[The posts which follow make extensive use of The Acts of the Apostles, by Madame Cecilia, (Religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham), with an Imprimi potest dated 16 October 1907 (Westminster); Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. (London). With grateful prayers for the author and her team:
REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.]
Acts V : 1-16
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| Ananias ... fell down, and gave up the ghost. Raphael (1515) V & A, London. |
[2] And by fraud kept back part of the price of the land, his wife being privy thereunto: and bringing a certain part of it, laid it at the feet of the apostles.
[3] But Peter said: Ananias, why hath Satan tempted thy heart, that thou shouldst lie to the Holy Ghost, and by fraud keep part of the price of the land?
[4] Whilst it remained, did it not remain to thee? and after it was sold, was it not in thy power? Why hast thou conceived this thing in thy heart? Thou hast not lied to men, but to God.
[5] And Ananias hearing these words, fell down, and gave up the ghost. And there came great fear upon all that heard it.
[6] And the young men rising up, removed him, and carrying him out, buried him.
[7] And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what had happened, came in.
[8] And Peter said to her: Tell me, woman, whether you sold the land for so much? And she said: Yea, for so much.
[9] And Peter said unto her: Why have you agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold the feet of them who have buried thy husband are at the door, and they shall carry thee out.
[10] Immediately she fell down before his feet, and gave up the ghost. And the young men coming in, found her dead: and carried her out, and buried her by her husband.
[11] And there came great fear upon the whole church, and upon all that heard these things.
[12] And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch.
[13] But of the rest no man durst join himself unto them; but the people magnified them.
[14] And the multitude of men and women who believed in the Lord, was more increased:
[15] Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that when Peter came, his shadow at the least, might overshadow any of them, and they might be delivered from their infirmities.
[16] And there came also together to Jerusalem a multitude out of the neighbouring cities, bringing sick persons, and such as were troubled with unclean spirits; who were all healed.
[1] Vir autem quidam nomine Ananias, cum Saphira uxore suo vendidit agrum, [2] et fraudavit de pretio agri, conscia uxore sua : et afferens partem quamdam, ad pedes Apostolorum posuit. [3] Dixit autem Petrus : Anania, cur tentavit Satanas cor tuum, mentiri te Spiritui Sancto, et fraudare de pretio agri? [4] Nonne manens tibi manebat, et venundatum in tua erat potestate? Quare posuisti in corde tuo hanc rem? Non es mentitus hominibus, sed Deo. [5] Audiens autem Ananias haec verba, cecidit, et expiravit. Et factus est timor magnus super omnes qui audierunt. [6] Surgentes autem juvenes amoverunt eum, et efferentes sepelierunt. [7] Factum est autem quasi horarum trium spatium, et uxor ipsius, nesciens quod factum fuerat, introivit. [8] Dixit autem ei Petrus : Dic mihi mulier, si tanti agrum vendidistis? At illa dixit : Etiam tanti. [9] Petrus autem ad eam : Quid utique convenit vobis tentare Spiritum Domini? Ecce pedes eorum qui sepelierunt virum tuum ad ostium, et efferent te. [10] Confestim cecidit ante pedes ejus, et expiravit. Intrantes autem juvenes invenerunt illam mortuam : et extulerunt, et sepelierunt ad virum suum. [11] Et factus est timor magnus in universa ecclesia, et in omnes qui audierunt haec. [12] Per manus autem Apostolorum fiebant signa et prodigia multa in plebe. Et erant unanimiter omnes in porticu Salomonis. [13] Ceterorum autem nemo audebat se conjungere illis : sed magnificabat eos populus. [14] Magis autem augebatur credentium in Domino multitudo virorum ac mulierum, [15] ita ut in plateas ejicerent infirmos, et ponerent in lectulis et grabatis, ut, veniente Petro, saltem umbra illius obumbraret quemquam illorum, et liberarentur ab infirmitatibus suis. [16] Concurrebat autem et multitudo vicinarum civitatum Jerusalem, afferentes aegros, et vexatos a spiritibus immundis : qui curabantur omnes.
Notes
1. Ananias. This name was common among the Jews, e.g , —
Greek form
Ananias, a certain disciple at Damascus (infra, ix. 10).Ananias, the high-priest (infra, xxiii. 2).
Hebrew form
Hananias, father of Phaltias (1 Para. iii. 21 ).Hanariiaa, the son of Azur (Jer. xxviii. 1 ).
