[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 IV : 23-31
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| St John and St Peter. From Healing the cripple Poussin (1655). The Met, NYC. |
[24] Who having heard it, with one accord lifted up their voice to God, and said: Lord, thou art he that didst make heaven and earth, the sea, and all things that are in them.
[25] Who, by the Holy Ghost, by the mouth of our father David, thy servant, hast said: Why did the Gentiles rage, and the people meditate vain things?
[26] The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes assembled together against the Lord and his Christ. [27] For of a truth there assembled together in this city against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel,
[28] To do what thy hand and thy counsel decreed to be done.
[29] And now, Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants, that with all confidence they may speak thy word,
[30] By stretching forth thy hand to cures, and signs, and wonders to be done by the name of thy holy Son Jesus.
[31] And when they had prayed, the place was moved wherein they were assembled; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with confidence.
[23] Dimissi autem venerunt ad suos, et annuntiaverunt eis quanta ad eos principes sacerdotum et seniores dixissent. [24] Qui cum audissent, unanimiter levaverunt vocem ad Deum, et dixerunt : Domine, tu es qui fecisti caelum et terram, mare et omnia quae in eis sunt : [25] qui Spiritu Sancto per os patris nostri David, pueri tui, dixisti : Quare fremuerunt gentes, et populi meditati sunt inania? [26] Astiterunt reges terrae, et principes convenerunt in unum adversus Dominum, et adversus Christum ejus? [27] Convenerunt enim vere in civitate ista adversus sanctum puerum tuum Jesum, quem unxisti, Herodes, et Pontius Pilatus, cum gentibus, et populis Israel, [28] facere quae manus tua et consilium tuum decreverunt fieri. [29] Et nunc, Domine, respice in minas eorum, et da servis tuis cum omni fiducia loqui verbum tuum, [30] in eo quod manum tuam extendas ad sanitates, et signa, et prodigia fieri per nomen sancti filii tui Jesu. [31] Et cum orassent, motus est locus in quo erant congregati : et repleti sunt omnes Spiritu Sancto, et loquebantur verbum Dei cum fiducia.
Notes
23. their own company. They went to the place, possibly to the Cenacle, where the other apostles and disciples were assembled, and among these we may include the holy women. St Andrew welcomed his brother back, Salome her son John, who was also the adopted son of our blessed Lady.
All this blessed company had certainly been praying for St Peter and St John, as we know they did on a like occasion some time after. Cf. Peter therefore was kept in prison. But prayer was made without ceasing by the church unto God for him (infra, xii. 6). We may infer that the man who had been healed accompanied the apostles to the Cenacle.
related all. None were allowed to be present at the trials before the Sanhedrin except the parties concerned, i.e. the accused and the witnesses. On this occasion no witnesses were called.
24. with one accord lifted up their voice. See Annot. on i. 14, Three explanations of these words have been suggested : —
(a) They employed a form of prayer already adopted.(b) All were inspired to utter the same words.(c) Several prayed in turn, and St Luke summarizes their petitions.(d) One led, probably St Peter, and the others joined in heart and soul with him.
The first hypothesis is favoured by the verb being in the plural “they said,” but this may be explained as referring to their all uniting in offering the same petitions. Prayer is the great resource of the Church and of the individual Christian in the hour of need.
Lord. The original word (Δεσποτα) shews that they appealed to God as the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe, and also as their own Master. Cf. Grant unto thy servants, that with all confidence they may speak thy word (verse 29).
“ The God of the physical world is here invoked by the Church as one with the God of Grace ; a refutation of the false notion which afterwards grew into a heresy in the hands of Marcion and the Manicheans, who separated the one from the other, and made an opposition between them.”
25. Who , by the mouth, etc. The MSS. vary greatly as regards this passage, but our Vulgate agrees with many good versions and the quotations found in St Irenæus. The difficulty lies in the assertion that God is said to speak “ by the Holy Ghost,” which has no parallel elsewhere in Scripture, though God is often said to speak through His prophets. Hence Belcen is of opinion that the words are a gloss, and Knabenbauer agrees with him. These words are wanting in a great many codices. Tischendorf also rejects the phrase “ by the Holy Ghost.”
Why did the Gentiles rage? This is a quotation from Ps. ii. 1, which was always regarded as Messianic until Christianity was established, and then, seeing the agreement of this psalm with what happened to our Lord, Jewish teachers preferred to take it literally of David’s enemies, that thus “they might be able to answer the heretics,” i.e. the Christians.
This psalm is quoted literally from the Septuagint. It is not referred to in the gospels, but St Paul twice applies it to our Lord (see Heb. i. 5, v. 5).
The word here rendered rage (ἐφρυαζαν) is used of the snorting of a high-mettled horse. Hence it signifies metaphorically passion arising from pride, such as tyrants exhibit.
people. The Greek has the plural “ peoples ” (λαοι). The reference is either to the Jews dispersed in different countries, and speaking different languages, or to the twelve tribes of Israel.
Note how each part of the prophecy has its corresponding fulfilment in the Passion of our Lord.
Prophecy. Fulfilment.Gentiles. The Roman governors and soldiers.people. The Jews.kings. Herod.princes. Pontius Pilate and Jewish rulers.his Christ. Jesus.
27. of a truth. This expression corresponds with the “ Amen, Amen,” of the gospels. The speaker now applies the psalm to our Lord.
in this city. These words are found in the best MSS., and are probably genuine.
Herod. Son of Herod the Great, and tetrarch of Galilee. St Luke alone relates that Jesus was sent to Herod Agrippa by Pilate, and that, on this occasion, Herod and Pilate, who were estranged, made friends.
Pontius Pilate. The Roman governor of Judea, who delivered up Jesus to be crucified.
28. To do what thy hand, etc. “ The Lord did not direct the hands of these furious men against Himself, but He permitted them to be so directed, nor, because He foresaw what they would do, did He oblige them to act thus, nor did He force them to will these things, but He abstained from preventing them” (St Leo, serm, xvi.).
Wordsworth has an excellent note on this subject : — “ In all discussions on this and other similar texts, we must not lose sight of certain great principles
1. That God is the One Great First Cause.2. That He wills that all should act according to the Law which He has given them3. That it is His will that man’s will should be free."
29. And now, Lord, behold, etc. In this first recorded prayer of the Christian Church we notice four points : —
(a) The union of heart and soul that existed among the disciples.(b) The absence of any desire of vengeance on their enemies.(c) Their earnest prayer for strength to accomplish the mission confided to them.(d) Their firm faith in asking that miracles might accompany their words.
with all confidence. See Annot. on ii. 29.
30. By stretching forth thy hand. Better, “ while thou stretchest forth thy hand.” They asked that those, who should witness these miracles, might confess, like Nicodemus, that such works proved the agents to be divinely commissioned, and that the beholders might be led to accept the doctrine of the apostles. Cf. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him : Rabbi, we know that thou art come a teacher from God ; for no man can do these signs which thou dost, unless God he with him (St John iii. 2).
The symbol of an “ outstretched arm” as a sign of God’s protection is frequently found in the Scriptures, e.g . —
(a) The Lord thy God brought thee out from thence with a strong hand and a stretched out arm (Deut. v. 16).
(b) Thou hast brought forth thy people Israel .... with a strong hand and stretched out arm (Jer. xxxii. 21).
31. was moved. The apostles had appealed to the Lord of the universe, and He, in return, grants them an outward sign, — a physical convulsion, — and by this earthquake was granted a proof of the interior gifts which the Holy Ghost vouchsafed to them.
This sign was not given at Pentecost, but we find it recorded that, after St Paul and Silas had prayed to God in the prison at Philippi, suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken (infra, xvi. 26). In the Scriptures the earthquake is often spoken of as a sign of God’s presence. Cf . And he (i.e. man) shall go into the clefts of rocks, and into the holes of stones from the face of the fear of the Lord, and from the glory of his majesty, when he shall rise up to strike the earth (Is. li, 21).
On this occasion “ it was on every ground probable that the token of the especial presence of God would be some phenomenon which would be recognized by those present as such.”(Alford, Greek Test),
Three effects followed their fervent prayer
(a) An exterior sign was granted.(b) The Holy Spirit descended.(c) The apostles were strengthened to preach boldly.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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