, this also happens, and yet those in power become scandalized; but if this had not happened, then what would not have happened? Call you to your home. They say he sent it not out of disdain, but because he was commanded to do so. So, do not neglect it. It is good that Peter treats these men friendly at first, since they are tired, and thus wins them over. And the fact that some from Joppa went with him was a dispensation, so that later they would be witnesses when Peter needed to justify himself.
Cornelius ran away from them, calling his relatives and dear friends. 25 As soon as Peter heard, Cornelius shat him and fell on his foot and bowed down. 26 Peter raised him up, saying: Arise, and I myself am a man. 27 And talking with him, you went down and found many gathered together.
He was a glorious man and had a home in a glorious city. Having called the relatives. This is the characteristic of a completely pious friend, that he, being surrounded by so many blessings, makes everyone associates and dear friends. They were called dear friends because he could rely on them when he had to work and care for so many subordinates. And friends and relatives, it seems to me, ate his food. Look how confident he was that Peter would certainly come. This is because the angel did not appear to him in a dream, but while he was awake and during the day. Peter raised him up, saying: Arise, and I myself am a man. By this he teaches others and gives thanks to God, showing his humility. Look, first of all he teaches others not to think much about themselves.
28 He said to them, “You know that it is not right for a Jewish man to cleave to a foreigner, or to come to a foreigner: and God has shown me not a single filthy or unclean word of a man.” 29 Likewise, and without hesitation, he was called. I ask you: why would you please me for the sake of guilt? 30 And Cornelius said: From the fourth day even unto this hour, I fasted, and at the ninth hour prayed in my house: and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31 And he said: Cornelius, your prayer was heard, and your alms were remembered before God. 32 Go therefore to Joppa and call Simon, who is called Peter: this one is staying in the house of Simon near the sea, and he will come and speak to you. 33 Abiye has sent a message to you: you have done good when you came; now we all stand before God to hear everything commanded to you from God.
You know that it’s not healthy to eat. He immediately talks about God’s love for mankind and shows that God gave them great gifts, and at the same time he speaks about great things and speaks with humility. Because he didn’t say: “people! We have come to you, although we consider it unworthy to touch anyone,” but what? “You know that God spoke such a command that it would be considered lawlessness to hide or come to a foreigner: and God showed me not a single filthy or unclean word of a person.” It is remarkable that God himself commanded the Christian people not to say a single filth or unclean thing to a person, but to live with them, because they too, perhaps, will believe in Christ with special strength. I ask you: why would you please me for the sake of guilt? Peter had already heard about everything from the soldiers, but he wants them to confess and become right in the faith. At nine o'clock, he says, praying. What does it mean? It seems to me that with the most careful order in his life, time was distributed and, moreover, in famous days; That's why he said: from the fourth day. Look how powerful prayer is. When he succeeded in the work of piety, then an angel appeared to him, this is one day; when the messengers of Cornelius departed, this is also one; when they walked - one, and the fourth turns out to be from the third hour, when he was praying. And behold, a man stood before me. He doesn’t say “angel,” but “husband.” So he is far from proud. You see the thought that follows from this: you see how worthy he was of all this. Now we all stand before God. He did not say: before man, but: before God; So we must listen with attention to the servants of God.
34 Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I understand that God does not look at faces: 35 But in every language, fear him and do what is right, he is pleased with seven. 36 The word of the ambassador from the sons of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know the verb that was throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee, after baptism, as John preached: 38 Jesus, who was of Nazareth, because God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went through preaching the good news and healing all those who were raped by the devil, because God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of everything that he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem: he was killed and hanged on a tree. 40 This one God raised up on the third day, and caused him to be revealed: 41 Not to all people, but to us as a witness ordained by God, who was with him through death and destruction after his resurrection from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God to judge the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify to this, the remission of sins is accepted in his name to everyone who believes in him.
