Category: Christianity

By prof. A.P. Lopukhin

Chapter 2, Acts of the Apostles. 1 – 4. The first Christian Pentecost and the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles. 5 – 13. The astonishment of the people. 14 – 36. Speech of the Apostle Peter. 37 – 45. The impact of the first sermon. 43 – 47. The internal situation of the first Christian community in Jerusalem.

Acts. 2:1. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one mind.

“When the day of Pentecost came.” It pleased the Lord – like the Passover – that the first Christian Pentecost coincided with the day of the Jewish Pentecost, which meant nothing more than the cancellation and better replacement of the two Jewish festivals.

Blessed Theophylact spoke about this event as follows: “on the day the Law was given, on the same day it was necessary to give the grace of the Spirit, because as the Savior, who had to bear the holy suffering, was pleased to give Himself in no other time, and then, when the [Passover] lamb was slain, to connect the truth with the very image, so the descent of the Holy Spirit according to the good will from on high, was granted at no other time, but at that in which the Law was given, to show that even then the Holy Spirit legislated, and he legislates now. As on the day of Pentecost the sheaves of the new fruit were gathered together, and different people flocked together under one heaven (into Jerusalem): so on the same day this also had to happen, that the beginnings of every nation of the nations living under heaven should be gathered into one sheaf of piety and by the word of the apostles to be brought to God”…

“All of one mind were together” – ἦσαν ἅπαντες ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό. Who all and where? The Slavic translation adds “apostles”, the Russian – “them”. By “all” is meant not only the apostles, but all believers in Christ who were then in Jerusalem (Acts 1:16, cf. Acts 2:14), who came again to the feast of the Jewish Pentecost.

From the next verse (2) it is clear that the meeting of these believers in Christ took place in the house, probably the same one in which the previous meeting took place (Acts 1:13). It is hardly possible to suppose that the home was particularly crowded, for that is to suppose that a house of immense dimensions was at the disposal of the apostles.

Acts. 2:2. And suddenly there was a noise from heaven as of a mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

“A noise… as if a strong wind was coming.” Therefore, the wind itself was not there, only a noise similar to a wind (cf. St. John Chrysostom and blessed Theophylact), which came down from above, from heaven to the place where the apostles were gathered – this noise was so loud that it attracted everyone’s attention (verse 6).

“Filled the whole house,” i. focus on this house.

“where they were,” more precisely “where they sat” (οὗ ἦσαν καθήμενοι·), abiding in prayer and pious conversation, waiting for the promise to be fulfilled.

Acts. 2:3. And tongues appeared to them, as if of fire, which parted, and rested one on each of them.

“Tongues as of fire.” As noise was without wind, so tongues were without fire, only resembling fire. “He beautifully says: as if fiery, as if wind, so that you do not think something sensual about the Spirit (Theophilus, St. John Chrysostom).

The noise was a confirmation sign for the hearing that the Holy Spirit had descended, and the tongues for the sight. Both the one and the other exalted the apostles and prepared them for the greatness of the event and its impact on the soul, which was actually the main object of the miracle of the promised baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

“Languages that separated” – διαμεριζόμεναι γλῶσσαι – more precisely: “divided languages”. The impression of the moment of the descent of the Holy Spirit was evidently that from some invisible but near source there suddenly arose a noise which filled the house, and suddenly tongues of fire began to issue forth, which were divided among all present—so that it was felt the same common source of them all.

The noise from heaven was also a sign of the mightiness of the power of the Holy Spirit given to the apostles (“power from on high”, cf. Luke 24:49), and the tongues – the fervor of preaching, which was to serve as the only weapon for the subjugation of the world at the foot of Christ’s cross. At the same time, the tongues were an accurate indication of the change that took place in the souls of the apostles, expressed in the unexpected ability they felt to speak in other languages.

Acts. 2:4. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

“they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” Saint Gregory the Theologian (IV, 16) says: “The Holy Spirit worked first in the angelic and heavenly forces…, then in the fathers and prophets… and finally worked in Christ’s disciples, and in them three times – according to the measure of their receptivity and in three different times: before Christ’s glorification through suffering, after His glorification through Resurrection and after His ascension to heaven (Acts 3:21). As the first shows – the cleansing from diseases and spirits, which happened, of course, not without the Spirit; also after the completion of the house-building, the breathing of Christ, which was evidently a Divine inspiration, and finally [His action was manifested in] the present division of the tongues of fire… But the first was not clear, the second was more manifest, and the present was perfect: for no longer by action, as before, but essentially by presence, – as someone would say – “the Spirit coexists and coexists.”

“as the Spirit gave them utterance.” Explaining this, St. Cyril of Jerusalem says: “Peter and Andrew, the Galileans, spoke in Persian and Median, John and the other apostles spoke in all languages ​​with those who came from among the Gentiles. The Holy Spirit taught them many languages ​​at the same time, which those taught by Him did not know at all. This is divine power! What comparison can there be between their long ignorance and this comprehensive, manifold, unusual, sudden power of speaking in all languages.’

Saint Theophylact taught thus: “Why did the apostles receive the gift of tongues before the other gifts? For they were to be scattered abroad; and as at the time of the building of the pillar the one language was divided into many languages, so now the many languages ​​were united in one man, and the same man, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, began to speak in Persian, and in Roman, and in Indian , and in many other languages. This gift was called the “gift of tongues” because the apostles could speak in many languages.

Saint Irenaeus (died in 202) says of many Christians living in his time who have “prophetic gifts, speak in tongues (παντοδαπαῖς γλώσσαις), discover the secrets of the human heart for edification, and explain the mysteries of God” (Against Heresies , V, 6).

In the Conversations on the Lives of the Italian Fathers, written by St. Gregory the Two-Syllabic, mention is made of a young man, Armentarius, who spoke in foreign languages without having learned them. Traces from antiquity of how the gift of tongues was understood in its own sense can also be seen in the fact that Philostratus, describing the life of Apollonius of Tyana, whom he wanted to contrast with Jesus Christ, notes about him that he knew no only all human languages, but also the language of animals. In church history there are also later examples of miraculous understanding of foreign languages, for example with Ephraim the Syrian.

Acts. 2:5. And in Jerusalem there were Jews, pious men, from every nation under heaven.

In addition to the fact that there were quite a few Jewish immigrants living in Jerusalem “from every nation under heaven”, and on the occasion of the great feast of Pentecost, many temporary worshipers from different countries gathered there, who became involuntary witnesses and confirmers of the miracle that happened over the apostles, when they all heard them speak in the languages ​​of their countries.

Acts. 2:6. When this noise was made, many people gathered together and were amazed, because everyone was listening to them speak in his language.

