Acts 1 · The Lantern

Prologue

The first account indeed I composed, O Theophilus, concerning all the things of which Jesus began both to do and to teach,

Immediately, therefore, so did the apostles, whom this designation indicates as "the sent." Having, on the authority of a prophecy, which occurs in a psalm of David, chosen Matthias by lot as the twelfth, into the place of Judas, they obtained the promised power of the Holy Ghost for the gift of miracles and of utterance; and after first bearing witness to the faith in Jesus Ch…

This Theophilus was a governor. Do not be amazed if, for the sake of one man, Luke took such great care as to write two entire treatises; for he was also a guardian of the Master's voice who said: It is not the will of my Father that one of these little ones should perish. (Matt. 18:14)

that Jesus began to do and to teach: He has shown the pattern of the good teacher, who does what He teaches.

until the day, having given orders through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He had chosen, He was taken up.

"Until the day in which He was taken up, after that He, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments unto the Apostles whom He had chosen. After He had given commandments through the Spirit;" i.e. they were spiritual words that He spake unto them, nothing human; either this is the meaning, or, that it was by the Spirit that He gave them commandments.

The following: Until the day he was taken up; the rest are inserted by way of parenthesis. As for, Having commanded the apostles through the Holy Spirit, either because the commands are spiritual, showing nothing worldly; or, so that the Spirit also may show itself as inherent to itself, that nothing performed by God lacks the sanctifying essence. But what are the commands?

"Having given commandments through the Holy Spirit," that is, having spoken spiritual words to them; there was nothing human in this, because He gave commandments through the Spirit. Just as the Lord Himself, out of humility and in accommodation to His listeners, said: "If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God" (Matt.

To those also He presented Himself alive after His suffering, with many proofs, during forty days appearing to them and speaking the things concerning the kingdom of God.

The Passover affords a more than usually solemn day for baptism; when, withal, the Lord's passion, in which we are baptized, was completed.

He said it was forty days, not in consecutive days; for he did not spend time with them continuously, as before the passion, but intermittently, at once preparing for them a more longing appearance of himself, and at the same time revealing a more exalted and divine appearance of himself.

And this is the reasoning Christ used, during forty days appearing to them. "Did not the Christ have to suffer these things before entering into His glory?" Concerning this central position, John writes: "When it was late, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, 'Peace be to you!'" He is showing two things here, the loftiness of the state of glory, in that, being…

And being assembled together, He instructed them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to await the promise of the Father — “That which you heard of Me;

Now in these diverse activities that Gift is set forth in no uncertain light of which our Lord had spoken to the apostles when He taught them not to depart from Jerusalem; but wait, said He, for the promise of the Father which ye heard from My lips: for John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, which ye shall also receive not many days hence…

When did they hear? When he said: It is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you (Jn. 16:7); and again: I will ask the Father, and He will send you another Advocate (Jn. 14:16). But if the Spirit had not yet come, how could he say, "Receive the Holy Spirit"? (Jn.

And opening to them the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem. Why did He command them to do so? Earlier, when they were fearful and trembling, He led them out to Galilee so that they could fearlessly hear what He had to say to them, since they were ready to abandon the work to which they had been called.

for John indeed baptized with water, but you yourselves will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not after many of these days.”

WE MUST ASK WHETHER THE APOSTLES HAD THE HOLY SPIRIT DURING THE TIME WHEN THEY WERE ON EARTH WITH THE LORD, BECAUSE AMONG MANY THINGS THE EVANGELIST SAYS, “THE SPIRIT HAD NOT YET BEEN GIVEN, BECAUSE JESUS HAD NOT YET BEEN GLORIFIED” (John 7:39); AND IN ANOTHER PLACE, “IF YOU LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS, AND I WILL ASK THE FATHER, AND HE WILL GIVE YOU ANOTHER PARACLETE, THAT H…

But you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. The apostles had not yet been baptized, not with water, but with the Holy Spirit, whom we understand they had already been baptized, either with John's baptism (as some suppose), or (what is more credible) with Christ's baptism.