I truly mean... that is, that God does not look at the quality of the person, but at the difference of deeds. By what he says, he clearly shows that the God whom Cornelius feared, about whom he received instruction from the law and the prophets, for whose sake he did alms, that this God is truly God. He lacked knowledge of the Son. See how he does not allow himself to be exalted in his thoughts. In every pagan, he says, so that you do not think that pagans belong to the category of outcasts. "Do the truth." The expression: “truth” is used instead of: every virtue. He did not say: in every language he who does righteousness will be saved, but: he is acceptable, that is, worthy of being accepted. The word sent by the son of Israel. Gives preference to the children of Israel. This also speaks for the sake of those present, in order to convince them. As God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit, of course - according to humanity. Since He humbled (εκενωσε) Himself and sincerely partook of our flesh and blood (Heb. 2:14), it is said of Him that He, as a man, accepts what He has by nature as God. Because He accepts not for Himself, but for us, as in the beginning He did for Himself, or better, since He is God the Word, then He had this of his own. The expression: healing all those who were raped by the devil, indicates many injuries that depended on the devil and damage to the bodies that occurred from him. He was killed and hanged on a tree. Again he speaks of humiliation. Having shown that He was sent by God, the Apostle Peter says that He was killed. So that you do not consider anything indecent, note that they never hide the teaching of the cross, but along with other things they also offer an image of death. He was also killed, he says, hanged on a tree. But a destined witness. Although Jesus Christ himself chose them, the expression: predestined also assigns this to God the Father. Those like Him are poisoned and kicked. See what confirms the truth of the resurrection. Why did Jesus Christ, when resurrected, not perform any miracle, but eat and drink? Because the resurrection itself was a great miracle. Moreover, there is no (and there could not have been in this case a greater miracle) than the fact that He ate and drank. And bear witness. To testify, he says, clearly, so as not to fall into ignorance. All the prophets testify to this. Whatever prophets spoke, he says, about the remission of sins, they all said that they were remitted in this Jesus. So Isaiah says on His behalf: “I am the one who blots out your sins and your iniquities” (Is. 43:25). But he did not say that He was the Son of God, but, what frightened them more, the time-appropriate preparation was borrowed from the prophets, because they used great glory. But having swayed them with fear, he makes them indulgence, however, it was spoken not by him, but by the prophets. So he speaks terrible things from himself, and imbued with meekness on behalf of the prophets.
1. I spoke the first word about everyone, about Theophilus.
Luke reminds Theophilus of his gospel to indicate his very careful attitude to the matter; because at the beginning of his work he says: I also deigned to follow the above, all tentatively, in order to write to you, and not somehow, but like this, “as if she betrayed to us those who were originally self-witnesses and servants of the former Word”(Luke 1:2-3). So he reminds us of the Gospel in order to remind us of the care with which it was written; and he remembers this in order to, having in mind the same careful attitude to the matter when compiling this book, be as attentive as possible to what is being written. Therefore, he did not need any other approval this time; for he who is honored to write about what he has heard, and who is believed in what he has written, justly deserves much greater faith when he states not what he heard from others, but what he himself saw. Therefore he does not say: the first is the gospel, the hedgehog of good news, but: first word; since he was alien to arrogance and humility and thought that the name: gospel higher than his labor, although the apostle calls him this for his labor: “his praise is in the gospel in all the churches”(2 Cor 8:18). But in his own words: about everyone he seems to contradict the Evangelist John. He says that it was not possible to describe everything; and he says: I created for everyone from the beginning even to the ascension. So what do we say to this? What is expressed about everyone Luke points out that he did not omit any of the essential and necessary things from which the divinity and truth of preaching is known; because both Luke and each of the evangelists in their gospels placed at the head of everything that from which the divinity and truth of the sermon is known, and, moreover, in such an exact form, as if according to some model. John the theologian himself spoke about all this in a similar way. They did not omit any of those features through which, on the one hand, the ministry of the Word according to the flesh is known and becomes an object of faith, and on the other, His greatness shines and is revealed according to divinity. John says that if we were to describe in parts and briefly everything that the Lord said and did, then even then the world would not be able to contain the books that would be written; but it would be all the more impossible to contain if someone wanted to set out in writing all the deeds and words of the Lord with an investigation of their meaning; because the meaning of them and the reasons why the Lord worked and spoke cannot be comprehended or comprehended by the human mind, for the reason that everything that He created in human nature, He created as God; from this side, it is impossible to express the deeds and words of Christ either in words or convey them in writing. However, I also admit that this addition is a hyperbolic turn of phrase and does not certainly mean that the world could not accommodate the books being written if the presentation were more extensive. It can also be said that this Evangelist John, who developed theoretical contemplation more than others, really knows all the creations and deeds of the Savior - not only those that He revealed in the flesh, but also those that He performed from eternity, both without a body and with a body. If anyone dared to describe the features of nature, origin, differences, essence, etc. each of these cases; then, even if we admit the possibility of this, it would be impossible for the world to contain written books. If anyone by the word begins to understand not just the world, but a person lying in evil and thinking about worldly and carnal things, because the word is understood this way in many places of Scripture; and in this case, John correctly says that if someone wanted to describe all the miracles performed by Christ, then such people, inclined to come to unbelief rather than to faith because of the multitude and greatness of Christ’s works, would not be able to accommodate what was written. And that is why it is the evangelists who often pass in silence a whole crowd of healed people and bypass many miraculous actions, denoting only general fact that many got rid of various diseases, that there were many miracles, etc., but they are not listed; because for people incapable of understanding and deceived, the enumeration of many miracles in parts usually served as a reason for unbelief and reluctance to listen to the sermon, rather than for belief and the disposition to listen.