“Everybody listened to them talk.” St. Gregory the Theologian taught: “Stop here and consider how to divide speech, for in speech there is reciprocity removed by punctuation. Did they hear, each in his own way, that – so to speak – the speech proceeded from one, and many speeches were heard because of such a commotion in the air, or, I will say more clearly, from one voice proceeded many? Or else the word “listened” “to speak in his speech” should be referred to the following, in order to understand the meaning of the spoken speeches, which were their own for the listeners, and this means – foreign language speeches. With the latter I agree more, because the former would be a miracle, which would refer more to the hearers than to the speakers, who were reproached for being drunk, from which it is evident that they themselves, by the operation of the Spirit, worked miracles by uttering voices” .

Acts. 2:7. And they all marveled and wailed, saying among themselves: Are not all these who speak Galileans?

“Are they not all Galileans?” that is, firstly, from the well-known part of Palestine where they speak this idiom, and, secondly, from that particular part that was not famous for enlightenment. The one and the other, with which they connected the Galileans, intensified the greatness of the miracle and the astonishment of its witnesses.

Acts. 2:9: We Parthians and Medes, Elamites and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, of Pontus and Asia,

“Parthians and Medes, Elamites,” i.e. Jews who came for the holiday from Parthia, Media and Elam – provinces of the former powerful Assyrian and Medo-Persian kingdoms. These countries were located between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf. At first, the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Israel were resettled there after its destruction by the Assyrians around 700 BC, and then the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Judah, after its destruction by the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar around 600 BC. Many of them returned to Palestine in the time of Cyrus, but most remained in the countries of settlement, unwilling to part with their profitable occupations.

“inhabitants of Mesopotamia” – a vast plain along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Here was the main area of ​​the Assyro-Babylonian and Persian kingdoms, and here there were numerous Jews resettled by Nebuchadnezzar.

“Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia” – all are Asia Minor provinces that were part of the then Roman Empire. Asia in particular, according to the Roman enumeration of the provinces, was called the whole western coast of Asia Minor, where were the provinces of Mysia, Caria, and Lydia; its capital was Ephesus.

Acts. 2:10. of Phrygia and Pamphylia, of Egypt and the Libyan countries adjacent to Kyrenia, and those who came from Rome, both Jews and proselytes *,

“The Libyan Countries Adjacent to Kyrenia”. Libya is a region to the west of Egypt, which was a huge steppe, inhabited only in its northern part along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, where the main city of the region, Cyrene, was located. This coast is here called the “Libyan countries,” belonging to Kyrenia or Cyrene. As here, Jews were numerous in Egypt in general. They even had a special temple. The translation of their sacred books into the then generally accepted Greek language was also done here for them. In Cyrene a full quarter of the population were Jews.

“those who came from Rome” – arrived for the feast of Pentecost from Rome, or in general from the cities of the Roman west, where the Jews were also scattered everywhere. In Rome itself there was a whole Jewish quarter.

“Jews, so proselytes” – i.e. Jews by birth, as well as Gentiles who accepted the Jewish faith, of which there were also many everywhere in the listed localities.

Acts. 2:11. Cretans and Arabs, – how do we listen to them speak in our languages ​​about the great works of God?

“Cretans” – inhabitants of the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea, speaking a slightly different dialect from the Greek language.

“Arabs” – inhabitants of Arabia, to the southeast of Palestine, whose language, Arabic, had some similarities and a significant difference from the Hebrew language.

“we hear them speak in our tongues” – a clear indication that the apostles did indeed speak in different languages ​​and dialects.

“to speak in our tongues of the great works of God” – τὰ μεγαλεῖα τοῦ Θεοῦ, i.e. for everything great that God has revealed and is revealing in the world, especially with the coming of the Son of God into the world. But the greatness of such a subject of speech, and the speech itself, should have been of a lofty and solemn character, of inspired glorification and thanksgiving to God.

Acts. 2:14. Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice and began to speak to them: Jewish men and all you who live in Jerusalem! Let this be known to you, and heed my words:

“Peter rose up with the eleven.” As before, at the council for the selection of the twelfth apostle, “Peter served as the mouthpiece of all, and the other eleven were present, confirming his words with testimony” (St. John Chrysostom).

Acts. 2:15. they are not drunk, as you think, for it is three o’clock in the day;

As proof that they were not drunk, the apostle points out that it is now “the third hour of the day.” This hour, which corresponds to our 9th hour, was the first of the three daily hours for daily prayer (3, 6, 9), coinciding with the offering of the morning sacrifice in the temple. And according to the custom of the Jews, no one tasted food before this hour, even more so on such a great holiday as Pentecost.

Acts. 2:16 a.m. but this is what was said through the prophet Joel:

Deyan. 2:17. “and behold, in the last days, says God, I will pour out of My Spirit upon all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;

“the saying of Joel the prophet,” therefore 700 years before (Joel 2:28-32). The prophecy of Joel itself is brought by the writer in a slightly modified form from the original and the text of the Septuagint, as the Lord Himself and the apostles often do. Thus, instead of the original indefinite expression “after that” in the apostle Peter, we see a more definite expression – “in the last days”. This excludes any relation of the prophecy to a closer Old Testament time, and its fulfillment refers to the New Testament time, since, according to the biblical view, the entire period of the New Testament kingdom of God is presented as the last age of the house-building of human salvation, after which it will followed by a general judgment and the Kingdom of glory. At the same time, under the expression “in the last days,” the prophecies usually indicate not only events that must occur at the end of the Old Testament time and the beginning of the New Testament, but also those that will occur throughout the entire New Testament time, until his end (cf. Is. 2:2; Mic. 6, etc.).

“I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.” In the sense of this expression, the Spirit of God is presented as the fullness of all gifts, from which one or another gift is poured out to one or another believer.

“pouring out” – giving in abundance, similar to the pouring out of rain or water.

“on all flesh” – on all people, on all humanity redeemed by Christ, who will enter the new Christ’s Kingdom, throughout the time of its spread on earth, on all peoples, without distinction of Jews and Gentiles. To begin the fulfillment of this prophecy, the holy apostle points to the present moment, filled with such wonderful signs.

“they shall prophesy…they shall see visions…they shall dream dreams,” etc. As the gifts of the Holy Spirit are incalculably varied, only some of the most familiar ones in the Old Testament are given separately: “prophecy” as a general action of those who received the Holy Spirit, “visions” (in the waking state) and “dreams” as the two main modes of Divine revelation to the prophets (Num. 12:6).