Before the sending of the Holy Spirit, there was neither the full gift of the Holy Spirit for confirmation and public confession of the name of Christ, nor the plenary anointing of the mind for departure; therefore Christ only initiated and intimated these two Sacraments, namely confirmation and extreme unction.

The Ascension

Those indeed therefore, having come together, were asking Him, saying, “Lord, if at this time are You restoring the kingdom to Israel?”

But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven nor the Son, but the Father alone. These words seem to refute those who promise that they can comprehend the consummation and destruction of the world and who declare "as though the day of the Lord were at hand" — such as certain people are said to have been at Thessalonica in the time of the Apostle, of whom h…

For now indeed He hath mentioned infallible signs, many and endless; but then He saith merely, "It is not for you to know times or seasons." And then that they might not say, we are driven to perplexity, we are utterly scorned, we are not held worthy so much as of this, He says, "which the Father hath put in His own power." And this, because He was exceedingly careful to honor…

Intending to ask, they come to the Teacher together, so as to influence Him by their number; for they knew that His previous answer, namely: "of that day and hour no one knows" (Matt. 24:36), was such an answer not because of ignorance, but because He was avoiding the question. Therefore they ask again.

He said then to them, “It is not yours to know times or seasons, which the Father put in place by His own authority,

The apostle says: "The day of the Lord shall so come as a thief in the night. When they shall say, Peace and security, then on them shall come sudden destruction." Also in the Acts of the Apostles: "No one can know the times or the seasons which the Father has placed in His own power."

Now it is very properly that the affliction indeed of blessed Job is told, but the length of time that he was under the affliction is kept back, for we see the tribulation of Holy Church in this life, but know nothing for how long she is here to undergo bruising and delay; and hence it is spoken by the mouth of Truth, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which th…

And yet, even in the meantime a spiritual kingdom will thrust itself forth. In vindicating and protecting this kingdom, God demands their service, as for the rewards, let them be his concern. So they are to give up their desiree to know what they should not know; prepare themselves for events that lie at hand.

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit was coming upon you, and you will be My witnesses both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and until the uttermost part of the earth.”

And having said these things, when they are looking He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their eyes.

Why did He rise in the flesh in which He suffered, unless to show the resurrection of the flesh? And wishing to confirm this, when His disciples did not know whether to believe He had truly risen in the body, and were looking upon Him and doubting, He said to them, "Ye have not yet faith, see that it is I;" and He let them handle Him, and showed them the prints of the nails in…

And having said these things, while they were watching, Jesus was taken up; leading them to another place on the shore, so that they would not question him again, he immediately began his ascent into heaven. And he adds, while they were watching: since here the whole beginning of their faith and need was established, but not the end of the matter.

Christ was such a Center in His ascension. Hence it is written in Acts: "A cloud took Him out of their sight." Likewise the Christian must rise "from strength to strength," and not stand still at the terminal point of virtue, for by so doing he would cease to be virtuous.

And as they were looking intently into heaven as He is going, then behold, two men had stood by them in white garments,

After that, Pentecost is a most joyous space for conferring baptisms; wherein, too, the resurrection of the Lord was repeatedly proved among the disciples, and the hope of the advent of the Lord indirectly pointed to, in that, at that time, when He had been received back into the heavens, the angels told the apostles that "He would so come, as He had withal ascended into the he…

Men, appearing as angels because of the vision, speak through the experience, according to the kindred nature of the vision, so that they do not completely astonish those already struck by the uniqueness of the ascension.

Having said, "Why do you stand gazing into heaven?" — they did not allow them to remain any longer in that place and hope to see Him again, but urged them to return at last to Jerusalem for the work of preaching.

who also said, “Men, Galileans, why have you stood looking into heaven? This Jesus, who having been taken up from you into heaven, thus will come in that manner you beheld Him going into heaven.”

He will come again on the clouds of heaven, just as He appeared when He ascended into heaven. Meanwhile He has received from the Father the promised gift, and has shed it forth, even the Holy Spirit-the Third Name in the Godhead, and the Third Degree of the Divine Majesty; the Declarer of the One Monarchy of God, but at the same time the Interpreter of the Economy, to every one…

Now they saw his nature as limited. For I have heard the words of the Lord, "You shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven," and I acknowledge that what is seen by human eyes is limited, for the unlimited nature is invisible. Furthermore to sit upon a throne of glory and to set the lambs upon the right and the kids upon the left indicates limitation.

