Деяния Апостолов

This book was written by St. Evangelist Luke, and there is reason to think (in the expression “we” in the last parts of this book) that he himself took part in the events he describes. It must have been written after 64 A.D. It describes the main events of the first years of the history of the Church after the Ascension of the Lord. The main figures of these events are St. Apostles Peter and Paul. The first 12 chapters relate to the activities of the Apostle Peter among the Jews, and the next 16 to the activities of the Apostle Paul, mainly among the pagans. The story begins with the arrival of the Apostle Paul in Rome, where he lived for 2 years under house arrest. The further fate of the Apostle can only be concluded from church tradition. One might think that the first time the Apostle was set free in Rome, and then, continuing his apostolic ministry, the second time he was subjected to imprisonment, to which perhaps verse 9 of the 2nd chapter of the second letter to Timothy refers, where the Apostle says that he is sitting in chains and is already considered a villain. According to the testimony of Clement of Rome and Eusebius, both Apostles continued their work in Italy, where both suffered martyrdom. And Jerome writes that in the 14th year of Nero’s reign, Paul died in Rome by cutting off his head. Chapter 1. Jesus after Resurrection I wrote the first book for you, Theophilus, about everything that Jesus did and taught from the beginning. until the day when he ascended, giving commandments from the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He revealed Himself to them alive, after His suffering, in many true signs, appearing to them for forty days and talking about the Kingdom of God. And having gathered them 19, he commanded them: “Do not separate yourself from Jerusalem, but wait for the fulfillment of the Father’s promise, which you have heard from Me; John baptized with water, but not in a distant future you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” They came together and asked Him, saying: “Are You at this time, O Lord, restoring the kingdom of Israel?” He said to them: It is not your business to know times or seasons: the Father has ordained all this in His power. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth. And as Jesus said this, he rose up before their eyes, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And as He ascended, as they looked at heaven, behold, two men in white clothes stood before them. and they said: Men of Galilee! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him ascending into heaven. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem within the distance of a Sabbath's journey. And when they came, they went up to the upper room, where they stayed: Peter and James, John and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas, the brother of James. They all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with some of the wives and Mary the Mother of Jesus and with His brothers. In those days, when there was a meeting of the brethren, about a hundred and twenty people, Peter, standing in the midst of the disciples, said “Men and brethren! it was necessary to fulfill what the Holy Spirit had predicted in Scripture through the mouth of David about Judas, the former leader of those who took Jesus. He was numbered among us and accepted the lot of this ministry. He acquired the land from unrighteous bribes, and when he fell, his belly split open and all his entrails fell out. This became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that land, in their native dialect, was called Akeldama, that is, the land of blood. In the book of Psalms it is written: let his court be empty and let there be no one living in it; and: let another take his dignity (Ps. 69:108). Therefore, it is necessary that one of those who gathered with us during the entire time that the Lord Jesus remained and spoke among us, from the baptism of John until the day when he ascended from us, he was a witness with us of His resurrection.” And they appointed two: Joseph, called Barsaba and called Justus, and Matthias. They prayed and said: You, Lord, knower of the hearts of all, show of these two one, whom You have chosen accept the lot of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas fell away in order to go to his place. And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and Matthias was numbered among the eleven Apostles. Chapter 2. The Descent of the Holy Spirit And so, on the last day of Pentecost, they were all together with one accord, when suddenly a noise arose from heaven, as from a rushing mighty wind, and filled the house where they were sitting in assembly, and tongues of fire appeared to them, and, dividing, stood over each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. There were Jews in Jerusalem at that time, godly people from every pagan country under heaven. When this noise arose, the people gathered and were in confusion - everyone heard how people began to speak in his own language, and they were astonished and marveled, saying to one another, “Are they not all Galileans who speak thus?” How do we hear from them each our own language in which we were born: Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and those living in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, in Pontus and in Asia, in Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt and in the countries of Libya, and in Cyrene, and those who came from Rome, Jews and strangers (converts from pagans to Judaism), Cretans and Arabians, we all hear them speaking in our languages about the great deeds of God. And they were all amazed, and perplexed, they said to each other: What does this mean? And others, laughing, said: apparently they drank new wine. Then Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and said to them: Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem! Let it be known to you, and listen to what I tell you. They are not drunk, as you think - it is now still three o'clock in the afternoon (about 9 am). But you see what was predicted by the prophet Joel: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith the Lord, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall see dreams; For on My servants and on My handmaids in those days I will pour out My Spirit, and they will prophesy. And I will give wonders in the heavens and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and burning smoke; the sun will be transformed into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and enlightened day of the Lord will even come. And it will be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Joel 2). Men of Israel! listen to me. Jesus of Nazareth, a man testified to you by God with powers and signs and wonders, which God did through Him among you, as you yourselves know? This one, according to the specific advice and foreknowledge of God, you killed and, having nailed him with the hands of the lawless, killed him. But God raised Him up, breaking the bonds of death, just as it was impossible for it to hold Him. And David says about Him: “I have seen the Lord before me, as He is on my right hand, so that I will not be moved. For this reason my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, and my flesh also dwells in hope, For Thou hast not left my soul in hell, let Thy venerable one see corruption. Thou hast said unto me the ways of life: fill me with gladness with Thy countenance” (Ps. 15). Men, brothers! It is worthy to boldly tell you about Patriarch David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day; being a prophet and knowing that God promised him with an oath from the fruit of his loins according to the flesh to raise up Christ and set him on his throne, He foreseeingly said about the resurrection of Christ that His soul was not left in hell and His flesh did not see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, of which we are all witnesses. And He was exalted by the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out what you now see and hear. But David did not ascend to heaven, but he himself says: “The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand, Until then I will make Your enemies Your footstool” (Ps. 109). Know therefore surely, all you people of Israel, that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be Lord and Christ. Hearing this, they were touched in their hearts and said to Peter and the other Apostles: What should we do, men and brethren? Peter said to them: Repent and be baptized each of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and for your children and for all those who are far off, as many as the Lord will call. And with many other speeches he testified and exhorted, saying: Save yourself from this corrupt generation. So those who willingly accepted his word were baptized, and about three thousand souls were added that day. And they constantly continued in the teaching of the Apostles, in fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Beginning of the Christian community And there was fear on every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the Apostles in Jerusalem. Yet the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold estates and all kinds of property and distributed them to everyone, depending on each person’s need. And every day they gathered with one accord in the church and, breaking bread from house to house, ate their food with joy and simplicity of heart, praising God. And all the people were kind to them. The Lord daily added to the church those who were being saved. Chapter 3. Healing the lame man Peter and John walked together to the church at the ninth hour of prayer. And there was a man, lame from his mother’s womb, whom they brought and seated every day at the doors of the church, called red, to ask for alms from those who entered the church. He, seeing Peter and John at the entrance to the church, asked them for alms. Peter and John looked at him intently, and Peter said, Look at us. And he began to look into their eyes, hoping to get something from them. But Peter said: I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give to you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, arise and walk. And taking him by the right hand, he lifted him up, and suddenly his feet and knees were strengthened, and he jumped up and began to walk and entered the church with them, walking and jumping and praising God. And all the people saw him as he walked and praised God, and they recognized him as the same one who sat at the red doors of the church, asking for alms; and were filled with horror and amazement at what happened to him. And as the healed lame man did not leave Peter and John, all the people in amazement ran to them in the porch called Solomon. Peter's speech to the people in the church Seeing this, Peter turned to the people and said: Men of Israel! Why are you amazed at this or why do you look at us as if we, through our own strength or piety, made it so that he walks? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Son Jesus, Whom you betrayed and denied before Pilate when he decided to release Him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked to give you a murderer, and the Chief of life was killed. This one God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And for the sake of faith in His name, His name strengthened this one whom you see and know, and faith, for His sake, granted him perfect healing before all of you. However, I know, brothers, that you, like your leaders, did this out of ignorance. God, as He foretold through the mouth of all His prophets that Christ would suffer, did so. So repent and be converted, so that your sins may be cleansed, may times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord and may He send Jesus Christ, who was ordained to you. But it is fitting for heaven to receive Him until the time when everything is accomplished according to the word of God through the mouth of all His holy prophets from the ages. And this was the word of Moses to the fathers: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren, like me. Listen to him in everything he tells you. And it will come to pass that every soul that does not listen to His Prophet will be cut off from among the people” (Deut. 18). And all the prophets, from Samuel and after all the prophecies that came from them, also foretold these days. You are the sons of the prophets, the sons of the covenant that God bequeathed to our fathers when His word came to Abraham: “By your seed shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12). God, having raised His Son Jesus, sent Him to you first to bless you, so that everyone would turn away from their evil deeds. Chapter 4. Imprisonment of the Apostles While they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the church guard and the Sadducees came to them, being annoyed that they teach the people and preach in Jesus the resurrection from the dead; and they laid hands on them, and as it was already evening, they put them in custody until the morning. Many of those who heard the word believed; and there were up to five thousand of them. The next day their chief men, the elders, and the scribes, gathered together in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander and others from the order of the high priest, and placing them in the middle, they began to ask: by what power or by what name did you do such a thing? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “The heads of the people and the elders of Israel! If today we are asked to answer for a benefit to a weak person, how was he healed? then let it be known to you and to all the people of Israel that in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by that name this man has been established healthy before you. He is the stone that was rejected by you who built it, but has become the head of the corner, and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men in which we seek salvation.” Seeing such courage of Peter and John and noticing that they were unlearned and simple people, they were surprised, but they recognized them as people who had been with Jesus. However, seeing the healed man standing with the Apostles, they could not say anything contrary. They just ordered them to leave the host and began to reason among themselves, saying: What should we do with these people? everyone living in Jerusalem knows that they have performed an obvious miracle, and we cannot reject it. But, so that it does not become known further among the people, we forbid them to speak about this name to any of the people. And having called them, they strictly commanded them not to speak or teach about the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them: Judge for yourself whether it is right before God to listen to you rather than to listen to God. We cannot help but talk about what we saw and heard. They, having threatened, released them, seeing that it was impossible to subject them to punishment, for the sake of the people: everyone among the people glorified God for the healing that had taken place, since the man on whom the miracle happened was more than forty years old. When they were released, they came to their own people and told them what the high priests and elders had told them. And having heard this, they unanimously raised their voices to God and said: Sovereign God, who created heaven and earth and everything that is in them! Through the mouth of our father David, Your servant, You said by the Holy Spirit: “The nations are reeling and people have learned in vain? The kings of the earth appeared, and the princes gathered together against the Lord and against His Christ” (Ps. 2). Verily, Herod and Pontius Pilate, together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, have gathered together in this city against Thy Holy Son Jesus, Whom Thou hast anointed - to do what Thy hand and Thy counsel have intended to be. And now, Lord, look at their threats and grant to Your servants to speak Your word with all boldness, You stretch out Your hand to perform healings and signs and wonders in the name of Your Holy Son Jesus. And through their prayer, the place where they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness. The multitude of those who believed had one heart and one soul, and no one called anything of his property his own, but they had everything in common. The apostles testified with great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and grace was upon all of them. There was no one in need among them: everyone who owned lands or houses sold them, bringing the price of what was sold and laid them at the feet of the Apostles; and it was given to everyone who needed what. So Josiah, called Barnabas by the Apostles, which means son of consolation, was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, who had land, sold it, brought money and laid it at the feet of the Apostles. Chapter 5. Ananias and Sapphira But it happened that a certain man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira, having sold their property, He withheld from the price, with the knowledge of his wife, and only brought some of it and laid it at the feet of the Apostles. But Peter said to him: Ananias! Why did you allow Satan to put it in your heart - to lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold from the price of the land? What you owned, whether it was yours, and what was gained by sale, was in your power. Why did you put this in your heart? You did not lie to men, but to God. Hearing these words, Ananias fell lifeless, and great fear seized all who heard it. And the young men got up and prepared him for burial, and carried him out and buried him. About three hours after that, his wife also came, not knowing what had happened. Peter asked her: tell me, how much did you sell the land for? She said: yes, for that much. Then Peter said to her: Why did you agree to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, those who buried your husband are entering at the door: they will carry you out too. And immediately she fell at his feet and gave up the ghost, and the young men entered, found her dead, carried her out and buried her near her husband. And great fear gripped the entire church and everyone who heard about it. By the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were performed among the people; and they all assembled with one accord in Solomon's porch. No one from outsiders dared to pester them, but glorified their people. More and more believers in the Lord joined, so they carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and beds - where Peter passed, so that at least his shadow would overshadow some of them. Many from the surrounding cities came to Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those suffering from unclean spirits, and everyone was healed. Peter and John in front of the cathedral The high priest and those with him, all from the heresy of the Sadducees, were filled with envy and they laid their hands on the Apostles and sent them into custody into a common prison. But the Angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison at night and, leading them out, said: Go and stand in the church and speak to the people all the words of life. Hearing this, they went to the church in the morning and began to teach. Meanwhile, the high priest and those with him came, convened their council, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to bring the prisoners. But the servants, when they came to the prison, did not find them there and, returning, They reported: we found the dungeon locked very tightly, and the guards stood at the door; but when they opened it to us, they found no one there. Hearing these words, the chief high priest, the captain of the guard, and the other high priests could not understand what it all meant. Meanwhile, someone came and announced: Look, the people whom you imprisoned are standing in the church and teaching the people. Then the captain of the guard went with the servants and brought them, without coercion, because they were afraid of the people, lest they stone them. And having brought them, they placed them in the congregation. And the high priest asked them: Have we not strictly forbidden you to teach about this name? And behold, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and want to bring the blood of that Man upon us. Peter and the Apostles answered: We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him with His right hand into the Chief and Savior - to give repentance and remission of sins to Israel. We are His witnesses of this, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him. Hearing such speech, they flared up with anger and planned to kill them. But a certain Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, stood up in the congregation, held in high esteem by all the people, and ordered the Apostles to be taken out for a short time; and he began to speak to them like this: Men of Israel! Think with yourself about these people, what should we do with them. So, not long before this, Fevda appeared, posing as someone great, and about four hundred people stuck to him; but he was killed, and all those who attached themselves to him scattered and disappeared. After him, during the census, Judas the Galilean appeared and carried away quite a lot of people with him; but he too died, and everyone who listened to him scattered. And now, I say to you, get away from these people and leave them. If this enterprise and this business are from people, then it will collapse. If it is from God, then you cannot destroy it, lest you then turn out to be opponents of God. And they obeyed him and, calling the Apostles, beat them and, forbidding them to speak about the name of Jesus, sent them away. And they went out from the congregation, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name of the Lord Jesus, and every day in the church and from house to house they did not cease teaching and preaching the gospel about Jesus Christ. Chapter 6. Election of seven deacons In those days, when the disciples were multiplying, there was a murmur among the Hellenists (Jews from the Hellenic regions) against the (local) Jews because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution of needs. Then the twelve Apostles, having called together many disciples, said: It is not good for us, leaving the word of God, to worry about meals. So, brethren, select from among yourselves seven qualified men, filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom; we will put them in this service, and we will continue in prayer and the ministry of the word. And this proposal was pleasing to the whole assembly, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus and Nicanor, and Timon and Parmenes, and Nicholas the Antiochian from among the pagans. They were placed before the Apostles, and they, having prayed, laid their hands on them. And the word of God grew, and the number of disciples greatly increased in Jerusalem; and many of the priests submitted to the faith. Stephen's Ministry and Trial And Stephen, full of faith and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. Some of the so-called synagogue of the Libertines and Cyreneans and Alexandrians and others from Cilicia and Asia entered into a dispute with Stephen, but they could not resist the wisdom and the Spirit to whom he spoke. Then they taught some to say: We heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. And they aroused the people and the elders and the scribes, and the attackers grabbed him and led him to the assembly. They presented false witnesses, and they said: this man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and against the law, and we heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth would destroy this place and change the customs that Moses gave us. And all those sitting in the congregation, looking at him, saw his face like the face of an Angel. Chapter 7. Stephen's Speech to the Host Then the high priest asked: Is this true? Stephen said this: men, brothers and fathers! Listen. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham in Mesopotamia, before he moved to Harran, and he said to him, “Get out of your land and from your kindred and go to the land that I will show you.” Then he left the land of the Chaldeans and settled in Harran, and from there, after the death of his father, God moved him to this land, on which you now live. And he did not give him an inheritance in it, not even one foot, but promised to give it to him as an inheritance and to his seed after him, while he was still childless. And God told him that his descendants would be strangers in a foreign land and would be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. But to the people, God said, to whom they serve, I will bring judgment; and after that they will come out and serve Me in this place. And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. Therefore he begat Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob, and Jacob begat twelve patriarchs. The patriarchs, out of envy, sold Joseph to Egypt, but God was with him and delivered him from all his sorrows, and gave him wisdom and the favor of Pharaoh the king of Egypt - he made him ruler over Egypt and over all his house. Famine and great tribulation came to the whole land of Egypt and Canaan, and our fathers found no food. Jacob, having heard that there was bread in Egypt, sent our fathers there for the first time; and when they came the second time, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, and the family of Joseph became known to Pharaoh. Joseph sent and called his father Jacob and all his relatives, seventy-five souls. Jacob went over to Egypt and died both himself and our fathers, and they were carried to Shechem and laid in the tomb that Abraham bought at the price of silver from the sons of Hamor Shechem. And as the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise that God had sworn to Abraham, the people meanwhile grew and multiplied in Egypt, until another king arose in Egypt, who did not know Joseph. This one, contriving against our family, oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their children so that they would not live. At this time Moses was born and was pleasing to God: for three months he was fed in his father’s house, and when he was abandoned, Pharaoh’s daughter took him and raised him as her son; and Moses was taught in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds. When he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them how they offended him, he stood up and took revenge for the offended one, striking the Egyptian. He thought his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand; but they didn't understand. The next day, when some of them were fighting with each other in his presence, he began to persuade them to peace and said: you are brothers - why do you offend each other? But the one who offended his neighbor pushed him away, saying: “Who made you a leader and a judge over us?” Don’t you want to kill me too, like you killed the Egyptian yesterday? From these words Moses fled and became a stranger in the land of Midian, where two sons were born to him. And when he was forty years old, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai in the flames of a burning thorn bush. Seeing this, Moses marveled at the vision, and when he came to look, the voice of the Lord came to him: I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Moses was overcome with trepidation and did not dare look. And the Lord said to him: Take off your shoes from your feet: the place where you stand is holy ground. I see the oppression of My people in Egypt and hear their groaning, and I came down to deliver them. I will send you to Egypt. This Moses, whom they rejected, saying: Who made you a ruler and a judge, this God sent through the Angel who appeared to him in a bush of thorns as a ruler and deliverer. He brought them out, performing miracles and signs in the land of Egypt and in the Black Sea and in the desert for forty years. This is the Moses who said to the children of Israel: The Lord will raise up for you a prophet from among your brethren, like me; Listen to him. He who in the desert had a conversation with the Angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, and received the words of life to pass on to us. But our fathers did not want to listen to him, they rejected him and turned their hearts to Egypt, when They said to Aaron, “Make us gods, so that they can go ahead of us.” But we don’t know what happened to Moses, who brought us out of the land of Egypt. And in those days they made a calf, and sacrificed to the idol, and rejoiced in the work of their hands. God turned away and left them to serve the heavenly army, as it is written in the book of the prophets: “House of Israel! Did you bring slaughter and sacrifices to Me for forty years in the wilderness? You took the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your god Remphan, you made images of them for yourself to worship them, and I will remove you further than Babylon” (Deut. 4. Amos. 5). Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness, as He who prophesied to Moses commanded that it should be built according to the image that they had seen. Our fathers and Jesus, taking it, brought it into the region of the nations expelled by God from the presence of our fathers. So it was until the days of David: This one found grace before God and prayed that God would give him a settlement for the God of Jacob. Solomon built a church for Him. But the Almighty does not live in churches made by hands, as the prophet says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or what place for My rest? Was it not My hand that created all this?” (Isa.66). People are stiff-necked! Hearts and ears are not circumcised! You always resist the Holy Spirit - like your fathers, so you: Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute? They also killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, Whom you have now become traitors and murderers - you who accepted the law under the ministry of angels, and did not keep it! Martyrdom of Stephen Hearing this, they tore their hearts and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God. But they cried out with a great voice, stopped their ears and with one accord rushed towards him. And taking him out of the city, they began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of the young man named Saul. They stoned Stephen, but he prayed and said: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit in peace. And bending his knees, he exclaimed with a great voice: Lord, do not put this sin on them. And having said this, he rested. Chapter 8. The first persecution of the church Saul approved of his murder. In those days there was a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the Apostles was scattered to different places in Judea and Samaria. Pious men buried Stephen and made a great lamentation for him. Saul tormented the church, entering houses, and, dragging husbands and wives, he handed them over to prison. Meanwhile those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Philip came to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. The people unanimously listened to his speeches, hearing and seeing what miracles he performed: unclean spirits came out of many demoniacs with a great cry, and many paralytic and lame were healed, and there was great joy in that city. There was a certain man there, named Simon: before that, he used magic and amazed the people of Samaria, posing as someone great, and everyone, young and old, listened to him, saying: in him is the great power of God; and they listened because for a considerable time he amazed them with his magic. But when they believed in Philip’s gospel about the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and wives were baptized. Simon himself believed, and, having been baptized, did not leave Philip, and, seeing the great powers and signs taking place, he was amazed. When the Apostles who were in Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. They came and prayed for them that they would receive the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit had not yet descended on any of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and received the Holy Spirit. Simon, seeing that the Holy Spirit was given by the laying on of the apostles’ hands, brought them money, saying: Give me this power, so that whoever I lay my hands on may receive the Holy Spirit. But Peter said to him: Let your money perish with you, because you thought to receive the gift of God for money. You have no part or lot in our word: your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to God - whether such a thought of your heart will be forgiven you; but I see that you have envious bitterness in your heart and are bound by the bonds of untruth. Simon answered and said to him, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing that you have said may befall me.” Peter and John, having testified and preached about the word of God, returned to Jerusalem, and preached the Gospel in many villages of Samaria. To Philip the Angel of the Lord said: get up and go towards noon (south) to the road going from Jerusalem to Gaza - it is now empty. And he got up and went. On the way, he met his Ethiopian husband, a eunuch, a nobleman of Candace, the queen of Ethiopia, and the keeper of all her treasures. He came to worship in Jerusalem, now he returned and, sitting on a chariot, read the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip: Come and dock with the chariot. Philip came up and, hearing him read the prophet Isaiah, said: Do you understand what you read? – “How can I understand,” he answered, “if someone doesn’t explain it to me,” and asked Philip to come up and sit with him. The word from the Scripture that he read was this: “Like a sheep that is led to the slaughter, and like a lamb that is silent to its shearer, so it does not open its mouth, in His humility His judgment will be taken away, but who will confess His generation? as if His belly were lifted up from the earth” (Is. 53). Now,” the eunuch said to Philip, “I ask you to tell me: about whom is the prophet speaking this - about himself, or about someone else? Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning from this scripture, preached to him about Jesus. Meanwhile, continuing their journey, they approached the water, and the eunuch said: here is the water; Why shouldn’t I be baptized here? And Philip said to him: If you believe with all your heart, you can. And he answered: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he ordered the chariot to stop; and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and Philip baptized him. When they came out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended on the eunuch; and Philip was delighted by the Angel of the Lord - the eunuch no longer saw him and continued on his way in joy. And Philip ended up in Azothus and, as he passed, he preached the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea. And Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, came to the high priest and he asked him for letters to Damascus to the congregations of Judea, so that whoever he found adhered to that teaching, both husbands and wives, would be tied up and brought to Jerusalem. But as he walked and approached Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly shone upon him - he fell to the ground and heard a voice from above: Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me? And Saul said: Who are you, Lord? And the voice of the Lord was: I am Jesus, whom you persecute; It’s hard for you to go against the grain. And Saul, in trembling and horror, said: What do you command me, Lord? And the Lord answered: get up and go into the city, and there it will be told to you what you must do. The people walking with him stood in a daze, hearing the voice but not seeing anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but with his open eyes he saw no one; and they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he did not see or eat or drink. In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias, and the Lord in a vision cried out to him: Ananias! He said: I, Lord. The Lord to him: get up and go to the street called straight, and ask in the house of Judas the Tarsian named Saul: he is now praying and I saw in a vision a man named Ananias, how he came to him and laid his hand on him so that he could receive his sight. Ananias answered: Lord! I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he did to Your saints in Jerusalem and here he has authority from the high priests to bind all who call on Your name. But the Lord said to him: go! he is a chosen vessel of mine, to proclaim my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel, and I Myself will show him how much he must suffer for My name. And Ananias went and entered the house and, laying his hands on him, said: Brother Saul! The Lord Jesus, the One who appeared to you on the path you walked, sent me so that you could receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately, like scales fell away from his eyes, and suddenly he received his sight; and stood up and was baptized. And having taken food, he became stronger. Saul stayed several days with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately began to preach to the congregations about Jesus, that He is the Son of God. All who heard marveled and said, “Isn’t this the same one who persecuted those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and came here for this purpose, to bind them and lead them to the high priests?” And Saul grew stronger and stronger and confused the Jews living in Damascus, proving that this is Christ. When enough time had passed, the Jews agreed to kill him; but Saul found out about this plan of theirs, and they kept watch at the gate day and night to kill him; At night, the disciples took him and lowered him down the wall in a basket. Saul, when he came to Jerusalem, tried to pester the disciples, but everyone was afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. Barnabas, taking him, brought him to the Apostles and told them everything, how on the way he saw the Lord and what the Lord said to him, and how he fearlessly preached in Damascus about the name of Jesus. After this he remained in Jerusalem, going in and out with them, and boldly preached the name of the Lord Jesus. He also spoke and competed with the Hellenists (Jews from foreign lands): and they attempted to kill him. Having learned about this, the brethren sent him to Caesarea and settled him in Tarsus. The churches throughout all Judea, Galilee and Samaria were in peace, built up and walked in the fear of God, and with the consolation of the Holy Spirit they multiplied. Peter in Lydda and Jopia. Healing of Aeneas and resurrection of Tabitha It happened that Peter, going around different places, came to the saints living in Lydda. There I found a man named Aeneas, who had been lying on his bed in relaxation for eight years. And Peter said to him: Aeneas! Jesus Christ heals you - get up from your bed. And he immediately stood up. And all those living in Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha, which means (in Greek Δορκάς) Chamois: she was full of good deeds and did a lot of alms. It happened in those days that she fell ill and died, and after washing her they laid her in the upper room. Lydda was close to Joppa, and the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him to ask him not to delay in coming to them. And Peter stood up and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him to the upper room, and all the widows appeared with tears, showing the shirts and dresses that Serna made when she lived with them. Peter sent everyone out and, kneeling down, prayed and, turning to the body, said: Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes and, seeing Peter, sat down. He, giving her his hand, raised her up and, calling the saints and widows, placed her alive before them. And this was published throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. He then spent quite a few days in Joppa with a certain Simon the tanner. Chapter 10. Peter in Cornelius In Caesarea there was a certain man named Cornelius, a centurion from a regiment called the Italic. A pious man, fearing God with all his household, he gave a lot of alms to people and always prayed to God. He had a vision around the 9th hour of the day (3 o'clock in the afternoon): he saw clearly how the Angel of God came to him and said: Cornelius! Looking at him in fear, Cornelius said: What, Lord? The angel answered: your prayers and alms have reached and are remembered by God. So send people to Joppa and call Simon, who is called Peter - he is visiting a certain Simon the tanner in his house on the seashore: he will tell you a word in which salvation will be for you and your house. When the angel who had spoken thus to Cornelius departed, he called two of his servants and a pious warrior from those who were in his service, and having told them everything, he sent them to Joppa. The next day, when they were finishing their journey and approaching the city, Peter, at about the sixth hour (noon), went up to the top of the house to pray. Felt hungry and wanted to eat; meanwhile, while they were preparing, a frenzy came over him and sees the open sky, and descends to it from above like a large canvas tied at the four corners, and descends to the earth, and in that linen were laid all sorts of four-legged animals, beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. And a voice was heard: Arise, Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said: No, Lord; I have never eaten anything bad or unclean. Then another time a voice came to him: what God has cleansed, do not consider unclean. This happened three times, and again the vessel was taken to heaven. When Peter wondered within himself what the vision that he saw meant, behold, men sent from Cornelius, having inquired about the house of Simon, stood at the door and they asked loudly: Is Simon, who is called Peter, here? While Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him: Behold, three men are looking for you; get up, get down and go with them, without any doubt: I sent them. Peter, going down to the people sent to him from Cornelius, said: I am the one whom you are looking for. What business have you come for? They said: Cornelius the centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, in honor of all the people of Judea, received a message from the holy Angel to call you to his house and listen to your speeches. Then Peter, calling them, treated them; and the next day he rose up and went with them, and some of the brethren of Joppa went with him. The next day they came to Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them, having called his relatives and close friends. As Peter entered, Cornelius met him and bowed down at his feet. Peter raised him up, saying: Arise; and I'm a person like you. And talking with him, he entered the house and found many gathered. And he said to them: you know that it is forbidden for a Jew to get close to a foreigner or enter his house; but God revealed to me that I should not consider a single person bad or unclean; Therefore, when I was called, I came without question. And so I ask: what work have you called me for? Then Cornelius said: three days before this I was at my house until this hour, fasting, and at the ninth hour I was praying, when a man stood before me in light clothes, and says: Cornelius! your prayer is heard and your alms are remembered before God; So go to Joppa and call Simon, who is called Peter; he is staying in the house of the tanner Simon by the seashore: he will come and tell you. I immediately sent to you, and you did a good deed by coming. Now we all stand before God to hear everything that God has commanded you. Then Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but everyone who fears God and does righteousness is acceptable to Him in every language. God sent His word to the children of Israel for the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ: This is the Lord of all! You know what happened throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism preached by John; how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all those possessed by the devil, because God was with Him. And we are witnesses of everything that He did in the land of Judea and in Jerusalem, and how they killed Him by hanging Him on a tree. This one God raised up on the third day and revealed Him. But He did not appear to all the people, but to the witnesses chosen by God—us. And we ate and drank with Him after His resurrection from the dead; and He commanded us to preach to people and testify that He is the appointed Judge of God, the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him will receive remission of sins through His name. First Conversion of the Gentiles While Peter continued this word, the Holy Spirit descended on all those who heard him. And the believers from the circumcision who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out also on the Gentiles, for they heard them speak in tongues and magnify God. Then Peter said: Who can forbid the baptism of water to people who, like us, have received the Holy Spirit? And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay with them for several days. Chapter 11. Peter explains his action in Caesarea The Apostles and brothers who were in Judea heard that the pagans also accepted the word of God. And when Peter came to Jerusalem, the circumcision began to rebuke him, saying: You went to people uncircumcised and ate with them. Then Peter began to retell everything to them in order, saying: in the city of Joppa, I prayed and in a frenzy I saw a vision - a certain vessel descended like a large canvas, descended from heaven at four corners and came down to me. I looked into it and saw there four-legged animals of the earth, creeping things and birds of the air, and I heard a voice say to me: Arise, Peter, kill and eat. And I said, No, Lord, nothing foul or unclean has ever come into my mouth. and again a voice from heaven answered me: what God has cleansed, do not defile. And this happened three times, and again everything ascended to heaven. And behold, at that very hour, three men sent from Caesarea stood in front of the house where I was. And the Spirit told me that I should go with them without any doubt; These six brothers also went with me, and we came to the man’s house. He told us how he saw a holy angel in his house, and the angel stood and said to him: send people to Joppa and call Simon, who is called Peter, and he will tell you a word, in which you and your whole house will find salvation. When I began to speak, the Holy Spirit descended on them, just as it did on us at the beginning. Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said: John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. So, if God gave them the same gift as he gave to us who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who am I to resist God? – Hearing this, they calmed down and glorified God; They said: it is clear that God also granted repentance to the pagans for life! Meanwhile, those who were scattered from the persecution that followed Stephen went as far as Phenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, preaching the word to no one, only to the Jews. But some of them, Cypriots and Cyreneans, came to Antioch and spoke to the Greeks, preaching the good news about the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of those who believed turned to the Lord. Rumors about this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they instructed Barnabas to go to Antioch. Having arrived and seeing the grace of God, he rejoiced and convinced everyone to be confirmed in the Lord with the true desire of the heart: he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. And many people came to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul and, having found him, brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they gathered in church meetings, taught many people, and the disciples in Antioch were the first to be called Christians. Barnabas and Saul are sent to Judea In those days prophets came to Antioch from Jerusalem, and one of them, named Agabus, standing up, he foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine throughout the entire universe, which happened under Caesar Claudius. Then the disciples decided, each according to his income, to send aid to the brothers living in Judea. This is what they did, sending a collection to the elders with Barnabas and Saul. Chapter 12. Persecution of the Church under Herod Airippus At this time, King Herod laid hands on some of the sons of the church, abusing them. Jacob, John's brother, cut off his head. And seeing that this pleased the Jews, he ordered Peter to be taken too - then were the days of unleavened bread. Having detained him, he put him in prison and ordered four quartets of soldiers to guard him, although after Easter to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison; Meanwhile, the church diligently prayed to God for him. And when Herod wanted to bring him out, that night Peter slept between two soldiers, bound with two iron chains, and the guards at the door guarded the prison. But behold, the Angel of the Lord appeared, and light shone around the prison. The angel, pushing Peter in the side, woke him up and said: get up quickly. And the chains fell from his hands. And the Angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your shoes.” And when Peter had done all this, he said to him, “Put on your clothes and follow me.” Peter came out and followed him, but he himself did not understand whether everything that the angel was doing was real, or whether it was just a vision. Having passed the first and second guards, they came to the iron gates leading into the city - and the gates themselves opened to them; They went out and walked one street, and suddenly the Angel was no longer with him. Then Peter, having come to his senses, said: Now I truly see that the Lord sent His Angel and took me away from the hand of Herod and from everything that the people of the Jews were waiting for. Having looked around, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, called Mark: many had gathered there and were standing in prayer. When Peter knocked on the gate, a maid named Rod came out to listen, and recognizing Peter’s voice, she did not open the gate for joy, but ran to announce that Peter was standing at the gate. They say to her: are you out of your mind? But she stood her ground - and they said: this is his Angel. Meanwhile, Peter continued to knock: they opened it, saw him and were amazed. And he, giving a sign with his hand to remain silent, told them how the Lord had brought him out of prison, and said: Tell Jacob and the brethren. Then he left and went to another place. – When the day came, great alarm arose among the soldiers: where had Peter gone? Herod, looking for him and not finding him, began to torture the guards and ordered them to be executed, and then moved from Judea to Caesarea and remained there. It happened that Herod was angry with the Tirians and Sidonians. They, having agreed, came to him and, having won over Vlast, the king’s bedfellow, to their side, they asked for peace, because their region was fed with bread from the royal region. On the appointed day, Herod, having put on all the royal attire, sat down at the court before the people and began to speak to the people; and the people exclaimed: it is God speaking, not man. But then the Angel of the Lord suddenly struck him for not giving glory to God, and he died, eaten by worms. The Word of God grew and multiplied. Barnabas and Saul, having fulfilled what they were sent for in Jerusalem, returned to Antioch, taking with them John, called Mark. Chapter 13. Paul's first journey There were some prophets and teachers in the Antiochian church: Barnabas, and Simon, called Niger, and Luke of Cyrene, and Manael, a fellow pupil of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were serving the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, having fasted and prayed and laid hands on them, they released them. They, having been sent by the Holy Spirit, came to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus and, being in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the congregations of the Jews; They also had John with them in their ministry. Having walked the entire island to Paphos, they found there a sorcerer and false prophet, a Jew named Barijesus. He was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a wise man. This man, calling Barnabas and Saul, desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (that’s what his name means) began to resist them, trying to turn the proconsul away from the faith. Then Saul - who is also Paul - was filled with the Holy Spirit and fixed his gaze on him, said: You, full of all deceit and all lies, are the son of the devil, the enemy of all truth! When will you stop deviating from the straight paths of the Lord? Listen! the hand of the Lord is upon you; you will be blind and will not see the sun until the time comes. And suddenly darkness and darkness fell upon him, and he began to look for the leader around him. Then the proconsul, seeing what had happened, believed and marveled at the teaching of the Lord. Sailing from Paphos, Paul and those with him arrived in Perga, in Pamphylia; but John, having separated from them, returned to Jerusalem. And they, passing from Perga, arrived at Antioch of Pisidia (in Asia) and, entering the congregation on the Sabbath day, sat down. After the reading of the law and the prophets, the leaders of the congregation sent to say to them: Men and brethren, if you have a word of instruction for the people, speak. Paul stood up and signaled with his hand, saying: Men of Israel and those who fear God! listen. The God of this people chose our fathers and exalted this people when he came into the land of Egypt, and with an outstretched arm brought them out of it, and for forty years he fed them in the wilderness, and having destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he divided their land for them as an inheritance. After this, about four hundred and fifty years, he gave them judges until the prophet Samuel. Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, the son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. So about forty years passed; then, rejecting him, he made David king for them, about whom, testifying, he said: “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who has done all My desires” (1 Samuel 13). From his seed, according to promise, God raised up the Savior Jesus to Israel. Just before His appearance, John preached a baptism of repentance to the entire people of Israel. And when John finished his ministry, he said: Who do you say that I am? I am not Christ, but behold, He is coming after me, from Whom I am not worthy to untie the thong of His boots. Men and brethren, sons of the family of Abraham, and if there are any among you who fear God, the word of this salvation has been sent to you. The people of Jerusalem and their leaders, not knowing Him, condemned Him, and thereby fulfilled the words of the prophets, read every Saturday, and, not finding in Him any guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to kill Him. When they had completed all that was written about Him, they laid Him in a tomb. But God raised Him from the dead. For many days He appeared to those who came with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem: they are now His witnesses before the people. And we preach to you that God fulfilled the promise given to the fathers to us, their children, by raising Jesus. As in the second psalm it is written: “Thou art my son, this day I have given birth to thee.” And about the fact that He raised Him from the dead and will no longer return to corruption, this is said about this: “I will give you holy promises to David, surely” (Is. 55). And in another place he says: “Do not let Your Reverend see corruption” (Ps. 15). David, having served the will of God in his generation, rested and was kissed by his fathers and saw decay. But He whom God raised did not see corruption. Let it therefore be known to you, men and brethren, that for His sake the remission of sins is proclaimed to you, and in everything in which you could not be justified by the law of Moses, everyone who believes will be justified by him. Take heed to yourselves, lest what is said in the prophets come upon you: “Look, you despisers, marvel and disappear, for I will do something in your days that you would not believe if anyone told you” (Hab. 1). When they left the crowd of Jews, the pagans asked them to speak about the same thing on the next Saturday. And when the meeting dispersed, many Jews and strangers (converts from the Gentiles) who were godly followed Paul and Barnabas; and, talking with them, they convinced them to remain in the grace of God. The following Saturday, almost the entire city gathered to listen to the word of God. And the Jews, seeing the people, were filled with envy, refuted Pavlov’s words with malice and cursed at him. Then Paul and Barnabas said boldly: You should have been the first to preach the word of God; but since you yourself reject it and make yourselves unworthy of eternal life, then, behold, we turn to the pagans. This is what the Lord commanded us: “I have made You a light for the nations, so that You may be a salvation for people even to the ends of the earth” (Is. 42). The pagans, hearing this, rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were ordained to eternal life believed, and the word of the Lord spread throughout the whole country. The Jews, having persuaded pious and honorable women and the leading people in the city, launched a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them from their borders. And they, shaking off the dust of their feet on them, went to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. Chapter 14. Paul and Barnabas in Iconium At Iconium they entered together into the congregation of Judea and spoke in such a way that a great multitude of Jews and Greeks believed. And the unbelieving Jews aroused and irritated the hearts of the pagans against the brethren. However, they stayed here for quite some time, and boldly preached in the power of the Lord. The Lord, as a testimony to the word of His grace, performed signs and wonders with their hands. Meanwhile, the people in the city were divided, and some were on the side of the Jews, and others on the side of the Apostles. And when the pagans and Jews with their authorities rushed against them to take them away by force and stone them, They, having learned about this, withdrew to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and their surroundings, In Lystra there was a man who could not use his legs, and was lame from his mother's womb. He never went sat motionless and listened as Paul spoke. Paul looked at him and saw that he had faith for healing, and with a loud voice he said, “I say to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ: stand upright on your feet.” When the people saw everything that Paul had done, cries arose in the Lycaonian language: the gods have come to us in human form! And they called Barnabas Zeus, and Paul Hermias (Hermes), because he led the main speech. Then the priest of the image of Zeus, standing at the city gate, brought oxen to the gate. brought wreaths and wanted to make a sacrifice together with the people. But the Apostles Barnabas and Paul, hearing about this, tore their clothes and rushed among the people, they began to shout: “people! what are you doing? And we are the same as you, humans, and have come to preach to you, so that you turn from these false gods to the living God, to the One who created heaven and earth and everything that is in them. And in the past centuries and generations He allowed all nations to walk in all their own ways, although He did not give up giving testimony about Himself by doing good. giving us rain and fruitful times from heaven, he filled our hearts with food and joy. With these words they barely convinced the people not to make sacrifices to them and to go home. Meanwhile, they stayed here and taught. The apostles preached with all boldness, but the Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and convinced the people to leave them, arguing that they were not saying anything true, but were all lying. And, having angered the people, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, considering him already dead. When the disciples gathered around him. he got up and went into the city, and the next day he withdrew with Barnabas to Derbe. There they began to preach the Gospel to the whole city and acquired quite a number of disciples, and then they went back through Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples; They convinced them to remain in faith and repeated that through many sorrows we must enter the Kingdom of God. They ordained elders for them to each church and, having prayed and fasted, handed them over to the Lord in whom they believed. Then, passing through Pisidia, came to Pamphylia and, having preached the word of the Lord in Perga, went down to Attalia, and from there they sailed to Antioch, from which they had previously been committed to the grace of God for the work they had already accomplished. Arriving in Antioch and gathering the church, they told everything that God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the pagans. And they stayed there for quite some time with the disciples. Chapter 15. Council in Jerusalem Some people from the Jews came and began to teach the brethren: you cannot be saved unless you are circumcised according to the law of Moses. There was a disagreement with them and no small rivalry between Paul and Barnabas: then it was decided that they and some of the other brethren should go to the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem for this matter. So, the church conducted them, and they passed through Phenicia and Samaria, talking about the conversion of the pagans, to great joy for all the brethren. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church, the Apostles and the elders, and they told them everything that God had done with them and how He had opened the door of faith to the pagans. Then some who believed from the Pharisaic heresy rebelled and began to say that they should circumcise the pagans and command them to keep the law of Moses. And the Apostles and elders gathered to discuss this. They debated for a long time, and finally Peter stood up and said: You know, men and brethren, that from the first days God chose me from among us, so that from my mouth the pagans would hear the word of the Gospel and believe. Now God, the Knower of Hearts, has shown His testimony to the pagans, giving them the Holy Spirit just as He gave us, and made no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Why are you now tempting God, do you want to lay a yoke on the necks of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we could bear? No, but we believe, just as they believe, that we will be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Then the whole congregation fell silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. And when they were silent, Jacob began speaking and said: Men and brethren! listen to me. Simon told you how God initially looked upon the pagans in order to gather from them a people for His name. And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written: “Therefore I will return and rebuild the fallen tabernacle of David, and will rebuild everything that was destroyed in it, And I will correct it, so that other people and all the nations in whom My name will be proclaimed may seek the Lord, says the Lord, doing all these things” (Am.9). God has known from all eternity all His works. And I reason that we should not make it difficult for those who are pagans to turn to God, but it is written to them only that they should abstain from defiled food sacrificed to idols, from fornication, from strangulation and from blood, and not to do to others what they do not want for themselves 20). The Law of Moses has been preached and read in synagogues every Sabbath since ancient generations throughout all cities. Then the Apostles and elders with the whole church decided: having chosen men from among themselves, to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely: Judas, called Barsaba, and Silas, the elders among the brethren. And they wrote and handed them the following letter: Apostles and elders and brethren - the Gentile brothers who are in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia - rejoice. Since we heard that some who came out from us confused you with their speeches and shook your souls, saying that you should be circumcised and keep the law, we did not charge them; then we, having gathered, unanimously decided - to send the men we have chosen to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, people who gave up their souls for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we sent Judas and Silas, and they explained the same things to you verbally. For it pleases the Holy Spirit and us not to place any more burden on you than this necessary: abstain from sacrifices to idols and blood and strangulation and fornication, and do not do to others what you do not want to do to yourself. By observing this, you will do good. Hello. Those sent with the letter came to Antioch and, having gathered people, handed it over. Having read it, they rejoiced at the instruction. Judas and Silas, having the gift of prophecy, instructed and strengthened the brethren with many speeches. Having stayed there for some time, the brethren were released in peace to the Apostles; but Silas decided to remain there, and Judas returned to Jerusalem. Paul and Barnabas lived in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord together with others. After some time, Paul said to Barnabas: let's go again, we need to visit our brethren in all the cities where we preached the word of God, how they live. Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, with him; He is separated from Barnabas but Paul decided not to take the one who fell behind them in Pamphylia and did not go with them to the work for which they were sent. This resulted in grief, so that they were separated from each other and Barnabas, taking Mark, sailed to Cyprus. But Paul, having chosen Silas for himself, set off and was released by his brethren into the shelter of God’s grace, and passed through Syria and Cilicia, establishing churches. Chapter 16. Paul takes Timothy with him He reached Derbe and Lystra. There was a disciple there named Timothy: his mother was a Jew and his father was a Greek. The brethren in Lystra and Iconium testified to him. Paul wanted to take him with him and, taking him, circumcised him for the sake of the Jews who were in those places, for everyone knew about his father that he was a Greek. Passing through the cities, they commanded the faithful to observe the decrees of the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, - and the churches were established in the faith and increased in number from day to day. Having passed through Phrygia and the Galatian country, they were not allowed by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia; and when they reached Mysia, they wanted to go to Bithynia, but the Spirit did not allow it. Having passed Mysia, they descended into Troas. Here Paul had a vision at night: a certain Macedonian man appeared and prayed to him: come to Macedonia and help us. After this vision, we decided to go to Macedonia, judging that it was clear that the Lord was calling us there to preach the gospel. So, sailing from Troas, we arrived at Samothrace, and the next day to Naples, and from there to Philippi - the first city in that part of Macedonia, a Roman settlement: they stayed here for several days. On the Sabbath day we went out of the city to the river, where there was, apparently, a prayer book, and, sitting down here, we talked with the women who had gathered there. There was one of them, from the city of Thyatira, named Lydia, a merchant of purple, a godly woman, and she began to listen, and the Lord opened her heart to listen to the words of Paul. When she was baptized with her house, she began to ask us and said: if you have found me faithful to the Lord, come into my house and live with me. And she convinced us. One day, when we were going to prayer, we met a certain girl possessed by the spirit of divination; she predicted for people, and thus brought great income to her masters. She followed Paul and us and began to shout: these people are servants of the Most High God and proclaim to us the way of salvation. And many times, day after day, she repeated the same thing. Finally, having become bored, Paul turned to her and said to the spirit: in the name of Jesus Christ I command you: come out of her. And at that same hour the spirit left. Then her masters, seeing that their hope of income was gone, seized Paul and Silas and led them to the square to the authorities, They brought them to the governors and began to say: these people, from the Jews, are disturbing our city and they preach customs which we Romans should not accept or observe. A crowd of people gathered at them; and the commanders, tearing off their clothes, ordered them to be beaten with whips. Having given them many blows, they threw them into prison, ordering the prison guard to guard them tightly. According to this order, he imprisoned them in a distant dungeon and hammered their legs into a block. At the midnight hour, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing songs to God, the prisoners listened to them, suddenly a great earthquake arose, so that the foundations of the prison shook; all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were loosened. The prison guard, waking up and seeing that the doors of the prison were open, drew a sword and wanted to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted to him with a loud voice: do not harm yourself: we are all here. Then, asking for fire, he ran and fell in trepidation to Paul and Silas, and, taking them out, he said: What must I do, my lords, to be saved? And they said: Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you and your whole house will be saved. And they preached the word of the Lord to him and to all that were in his house. And taking them at that hour of the night, he washed their wounds and immediately was baptized himself and all his household. He brought them to his house, offered them a meal, and rejoiced with his whole house that he had believed in God. When the day came, the governors sent city bailiffs to say: release those people. The prison guard announced this to Paul: the governors have sent to release you - come out now and go in peace. But Paul said to them: We, Roman citizens, were publicly beaten and thrown into prison without trial, and are now being released secretly? No, let them come and take us out themselves. The bailiffs relayed these words to the governors, and they were frightened when they heard that these were Roman citizens. And when they arrived, they began to apologize to them and led them out. asked to leave the city. Coming out of prison, they came to Lydia; They saw the brethren, consoled them, and then left the city. Through Amphipolis and Apollonia they came to Solun, where there was a Jewish synagogue. Paul, as was his custom, went in to them and talked from the Scriptures for three Sabbaths, revealing to them and proving that Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead, and that this is the Christ, this Jesus, whom I preach to you. Some of them believed and joined Paul and Silas, as well as a great number of godly Greeks, and not a small number of noble women. But the Jews who did not believe became jealous and, having taken scoundrels from all sorts of rabble into the square, they gathered a crowd and disturbed the city: the crowd, approaching Jason’s house, demanded that they be handed over to the people; but, not finding the Apostles themselves, they led Jason and some of the brethren to the city authorities, shouting loudly that these world-wide troublemakers had come here too, and Jason received them, and they all rebel against Caesar’s commands and proclaim another King, Jesus. Hearing such speeches, the people became alarmed, and the leaders became alarmed, but, having taken guarantees from Jason and the others, they released them. Then, at night, the brethren sent Paul and Silas to Berea. Having arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. But the people here were more supportive than the people of Thessalonica: they accepted the word with all eagerness, and every day they sorted out the Scriptures, finding out whether everything was written so. Many of them believed, and there were quite a few of the Hellenic honorary wives and husbands. But when the Thessalonica Jews learned that Paul had preached the word of God in Berea, they came there and began to stir up and disturb the people. Then the brethren hastened to let Paul go on the way to the seashore, but Silas and Timothy remained there. Those who went with Paul accompanied him to Athens and went back, with an order from Paul to Silas and Timothy to quickly go to him. While waiting for them in Athens, Paul was troubled in spirit at the sight of a city filled with idols. So, I talked only in the synagogue with Jews and with godly people, and in the square every day with those I met. By the way, some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to argue with him. Some said: what is this chatterbox talking about? And others: it seems that he is preaching some alien gods, but he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. They took him and brought him to the Areopagus. They began to ask: tell us, what is this new teaching that you preach? You are putting something strange into our ears, we want to know what it is. All the Athenians and the foreigners living with them most willingly spent their time talking or listening to something new. Then Paul stood among the Areopagus and said: People of Athens! I see from everything that you are especially inclined towards the divine. Passing and examining your shrines, I also found an altar with the following inscription: to the unknown God. This, Whom you ignorantly revere, This I preach to you. God, Who created the world and all that is in the world, He, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in churches made by hands, and does not accept service from human hands, as if he needed anything, but He Himself gives to all life and breath and all things. He created from one blood the entire human race to inhabit the entire face of the earth, having established predetermined times for everything and the boundaries of the settlement for everyone, - so that they look for God, in which to feel and find Him. But He is not far from each of us, for in Him we live and move and exist. So also other of your poets said: “We are His generation” 21. So, we, being the race of God, should not think that the Divinity is like gold or silver or stone - an image created by the art and imagination of man. So, despising the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, for He established the day when He would judge the world in righteousness, through the Man appointed by Him, and He gave proof of Him to everyone, by raising Him from the dead. When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to laugh, while others said: We’ll listen to you about this at another time. And so Paul went out from among them. However, there were people who pestered him: among them Dionysius the Areopagite and a wife named Damar, and others with them. Chapter 18. Paul in Corinth After this, Paul left Athens and came to Corinth, and there he found Aquila the Jew, a native of Pontus, and Priscilla his wife. He recently came from Italy, since, by order of Claudius, all Jews were to leave Rome. Paul became friends with them and stayed with them to live and work, using the same craft, as they also made tents. Every Saturday he spoke in the synagogues, convincing both Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul, prompted by zeal of spirit, began to vigorously testify to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But as they resisted and slandered him, he shook out his clothes and said to them, “Your blood is on your heads; my conscience is clear; I am now going to the pagans. And he went from there and came to a man who worshiped God, named Justus: his house was near the synagogue. Here the leader of the synagogue, Crispus himself, believed in the Lord with his entire household, and many Corinthians, hearing the word, believed and were baptized. The Lord, in a vision at night, said to Paul: Do not be afraid, speak and do not be silent. I am with you, and no one will harm you - I have many people in this city. Paul remained there for a year and six months, teaching them the word of God. Meanwhile, during the proconsulship of Gallio in Achaia, the Jews unanimously attacked Paul and brought him to the judgment seat, saying that he teaches people to honor God not according to the law. But as soon as Paul wanted to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews: Jews! if there had been any untruth, or some evil deed had been committed, then I would have had a reason to listen to you. But when you have a dispute about words, about names and about your law, sort it out yourself, but I don’t want to be a judge about this. And all the Greeks, seizing Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, beat him before the judgment seat, and Gallio did not pay any attention to this. Having stayed quite a few more days, Paul said goodbye to the brethren, and sailed to Syria, together with Aquila and Priscilla, but first he shaved his head in Cenchrea, according to a vow. Having arrived at Ephesus, he left them there, and he himself went to the synagogue and talked with the Jews. They asked him to stay with them longer, but he did not agree and said goodbye to them, saying: I definitely need to spend the coming holiday in Jerusalem, but I will return to you again, if God wills. And he left Ephesus. But Aquila and Priscilla remained in Ephesus. Having been in Caesarea, he went to Jerusalem, greeted the church and went to Antioch. After spending some time there, he went out and walked through the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, confirming all the disciples. Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent man, versed in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. He was instructed in the rudiments of the path of the Lord and, burning in spirit, spoke and taught diligently about the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. Hearing him, Aquila and Priscilla received him and more famously explained to him the way of the Lord. And when he wanted to go to Achaia, the brethren wrote ahead to the disciples there to receive him, and he, having arrived there, greatly assisted those who believed by grace, for he strongly rebuked the Jews publicly, proving by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. While Apollos lived in Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper countries (Roman Asia), arrived at Ephesus and finding some disciples there, he said to them: You have believed, but have you received the Holy Spirit? They said: Yes, we have never heard that there is a Holy Spirit. – What were you baptized into? asked Pavel. – They answered: in John's baptism. Paul said: John baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people, that they may believe in him who should come after him, that is, in Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they began to speak in tongues and prophesy. There were up to twelve people in all. Paul came to the synagogue and talked fearlessly for three months, arguing and convincing everyone about the Kingdom of God. But when some became embittered and stubbornly opposed, slandering the way of the Lord before the people, then, leaving them, he separated the disciples and preached daily in the school of a certain Tyrannus. This continued for two years, so that all the inhabitants of Asia heard the sermon about the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. God created no small powers through the hands of Paul; They placed handkerchiefs and head coverings from his body on the sick, and they were healed of their ailments, and evil spirits came out of them. Even some of the wandering Jewish exorcists began to proclaim the name of the Lord Jesus over the demoniacs and repeated: we conjure you by Jesus, Whom Paul preaches. This was done by some seven sons of the Jewish high priest Sceva. But the evil spirit answered them like this: I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you? And a man possessed by an evil spirit rushed at them, and, having overcome them, overpowered them so much that they, naked and beaten, barely ran away from that house. This became known to all the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, and fear fell upon everyone, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. Many of those who believed came, confessing and revealing their deeds, and many of those who practiced sorcery, having collected their books, burned them in front of everyone, and when they added up the price of those books, they turned out to be worth fifty thousand drachmas. With such power the word of the Lord grew and prevailed. Going to Jerusalem and Rome After all this, Paul decided in spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia to Jerusalem. “When I visit there,” he said, “I should see Rome.” And having sent two of those who served him, Timothy and Erast, to Macedonia, he himself remained for a while in Asia. At that time there was no small rebellion in the path of the Lord. A certain silversmith, named Demetrius, made likenesses of the church of Artemis from silver and thereby brought considerable profit to the artists. He, having gathered them and other workers in the same business, said: you know, people, that all our well-being depends on this craft. But, you see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but throughout all of Asia, this Paul, with his teaching, seduced a considerable number of people, assuring that those made by human hands are not gods. After all, this threatens the destruction not only of our craft, when it comes to contempt, but also the church of the great goddess Artemis will mean nothing, and the greatness of her, whom all Asia and the whole universe reveres, will be overthrown. When the people heard all this, they were filled with rage and raised a loud cry: great is Artemis of Ephesus! The whole city fell into confusion, and the people, seizing the Macedonians Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's companions, rushed in a crowd to the amphitheater. When Paul wanted to enter the crowd, the disciples did not allow him, and some of the leading people of Asia, his friends, sent to him and asked him not to show himself in the amphitheater. Meanwhile, some were shouting one thing, others another, for the meeting was chaotic, and for the most part the people themselves did not know why they had gathered here. Alexander emerged from the crowd and was let forward by the Jews. Having given a sign with his hand, Alexander wanted to speak, but when they found out that he was a Jew, they all shouted in one voice and shouted for almost two whole hours: great is Artemis of Ephesus! Finally, the bailiff, having calmed the people, said: Men of Ephesus! What person does not know that the city of Ephesus is a servant of the great goddess Artemis and Diopetus (an idol sent by Zeus)? If no one argues about this, then you need to calm down and not do anything reckless. And you brought these people who neither robbed the church of Artemidin, nor blasphemed your goddess. If Demetrius and other artists with him have a complaint against someone, that is, there are courts, there are proconsuls, let them complain against each other. If you are looking for something else, it will be decided by the legislative assembly. But now we are not safe: for the current unrest they may accuse us of rebellion - and how will we then justify such a gathering! - Having said this, he dismissed the assembled people. Chapter 20. Paul again in Greece and Macedonia When the turmoil calmed down, Paul, calling his disciples, instructed them with a word of comfort and, bidding them farewell, left Ephesus and went to Macedonia. Having passed through those places and comforted the disciples with frequent conversation, he went to Hellas. I stayed there for three months; but when he was about to sail to Syria, he was attacked by the Jews, and he decided to return through Macedonia. He was accompanied to Asia by Sosipater, the son of Pyrrhus, the Berean, and the Thessalonians Aristarchus and Secundus, and Gaius from Derbe, and Timothy, and the Asians Tychicus and Trophimus. They went ahead and were waiting for us in Troas. And after the days of unleavened bread we sailed from Philippi and five days later we arrived to them in Troas, where we stayed for seven days. On the very first day of the week, when the disciples gathered to break bread, Paul, intending to depart from there the next day, talked with them and continued the word until midnight. In the upper room where we gathered there were enough lamps. During Pavlova's long conversation, one young man, named Eutychus, sitting on the window, fell into a deep sleep and, staggering, fell sleepily from the third dwelling and was raised dead. Paul came down, fell on him and, embracing him, said: Do not worry, his soul is alive in him. Then, going upstairs, he broke the bread and, having tasted it, talked some more, even until dawn, and then went out. Meanwhile, the boy was brought alive, and quite a few were consoled. We went ahead of him to the ship and sailed to Ass to take Paul from there: he ordered us so, but he himself wanted to go on foot. When he met with us in Assa, we took him and arrived at Mytilene. Sailing from there, the next day they set out against Chios, and the next day they landed at Samos and, having been in Trogilia, the next day they arrived in Miletus. Paul decided to bypass Ephesus so as not to be delayed in Asia; He hastened, if possible, to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. From Miletus, he sent to Ephesus, called the elders of the church and, when they came to him, he began to speak to them like this: you know how, from the first day when I came to Asia, I was with you all the time, working for the Lord with all humility, with many tears and temptations from the evil intentions of the Jews. And I did not omit to tell you anything that would be for your benefit, and whatever I taught you both publicly and at home; and to the Jews and Greeks he proclaimed repentance before God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And behold, now, at the pull of the Spirit, I go to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there; only the Holy Spirit testifies in all cities, saying that bonds await me and sorrow. But I am not embarrassed about anything and do not count my life on anything, just to finish my race with joy and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus - to preach the Gospel of the grace of God. And now, I know that all of you among whom I walked preaching the Kingdom of God will no longer see my face. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am clean from the blood of each of you, for I did not doubt anything to proclaim to you the whole will of God. Pay attention to yourself and to the whole flock, in which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as shepherds - to shepherd the Church of the Lord and God, the Church that He acquired with His Blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, and from among yourselves people will rise up and begin to speak, twisting the truth in order to draw the disciples after them. So, stand on your guard, remembering that for three years, day and night, I incessantly taught each of you with tears. And now I commend you, brethren, to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up into strength and give you an inheritance with all those who are sanctified. I did not want silver, gold, or clothing from any of you: You yourself know that these hands of mine served my needs and the needs of those who were with me. In everything I have shown you that this is how it is necessary - to support the weak with your labor, and you should remember the word of the Lord Jesus that He Himself said: “It is much more blessed to give than to receive.” And having said this, he bowed his knees and prayed with them all. Then everyone cried a lot, and, hugging Pavlova’s neck with their hands, they kissed him, grieving especially because he said that they would no longer see his face. And they escorted him to the ship. When we parted with them and sailed, we arrived straight to Kos, the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara; Here they found a ship going to Phenicia, and, boarding it, sailed. When Cyprus appeared, leaving it to the left, they sailed to Syria and landed in Tire, where it was necessary to lay down the cargo from the ship. We found disciples there and stayed for seven days. Here, at the inspiration of the Spirit, the disciples told Pal not to go to Jerusalem. At the end of these days we continued on our way, and everyone saw us off with our wives and children, even out of the city; and on the shore, they knelt down and prayed. Having said goodbye to each other, we entered the ship, and they returned home. We, having completed the voyage, arrived from Tire to Ptolemais, where we greeted the brethren and stayed with them alone for a day. The next day Paul and we who were with him left from there and came to Caesarea. There, entering the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the seven deacons, they stayed with him. He had four maiden daughters with the gift of prophecy. They stayed there for several days, and during that time a certain prophet named Agabus came from Judea. Entering us, he took Paul's belt and, tying his hands and feet, said: Thus says the Holy Spirit: The man whose this belt is will be bound by the Jews in Jerusalem and delivered into the hands of the pagans. When we and those there heard this, we began to ask him not to go to Jerusalem. And he answered us: what are you doing! Why do you cry and break my heart? I not only want to be in bonds, but I am also ready to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. So, seeing that we cannot persuade him. They didn’t say more, they just said: God willing! Paul comes to Jerusalem These days passed: we began to get ready for the journey and went to Jerusalem. Some disciples from Caesarea also walked with us, escorting us to a certain old disciple, Mnason the Cyprian, with whom we could live. Upon our arrival in Jerusalem, the brethren warmly received us. The next day Paul came with us to James; All the elders also came. Having greeted them, Paul began to tell in detail what God had done through his ministry among the pagans. Having listened, they glorified God and said to him: you see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealots of the law. And they heard about you that you teach all Jews who live among the pagans to deviate from the law of Moses, so that they do not circumcise their children and do not adhere to the customs of the Jews. Now what should we do? Surely the people will gather to hear that you have come. do as we tell you: we have four people who have taken a vow on themselves. Take them, be cleansed with them, take upon yourself the costs for them (the sacrifice for them), so that you shave your head, and then everyone will see that what they have heard about you is unjust, but that you yourself are in the law and keep the law. And we wrote about the pagans who believed, as we