And it happened that on the next morning the chief men and the elders and the scribes assembled in Jerusalem; and also Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander and all who were of the high priest's family; and they stood them in their midst and questioned them, saying: By what power and in what name have you done this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: Chief men of the people and elders, if, in the matter of helping a sick man, we are being asked today by whom he has been saved, let it be known to you all and to all the people of Israel that it was in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; it is through him that this man stands before you, a healthy man. He is the stone that was despised by you, the builders, which has come to be at the head of the corner. And salvation is not in anyone else, for there is no other name given to men under heaven by which we must be saved.
And seeing the boldness of Peter and John, and realizing that they were plain, unlettered men, they marveled, and they knew that they had been with Jesus, and when they saw the man standing with them, healed, they had nothing to say in reply. So they told them to leave the council, and they consulted together, saying: What shall we do with these men? Since a proved miracle has been done by them which is plain to all who live in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it; but to keep this from being spread about further among the people, let us order them under threat to say no more to anyone in this name. Then they called them back in and ordered them absolutely not to speak and not to teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them: Judge whether it is right before God to listen to you rather than to God; since we are not able to keep from speaking of what we have seen and heard. They threatened them and let them go without finding any way to punish them, because of the people, since all were glorifying God over what had happened; for the man whom this miracle of healing had befallen was over forty years old.
When they were let go they went back to their own people and reported to them what the high priests and the elders had said. When they heard, of one accord they raised their voices to God and said: Lord, you who made the sky and the earth and the sea and all things that are in them, you said through the Holy Spirit by the mouth of David, our father and your servant: Why were the nations enraged and the peoples full of vain designs? The kings of the earth came on, and their leaders were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. For in truth in this city there were gathered against your holy son Jesus, whom you anointed, Herod and Pontius Pilate with the nations and peoples of Israel, to do what your hand and your will had foreordained to be done. And now, Lord, take note of their threats and grant to your slaves that they may speak your word with freedom, through your stretching out your hand to make healing and miracles and portents take place through the name of your holy son Jesus. And when they prayed, the place in which they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with freedom.
There was one heart and one spirit in the whole body of the believers, nor did any one of them call any of his possessions his own, but they had everything in common. And with great force the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and there was great good will among them all. Nor was anyone among them in need, for all those who happened to own lands or houses would sell them and bring in the proceeds of what had been sold and lay them at the feet of the apostles; and they were distributed, to each one as he had need. And there was Joseph, surnamed by the apostles Barnabas, which means, translated, Son of Consolation, a Lev- ite and a Cyprian by birth, who owned an estate. He sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the feet of the apostles.
1But a certain man, Ananias by name, whose wife was Sapphira, sold some property but, with the connivance of his wife, withheld some of the proceeds and brought only a part and laid it at the feet of the apostles. But Peter said to Ananias: Why was it that Satan put it into your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold some of the proceeds from the property? If you had let it remain, would it not have remained yours and, even when sold, still been at your disposal? Why did you let this deed be put in your heart? You lied, not to men but to God. When Ananias heard these words he fell down and died; and great fear came upon aU those who heard. Then the younger men rose up and covered him and carried him out and buried him. There was an interval of about three hours and his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. Peter said to her: Tell me, was this the amount for which you sold the property? She said: Yes, this amount. Peter said to her: Why did you both agree to make trial of the Spirit of the Lord? See! The feet of those who buried your husband are at the door; and they will carry you out. And immediately she fell at his feet and died; and the young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon the whole congregation and on all who heard about these things.
And many miracles and portentous things were wrought among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they all kept gathering in the Porch of Solomon; but none of the other people dared try to join their number, but the people thought them very great, and more and more a multitude of men and women came over to the Lord, believing in him; so that they even carried their sick out into the streets and set them there on cots and beds so that Peter's shadow at least might fall on them as he went by. And also a multitude from the cities round about Jerusalem gathered there, bringing their sick and those troubled by unclean spirits; and they were all healed.