"He will come," it says, not "He will be sent." "He will come in the same way," that is, with a body. This is what they desired to hear, and also that He will come again in the days of judgment on a cloud (cf. Matt. 24:30).

Matthias Replaces Judas

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount which is being called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, holding a Sabbath day’s journey.

And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying — both Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James.

"And when they were come in," it says, "they went up into an upper room, where they were making their abode:" so they then remained in Jerusalem after the Resurrection: "both Peter, and James, and John:" no longer is only the latter together with his brother mentioned, but together with Peter the two: "and Andrew, and Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, and James (the…

Peter, interpreting or knowing: James, supplanter of labor. John, by the grace of God: Andrew, becoming powerful or condemned: Philip, the mouth of widows or the mouth of the lamp: Thomas, the abyss or twin or doubting. Bartholomew, son of him who suspends waters: Matthew, gifted: James son of Alphaeus, supplantation.

He prudently enumerates the disciples. Since one of them betrayed, another denied, and a third did not believe, he shows that, apart from the betrayer, all were present.

These all were steadfastly continuing with one accord in prayer, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

"Blessed," says He, "are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the sons of God." [Matthew 5:9] It behooves the sons of God to be peacemakers, gentle in heart, simple in speech, agreeing in affection, faithfully linked to one another in the bonds of unanimity.

They sought by a swift path, with which it was possible to go a mile on their sabbath, the well-known walls where Mary, the gateway of God, the virgin mother of her Creator, formed by her own son, was sitting at a religious gathering. The second virgin put to flight the woes of Eve's crime; there is no harm done to the sex; she restored what the first took away.

But how does he say, "with Mary the mother of Jesus"? Although the evangelist said that "from that time the disciple… took Her to his own" (John 19:27), this in no way contradicts the foregoing, because if that very disciple was there, then nothing prevented Her from being present as well. Why does he not mention Joseph here?

And in these days Peter, having stood up in the midst of the brothers, he said — the number of names together was about a hundred twenty —

Accordingly, after one of these had been struck off, He commanded the eleven others, on His departure to the Father, to "go and teach all nations, who were to be baptized into the Father, and into the Son, and into the Holy Ghost." [Matt.

Then Peter arose, not James, and as if more zealous, and as one to whom the leadership of the disciples had been entrusted. Moreover James was modest, more suited to speech and quiet, while the others handled affairs. Therefore they yield the seat [καθέδρας] of Jerusalem to him. But see how he acts by common decree in all things, and not from primacy nor by his own authority.

"In those days," that is, in the days before Pentecost, "Peter, standing in the midst of the disciples, said," as the fervent disciple and the one to whom Christ entrusted His flock, and, finally, as the first. But pay attention: he does everything with the common consent and nothing on his own will and authority.

“Men, brothers, it was necessary for the Scripture to have been fulfilled which the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David concerning Judas, the one having become guide to those having arrested Jesus;

The Apostle Peter, therefore, after the resurrection of the Lord, and His assumption into the heavens, being desirous of filling up the number of the twelve apostles, and in electing into the place of Judas any substitute who should be chosen by God, thus addressed those who were present: "Men [and] brethren, this Scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost,…

Twelve constellations of the [stellar] choir shine and cast the brilliance of Olympus on the earth. Note what realization this light reveals: The world is divided by the regions of its four sides; a triune faith calls this [world to belief], in whose name [the world] is washed in the font.

for he was numbered among us and was allotted the share of this ministry.”

God is no respecter of persons. Even Saul and Judas had been good at one time. How could someone who was not good have a share in the Savior's ministry? In the plan of God it was decided that we would be considered worthy for the time for which he was chosen.

"Concerning Judas," he says, "which was guide." Here again mark the philosophical temper of the man: how he does not mention him with scorn, nor say, "that wretch," "that miscreant:" but simply states the fact; and does not even say, "who betrayed Him," but does what he can to transfer the guilt to others: nor does he animadvert severely even on these: "Which was guide," he say…

Then he adds "concerning Judas, who was the guide of those who seized Jesus." Notice here too the wisdom of this man — notice how in the narrative he does not insult and does not speak of Judas as despised and most despicable, but simply states what happened; and he does not say that the Jews acquired, but: Judas "acquired the field," and rightly so, because the owner in fairne…

This man indeed then acquired a field out of the reward of unrighteousness, and having fallen headlong he burst open in the middle, and all his intestines gushed out.

And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem, so that they call that field in their own language Akeldama — that is, Field of Blood.

“For it has been written in the book of Psalms: ‘His homestead should become desolate, and there should not be one who is dwelling in it,’ and, ‘His position let another take.’

Then after the event, he appositely brings in the Prophet, saying, "For it is written in the Book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein": this is said of the field and the dwelling: "And his bishopric let another take; that is, his office, his priesthood. So that this, he says, is not my counsel, but His who hath foretold these things.

Let his habitation be desolate, and let there be no one to dwell in it, and let another take his office. Indeed, these verses are clear and openly explained by the blessed Peter, because Judas received the deserved punishment for his transgression, and going to his own place, namely infernal hell, he deserted the common habitation of human conversation by an untimely and impiou…

The words "let his habitation be desolate" (see also Ps. 68:26) were said about this land and about the house of Judas, for what could be more desolate than a cemetery, and a public cemetery at that, which is what this land became? And the words: "let another take his office" (see also Ps. 108:8) point to the rank of the priesthood.

It behooves therefore, of those men who were accompanying us during all the time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us,

having begun from the baptism of John until the day in which He was taken up from us, one of these to become a witness of His resurrection with us.”

And they put forward two: Joseph who is being called Barsabbas, who was called Justus, and Matthias.

He [Justus, surnamed Barsabbas] drank a deadly poison, and yet, by the grace of the Lord, suffered no harm.

They choose two: Joseph, surnamed the Just, and Matthias—a name, as they say, that means "God's small one" in the Hebrew language, and by calling [him, God] confirms him as humble. Oh, how different are human from heavenly judgments! He who was just according to the praise of humankind is surpassed by the merit of a small one.

"And they appointed two." Why not many? So that no great disorder would arise, and besides, the matter concerned only a few. What kind of men were they? Perhaps they were from the number of the Seventy who had been with the twelve apostles, or from other believers, but more fervently believing and more devout than the rest. Such were both Joseph and Matthias.

And having prayed, they said, “You Yourself, Lord, knower of the hearts of all, show whom You have chosen of these two,

Though the imperial power be great, yet consider, O Emperor, how great God is. He sees the hearts of all, He questions the inmost conscience, He knows all things before they happen, He knows the inmost things of your breast. You do not suffer yourselves to be deceived, and do you desire to conceal anything from God?

A lottery takes place to avoid contention and to assure greater certitude and clarity. The source of this rule is the counsel of God. The apostles imply the idea when they say, Lord, who knowest the hearts Thus it is clear that the lot does not happen by chance but by the power of God.

They cry out in prayer to the Knower of Hearts at the fitting time. They do not go on to say "choose," but "show… the one whom You have chosen," knowing that with God all things are determined before human thought.

to take the place of this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside, to go to his own place.”

And they gave lots to them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

"And they gave forth their lots" (for the spirit was not yet sent), "and the lot fell upon Matthias: and he was numbered with the eleven Apostles." "And they gave them their lots." For they did not yet consider themselves to be worthy to be informed by some sign.

Since they are not yet perfected, they learn who is worthy by lot and not by miracle. Yet it should not be faulted that it is done by lot. For if the lot had power concerning Jonah when rejected and profane men cast lots, (Jonah 1:7) what then must be thought when they permit the saints to prayer?

Everywhere he calls the election "receiving a lot," showing by this that everything occurs according to God's love for mankind and God's choosing, and reminding them of ancient events, because just as the Levites, so also them God chose for Himself by lot. Why do they prefer election by lot?

Acts1

Prologue

The Ascension

Matthias Replaces Judas