“sons… daughters… youths… old men” is an indication that the Holy Spirit is poured out on all, regardless of gender or age; although the actions of the Holy Spirit are distributed in such a way that to sons and daughters he gives prophecy, to youths – visions, to old men – dreams; but this dispensation, made for the strengthening and beauty of speech, has the meaning that the Holy Spirit pours out His gifts upon all without distinction.

Deyan. 2:18. and in those days I will pour out My Spirit on My servants and My maidservants, and they will prophesy.

“and on My slaves and My slave-girls”. With the prophet in this place we find an important peculiarity of speech arising from the absence of the added pronoun “My.” He says simply, “upon the male slaves and upon the female slaves.” With the latter expression the prophet expresses more categorically the idea of ​​the superiority of the New Testament outpourings of the Holy Spirit over the Old Testament: in the whole Old Testament there is not a single case of a slave or a slave who possessed the gift of prophecy; but in the New Testament, according to the prophet, this difference in condition will disappear under the influence of the Holy Spirit, who will give the gift of prophecy. The Spirit will be given to all without distinction not only of sex and age, but also of human conditions, because in Christ’s kingdom all will be equal before the Lord and all will be servants of the Lord.

Deyan. 2:19. And I will show wonders in the heavens above and omens on the earth below, blood and fire, smoke and smoke.

“I will show miracles.” The prediction of the abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Messiah’s Kingdom is also connected with the prediction of the last judgment on the wicked world and the salvation of those who worship the true God. As harbingers of this judgment, special signs in heaven and earth are pointed out. Signs on earth will be “blood and fire, smoke and smoke”, which are the symbols of bloodshed, turmoil, wars, devastation… Signs in heaven are the eclipse of the sun and the bloody appearance of the moon. In the figurative language of the sacred writers, these phenomena generally mean great calamities in the world and the coming of God’s judgment upon it.

Deyan. 2:20. The sun will turn into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

“Lord’s Day” – i.e. the day of the Messiah; according to the New Testament usage of the word, it is the day of judgment of the Messiah upon the world, the day of judgment.

“the great and glorious” – great is called because of the greatness and decisive importance of the judgment for mankind; and glorious (επιφανῆ) is called because the Lord will come “in His glory.”

Deyan. 2:21. And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Terrible for the unbelievers and the wicked will be the last judgment, but saving for everyone “who calls on the name of the Lord”, but not just to call on Him, because Christ teaches that not everyone who says to Me: “Lord! God! He will enter the kingdom of heaven’, but he who calls with diligence, with a good life, with appropriate boldness’. (Saint John Chrysostom). From this it is clear that what is meant here are true believers in the Lord – ie. the righteous.

Applying this prophecy to the event of the day of Pentecost, the apostle evidently does not say that it was entirely fulfilled on that day, but only indicates the beginning of its fulfillment, which must continue for a long time, the duration of which is known only to God, until the end of everything.

Deyan. 2:22. Men of Israel! Hear these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a Man testified before you by God with powers, miracles and signs, which God did through him among you, as you yourselves know,

Saint John Chrysostom says that, starting to preach about Jesus, the apostle “does not say anything lofty, but begins his speech extremely humbly…, with wise caution, so as not to bore the ears of unbelievers.”

“witnessed before you by God,” i.e. for His messianic dignity and messengership.

“signs which God did through Him among you.” According to the interpretation of St. John Chrysostom, the apostle “does not say: He Himself did it, but God through Him, to draw them through modesty.”

“among you” – the inhabitants of Jerusalem are meant, and then all those present, not only those who could have had any contact with Jesus Christ during His activity in Galilee and Judea, but also the representatives of the people as a whole , responsible for a case of such important general human importance. In this sense, we also talk about “traditions”, i.e. of Judas, whom “you seized, and having bound with the hands of lawless men,” i. with the help of the pagan authorities and those who crucified Christ, “You killed Him” ​​(verse 23).

Deyan. 2:23. Him, delivered up by God’s determined will and foreknowledge, you seized and, having chained with the hands of lawless men, killed Him;

To clarify the seemingly strange circumstance that a man so witnessed by God (Jesus) could be crucified by the hands of lawless men, the apostle adds that this happened “according to the determined will and providence of God” (cf. Rom. 8:29; Heb. 10:5 – 7), or, as the blessed Theophylact explains, “they did not by their own power, because He himself had consented to it.”

Deyan. 2:24. but God raised Him up, freeing Him from the birth pangs of death, because it could not hold Him.

“God raised Him” ​​- according to the interpretation of blessed Theophylact, “if it is said that the Father raised Him, it is because of the weakness of the hearers; for through whom does the Father work? By His power, and the Father’s power is Christ. And so He Himself raised Himself, although it is said that the Father raised Him”… (cf. John 5:26, 10:18).

“by freeing from the bonds of death” – in Greek: ἀνέστησε λύσας τὰς ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανατου, it is more precisely translated into Slavic: “resolved болезни сомерния”. According to the interpretation of blessed Theophylact, “death was tormented (as if by birth) and terribly suffered when it detained Him. The woman in labor does not retain what is within her, and does not act, but suffers and hastens to release herself. The apostle beautifully called the resurrection a release from the pains of death, so it can be said: tearing apart the pregnant and suffering womb, the Savior Christ appears and comes out as if from some birthing womb. That is why he is called the firstborn from the dead.”

Deyan. 2:25. For David says of Him: “I always saw the Lord before me, for He is at my right hand, that I should not be moved.”

The apostle confirms the truth of Christ’s resurrection through the prophecy of King David, especially authoritative in Judea, in a remarkable passage from his 15th Psalm (Ps. 15:8-11). Having set forth this place fully and accurately according to the translation of the Septuagint (verses 25-28), the apostle immediately proceeds to interpret it himself (verses 29-31), making manifest the evident gift of the Holy Spirit in himself to interpret the Scriptures Applied to David, this passage from his psalm expresses his joyful confidence in the constant help and goodness of God, extending even beyond the grave (immortality). But if, applied to David, all this was fulfilled only in part, then applied to the Savior (the expression of the apostle is indicative: “David spoke of Him”, i.e. of Christ), it was fulfilled literally exactly and completely, as St. Peter points out.

Source in Russian: Explanatory Bible, or Commentaries on all the books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments: In 7 volumes / Ed. prof. A.P. Lopukhin. – Ed. 4th. – Moscow: Dar, 2009, 1232 pp.

(to be continued)

By prof. A.P. Lopukhin

Acts of the Apostles, chapter 3. 1 – 11. Saint Peter heals a crippled man from birth. 12 – 26. Speech on this occasion to the people.

Acts. 3:1. Peter and John ascended together into the temple at the ninth hour of prayer.

“At the ninth hour of prayer” – ἐπὶ τὴν ὥραν τῆς προσευχῆς τὴν ἐνάτην; the Slavic translation is not exact: “at prayer at nine o’clock”. The Greek text and the Russian translation suggest, by the form of their expression, other hours for prayer besides the ninth: these other hours are the third and the sixth (according to our reckoning at 9 o’clock and at 12 o’clock). At the same time, the Slavic translation is such that the coincidence of the time of the apostles’ prayer with the ninth hour (according to ours at 3 o’clock in the afternoon) can be allowed. Traces of the three times daily prayer are found in Jewish history very early: even David in one of the psalms speaks of prayer in the evening, in the morning and at noon (Ps. 54:18). Prophet Daniel during the Babylonian captivity knelt three times daily for prayer (Dan. 6:10). In the temple, the morning and evening hours (3rd and 9th) were sanctified by the specially appointed morning and evening sacrifices, and it was at one of these prayer times that the apostles went to offer their prayers to God in the temple hours established by Him religious services, which have not lost their meaning for them until this moment.

Acts. 3:2. There was a man lame from his mother’s womb, whom they brought and placed every day at the temple gates, called Red, to beg alms from those entering the temple;

” crippled from mother’s womb” – Acts.4:22 – he was already more than forty years old.

For the “Red Doors” of the temple (θύραν τοῦ ἱεροῦ τὴν λεγομένην ὡραίαν), lit. – “at the temple gate called beautiful”. Probably this door was so called because of its beauty. She is not mentioned elsewhere. These were probably the main eastern doors (in Solomon’s portico) leading to the court of the Gentiles, which Josephus describes as the most beautiful, surpassing in beauty all the other doors of the temple (Jewish War 5:5,3).

Acts. 3:4. And Peter looked at him together with Joanna and said: look at us!

Acts. 3:5. And he stared at them, hoping to get something from them.

The performance of the miracle over the crippled was preceded by a careful looking at each other of the apostles and the sick man. It was like a mutual preparation for the miracle. In the case of crippled, it was a means of attracting his attention and spiritual receptivity to the miraculous healing.

Acts. 3:6. But Peter said: silver and gold I have not, but what I have, this I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!

“what I have I give you.” Even before the miracle was performed, the apostle had complete confidence in its performance. This assurance rests, no doubt, on the Lord’s promises to the apostles (Mark 16:18; Luke 9:1, John 14:12, etc.), as well as on the sensation of the unusual power of the Holy Spirit in him, which the Apostle describes with the words: “what I have, that’s what I give”.

“In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk.” Not by his own power, but by the udder of the Lord Jesus Christ, Peter performs this miracle.

Acts. 3:7. And taking him by the right hand, he raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles became stiff,

“taking him by the right hand, raised him up.” To the word, the apostle adds external action, as the Lord Himself once did.

Acts. 3:8. and leaping up, he stood up and passed, and entered with them into the temple, walking and leaping and praising God.

“as he walked, he leapt” is an expression of the ecstatic and joyful mood of the soul of the healed person.

Acts. 3:9. And all the people saw him walking and praising God;

“And a whole people,” i.e. the people gathered and gathering in the temple court see him no longer as a cripple, but as healthy and cheerful.

Acts. 3:11 a.m. And because the cured chrome did not separate from Peter and John, the whole people flocked to them in terror in the porch called Solomon’s.

“the portico called Solomon’s” is a vast, covered gallery through which the beautiful gates led into the temple. Here a people gathered, after the news of the miracle had spread with lightning speed, the best proof of which was the well-known former crippled man, who now ecstatically glorified God without separating from the apostles.

Acts. 3:12. When Peter saw this, he said to the people: Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why have you looked at us, as if by our power or piety we made him walk?

In response to the bewilderment and astonishment of the people, Peter again delivered a speech similar to the first (on the day of Pentecost), proving to the assembled people, based on the testimonies of the Old Testament, that the Lord Jesus is the awaited Messiah, and persuading them to repent and to believe in Him. But before that, he dispels people’s misunderstanding of the reasons for the miracle. The amazed eyes of the people, fixed on the apostles, seemed to ask: What power do these people have in themselves who perform such great miracles? Or: How great must be the piety of these people that God glorifies them with such wonderful signs…? The apostle immediately refutes both explanations: “this, he says, does not belong to us, because we have not attracted God’s grace according to our own merits…” (Saint John Chrysostom).

Acts. 3:13. The God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Son Jesus, whom you betrayed and denied before Pilate, when he had decided to let Him go.

“God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” emphasizes the great guilt of the Jews towards His beloved Son – the Messiah Jesus. At the same time, it indicates the real culprit for the performed miracle, and also the purpose of the miracle – to glorify Jesus (cf. John 17:1, 4 – 5, 13:31 – 32).

“His Son”, τόν παῖδα αυτοῦ; letters Child, Child. This name of the Messiah taken from the prophecies of Isaiah (Is. 42:1), where it is said: “Behold, My Son, Whom I hold by the hand, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights.” I will put my Spirit on him, and he will pronounce judgment on the nations.”

“Whom ye betrayed and Whom ye denied,” cf. the interpretation of John 19:14 – 15; Luke 23:2. The abbreviated exposition of the circumstances of the Savior’s sufferings is in full accordance with the Gospel account and constitutes, so to speak, precious extracts from the “fifth” Gospel “from Peter.”

St. John Chrysostom says on this occasion: “Two accusations [are against you] – and that Pilate asked to let Him go, and that when he asked, you did not want… It is as if [Peter] said: instead of Him you asked for the robber . He presented their act in the most terrible way… You, says the apostle, asked for the release of the one who killed others, but the One who revives the slain, you did not ask.

Acts. 3:15. and the Prince of life you killed. God raised him from the dead, of which we are witnesses.

“You killed the chief of life” is an unusually strong expression, contrasting two such sharp contrasts. The term “life” here takes on a full and most perfect meaning, signifying not only the higher spiritual life and eternal salvation obtained through faith in Christ, but also all life in general, of which Christ is the main source, head, and restorer.

“God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” See the interpretation to Deyan. 2:24-32.

Acts. 3:16 a.m. And because of faith in His name, His name strengthened him whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Him gave him this healing before all of you.

“because of faith in His name.” Whose faith is the apostle referring to? It’s not clear. The faith of the apostles or the faith of the sick? In any case, however, the reason for the miracle is the power of faith – the faith, we must say, of both the apostles and the healed man – namely, faith in the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ.

“the faith that is from Him” – faith as a gift of Christ through the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:9).

“before all of you.” Although the healing itself took place in the presence of perhaps a few, yet this miracle might be said to have been performed “before all,” for all these people now saw the healed man walking and leaping—instead of seeing him, as usual, to lie helpless at the temple gate.

Acts. 3:17. But I know, brethren, that you, as well as your superiors, did this in ignorance;

Having laid before the eyes of the Jews the gravity of their guilt against God the Father and the Lord Jesus, and with the intention of predisposing their hearts to repentance and conversion to Christ, the apostle softens his speech by addressing his hearers with the friendly address of “brethren” and explains the killing of Jesus by their ignorance (cf. Luke 23:34; 1 Cor. 2:8), while at the same time presenting this killing as a deed which was predetermined in the eternal counsel of God and foretold by all the prophets.

In this way, according to St. John Chrysostom, the apostle “gives them an opportunity to deny and repent of what they have done, and even presents them with a good justification, saying: that you killed an Innocent, you knew that; but that you killed the Prince of life—that you did not know. And in this way, it justifies not only them, but also the main culprits of the crime. And if he would turn his speech into an accusation, he would make them more obstinate.”

Acts. 3:18. and God, as He had foretold by the mouth of all His prophets that Christ would suffer, so He fulfilled.

“God… foretold by the mouth of all His prophets.” Although not all the prophets had prophesied of the sufferings of Christ, yet the apostle spoke of them in this way, evidently because the chief center of Jewish prophecy was Christ, that is, the Messiah, and therefore all His work, for which He was to came to earth.

“so he fulfilled”. The Jews handed Christ over to suffering and death, but in this case, although they remained responsible for what was done, they were instruments for the fulfillment of God’s will and the will of the Messiah Himself, as He said more than once (John 10:18, 2:19, 14 :31, 19:10-11).

Acts. 3:19. Therefore repent and turn, that your sins may be blotted out,

“turn around”, i.e. to Christ, believe in Him that He is the Messiah.

Acts. 3:20. that there may be times of cooling from the face of the Lord, and that He may send you the prophecies of Jesus Christ,

“cooling off times”, i.e. that favorable time, about which the Lord announced the good news in the synagogue in Nazareth – the kingdom of the Messiah, the kingdom of grace with his justice, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. As the time of the Old Testament is here supposed to be a life alienated from God, a life filled with all kinds of troubles, sufferings, struggles; so also the time of the New Testament is here regarded as a true rest and repose of the soul in peace with God and in close communion with Him, capable of erasing and healing all bitterness of suffering.

“from the face of the Lord” – judging from what was said further, here God the Father is understood.

“He shall send” – this refers to the Second glorious coming of the Lord Jesus at the end of the world, the meaning of the expression being the same as above “God raised Him up” etc.

Acts. 3:21. Whom heaven was to receive until that time, until all that God had spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets of old was restored.

“Whom heaven had to receive” – an indication of the residence of the Lord Jesus with glorified flesh in heaven from the day of the Ascension.

“Until that time until all things are restored” – ἄχρι χρόνον ἀποκαταστάσεως πάντων. Probably the same thing is meant here, which the Apostle Paul foretells, speaking of the conversion of all Jews to Christ (Rom. 11:26).

“Through the mouth of all His holy prophets” – cf. above the interpretation of verse 18. The general meaning of this text, according to the interpretation of the blessed Theophylact, is the same. Namely, that “many of the things foretold by the prophets have not yet been fulfilled, but are being fulfilled [now] and will be fulfilled until the end of the world, because Christ, who ascended into heaven, will remain there until the end of the world and will come with power when all that the prophets have foretold will be finally fulfilled”.

Acts. 3:22. Moses had said to the fathers: The Lord your God will raise up for you from among your brothers a Prophet like me: listen to him in everything he tells you;

After mentioning the predictions of the prophets about Christ, the apostle quotes as one of the clearest and most authoritative predictions – the words of Moses (Deut. 18:15ff.). In these words, Moses, warning God’s people about the lying soothsayers and soothsayers of the Canaanites, promises in the name of God that they will always have true prophets to whom they must listen without question after Moses. Therefore, it is a matter of referring to the entire multitude of Jewish prophets under the general collective name “prophet” who were raised up by God. But since the end and fulfillment of every Old Testament prophecy is Christ, all antiquity – both Jewish and Christian – rightly refers this prophecy to Christ – especially since among all the Old Testament prophets there was no one like Moses (Deut. 34: 10 – 12). Only Christ excels Moses (Heb. 3:3-6).

“A prophet like me,” προφήτην ὑμῖν, i.e. the same – a special, extraordinary mediator between God and the people, as Moses was. This especially points to the legislative activity of Jesus Christ, in which He, unlike all other prophets, resembled and surpassed Moses.

Acts. 3:23. and every soul that will not obey that Prophet shall be cut off from among the people.

“will be cut off from among the people” – ἐξολοθρευθήσεται ἐκ τοῦ λαοῦ. In the Old Testament original: “from him I will demand tribute”. The apostle replaces this expression with another stronger and often used in other places by Moses, meaning condemnation of extermination or capital punishment: in the given case is meant eternal death and deprivation of participation in the kingdom of the Promised Messiah (cf. John 3:18 ).

Acts. 3:24. And all the prophets from Samuel and after him, as many as have spoken, likewise foretold these days.

“all the prophets . . . foretold these days,” i.e. the days of the appearance of the Great Prophet – Messiah (cf. verses 18 and 21).

“from Samuel,” who is here taken to be the greatest prophet after Moses, with whom begins the continuous line of Old Testament Hebrew prophets, ending with the end of the Babylonian captivity.

Acts. 3:25. Ye are the sons of the prophets, and of the covenant, which God bequeathed to your fathers, speaking to Abraham: and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.

Blessed Theophylact’s interpretation is as follows: “The apostle says, ‘sons of the prophets,’ instead of saying: you must not despair, nor think that you have lost the promises.” “Ye are the sons of the prophets,” for to you they have spoken, and because of you all these things have come to pass. And what does “sons of the Covenant” mean? This is instead of “heirs”, but heirs not only imputed, but such as the sons are. And so, if you yourselves will, then you are heirs.’

“God had bequeathed to your fathers, speaking to Abraham.” The covenant with Abraham is a covenant with all the fathers of the Jewish people, having Abraham as their forefather, and therefore with the entire Jewish people. But this is not exclusive: God’s blessing is not only promised to them, but to all the tribes of the earth – first only to the Jews, according to the special covenant with them concluded through Moses.

“In your seed they shall be blessed” – a promise given to Abraham, which God repeatedly repeats (Gen. 12:3, 18:18, 22:18). By the “seed” of Abraham here is meant not the seed of Abraham at all, but only one particular Person of that seed, namely the Messiah. This is how not only Peter, but also the apostle Paul interprets this promise (Gal. 3:16).

Acts. 3:26. God, having resurrected His Son Jesus, first of all sent Him to you to bless you, so that each of you may turn from your evils.

By the fact that God sent the blessed descendant of Abraham “first” to the Jews, the apostle tries to show not only their superiority over all other nations, but also the strongest incentive and, as it were, the obligation to receive the promised blessing before all others – by turning to Christ and believing in Him.

“by raising up His Son”, – cf. above the interpretations to Acts. 2:24, 3:13.

“send to bless you,” i. to fulfill upon you the promise given to Abraham, to make you blessed partakers of all the benefits of the Messiah’s kingdom, to grant you salvation and eternal life. “Therefore, do not consider yourselves cast off and cast off.” – concludes Saint John Chrysostom.

“to turn from one’s evils” is an important condition for receiving God’s promised blessing in the Kingdom of the Messiah, in which nothing impure and unrighteous will enter.

In the judgment about the primacy of Israel in receiving the benefits of the Kingdom of the Messiah, the apostle again repeats the thought of the general, universal character of this Kingdom, which will spread over all the peoples of the earth.

Source in Russian: Explanatory Bible, or Commentaries on all the books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments: In 7 volumes / Ed. prof. A.P. Lopukhin. – Ed. 4th. – Moscow: Dar, 2009, 1232 pp.

Illustrative photo: Orthodox Icon of St. Peter

By prof. A.P. Lopukhin

Acts of the Apostles, chapter 4. 1 – 4. The capture of Peter and John and consequences of Peter’s speech. 5 – 12. The questioning of the apostles before the Sanhedrin and their answer. 13 – 22. The bewilderment of the Sanhedrin and the release of the apostles. 23 – 31. The prayer of the apostles and the new miraculous sign. 32 – 37. The internal state of the early Church.

Acts. 4:1. While they were speaking to the people, the priests, the governor of the temple, and the Sadducees stood before them,

“While they spake,” therefore the speech of the apostles was “interrupted” by the priests.

“the priests, the governor of the temple, appeared before them”, οἱ ἱερεῖς καὶ ὁ στρατηγὸς τοῦ ἱεροῦ. The definite articles of the Greek original here point to certain priests who had a turn in the temple services during that week (cf. Luke 1:8). The priests intervened here out of irritation that the apostles, without being legally authorized according to them, were teaching the people in the temple.

“the governor of the temple”, actually the head of the guard, which consists of Levites and takes care of good order, silence and order in the temple, especially during worship. He was also a priest.

Acts. 4:2. who were angry because they taught the people and preached in the name of Jesus resurrection from the dead;

the “Sadducees” took part in the capture of the apostles, as they were angered by their teaching of the resurrection of the dead, which, as is known, they did not recognize.

Acts. 4:3. and they laid hands on them and detained them until the morning; because it was already evening.

Although as a “first” measure against the apostles’ violation of temple order it was quite enough to simply remove them from the temple or forbid them to speak, in reality we see much more than that. The priests and others who came with them “laid hands” on the apostles and “detained them until the morning.” This suggests that the activity and personality of the apostles had already attracted the alarming attention of the authorities, and that the latest event in the temple was only a sufficient occasion to bring them before the highest court.

“it was evening”. The apostles went to pray in the temple at the ninth hour (that is, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon). Between the healing of the chromia and Peter’s speech to the people, it could have been a long time before the miracle was publicized and the people flocked. Peter’s speech itself, which may have been only briefly summarized by the scribe, may have been longer. From this it is clear that the capture of the apostles took place at such a time in the evening, when it would have been difficult to assemble the Sanhedrin, and there was no need for such haste: it was enough to do what had already been done – to keep them under guard until morning .

Acts. 4:4. And many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of men came to five thousand.

“the number of men came to five thousand” (τῶν ἀνδρῶν), besides, apparently, women and children. The number of converts this time surpassed even the first success on the day of Pentecost, evidently because, besides the power of the apostle’s word and the greatness of the miracle, the people themselves were already more disposed to believe in Christ by the conduct of the believers, who excited the popular sympathies, as and from the extraordinary actions of the apostles.

St. John Chrysostom explains these events thus: “About five thousand believed.” .. What does this mean? Did they see the apostles in glory? Did they not see, on the contrary, that they were bound? How did they believe then? Do you see the manifest power of God? For those who believed should have become weaker because of what happened, but they did not. Peter’s speech sowed deep seeds and touched their souls.”

Acts. 4:5. On the next day their leaders, elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem,

From the enumeration of those gathered in Jerusalem, it is clear that this was the full meeting of the Sanhedrin – in the same composition as at the trial of Jesus Christ.

Acts. 4:6. high priest Annas and Caiaphas, John and Alexander, and as many as were of the high priestly lineage;

“John, Alexander, and the rest” – members of the high priestly family, unknown to history, who apparently had great power in the Sanhedrin at the time.

Acts. 4:7. and, standing them in the midst, they asked them: By what power, or in whose name did you do this?

The members of the Sanhedrin hardly knew “in whose name” and “by what power” the apostles performed the miracle that brought them to the highest court. If they do ask such a question, it is either to justify their accusation of blasphemy through the thinking of the Apostles themselves, or – according to the interpretation of St. John Chrysostom – “they assumed that the Apostles, fearing the people, would deny themselves, and thought, that this will fix everything.”

Acts. 4:8. Then Peter, being filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: leaders of the people and elders of Israel!

“being filled with the Holy Spirit” – in a special way, for the protection of the righteous work, according to the promise of Christ (Matt. 10:19 – 20, etc.).

Acts. 4:9. if we are questioned today about a favor to an infirm person, how was he healed,

The conditional form of the apostles’ answer to the Sanhedrin’s question is above all a delicate but also clear indication of how unjust it is for the apostles to be judged for their help to the sick man.

St. John Chrysostom: “The apostles seem to say: ‘For this, of course, we should have been crowned and proclaimed benefactors, but instead we are condemned because of the beneficence to a man who is weak, not rich, not strong and not equal [to others].”

Acts. 4:10. let it be known to all of you and to the entire nation of Israel, that through the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, through him he stands before you healthy.

The apostle points out the undoubtedness of the miracle and the power with which it was performed. This is the power and the name of Jesus.

Acts. 4:11 a.m. This is the stone which, neglected by you masons, has become the head of the corner; and in no one else is there salvation;

Acts. 4:12. for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

To explain the meaning and power of Jesus’ name, the apostle quotes a sentence from a psalm, which the Lord himself once referred to Himself before the Jewish leaders (Ps. 117:22; see Matt. 21:42).

According to the meaning of this sentence, the Messiah is the chief cornerstone that the builders of the building neglected. The Crucified Christ is precisely this Stone which they, the builders, the leaders of the religious and moral life of the people, neglected in arranging the theocratic life of the people, but – in spite of everything – this Stone, by the will of God, nevertheless became the head and foundation of the new building of God’s kingdom on earth.

Boldly applying this meaning to the contemporary leaders of the people, who crucified Jesus, the apostle ends his speech with the majestic confession of Jesus as the true Messiah, whose name – and only this name – contains in its power the salvation of the whole world – not only the temporary one (such as the healing of the sick), but – what is more important – the eternal and universal (salvation from sins with all their consequences, including from death itself).

Acts. 4:13. And when they saw the courage of Petra and Joanna and when they realized that they were uneducated and simple people, they wondered; and they knew very well that they were with Jesus;

the “courage of Peter and Joanna,” who went from the position of accused to that of valid accusers before the whole Sanhedrin, is all the more impressive in view of their ignorance and simplicity, and caused understandable surprise and consternation. “It is possible to be both illiterate and unsophisticated, as well as simple and illiterate, but here both coincided. That is why everyone was amazed when Peter and John spoke and made speeches” (Theophilus).

Acts. 4:14. but seeing the healed man standing with them, they had nothing to object.

The recognition of the apostles as constant companions of Jesus assures everyone that these people really continued the work of their Master, so hated by the whole Sanhedrin, who had just betrayed the Lord to death. Evidently this served to inevitably condemn the apostles to the same fate by the charge of religious or political offense. But the presence of the healed man himself restrained the Sanhedrin, who could say nothing despite the apostles’ explanation of the miracle.

How did the healed man come to the Sanhedrin? Probably at the behest of the authorities themselves, who hoped to force him to deny the miraculousness of the healing, as they once did when the Lord healed the man born blind (John 9). But then, as now, the Sanhedrin misjudged the matter and only increased its shame and injustice.

Acts. 4:15. And, commanding them to go out of the Sanhedrin, they consulted among themselves

Acts. 4:16 a.m. and they said: what should we do with these people? For it is known to all who dwell in Jerusalem that a marked miracle was wrought through them, and we cannot deny it;

Acts. 4:17. but, that this may not be further spread among the people, let us sternly threaten them to speak no more of this name to any man.

Acts. 4:18. And when they called them, they commanded them not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus.

The decision of the Sanhedrin in the case of the apostles is the decision of confused people. They themselves say that all who live in Jerusalem know about the apparent miracle of the apostles, and at the same time they command that it should not be made public among the people. The thought of the decision, however, seems to be directed rather to the character of the explanation of the miracle than to the miracle itself as a fact, the publication of which was too late and naive to forbid.

The Sanhedrin forbids speaking about the “name” of Jesus, with whose power the apostles explain the performance of the miracle. “What folly!” exclaims John Chrysostom on this occasion, “knowing that Christ had risen and having in this proof of His Divinity, they hoped with their intrigues to hide the glory of Him whom death does not hold back. What can be compared with this folly? And do not be surprised that they again devise an impossible deed. Such is the property of malice: it looks at nothing, but wanders everywhere…”.

“never speak”. Not to speak even in private and not to teach in public.

Acts. 4:19. But Peter and John answered them and said: judge whether it is fair before God that we listen to you more than to God;

“is it just before God.” The apostles do their work according to God’s command, of which miracles are an obvious and sufficient sign. This commandment is all the more binding and authoritative for them, because it commands them to preach, not some distant, abstract, and unverified truth, but what they themselves have seen and heard. To give up the right to talk about these things is “impossible” as it would be tantamount to rendering a reasonable person speechless.

Thus it is also shown that the order of the Sanhedrin itself went beyond common sense and the laws of conscience, and as such justly deserved the same fate to which it now ventures to condemn the Divine commands.

Acts. 4:20. for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.

Acts. 4:21. And they, having threatened them, let them go, because because of the people they could not find how to punish them; for all glorified God for what had happened.

“they did not find how to punish them” (πῶς κολάσονται αὐτούς, διὰ τὸν λαόν). More precisely, Slavic: “nichoche obretshe, kako muchit ih”, that is, they did not find how, on what grounds, to punish them.

“because of the people” (cf. Matt. 21 et seq.) – because of fear of the people, because of the mass sympathy and favor towards the apostles.

Acts. 4:22. And the man with whom this miracle of healing happened was more than forty years old.

Deyan. 4:23. When they were released, they came to their own and told what the high priests and elders had told them.

“came to their own.” At this time their brethren were gathered together (verse 31), probably praying for the release of the apostles and for the successful completion of their work.

Acts. 4:24. And they, having listened to them, with one accord raised their voice to God and said: Lord, You are God, who created the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them;

“unanimously… they said.” It is likely that one of those present, perhaps Peter, was an exponent of the prayerful sentiments of the believers, who, repeating within themselves the words of his prayer, thus turned it into a unanimous prayer of the whole community (cf. Acts 1:24).

The prayer is based on a sentence from David’s second psalm (Ps. 2:1-2), which describes with evangelical clarity the rebellion of the kings and princes of the nations against the Messiah and the One who sent Him, which takes place during the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. As the apostles carried on the work of the Messiah, the present rebellion against them was also the same as that “against the Lord and His Christ,” and therefore gave rise to prayer for their protection and strengthening.

“They refer to the prophecy, as if asking God to fulfill his promise, and at the same time to console themselves that their enemies had devised all in vain. Their words mean, ‘Stop all this, and show that their designs were in vain.” (John Chrysostom, Theophylact).

Acts. 4:25. You are the One who, through the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David, Your servant, said: “Why were the nations agitated, and the people planned vain things?

The attribution of the quoted psalm to David is not evident from the inscription of the psalm itself, but it was probably indicated here by the apostles on the authority of tradition.

Acts. 4:26 a.m. The kings of the earth rose up, and the princes gathered together against the Lord and against His Anointed”.

Acts. 4:27. Because Herod and Pontius Pilate together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel gathered in that city against Your Holy Son Jesus, whom You anointed,

“Whom You have anointed” – ὃν ἔχρισας. This followed at His baptism, at the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Him.

Acts. 4:28. that they may do that which Thy hand and Thy will had predestined to be done.

“to do this”. The enemies of Christ wanted to do quite another thing – to kill Jesus as the unacknowledged Messiah, but in reality, without knowing it, they did what the hand of God’s almighty had predestined to happen – to redeem all mankind through the death of the Messiah and restored it to its former dignity and glory (cf. John Chrysostom and Theophylact).

Acts. 4:29. And now, O Lord, look upon their threats, and grant Thy servants with full boldness to speak Thy word,

Acts. 4:30. as You stretch out Your hand for healing, and let miracles and omens happen in the name of Your Holy Son Jesus.

“stretching out Your healing hand” – ἐν τῷ τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐκτείνειν σε εἰς ἴασιν. In the Slavic translation: “once upon a time I extended Your hand to You in healing”. This is not a mere reference to the signs accompanying the work of the apostles, but to the necessity of the success of that work, which was also the object of their prayer. The meaning of the verses is: “Give … with boldness to speak Your word, as at that time You will help (help) them from Your side with wonderful healings and signs.”

Acts. 4:31. And after they had prayed, the place where they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and boldly spoke the word of God.

“the place shook” – this was not a natural earthquake, but a miraculous earthquake (for only the “place of assembly” was shaken), which means that God heard their prayer, and at the same time foreshadows another miraculous event – the filling of believers with the emboldened power of the Holy Spirit.

It was also a symbol of God’s omnipotence, assuring the apostles that they need not fear the threats of the Sanhedrin and that He was strong enough to protect them by shaking the place of their prayer meeting (John Chrysostom, Theophilus). Thus, to encourage the gathered believers, the Lord immediately fulfilled their prayer and granted what they asked for: to speak with boldness and support their words with signs and wonders. And so they spoke, and the meeting place was “shaken.”

Acts. 4:32. And the many who believed had one heart and one soul; and no one called any of his property his own, but everything was common to them.

Acts. 4:33. The apostles testified with great power about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and great grace was upon them all.

The miracle of the healing of the lame and the great moral victory of the apostles over the Sanhedrin in its first rebellion against the new society is a great event in the early Christian church. Since then, the community of Christians has multiplied almost three times compared to the believers from the first day of Pentecost. This is why the author again finds it necessary to describe the inner state of this growing society (verses 32 – 37).

As the main characteristic of this society, he points out that the multitude had complete unanimity and brotherly love: “one heart and one soul” – perfect unity in thought, in feeling, in will, in faith, in the whole structure of spiritual life.

Truly, an amazing phenomenon in a sinful, self-absorbed world. Another characteristic feature, which naturally follows from the first, is the complete community of property, not by compulsion and by any law binding on all, but completely voluntarily, by virtue of the fraternal love and moral unity that animates all.

“no one called any of his property his own,” though there was property, but it was given brotherly to all who needed it, according to their needs, and thus general contentment was achieved and the complete absence of needy.

“great grace was upon them all.” It was the most characteristic and magnificent mutual aid society in the history of mankind, not devoid of a reasonable and elaborate organization, with a special general treasury, which, on the one hand, was constantly replenished by the proceeds of the property donated and sold for the common benefit, and on the other , continuously maintained a complete absence of the poor and needy. And at the head of this so wisely organized organization stood not great statesman minds, but ordinary Galilean fishermen, the apostles, or to be more precise – abundantly “the new power of truly Christian gracious inspiration pouring through them”, the power of faith and love for the Savior.

“they testified with great power about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ”. In explaining the great rapture of the believers, the author of Acts mentions the great power of the apostolic preaching “about the resurrection of the Lord.” This resurrection is the foundation of the whole Christian faith (1 Cor. 15:14), and therefore it is the foundation and center of the whole apostolic preaching, being, of course, not the exclusive, but only the main, the main theme of that preaching.

Acts. 4:34. There was not one among them who was in want; for those who owned lands or houses sold them and brought the price of what was sold

“who owned lands or houses” – ὅσοι γὰρ κτήτορες χωρίων ἢ οἰκιῶν ὑπῆρχον. The more accurate meaning of the expression is: not “all who”, but “those who”. Nor does “selling them” mean that the owners “sold everything,” leaving nothing for themselves. In both cases it is a question of good will and brotherly love on the part of everyone, and various degrees were allowed, in which there was not even a shadow of external coercion (cf. Acts 5:4).

Acts. 4:35. and laid at the feet of the apostles; and it was distributed to each one according to his need.

“laid at the feet of the apostles” – in the sense of their complete disposition and responsibility.

Acts. 4:36. Thus, Josiah, called by the apostles Barnabas, which means son of consolation, a Levite, a native of Cyprus,

As an example of the sacrifices mentioned, perhaps the most instructive of all, the author points to Josiah, who was called by the apostles Barnabas, which means “son of comfort.” This Barnabas—afterwards so famous a companion of the apostle Paul—was a prophet (Acts 13:1), and his sobriquet probably indicated the special consolation of his inspired prophetic utterances (1 Cor. 14:3). He was also a “Levite.” (1 Cor. 14:3) This, too, is remarkable: never before has there been an instance of a holy knee bowing before Christ by faith in Him. However, soon there are mentions of many priests who submitted to Christ’s faith (Acts 6:7).

“native of Cyprus” – from the island of Cyprus, located off the coast of Palestine in the Mediterranean Sea.

Acts. 4:37. who had a field, sold it, brought the money, and laid it at the feet of the apostles.

Priests and Levites could have real estate, as can be seen from the example of the prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 32 ff.).

Source in Russian: Explanatory Bible, or Commentaries on all the books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments: In 7 volumes / Ed. prof. A.P. Lopukhin. – Ed. 4th. – Moscow: Dar, 2009, 1232 pp.

Research by the Institute for Demographic Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) from October 2022 shows that over the past 14 years, the level of religiosity among youth has halved (2008 – 60%; 2021 – 30%). Non-religious young people have quadrupled.

21% of the youth group (from 14 to 29 years old) have changed their worldview position in favor of atheism: “before a believer, now a non-believer”. Real religiosity is even lower, the scientists note.

On almost all indicators of religious behavior over the years (confession, communion, fasting), religious activity has fallen to the level of statistical error (1-4%). Frequent church attendance among young people of all age groups in 2021 was recorded at a level of 6-7%.

This is the period when the Russian Orthodox Church enjoyed freedom and enormous financial and political support from the state, public influence and power, hundreds of new churches were built and the church leadership reported annually missionary programs among the youth. Since 2010, all Russian students aged 10-11 have studied religion in the form of the subject “Fundamentals of Religious Culture and Secular Ethics”. Most students studied secular ethics (approx. 40%), and Orthodoxy – approx. 30%

In the concept of a successful mission of the Moscow Patriarchate, the main idea was laid that the provision of funds and public influence with the help of the state would lead to an increase in people’s interest in the faith and their conversion to the church. In Moscow and the central region, to which the RAS study refers, church activity is most active and the greatest resources are concentrated there. Practice shows that none of this contributed to young people recognizing Christ in church messages and public presence. On the contrary, even those who had religious interest have lost it. In the provincial regions of the Russian Federation, atheistic attitudes among the population are even stronger.