Then the high priest and all who were with him, that is, the sect of Sadducees, rose up and were filled with jealousy and laid hands on the apostles and put them in the public prison. But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison by night, and as he led them out he said: Go and stand in the temple and tell the people all the words of this life. When they heard this they went into the temple at dawnwn and began teaching. But the high priest and those with him came and called together the council and the whole board of elders of the sons of Israel, and sent to the prison to fetch them. But when the servingr;nen arrived, they did not find them in the prison, and came back and reported, saying: We found the prison locked quite securely and the guards standing at the doors, and we opened them and found no one inside. When the captain of the temple and the high priest heard these words they were puzzled about them, as to how this could be. But a man arrived and told them: See, the men you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people. Then the captain went with his servingmen and took them, not forcibly, for they were afraid of the people and that they might be stoned, and they brought them and stood them before the council. And the high priest questioned them, saying: We gave you a formal order not to teach in this name, and see, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching; and you want to put the blood of that man upon us. Peter and the apostles answered and said: We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on the cross. God elevated him to his right hand as ruler and savior, to give Israel repentance and remission of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, we and the Holy Spirit which God gave to those who obey him.
When they heard this, they were convulsed with rage and wanted to kill them. But a certain Pharisee who was in the council, Gamaliel by name, a teacher of the law honored by all the people, stood up and urged them to have the men removed for a little while, and said to the others: Men of Israel, be careful how you go about dealing with these people. For before these days Theudas set himself up, claiming to be important, and men inclined to him to the number of about four hundred; he was killed, and all who believed in him were dispersed and came to nothing. And after him Judas of Galilee set himself up in the days of the census and won people over to his foUowing; and he, too, was killed, and all those who believed in him were scattered. And as for now, I tell you, let these men be and rel
ease them. For if this purpose and this work come from men, they will come to nothing; but if they come from God, you will not be able to bring them to nothing. Do not be caught fighting against God.
They were persuaded by him, and they called back the apostles and had them lashed and ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and released them. And they went away from the presence of the council rejoicing because they had been found worthy to suffer outrage for the sake of the name; and every day, in the temple and at home, they never stopped teaching and preaching the Christ, Jesus.
^During those days, as the number of disciples grew, loud complaints developed from the Hellenists against the Hebrews, that in the daily distribution the widows among their number were being overlooked. Then the twelve summoned the general body of disciples and said: It is not to our liking that we should neglect the word of God in order to see to the distribution of food. But, brothers, select from among yourselves seven men who are well recommended and who are full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall put in charge of this service; and we shall devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word. And this word was pleasing to all the people, and they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip and Prochorus and Nicanor and Timon and Parmenas and Nicolaus, a proselyte from Antioch, and these they set before the apostles, who said a prayer and laid their hands on them.
And the word of God increased, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem grew greatly, and a great number of the priests submitted to the faith.
And Stephen, filled with grace and power, accomplished portentous things and miracles among the people. But some people from the synagogue which is called that of the freedmen, and some of the Cyreneans and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, set themselves up against Stephen and disputed with him, but they were not able to stand up against the wisdom and spirit with which he spoke. Then they suborned certain men, who said: We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God. And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they set upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said: This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses handed down to us. And all who were sitting in the council stared at him and saw his face, which was like the face of an angel.
iThen the high priest said: Is this so? He replied: Men, my brothers and fathers, listen. The God of glory appeared to our forefather Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he settled in Harran; and God said to him: Go out from your own country and your own people and come here to a country which I will show you. Then he left the country of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran. And from there, after his father died, God moved him to this land where you now live; and he did not give him any property in it, not one foot of land; but he promised to give it into his possession and to his seed after him. He had then no child. And God spoke to him thus, saying that his descendants would be alien in the land of others, and these would enslave them and afflict them for four hundred years. And I, he said, will judge that nation whom they will serve as slaves, and after that they will go from it and serve me in this place. And he gave him the covenant of the circumcision; and thus Abraham begot Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day, as did Isaac to Jacob and Jacob to the twelve patriarchs.
The patriarchs were jealous of Joseph and sold him into Egypt; but God was with him and rescued him from all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom in the eyes of Pharaoh the King of Egypt; and Pharaoh established him as governor over Egypt and all his household.
But there came a famine in all of Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction, and our fathers could find no food.
But Jacob, hearing that there was food in Egypt, sent our fathers on their first visit; and on the second visit Joseph was recognized by his brothers, and the origin of Joseph was made known to Pharaoh. And Joseph sent and summoned Jacob his father and all his family, some seventy- five souls, and Jacob went to Egypt. And he died, and so did our fathers, and they were transported to Shechem and buried in the tomb which Abraham had bought for a sum of silver from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.
When the time drew near for the promise which God had agreed to with Abraham, his people in Egypt increased and multiplied, until another king was set over Egypt, one who had not known Joseph. This one contrived against our people and did evil to our fathers by causing their babies to be exposed so that they should not survive. In this time Moses was born, and he was pleasing to God. He was reared for three months in the house of his father; and when he was exposed, the daughter of Pharaoh took him up and raised him as her own son. And Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was powerful, in words and actions.
And when he was fully forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. And when he saw one of them being injuriously treated he came to the defense of the man abused, by striking the Egyptian down. He thought that his brothers understood that God through his hand was rescuing them; but they did not understand. And the next day he appeared to them as they were fighting each other, and he tried to reconcile them and make peace, saying: Sirs, you are brothers. Why are you injuring each other? But the man who had been injuring his neighbor thrust him away, saying: Who set you up as leader and judge over us? Could it be that you want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday?
At that word Moses went into exile and lived as an alien in Midian, where he had two sons. And when forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of the burning bush. When Moses saw him he wondered at the vision, but as he approached to look, there came the voice of the Lord: I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abrah^ and Isaac and Jacob. Moses trembled and did not dare look; but the Lord said to him: Take off your shoes from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy. I looked and saw the evil done to my people in Egypt, and I heard their groaning, and I came do^ to bring them out; and now, come, I send you back to Egypt.
This was that Moses whom they had denied, saying: Who set you up as leader and judge? This was he whom God sent as leader and deliverer, helped by the hand of the angel who appeared to him at the bush. He led them out, after accomplishing portentous things and miracles in Egypt and in the Red Sea and in the desert for forty years. This is the Moses who said to the sons of Israel: God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers; as he did me. This is he who was in the congregation in the desert, with the angel who talked with him on Mount Sinai and with our fathers.
He received living oracles to give you. But our fathers would not obey him, but they thrust him away and turned in their hearts toward Egypt, saying to Aaron: Make us gods who will go before us; for as for this Moses who led us out of Egypt, we do not know what became of him. And they made the calf in those days, and they sacrificed to the idol, and they were pleased with the work of their hands. But God turned them about and committed them to the worship of the host of the sky, as it is written in the book of the prophets: House of Israel, did you bring me victims and sacrifices for forty years in the desert? No, but you took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of the god Rhompha, the figures you made, to worship them. And I will move you beyond Babylon.
Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the desert, as he who talked with Moses told him to make it in the image of what he had seen; and our fathers inherited it and also brought it here when with Joshua they dispossessed the Gentiles, whom God drove from the sight of our fathers. Until the days of David; and David found favor in the eyes of God and asked leave to devise a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built him a house. But the Highest does not live in what has been made by hands; as the prophet says: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is a footstool for my feet; what kind of house will you build for me, says
the Lord, or what place will be my resting place? Did not my hand make all these things?
Stiff-necked, like the uncircumcised in your hearts and ears, you struggle always against the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which one of the prophets did your fathers not drive out? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the righteous one whose betrayers and murderers you are now shown to be. You received the law on the orders of angels, and you did not keep it.
When they heard this they were convulsed with rage in their hearts and gnashed their teeth at him. But, filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into the sky and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of
God, and he said: See, I behold the heavens opened and the son of man standing on the right hand of God. They cried aloud in a great voice and covered their ears, and they made a concerted rush at him and threw him out of the city and began to stone him. And the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he made his invocation and said: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he fell on his knees and cried out in a great voice: Lord, do not hold this sin against them. And as he said this, he fell asleep.
1 And Saul approved of their killing him.
And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem; and all, except the apostles, were scattered about the countryside of Judaea and Samaria. Certain devout men buried Stephen and made a great lament over him. But Saul continued to outrage the church, breaking into houses, dragging out men and women, and sending them to prison.
Those who had been scattered went about procl^ming the word of the gospel. Philip went to the city of Samaria and preached the Christ to the people. And the masses followed the sayings of Philip with enthusiasm as they listened to n. m and saw what miracles he was working. For many who had unclean spirits were relieved of them, crying aloud as they went, and many who were paralysed and many who were lame were made whole. And there was great joy in that city.
The New Testament Page 24