Jesus began to create and teach.
Understands miracles and teaching, - however, not only this, but also what Jesus taught in practice; because he not only exhorted people in words to do this or that, but did not do it himself, but through the deeds that he himself did, he convinced them to imitate Him and be zealous for virtue. It should be known that Theophilus was one of those converted to faith by Luke himself. And do not be surprised that Luke showed so much concern for one person that he wrote two complete books for him; because he was the custodian of the famous saying of the Lord, which says: “It is not the will of my Father that one of these little ones perish”(Matt. 18:14). Why, writing to Theophilus alone, did he write more than one book, but divided the subjects into two books? For the sake of clarity and in order not to confuse the reader; Yes, they were also divided in content; and therefore he rightly divided the subjects of the narrative into two books.
2. Even to the very day, having commanded the apostles with the Holy Spirit, whom he chose, he ascended.
Having commanded by the Holy Spirit, that is, speaking to them spiritual verbs; there was nothing human here; because he commanded them by the Spirit. Just as the Lord himself, out of humility and adaptability to the listeners, said: “If I have the Spirit of God I will cast out demons”(Matthew 12:28): so here the commandment by the Spirit is said, not because the Son had need of the Spirit, but because where the Son creates, the Spirit also cooperates and is co-present as one in essence. What did he command? “Go and teach all languages, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all the things given to you in the commandments.”(Matt. 28:19-20). Having commanded, they say, he ascended. He did not say: he ascended, but he still talks as about a man. From here we see that Jesus taught his disciples even after his resurrection: but no one accurately conveyed the time of this. John spent more time with Him than others; but no one announced all this clearly; because the disciples were turning their attention elsewhere.
3. Before them, set yourself alive after your suffering, in many true signs, for forty days.
Having spoken first about the ascension, he then speaks about the resurrection. Since you have heard that He ascended; So that you do not think that He was taken by others, Luke added: before them and set yourself alive; because if He appeared before them, performing a greater miracle, then He was much more able to perform a smaller one. Denmy forty, and not forty days; because he was not with them constantly, as before the resurrection, but appeared and departed again, elevating their thoughts and not allowing them to cling to Himself In a similar way, as before. With greater caution and wisdom, He gradually developed two sides in them - faith in His resurrection and the conviction to consider Him higher than man, although one contradicted the other; because from the belief in the resurrection the idea of many aspects of humanity should have arisen, and from the fact that He is higher than man, the opposite. However, both of these were confirmed in due time, namely, over the course of forty days, starting from the day of resurrection and until the day of ascension into heaven; During these days He ate and drank with them, showing by this that He was the one who was crucified and buried and rose from the dead. Why did He not appear to everyone, but only to the apostles? Because to many who did not understand this ineffable mystery, His appearance would seem like a vision. If at first the disciples themselves did not believe and were embarrassed, even needing to be touched by the hand and to share a meal with Him; then how should His appearance strike the crowd? Therefore, He makes the proof of His resurrection undoubted and general through the miracles that the apostles performed by the power of the grace they received; so that the resurrection became an obvious fact not only for them, who had to see it with their own eyes, but also for all people of subsequent times.
Appearing to them and speaking about the kingdom of God: 4. With them, the poisonous one commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from Me.
The Lord Himself called the kingdom in which He promised the disciples to drink a new cup with them, the kingdom of the Father, calling the new drink that which He drank with them after His resurrection; at this time He ate new food with them - he ate it not in the same way as he ate and drank with them before before the resurrection; because then, having become like us in everything except sin, He ate and drank like us, voluntarily leaving the flesh to demand the necessary consumption of food; therefore, he voluntarily allowed himself to be in a state of hunger. After the resurrection, he drank and ate no longer out of necessity, but only so that everyone would believe in the truth of His bodily nature, and also in the fact that He suffered voluntarily and rose again, as befits God. So, new food and new drink he called that unusual food that He ate, and that unusual drink that he drank with the disciples after the resurrection; because it is said: forty days are with them and poisonous, that is, by eating common salt and common food with them. But it’s not for us to explain how this is; because it was something extraordinary, it was not because nature required food, but out of condescension, with the goal of proving the resurrection. And revealing to them secrets, even about the kingdom of God, he commanded them, etc. Why did he command them to do this? Before, when they were afraid and trembling, He brought them out into Galilee, so that they could listen without fear to what He had to say to them; since they were ready to abandon the work to which they were called; Now that they had listened and spent forty days together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem. Why is this? Because no one allows warriors who are about to attack great strength opponents, came out against them before they had time to arm themselves, and just as no one would agree to release the horses before the driver sat down, so the Lord, until the descent of the Holy Spirit, does not allow the apostles to appear in competition, so that the vast majority does not defeat them and take them captive. However, the Lord does not allow them to leave Jerusalem, not only for this reason, but also because many here believed, and thirdly, so that no one would say that, having left their own, they went to seek glory from strangers. Therefore, they spread undoubted evidence of the resurrection among the very people who killed the Lord, who crucified and buried Him, and in the very city where they had the audacity to commit such lawlessness. When did they hear such a command? Then when He told them: “If you have no food, but I am going: if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you.”(John 16:7); and further: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Comforter”(John 14:16). Why did the Comforter not come with Him and not immediately after His departure, but after eight or nine days, that is, at the time when the day of Pentecost arrived? Moreover, how, when the Holy Spirit had not yet descended, He said: "receive the Holy Spirit"(John 20:22)? To this it must be said that He spoke this way with the goal of preparing in them the desire, readiness and ability to receive the Holy Spirit; and they received Him when He came down; - or he spoke about what was about to happen as if it were already existing and present, just as when He spoke about the possibility of stepping on the serpent and the scorpion and on every force of the enemy. However, it should also be said that the gifts of the Spirit are different and diverse: there is the gift of purification and perfection, the gift of sanctification and sanctifying power, the gift of tongues and prophecy, the gift of miracles and interpretation, and many other gifts. So, given the diversity and diversity of the gifts of the Spirit, nothing any longer prevented the apostles from receiving the grace of the Spirit in different ways. But the complete communication of the Spirit, which made the apostles perfect and capable of perfecting others, was at Pentecost, when He descended on them in the form of tongues of fire and completely filled them with His power. The Lord departed, and then the Holy Spirit came, and came at the time of Pentecost, and not immediately, so that they would be imbued with desire and then receive grace. But if the Holy Spirit had come with the Son, and then the Son had departed, but the Spirit remained, then there would not have been so much consolation for them; because they were very reluctant to be separated from their Master. Therefore, He ascends and the Spirit does not come immediately, so that after some despondency, He awakens in the disciples the desire and consciousness of the necessity of the promise given to them, and so that during the descent they experience pure and complete pleasure. However, it was necessary first for our flesh to appear in heaven and complete reconciliation be accomplished, and then the Holy Spirit should descend. Know, then, what necessity the Lord placed upon them to remain in Jerusalem by this promise. So that after the Ascension they do not scatter again, by this expectation, as if by some kind of bonds, He holds them all there and with the promise of more profitable hopes disposes them to the strongest desire for these hopes, even though they are unknown. But no one would be wrong if he said that even then they received some power and grace of the Spirit, not such as to raise the dead, but they received the power to forgive sins. That's why he added: “Whose sins you forgive, their sins will be forgiven” etc. (John 20:23), showing by this what kind of power he bestows upon them. Then He clothed them with this very power; and after forty days he grants them the power to perform miracles; That’s why he says: you will receive strength, etc.
5. For John already baptized with water, but you must be baptized with the Holy Spirit, not many days ago.
Having told them to wait for the promise of the Father, which they heard from the Lord, He added: for John baptized with water, etc., and by this he clearly shows his difference from John and is no longer as secretive as before, when he said: I am in the kingdom heavenly, greater than him is> (Matt. 11:11). Now he clearly says: John baptized with water, but you must be baptized with the Holy Spirit, and shows that even they became greater than John; since they also had to baptize with the Holy Spirit. He did not say: Imam to baptize you with the Holy Spirit, but: imam to be baptized, leaving us everywhere examples of humility; since from the testimony of John it is already known that the Lord was the baptist: “the one you baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire”(Matt. 3:11). How is it said: you should be baptized when there was no water in the upper room? This is said because here the actual baptism of the Spirit is meant, through which the water itself becomes effective, just as it is said about the Lord himself that He was anointed, whereas He was never anointed with oil, but received the Spirit. However, it can be proven that the apostles were baptized not only with the Spirit, but also with water, only in different times. For us, both baptisms are performed at the same time, and then they were performed separately; because the apostles were first baptized by John with water, and then with the Holy Spirit. Why didn’t the Lord announce when the Holy Spirit would come, but only said: not after many days? Not for many of these days - he speaks so that they do not fall into despondency; but did not say specifically when the Holy Spirit would come, so that, while waiting for Him, they would constantly be awake. So, is it surprising that He does not tell them about the final world, when, for the reason we have indicated, He did not want to announce even this near hour? The expression: to be baptized means abundance and, as it were, the richness of the communication of the Holy Spirit, just as someone who is baptized in water, immersing his whole body, sensually feels it, while he who simply receives water is not irrigated entirely, not in all places of his body. So in what is now said there is no contradiction with what is said in the divine gospels; for it is clear that although, after the resurrection of Christ from the dead, it was said to the apostles: receive the Holy Spirit, and they received Him; but it says there that they received the Holy Spirit. Here the expression: to be baptized in the Spirit means the outpouring and richness of grace to guide others, which the Lord granted to them by ascending to the Father. Just as, having faith, they come to Him and say: add faith to us: so here, in addition to the communion of the Spirit that they already had, they received, after the descent of the Holy Spirit on them, the addition of a stronger unity with Him.
6. They then came together to ask Him, saying: Lord, will you establish the kingdom of Israel in this year? 7. He said to them: You cannot understand the times and years that the Father has laid down in His power: 8. But you will receive the power that the Holy Spirit has brought upon you.
Intending to ask, they come to the Teacher together in order to influence Him with their numbers; since they knew that His previous answer was: “nobody knows about those days”(Matt. 24:36), was such an answer not due to ignorance, but due to evasion of the answer. So they ask again. When they heard that they were about to receive the Holy Spirit, then they wanted to know about it and get rid of disasters, already as worthy; because we didn’t want to expose ourselves again extreme dangers. They do not ask: when, but: if in this year you will establish the kingdom of Israel? , They say. They longed for this day so much. It seems to me that it was still unclear to them what this kingdom was; since there was not yet the Holy Spirit to guide them. They don’t ask: when will it come, but: what if you arrange it yourself? They already thought so highly of Him. Therefore, He talks to them without insistence; because he no longer says that no one knows about those days, not even the Son; but what does he say? It is your understanding of the times and summers. Not because he attributed to the Father the knowledge of the fulfillment of times, because he himself did not know, but because the question itself was unnecessary; and therefore He answered it with silence for their benefit. His goal was to suppress the extreme curiosity of his disciples; since He sent them to preach the kingdom of heaven, and not to indicate the number of times. He does not tell them about this time, while he taught them much more - for the purpose, as we have mentioned more than once, to force them to stay awake, and because, not knowing about it, they did not lose anything; since He revealed to them truths much higher than this - revealed that He is the Son of God, that He is equal to the Father, that He has risen, that there will be resurrection of the dead that judgment will come and that He is seated at the right hand of the Father. Tell me, what is more important - to know that He will reign, or when? Pavel learned what was not “a man is old to say”(2 Cor. 12:4); Moses learned the beginning of the world and when and in how many centuries it was created and calculates the years, although it is generally more difficult to know the beginning than the end. However, the apostles asked the Lord not about the final completion of times, but: will you establish the kingdom of Israel in this year? But He did not reveal this to them either, and as He answered before, turning them away from thinking about it, so that they would not think that deliverance from disasters was near, but would know that they would still be exposed to many dangers, so He answers now, only softer: but you will receive strength. . Then, so that they would not ask Him again, He immediately ascended. In addition, so that they do not ask: why do you leave us in bewilderment regarding this subject?, the Son says: what the Father has put in his power. But the power of the Father is, of course, also the power of the Son; because just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so the Son gives life to them as He wills. If, in those cases where something extraordinary and miraculous needs to be accomplished, the Son creates with the same authority as the Father, then even more so in cases where knowledge is required; because to raise the dead and, moreover, with power equal to the power of the Father, is much more important than knowing the day. Why did Christ not answer what the disciples asked, but said: “Will you receive power?” In response, He said to them: “It is not your understanding; and then he added: but you will receive strength. These words explain in some way the descent and, so to speak, outpouring of the Holy Spirit. - Here we should mention the Phrygian heresy, which believed that the Comforter was sent, two hundred years after the Ascension of Christ, to the wives considered to be prophetesses, Priscilla and Maximilla, and to Montanus, infected with the same madness as them; Then, they say, the promise was fulfilled: I will send you the Comforter (John 16:7). - Why does he announce to them what they did not ask, namely: you will receive power? Because He is a teacher; The teacher’s calling is to teach not what the student wants, but what is useful to know.
And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the last of the earth.
Since he said before: “Do not go into the way of the tongue and do not enter the city of the Samaritans” (Matthew 10:5), wanting the word of God to be preached first to the Jews, and now it should spread throughout the entire universe: then he adds in a timely manner: in Judea and Samaria, then: and to the last of the earth. The saying: you will be my witnesses is both an admonition and an immutable prophecy; because they testified to their preaching to the utmost ends of the earth.
9. And this river is taken away by them that see, and the cloud is lifted from their sight. 10. And whenever I look at the sky, I go to Him.
He rose in such a way that they did not see; they saw His ascension; since the vision this time did not resolve everything; they saw the end of the resurrection, but did not see its beginning; saw the beginning of the ascension, but did not see its end. Why? Because it was unnecessary to see the beginning there; since the Risen One Himself was before them and spoke about this, and since the very tomb showed that He was not in it; here it was necessary to know the end; since the entire height is inaccessible to the eyes and vision could not decide whether He ascended to heaven, or, having risen to a certain height, stopped. Therefore, the angels, appearing before them, reveal to them what they could not understand through sight. And the cloud lifted Him up because it is a symbol of the Lord and Divine power; since in the cloud one cannot see the symbol of any other power. This is why David says about the Father: "Cast the clouds for your rising"(Psalm 103:3), and elsewhere: “The Lord sits on a light cloud”(Isa. 19:1), and many other places speak of the same thing. However, the Lord did this not simply and not without purpose; for, knowing that if He ascends invisibly for them, as He descended and, even more so, as He descended, then even when the Spirit appears, they will not believe that this is the same Spirit that He promised to send a few days before, - knowing , that in this case He would prepare in them the suspicion that He Himself did not come from heaven, knowing finally that in this case, if, having ascended invisibly, He then called Paul from heaven, if He also sent from there to Peter the shroud not made with hands (Acts 10:11), then they would not have believed that He was doing this after His departure from them in the flesh - knowing all this, He ascended to those who saw. From the cloud of the Virgin He enters the cloud and, through the cloud, ascends to where he was before. Expression: understand not in the sense of place, and not in the sense that He laid aside His flesh and that His incarnate deity became, as before, incorporeal; no, the expression: “where I was,” - listen to me - indicates the height of incorporeality in corporeality, the greatness of incorporeality in fleshiness, the self-existent value of His voluntary humility in the embodiment of His immutability, the fact that visibly He no longer turns or dwells among people.
And behold, two men stood before them in white clothing, 11. Like and rekosta: men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up to heaven? This Jesus, who ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him going into heaven.
They used a visual way of expression, saying: this Jesus, who ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him going into heaven. He did not say: lifted or carried, but walking. If before the cross He, clothed with a body still subject to suffering and heavy, walked on the waters, then no one should doubt that He, after taking on an incorruptible body, cut through the air. He will come, they say, not: he will be sent. He will also come, that is, with a body. This is what they wanted to hear about, and also that He would come again in the days of judgment on the cloud. He calls angels men, showing the event in the form in which it appeared to the eye; since the angels actually took on the image of men, so as not to frighten them. The two husbands appeared because “When two or three witnesses have spoken, every word will become”(Matt. 18:16). Having said: that you stand with your eyes on heaven, they did not allow them to remain in place any longer and hope to see Him again, but encouraged them to finally return to Jerusalem for the work of preaching. Angels serve Him everywhere as the Lord, both at birth, and at resurrection, and at ascension, and before that, before His appearance in the world in the flesh. But the angels appeared so that people could see them. The expression: in white clothing indicates either the purity of the angels, or the illumination that was granted to the holy apostles. Otherwise, you need to look at the expression: to those who see. Knowing that people with damaged minds will appear who will say that He is not from heaven, or did not come from heaven and did not ascend to heaven, but was transferred to some place beyond the earth, including the followers of the Vitaliy sect, - Knowing this, the Lord ascended before the eyes of the apostles as they gazed at the sky.
12. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is near Jerusalem, having the way of the Sabbath.
Then. When? When they heard what the angels said; because they would never have left the place if the angels had not informed them about the second coming. And I think it happened on Saturday; because Luke would not have indicated the distance in this way: from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, the Sabbath has a way. The length of the journey that the Jews were allowed to travel on the Sabbath day was determined. Josephus, in his twentieth book of antiquities, relates that the Mount of Olives was eight furlongs distant from Jerusalem. And Origen in the fifth book says: . And the holy tabernacle with the ark preceded the camp at such a distance and was located at such a distance from it that the worshipers were allowed to pass on Saturday. This distance is one mile.
13. And when they came down, they went up into the upper room, where they abided, Peter and James, and John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James Alpheus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas Jacob. 14. He endured all these things with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and with His brethren.
Prudently lists students. Since one of them betrayed, the other denied, the third did not believe; this shows that everyone except the traitor was present. But what does he say: with the Matter of Jesus? Although it is said: “And from that hour the disciple gave drink to himself”(John 19:27), but this does not at all contradict the previous one; because if this student himself was here, then nothing prevented her from being present. How does he not mention Joseph here? He doesn’t mention it because Joseph had already died; because if the brothers believed and were present, who had previously often expressed disbelief, then Joseph, who never expressed any doubt, would have been much more faithful and would not have wanted to leave the face of the apostles if he were still alive.
15. And in the days of thy Peter the disciple stood up in the midst, and said: 16. And the names of the people were together, as one hundred and twenty: men and brethren, it was fitting that this scripture should come to an end, which the Holy Spirit spoke by the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who was the leader of them that eat Jesus: 17. As if he were counted with us, and accepted the lot of this service.
In the days of Ty, that is, in the days before Pentecost; Peter stood up as a fiery disciple and one to whom Christ entrusted his flock, and finally as the first. But pay attention: he does everything with the general consent and nothing arbitrarily and autocratically. He convinces even on the basis of a prediction and does not say what David said, but: the Holy Spirit is the mouth of David; then about Judas, who was the leader of those who ate Jesus. Notice here the wisdom of this man - notice how in the story he does not insult and does not say: about Judas despised and most despicable, but simply states what happened; and does not say that the Jews acquired it, but: this village acquired this acquisition, and justly; because in fairness the one who contributed the money should be considered the master, even if others also bought. And the payment was his; Listen:
18. This money-grubber sat down from the bribe of unrighteousness, and fell on his face in the midst, and his whole womb was poured out. 19. And it is wise for all who live in Jerusalem.
He speaks of the punishment that Judas suffered in this life, and not of future punishment; because the souls of weak people do not pay as much attention to the future as to the present. Observe: he spoke not about the sin, but about the punishment for it; because Judas did not die in the noose, but lived even afterwards; as he was captured before he hanged himself. Papias, a disciple of John, talks about this more clearly in the fourth book of the explanation of the words of the Lord; he says this:
As if that village was called by their tongue Akeldama, which is a sheltered village. 20. It is written in the book of psalms: let his court be empty, and let there be no one living in it, and let another receive his bishopric.