decided that they should not observe anything like that, but would only keep themselves from things sacrificed to idols, from blood and strangulation, and from fornication. Then Paul, taking those men, purified himself with them, and the next day entered the church and declared the end of the days of purification, when an offering was to be made for each of them. But as soon as these seven days were over, the Asian Jews, seeing him in the church, outraged all the people and laid hands on him, shouting: Men of Israel! Help! This man teaches everyone everywhere against the people and the law and against this place, and he brought Greeks into the church and desecrated this holy place. (Before that, they saw Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city and thought that Paul was leading him to the church). The whole city began to move, a large number of people gathered, and, seizing Paul, they dragged him out of the church, and immediately locked the doors to the church. When they wanted to kill him, news reached the commander of the garrison that all of Jerusalem was indignant, and he immediately, taking soldiers and centurions, hurried to the place. When they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune approached, took him, ordered him to be chained with two chains and began to interrogate who he was and what he had done? But among the people only some shouted one thing, others another, so that it was impossible to make out anything in the general turmoil; then he ordered to be taken to the fortress. When Pavel was still on the stairs, the soldiers had to carry him in the middle of the cramped crowd, for a multitude of people ran after them and everyone shouted: death to him! At the entrance to the fortress, Paul said to the military commander: may I say a word to you? And he asked: do you know Greek? So, aren’t you the same Egyptian who not so long ago rebelled and led four thousand robbers into the desert? Chapter 22. Paul's speech in defense of himself Paul said: I am a Jew, a Tarsian, a citizen of the famous city of Cilicia. Please let me speak to the people. And when the boss allowed, Paul, standing on the stairs, gave a sign to the people with his hand, and when silence fell, he began to speak like this: Men, brothers and fathers! listen now to my defense before you. Hearing that he spoke to them in Hebrew, they became still. He continued: I am a Judean, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, raised in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, fully instructed in all the law of our fathers, zealous for God, like all of you to this day. And even to death I persecuted this teaching, bound and delivered husbands and wives to prison, How can the high priest and all the elders testify about me? From them I also received letters to the brethren in Damascus and went there to bring those there in chains to Jerusalem for torture. But when I was on the road and approaching Damascus, around noon, a great light suddenly shone over me from heaven. I fell to the ground and heard a voice come to me: Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? I answered: Who are you, Lord? And He said to me: I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. Those who were with me saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me. Then I said: Lord! what should I do? The Lord said to me: get up and go to Damascus, and there you will be told everything that you are told to do. And when I lost my sight from the glory of that light, those who were with me led me by the hand to Damascus. Then a certain Ananias, a reverent man according to the law, in honor of all the Jews living in Damascus, came to me and coming up he said to me, Brother Saul, see. And I immediately saw him. He said to me: The God of our fathers has chosen you to know His will, and to see the Righteous One and to hear the voice from His mouth, and you will be His witness before all people about what you saw and heard. So, why are you delaying? Arise, be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. When I returned to Jerusalem and prayed in the church, I went into a frenzy and saw Him, and He said to me: hurry up and leave Jerusalem quickly: your testimony about Me will not be accepted here. I said: Lord! they know that I imprisoned those who believed in You and beat them in the synagogues, and when the blood of Stephen, Your witness, was shed, I stood there and approved of his murder and guarded the clothes of those who killed him. And He said to me: Go; I will send you far away to the pagans... Paul declares himself a Roman citizen Until now they had listened to his words, but then a cry arose: destroy him from the earth! He can't live any longer. While they were shouting, throwing clothes and throwing dust into the air, the military commander ordered him to be brought into the fortress and ordered him to be scourged in order to find out for what guilt they raised such a cry against him. But when they stretched him with belts, Paul said to the standing centurion: Do you really have the right to scourge a citizen of Rome, and without trial? Hearing this, the centurion went to the military commander and reported this to him, and said: look what you want to do - this man is a Roman citizen. Then the tribune came up and asked him: tell me, are you a Roman citizen? Paul answered: yes. The tribune said: yes, I acquired this citizenship for a lot of money. “And I was born in it,” Pavel objected to him. Then those who wanted to torture Paul immediately retreated, and the military commander, having learned that he was a Roman citizen, was afraid that he had tied him up. And the next day, wanting to know for sure what the Jews accused him of, he freed him from his shackles and, having ordered the high priests and their entire council to gather, brought Paul out and placed him before them. Chapter 23. Paul before the Council of Judea Paul, fixing his gaze on the host, began to say: Men and brethren! I have lived with all my good conscience before God until this day. The high priest Ananias ordered those standing in front of him to strike him on the mouth. – “God will beat you,” Paul told him, “a whitewashed wall: you sit to judge me according to the law and, contrary to the law, you order them to beat me.” Those present said, “You are blaspheming the high priest of God.” – I did not know, brethren, - said Paul, - that he was a high priest: Scripture says: “The ruler of your people, you will not speak evil” (Ex. 22). – Paul knew that there was one part of the Sadducees in the congregation. and the other the Pharisees, and cried out thus: Men and brethren! I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; but I am being judged for raising the dead. At this word there arose a quarrel between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the congregation was divided, for the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, no Angel, no spirit, but the Pharisees admit all this. A great cry arose, and the scribes of the Pharisees stood up and began to argue; they said: we see nothing bad in this man; what if the spirit or angel spoke to him? You can't resist us. But the discord increased, and the tribune, fearing that they would tear Paul to pieces, ordered the soldiers to go up and take him from the assembly and take him to the fortress. And when night came, the Lord appeared to Paul and said: Be of good cheer, Paul. As you testified about Me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome. When the day came, some of the Jews came to an agreement and swore not to eat or drink until they killed Paul, and there were more than forty people who gave such a spell. They came to the high priests and elders and said: We have sworn by an oath not to eat anything until we kill Paul. So, today you and the council let the tribune know so that he will bring him to you tomorrow, as if you want to consider the matter more accurately; and we, before he comes, are ready to kill him. Hearing about this plan, the son of Pavlova’s sister came and, entering the fortress, notified Pavel. Paul, calling one of the centurions, said: take this young man to the tribune: he has something to tell him. He took him, brought him to the tribune and said: the prisoner Paul, calling me, asked me to take this young man to you because he had something to tell you. And the military commander, taking him by the hand, walked away with him and began to ask: what do you have to tell me? The young man answered: The Jews agreed to ask you to bring Paul to their council tomorrow, as if they wanted to more accurately investigate the matter about him; but don’t listen to them: more than forty of them are lying in wait for him, and they have sworn neither to eat nor to drink until they kill him; and they are now ready, awaiting your order. Then the tribune released the young man, saying: don’t tell anyone that you announced this to me. And, calling two centurions, he said: prepare for me two hundred foot soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred archers, so that from the third hour of the night (at 9 o’clock) they go to Caesarea. Paul is sent to Caesarea And prepare the donkeys so that, having seated Paul, they will convey him to the governor of the region, Felix. I also wrote a letter with the following content: Claudius Lysias to the venerable ruler Felix - rejoice. The Jews seized this man and were preparing to kill him; I, coming with soldiers, took him away, learning that he was a Roman citizen. Then, wanting to find out what they accused him of, he brought him to their host and found that he was accused of opinions concerning their law, and that there was no guilt in him worthy of death or prison bonds. And when it dawned on me that the Jews were plotting against this man, I immediately sent him to you, ordering the accusers to speak against him before you. Hello. The soldiers, as ordered, took Paul and led him to Antipatris at night, and the next day, leaving the horsemen there to accompany him, they returned to the fortress. And they, having come to Caesarea and given the letter to the governor, introduced Paul to him. The ruler, having read the letter, asked what region he was from, and learning that he was from Cilicia, He said: I will listen to you when your accusers appear. And ordering him to be in custody in Herod's Praetorium. Chapter 24. Paul at Felix's trial Five days later, the high priest Ananias arrived with the elders and with a certain Tertullus as an orator: they laid out their accusation against Paul before the governor. When Paul was called, Tertullus began to accuse him in this way: We always and with all gratitude acknowledge, sovereign Felix, that we owe you a lot of peace and owe the well-being of this people to your care. But in order not to bother you too much, I ask you to listen to us briefly, with your characteristic condescension. We recognized this man as a social plague: he is the instigator and leader of the rebellion among the Jews living in the universe, he is the head of the Nazarene heresy and even dared to desecrate the church. Therefore we took him and wanted to judge him according to our law, but the commander Lysias came with great violence and took him from our hands and sent him to you, having ordered his accusers to come to you: you yourself, having judged, can find out from him about everything that we accuse him of. – The Jews also confirmed this accusation. Then the governor gave a sign to Paul to answer, and Paul said: Knowing that you have judged this people fairly for many years, the more freely will I defend myself. You can know that no more than twelve days ago I came to Jerusalem to worship. And neither in the temple, nor in the synagogues, nor anywhere in the city did they see me arguing with anyone or causing trouble among the people, and they cannot prove what they accuse me of. But this I confess to you, that by that teaching which they call heresy, I truly serve the God of my fathers, I believe everything written in the law and the prophets, and I have hope in God that there will be a resurrection of the dead, righteous and unrighteous, which they themselves hope for. Therefore, I myself strive to always have an immaculate conscience before God and people. After many years I came here to bring alms and offerings to my people. At the same time, they found me in the church, when I had purified myself, they found me not with a crowd of people and not in any turmoil. And some Jews from Asia found; They should have come before you and accused me if they have anything against me. Or let these same ones tell what untruth they found in me when I stood before the host, except that one word that I said loudly, standing between them, that “for the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead I am now being judged by you.” Having heard this, Felix postponed the matter, although he understood well what it was, saying: when the Fox Tribune comes, I will discuss everything in detail. And he ordered the centurion to guard Paul, but not to oppress him, and not to forbid any of his relatives to serve him or come to him. A few days later Felix, coming with Drusilla, his Jewish wife, called Paul and listened to him about his faith in Christ Jesus. And when Paul began to talk about truth, about abstinence and about future judgment, Felix became afraid and answered: now go away, and when I find time, I will call you. Moreover, he still hoped that Paul would give him a bribe to let him go; Therefore, he often called him and talked with him. And so two years passed, and two years later Porcius Festus took the place of Felix; then Felix, to please the Jews, left Paul in bonds. Chapter 25. Paul before the court of Festus Festus, having arrived in the region, three days later set off from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Then the high priest and the noblest of the Jews came to him with a complaint against Paul and asked him to do mercy - summoned him to Jerusalem, plotting to kill him on the road. But Festus replied that Paul was being held in custody in Caesarea and that he himself would soon go there. So, he said, whoever is the most important among you, let him come with me, and if there is any guilt behind this man, let him be accused. Having stayed with them no more than ten days, he returned to Caesarea, and the next day, sitting down in the judge’s seat, he ordered Paul to be brought. When Paul appeared, the Jews who had come from Jerusalem stood around him and brought many grave accusations against him, but they could not prove them. And he said in his justification: I have not committed any crime either against the law of the Jews, or against the church, or against Caesar. Festus, wanting to please the Jews, answered Paul: Do you want to go to Jerusalem so that I can judge you there in this matter? But Paul said: I stand before the judgment of Caesar - here I should be judged; and I did not offend the Jews in any way, as you well know. If I am wrong and have done something worthy of death, then I do not refuse to die; and if there is nothing of what they accuse me of, then no one can hand me over to them, I demand the judgment of Caesar. Then Festus, having explained himself to the council, replied: you demanded the judgment of Caesar, and you will go to Caesar. Paul before Herod Agrippa II A few days later, King Agrippa 22 and Bernice (his sister) arrived in Caesarea to