The name, like that of John, signifies “the Lord is gracious.”
This incident must be taken in connection with what is related above concerning the generosity of Barnabas. Probably the esteem, which he had won for his spirit of detachment, had stirred up in Ananias the desire to secure for himself a like fame, while, at the same time, he had not the courage to give up all. To appear generous, rather than to be generous, was his aim and ambition.
Saphira. This may be derived from the Hebrew meaning “ beautiful ” or “ pleasant,” or from the Greek (σαπφειρος ) “ a sapphire.”
a piece of land. Lit. “a possession” (κτημα) of any description, landed or otherwise, but the translation is justified by the words of St Peter, who refers to the price of the land (verse 3).
he fraud kept back. Ananias was defrauding God, to whom the money was probably made over, either by a formal vow, or by the fact that the act of selling the land was a kind of tacit engagement that he intended, like other generous disciples, to devote the price to the common fund for the use of the Church, without reserving anything for himself (Calmet).
Elsewhere the R.V. translates this same word “purloining” and our Rheims Testament “defrauding." Cf Not defrauding (purloining), but in all things shewing good fidelity (Titus ii. 10).
of the land. These words are not found in the Greek MSS.
his wife being privy thereunto. The stress laid on the complicity of Saphira shews that their sin was deliberately planned and carried out.
at the feet of the apostles. See Annot. on iv. 85.
3. Peter said. In this first example of a punishment inflicted on two members of the early Church, St Peter, as the Head of the Apostles, denounces their sin.
By the power of the Holy Spirit, he was able to discern the innermost thoughts of the heart. Thus Eliseus was supernaturally enlightened concerning the sin of Giezi. Cf. And Eliseus said : Whence comest thou, Giezi? He answered : Thy servant went no whither. But he said: Was not my heart present, when the man turned back from his chariot to meet thee? So now thou hast received money, and received garments. . . . But the leprosy of Nahman shall also stick to thee, and to thy seed for ever. And he went out from him a leper, as white as snow (4 Kings v. 26-27.)
why hath Satan tempted ? etc. Lit. “ filled thy heart ” (ἐπληρωσεν ὁ Σατανας την καρδιαν σου). Ananias is not blamed because Satan had tempted him, since he was unable to prevent a suggestion of the evil one. His sin consisted in that he had opened his heart to the evil thought, and allowed Satan to fill it with depravity.
The devil can suggest evil, but man is always free to resist. There is no sin until the will gives its consent and the soul takes deliberate pleasure in the sinful thought.
“ To fill the heart ” is a Hebraism. Cf. Sorrow hath filled our heart (St John xvi. 6).
lie to the Holy Ghost. Note the various sins which Ananias and Saphira committed : —
(a) Vanity, They desired the esteem of men.
(b) Covetousness, in withholding part of the price.
(c) Presumption, in imagining that their sin would not be detected by the Holy Ghost.
(d) Distrust, in fearing that they should come to want if they gave all.
4. Whilst it remained etc. St Peter shews up the sin in its true light. Note that there was no compulsion in the primitive Church as regards the community of goods. St Augustine thus paraphrases St Peter’s words : — If you were unwilling to sell, who forced you ? If you wished to give but half, who exacted the whole ? ” (serm. cxlviii.),
conceived this thing, i.e. deliberately planned and executed it.
not lied to men, but to God. Compare the two statements made by St Peter : —
That thou shouldst lie to the Holy Ghost (verse 3).Thou hast not lied to men but to God, (verse 4).
From these two passages we prove the Divinity of the Holy Ghost, a doctrine which all Catholics are bound to accept.
Various other passages bear out this truth, e.g.—
(a) All scripture, inspired of God (i.e. by the Holy Ghost), is profitable to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct injustice (2 Tim. iii, 16).(b) It is written in the prophets: And they shall all be taught of God (St John vi. 45).(c) Now we have received not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit that is of God ; that we may know the things that are given us from God (1 Cor. ii. 12).(d) Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ? (l Cor. iii. 16).(e) Or know you not that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who is in you, whom you have from God ; and you are not your own? For you are bought with a great price. Glorify and bear God in your body (1 Cor. vi. 19, 20).
5. Ananias .... gave up the ghost. Lit. “ breathed forth his spirit” (ἐξεψυξεν). The same word is also used of Herod Agrippa. He gave up the ghost (infra, xii. 23). In both cases it describes a violent death by a manifest judgment of God. These are the only passages in the New Testament where this verb is used.
St Peter pronounced no sentence, he simply anounced it by a prophetic spirit. Ananias was struck, like Giezi, by a judgment of God ; and from the fact that Ananias was thus instantly punished, we are not to infer that he was lost eternally. St Paul teaches clearly that temporal chastisements are not always followed by eternal damnation. Cf. To deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit, may he saved in the. day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. v. 6). Many of the Fathers of the Church hold that this was a temporal punishment inflicted for the spiritual good of the offenders, and for the instruction of all who saw or heard of the event.
there came great fear upon all that heard. The news soon spread abroad, both among the members of the Church and those who were hostile (see verse 11). It must have also reached the ears of the rulers of Israel, but they took no steps against the apostles in consequence.
6. the young men. Lit. “the younger men” (οἱ νεωτεροι). Some think that these young men held a certain subordinate office in the Church, like the attendants in the synagogues. Others take the words as referring to the younger disciples, to whom such an office would naturally fall.
removed him. Lit. “wound him round” (συνεστειλαν) probably in his “ abba ” or outer garment. In the East, coffins were not used, and the burial followed closely on the death. This custom prevailed partly from sanitary reasons, since, owing to the great heat, corruption quickly set in, and partly from fear of legal defilement, which all who touched a corpse incurred.
carrying him out. Without the city walls ; few tombs, except the ancient monuments of the kings of Juda, were to be found in Jerusalem. (See Annot. on ii. 29, p. 91.)
buried him. Probably in a cave hewn out of a rock. All Jews, except the very poorest, provided their own place of sepulture ; and as Ananias and Saphira were rich, or at least had a certain competence, they would not have neglected this custom. It is, however, not certain that they were interred in their own vault, as the Jews provided a burying-place for strangers, criminals, and outcasts. As both man and wife had died by the manifest judgment of God, they may have been buried as public criminals, whom it was forbidden to inter in the family vault.
7. about the space of three hours. Doubtless at the next hour of prayer.
“The rapidity of the burials and the apparent absence of enquiry suggest difficulties to our minds. But it is to be remembered that, just as in the account of Pentecost, our ‘prophetic’ authority is not concerned to supply us with the social details which interest the modern antiquarian. His interest is entirely confined to the prophetic elements in the history.” (Rackham, p. 67).
8. woman. This word is not found in the Greek, and both the A.V. and the R.V. omit it.
for so much. St Peter either named the sum or pointed to the heap of money at his feet. It was evidently more than half the price, since a small sum would have at once aroused suspicion as to their veracity.
Yea, for so much. Saphira confirms by word the lie which her husband had acted. St Peter, by his question, gave Saphira the opportunity of retracting, had she desired to do so.
9. agreed together. This circumstance aggravated their guilt ; they had conceived an evil deed, by which they might, as it were, “ tempt ” or test the omniscience of the Holy Ghost, and thus prove whether really He could discern what passed in the inmost soul.
Behold the feet, etc. This time St Peter clearly prophesied the fate of Saphira, who thus learned that the same judgment which had stricken her husband was reserved also for her.
The footsteps of the young men could be heard in the distance, or St Peter knew by inspiration that they were close at hand.
11. church. This is the second time the word occurs in the Acts, and it proves that by this time a certain organization had been effected. Instead of “the apostles,’ “the disciples,” “the brethren,” we have “the Church,” with its hierarchy, which, however, had not yet received its full development.
12. by the hands of the apostles. Great importance is attached to the work of the apostles : —
(а) They alone, in these early days, worked miracles.
(b) They taught boldly in Solomon’s Porch.
(c) God blessed their words by the increase in the numbers of the disciples.
(d) The priests, rulers, and all others who were hostile, for a time, kept at a distance, and durst not join them, nor interfere with them.
signs and wonders. As “ signs ” they were proofs that the apostles were divinely commissioned; as ‘‘wonders,” they inspired awe and amazement in the minds of the people.
among the people. In like manner, their Master had worked most of His miracles to alleviate the suffering from such poor. They were ever the cherished portion of the flock, and so should it be with us. All Catholics ought to love and cherish the poor, and thus minister to Christ Himself.
And they were all, etc. These words, as far as the end of verse 13, are parenthetical.
with one accord. See Annot. on i. 14.
Solomon's porch. See Annot. on iii. 11.
13. of the rest. The rulers and all who rejected Christ as the Messias.
the people magnified them. Thus also it happened in the lifetime of Jesus ; the rulers were hostile, but all the people rejoiced for all the things that were gloriously done by him (St Luke xiii. 17). So manifest was this fact, that the Pharisees at once boldly threw down this challenge, Hath any one of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees? (St John vii. 48).
14. men and women. This is one of St Luke’s characteristic references to womanhood, and, with the exception of the ministering women (see supra, i. 14), the first distinct allusion to the conversion of women, although the “five thousand” mentioned in iv. 4 doubtless includes both sexes. It is evident that men, rather than women, would gather in the Temple cloisters, and thus they were the first to hear the Gospel preached.
who believed in the Lord. Better, “ believing in the Lord ” (πιστευοντες τῷ κυριῷ). Faith is a necessary condition for admission in the Church of Christ.
The numbers were now so considerable that the historian does not attempt to give even an approximation. The rulers of Israel made these numerous conversions one of the charges against the apostles : You have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine (verse 28),
Some commentators read here, “believers were the more added to the Lord, instead of “ believers in the Lord were added or increased.” The flame expression occurs in ch. xi. 24, where it is rendered “ to the Lord, ”
15. Insomuch. The historian resumes the narrative concerning the mighty works of the apostles.
into. Better, “ down ” or “ along ” (κατα).
streets. The open places (τας πλατειας). Those through which the apostles passed on their way to and from the Temple.
laid them on beds. How a like scene must have recurred to the apostles when, with their beloved Master, they journeyed through the land of Genezareth and the people hearing of their arrival began to carry about in beds those that were sick, where they heard he was. And whither- soever he entered, into towns or into villages or cities, they laid the sick in the streets (St Mark vi. 56-56). The word here rendered “ beds ’’ (κραββατων) is said to be a Macedonian word for the coarse pallet used as a camp bed.
his shadow. All the apostles wrought signs, but St Peter is mentioned “ as the greatest in pre-eminence and spiritually - energizing of the apostles” (Arnold). Our Lord’s words were now fulfilled : He that believeth in me, the works that I do, he also shall do, and greater than these shall he do (St John xiv. 12). St Peter’s shadow was really the medium through which the miracles of healing were wrought, for, undoubtedly, these persons were cured, otherwise the neighbouring cities would not have brought out their sick. God, who can work a miracle without any outward sign by a mere volition, can, when He pleases, employ a hand, a rod, a voice, clay, or a shadow, and these exterior instruments serve to excite the faith of the recipient and of the spectators.
In the Old Testament we read of a miracle connected with a shadow as the sign that Ezechias would be restored to health. Ezechiat had said to Isaias: What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me, and that I shall go up to the temple of the Lord the third day ? And Isaias said to him : This shall be the sign from the Lord, that the Lord will do the word which he hath spoken : Wilt thou that the shadow go forward ten lines, or that it go back so many degrees ? And Ezechias said : It is an easy matter for the shadow to go forward ten lines; and I do not desire that this be done, but let it return back ten degrees. And Isaias the prophet called upon the Lord, and he brought the shadow ten degrees backwards by the lines, by which it had already gone down in the dial of Achaz (4 Kings xx. 8 - 11 ).
any. Better, “ some one ” (τινι ). One single cure would have been a boon, but God, whose generosity is boundless, cured multitudes by the agency of His ministers.
they might be delivered, etc. These words are in the Syriac version, but not in the Greek MSS.
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| There came a multitude from neighbouring cities... |
neighbouring cities. Small hamlets are spoken of as “ cities ” in the Scriptures, e.g. a city that is called Naim (St Luke vii. 11); a city called Nazareth (St Matt. ii. 23). The multitudes came from Hebron, Emmaus, Bethlehem, Rama, Bethania, Lydda, Joppa, etc. troubled. Lit. “ vexed.” St Luke here uses a medical term. unclean spirits. The multitude confessed that the apostles had power to cure spiritual evils as well as bodily diseases.
who were all healed. Dwell for a moment on the spectacle : the vast multitude of sick, accompanied or borne by their relations and friends, and all converging on Jerusalem, where they hoped to obtain their cure. Contrast this with their homeward journey, since all were healed. How joyously they hastened home to proclaim the good news to those whom they had left behind.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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