The Jews gave this name to the village not for this reason, but because of Judah. Peter cites this fact here, presenting as witnesses the enemies who gave the village such a name. The words: let his court be empty were spoken about this village and about the house of Judah. And the words: let another receive his bishopric indicate the rank of priesthood. Let his yard be empty. What could be more empty than a cemetery and a public cemetery, which is what this village has become?
21. It is fitting, therefore, from the men who came together with us every year, when the Lord Jesus came in and came out into us, 22. Begun from the baptism of John even to the day when he ascended into heaven from us, the witness of His resurrection to be with us alone from these.
Presents the matter as common to them and the brethren, so that it does not meet with objections and does not give rise to competition. Therefore, at the beginning of the conversation he said: “brothers, men should be chosen from among you,” he gives a choice to everyone, and at the same time he gives honor to the chosen ones and he himself is freed from criticism from anyone. And that this was how it should have been, he himself speaks about this and brings the prophet as a witness. Who should be chosen from? From those who came together with us every summer; because it was necessary and had to be. And he didn’t say: from local people who are with us; because then it would seem that he was insulting others. And now the matter was decided by time. The witness of His resurrection to be with us, so that the face of the disciples would not be truncated on any side. He says: to be a witness of the resurrection, and not of anything else; for whoever appears worthy to testify that the Lord who eats and drinks is with us and the crucified Lord has risen, he can and should be much more entrusted with testifying about other events; because what was sought was the resurrection, since it happened in secret, and the rest was done openly.
23. And he set up two, Joseph, who was called Barsabbas, who was called Justus, and Matthias. 24. And having prayed, he decided: You, Lord, knower the hearts of all, show why you have chosen from this two one, 25. Accept the lot of this ministry and apostleship, from where Judas fell, go to your place. 26. And the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was numbered among the ten apostles.
And I'll put two. Why not many? So that there is no more disorder; Moreover, the matter concerned only a few. In good time they call upon the Knower of the Heart in prayer. They do not further say: choose, but: show him whom you have chosen, knowing that God has determined everything before the thoughts of man. Everywhere he calls election a lot, showing by this that everything happens according to God’s love for mankind and according to God’s election, and reminding them of ancient events; because God chose both the Levites and them by lot. What kind of men were they? Perhaps they were from among the seventy who were with the twelve apostles, and from other believers, but they believed more fervently and were more pious than the rest. Such were Joseph and Matthias. He calls Joseph both Barsavo and Just, perhaps because they called one person by these names; but, perhaps, as a result of a change in lifestyle, a new name was given; finally, the nickname may have been assigned to a way of doing things. Why doesn’t James, who accepted the bishopric in Jerusalem, begin the word, but cedes the right to speak to the people to Peter? Because he was imbued with humility; Then they did not think about anything human, but had in mind the common good. For the same reason, the apostles yield the pulpit to him, and do not compete with him or argue with him. Go to your place. The place that Matthias had to occupy worthily, Luke calls his own, or his own; because just as Judas, even before he fell from him, from the time he fell ill with the disease of love of money and betrayal, was already alienated from this place, so exactly even before Matthias took this place, from the time he made himself worthy such a gift, it became his property. Why do they prefer election by lot? Because they did not yet consider themselves worthy to learn about this through any sign; and the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon them; and there was no need for a sign; because the lot was of great importance. If neither prayer nor the wisdom of men helped in determining the correct opinion regarding Jonah, but on the contrary, the lot meant so much, then even more so in this case. And in other words: to his own place: each one prepares for himself either a good or a bad place by his deeds. So when Luke says this, he says that Judas went to his evil place, which he had arranged for himself by betraying Jesus; because places are not good or bad for us by nature, but by our deeds we make a place for ourselves. So I’m still afraid of Jewish women "God, make for yourself dwellings"(Ex. 1:21); and the wicked hear this: “walk by the light of your fire, and by the flame that you kindled”(Isa. 50:11). The word: place has many meanings. It means, by the way, some kind of position; so we say: the place of a bishop, or presbyter. One can see the same thing from the opposite, depending on how everyone prepares his own place by his actions: thus one can have the place of a false teacher and a false apostle, as well as a tyrant and the perpetrator of other criminal deeds. So, since Judas, carried away by the passion for the love of money, took the place of a traitor; then it is rightly said about him: go to his place. Having lost his place among the apostles for his actions, he made his own place.
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