congratulate Festus. And as they spent many days there, Festus explained Pavlovo’s matter to the king, saying: there is a man here who was left in bonds by Felix. While I was in Jerusalem, the high priests and elders of the Jews came to complain about him and demanded his condemnation. I answered them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over a person to death before he comes face to face with his accusers and has the opportunity to answer the charges. When they came here, I, without hesitating at all, the next day sat down in court and ordered that man to be brought. But the accusers, having surrounded him, did not charge him with any of the crimes that I had supposed. but they entered into some kind of competition with him about their worship of God and about some Jesus who died, about whom Paul claimed that He was alive. Finding it difficult to resolve such issues, I asked him if he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be judged there in this matter? But as Paul demanded that he be left for consideration by Augustus, I ordered him to be kept in custody until I sent him to Caesar. Then Agrippa said to Festus: I wish I could listen to this man. “Tomorrow you will hear him,” Festus answered. The next day, when Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the courtroom with tribunes and the most noble citizens, Paul was brought in by order of Festus. And Festus said: King Agrippa and all the living men here! you see that man against whom the whole multitude of Jews came to me in Jerusalem and here, and shouted that he should not be left alive. But I found that he had not done anything worthy of death, and since he himself demanded trial from Augustus, I decided to send him there. But I have nothing definite to write about him to Caesar; Therefore, King Agrippa brought him before you and especially before you, so that, according to reasoning about him. I had something to write, for, it seems to me, it would be unreasonable to send a prisoner and not show what he is accused of. Then Agrippa said, turning to Paul: you can now speak for yourself. Then Paul, stretching out his hand, began to speak his defense: I consider myself happy, King Agrippa, that today I can present my defense before you in everything that the Jews accuse me of, especially since you know all the customs and controversial opinions of the Jews. Therefore, I ask you to listen to me with patience. All Jews know my life from my youth, which I first spent among my people in Jerusalem. They have known about me for a long time, if they want to testify, that I lived as a Pharisee in all the strictness of the teaching in our confession. And now I stand before judgment for the hope of the promise given from God to our fathers; and our twelve tribes hope to see its fulfillment by diligently serving God day and night. For this hope, King Agrippa, the Jews now accuse me. So what? Do you think it is incredible that God raises the dead? True, I also thought that I should fight with all my might against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This is what I did in Jerusalem: the high priests gave me the power to do this, and I imprisoned many saints and, when they killed them, gave my advice - and often tortured them in all the synagogues and forced them to blaspheme Jesus and, in the height of their rage, persecuted them even into other cities. For this reason I went to Damascus, with authority and orders from the high priests; but then, in the middle of the day, on the road, sir, I saw a light from the sky brighter than the sun’s radiance, and it lit up me and those with me. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice from heaven, in Hebrew: Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting Me? You can’t stand against the pricks! And I said: Who are you, Lord? And from Him the answer was: I am Jesus, the One whom you persecute. But rise and stand on your feet. For this reason I appeared to you, to make you a minister and a witness of what you have seen and what I will reveal to you: I have chosen you from your people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am now sending you - open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, and through faith in Me they would receive remission of sins and inheritance with the saints. Therefore, King Agrippa, I did not resist the heavenly vision, but first he preached to the inhabitants of Damascus and Jerusalem, then to the entire land of Judea and the pagans, so that they would repent and turn to God, doing deeds worthy of repentance. For this the Jews seized me in the church and wanted to tear me to pieces; but, having received help from God, to this day I stand, testifying to everyone, from small to great, and I say nothing else except what the prophets and Moses said about what should be; that Christ must suffer and be the first to rise from the dead and bring light to the people of the Jews and the pagans. When Paul spoke thus in his defense, Festus, raising his voice, interrupted him, saying: You are mad, Paul! Your great learning drives you to madness. No, sovereign Festus, I am not going crazy,” Paul objected, “but I am speaking the words of truth and sound reason. And the king knows about this, before whom I speak boldly, and I don’t believe that any of this was hidden from him, for this is not happening in the corner. Do you believe, King Agrippa, the prophets? I know that you believe. “Then Agrippa said to Paul: You, perhaps, are persuading me to become a Christian.” – I would pray to God,” said Paul, “that, whether little or much, not only you, but everyone who hears me today, would become like me, except for these bonds.” Then he said this, king and ruler, and Bernice, and those who were sitting with them stood up and, stepping aside, said to each other that there was nothing in this man worthy of death or chains. And Agrippa said to Festus: this man could have been released if he had not demanded trial from Caesar. Therefore, the ruler decided to send him to Caesar. Chapter 27. Paul's Journey to Rome When it was decided to sail to Italy, they handed Pavel along with other prisoners to the centurion of the Augustan regiment, named Julius. We boarded the Adramit 23 ship and set off, wanting to sail near the Asian shores; Aristarchus the Macedonian from Thessalonica was also with us. The next day we landed at Sidon. Julius, treating Paul kindly, allowed him to go to his friends and have the consolation of their hospitality. Having departed from there, they sailed to Cyprus, due to contrary winds, and, having crossed the sea against Cilicia and Pamphylia, they landed at Myra in Lycia. There the centurion found the Alexandrian ship going to Italy and put us on it. They sailed slowly for many days and, barely catching up with Cnidus, with an unfavorable wind, they sailed to Crete, at Cape Salmon, and, having passed it with difficulty, they arrived at a place called Dobraya Pristan, near which was the city of Laseya. But quite some time passed, and swimming became dangerous after the fast. Paul advised them, saying: I see, men, that the voyage will be difficult and threatens with great danger not only the cargo and the ship, but also our lives. But the centurion trusted the helmsman and the owner of the ship more than the words of Paul. And since the pier was incapable of wintering, many gave advice to leave there in order to get, if possible, to Finik (Phoenix), the Cretan pier, which lay against the south-west and north-west wind, and winter there. The south wind blew, and they, thinking that this answered their hopes, raised the sails and sailed, keeping to the shores of Crete. But soon a stormy wind called Euroclydon arose against him. The ship was grabbed so that they could not resist the wind, and we rushed around, surrendering to the will of the waves. Having run onto one island, called Klavda, they could barely hold on to the ship’s boat. Having lifted it, they began to fasten and tie the ship; but fearing that they might run aground, they lowered the sail and so rushed along the waves. The next day the storm became so intense that they began to throw away the cargo, and on the third they began to throw out the gear with their own hands. But as for many days neither the month nor the stars were visible, and the strong storm did not cease, then finally all hope of our salvation disappeared. Then, and when they had not eaten for a long time, Paul, standing in the midst of them, said: it was necessary, men, to listen to me and not leave Crete - then we would not have fallen into such trouble and loss. And now I urge you to take heart: not a single soul of you will perish, but only the ship will be lost. The Angel of God, Whom I belong to and Whom I serve, appeared to me that night and said: Do not be afraid, Paul! you must appear before Caesar, and behold, God has given you all those who sail with you. Therefore, men, be of good cheer: I trust God that it will be as I was told. We must be thrown onto some island. It was already the fourteenth night that we were drifting across the Adriatic Sea. Around midnight, the shipmen began to realize that they were approaching some land; having measured the depth, they found twenty fathoms; then, having walked a little, we found fifteen fathoms. Fearing that they would get into rocky places, they dropped four anchors from the stern and waited for daylight. But when the shipmen wanted to escape from the ship and began to lower the boat to the sea, pretending that they wanted to throw anchors from the bow, Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “If they do not stay on the ship, you cannot be saved.” Then the soldiers cut off the ropes of the boat, and it fell. At dawn, before the onset of day, Paul began to persuade everyone to take food, saying: today is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting without food, eating nothing. So I ask you, take food: this will help you save your life - none of you will lose even a hair from your head. Having said this and taking the bread, he thanked God in front of everyone and, breaking it, began to eat. Then everyone took heart and also took food; all of us on the ship were two hundred and seventy-six souls. Having had their fill of food, they began to lighten the ship further, throwing the wheat into the sea. When the day came, they did not recognize the land, but saw some kind of bay with a sloping shore, to which they decided, if possible, to land with the ship. And having raised the anchors, they set out by sea and, untying the rudders and raising a small sail to the wind, steered towards the shore. They hit a spit and the ship ran aground; the bow stuck and became motionless, and the stern was broken by the waves. The warriors began to conspire to kill the prisoners so that no one would swim out and run away. But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from this plan, and ordered those who knew how to swim to be the first to rush and go to land, and for the rest to escape - some on planks, some on the wreckage of the ship. And thus everyone was saved to earth. Those who were saved were with Paul. We learned that the island is called Melit (Malta). The foreigners showed us quite a bit of hospitality: in the heavy rain and cold they received us and lit a fire to warm us. Then, when Paul collected a lot of brushwood and put it on the fire, a viper crawled out of the brushwood from the heat and hung on his hand. And when the people there saw the snake hanging on his hand, they said to each other: this man must be a murderer, that God does not allow him to live, having escaped from the sea. But he, shaking the snake into the fire, did not suffer any harm. They expected him to have inflammation or immediately fall dead; but, having waited a long time and seeing that no harm had happened to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god. Near that place was the property of the chief of the island, named Publius: he received us and entertained us in a friendly manner for three days. Publius's father was lying sick at that time, suffering from fever and dysentery: Paul went in to him, prayed and, laying his hands on him, healed him. After this, other people on that island who suffered from illnesses came and received healing. These people showed us great honor and supplied us with everything we needed when we left. Three months later we sailed on an Alexandrian ship called Dioscuri, which wintered on the island, and sailing to Syracuse, they stayed there for three days. Sailing from there, we arrived in Regia, and when the south wind blew a day later, on the second day we arrived at Puteoli, where they found the brethren, and they begged us to stay with them for seven days; then we went to Rome. The local brethren, having heard about us, came out to meet us as far as Appian Square and three hotels. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and was encouraged. When they arrived in Rome, the centurion handed over the prisoners to the military commander, and Paul was allowed to live separately with the soldier who guarded him. Three days later, Paul called together the most distinguished Jews and, when they came together, he began to say to them: Men, brethren! Having done nothing against the people or against the customs of my fathers, I was handed over from Jerusalem in chains into the hands of the Romans. They tried me and wanted to release me, not finding in me any guilt worthy of death. But the Jews opposed this, so I was forced to demand the judgment of Caesar, but not in order to accuse my people of anything. That is why I called you to see and talk with you, for for the hope of Israel I am bound with these bonds. They said to him: we have not received any letters about you from Judea, nor have any of the visiting brethren informed us about you or said anything bad. And now we want to hear from you what your thoughts are, for we know that everywhere they argue about this teaching. And having appointed a day for him, many came to him at the inn, and from morning to evening he talked with them a lot about the Kingdom of God and brought reliable testimonies about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. Some were convinced by his words, others did not believe. So they did not agree among themselves; but when they left, Paul said to them this: in truth the word of the Holy Spirit came to our fathers through the prophet Isaiah: “Go to this people and say: You will hear by hearing and will not understand, and you will look and will not see: The heart of this people is hardened, and their ears are hard to hear, and their eyes are closed, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, so that I may heal them” (Is. 6). So let it be known to you that God’s salvation has been sent to the pagans, and they will hear. – When he had said this, the Jews left, quarreling a lot among themselves. Paul lived on his own for two whole years and received everyone who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus with all boldness without restraint. According to another reading: He ate with them. Wed. Acts 10:41. These words are not included in all lists. This Herod Agrippa II, the son of Herod Agrippa I, about whom ch. XII Acts, reigned in Judea from 52 AD. before the fall of Jerusalem. We sailed, of course, from Caesarea. Adramit was a trading place, a harbor in Mysia, opposite the island of Lesbos. You might be interested in: