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Persecution of the Church after the murder of Stephen (1–4). Philip's preaching in Samaria (6–8). Simon Magus (9–13). Peter and John in Samaria. Sin of Simon Magus (14–25). Philip's baptism of the eunuch of the Queen of Ethiopia (26–40) Acts 8:1. 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. “Saul approved of his murder,” Stephen. He himself later confesses this (Acts 22:20). “In those days...” - εν εκείνη τῆ ημέρα ... - glory. “on that day...” It obviously happened like this: a fanatical crowd of murderers, enraged by the blood of the First Martyr, returned to the city and carried out a real pogrom of Christians, which had not yet spread further than Jerusalem. According to church tradition, up to 2,000 Christians fell victims to this pogrom, among whom was another deacon, Nikanor. (Thu. Min. July 28). “All except the Apostles were scattered...”, perhaps, remembering the words of the Lord (Matthew 10:23). The apostles remained, according to Theophylact’s interpretation, because “where the attack is stronger, the best fighters should be there and be an example of courage and courage for others...” Acts 8:2. Reverent men buried Stephen and made a great mourning for him. “Reverent men...” - perhaps not Christians, but simply admirers of Stephen from the more prudent Jews, secretly disposed towards Christianity, just as Joseph and Nicodemus once had the same courage to perform the burial of the crucified Lord. These pious admirers of the martyr staged, according to Jewish custom, a “great mourning” for the deceased (Gen. 50:10; Deut. 34, etc.). Acts 8:3. And Saul tormented the church, entering houses and dragging away men and women, handing them over to prison. Saul's actions show that he was an instrument of the Sanhedrin in the persecution of Christians and, obviously, had corresponding authority from it, otherwise he would hardly have dared to invade even the houses of the inhabitants, and the dungeons could hardly have been at his disposal. Under such conditions, the bitterness of the persecution worsened even more depending on the personal fanatical blindness and bitterness of Saul, which all together created an extremely difficult situation for the Church of Christ. Acts 8:4. Meanwhile those who were scattered went about preaching the word. “Scattered”, i.e. From the Jerusalem persecution, believers successfully used the new conditions of their situation, preaching the gospel of Christ in new places. It is noted below (Acts 11:19) that they thus spread the Gospel of Christ even to Phenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, justifying the wise remark of a later church writer: “the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians...” (Tertullian). Acts 8:5. So Philip came to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. "Philip" mentioned hereinafter is not one of the 12 Apostles, but one of the deacons. The apostles, as was deliberately mentioned above, did not leave Jerusalem at this time. The letter of the Apostles Peter and John to Samaria, mentioned in Acts 8:14, would also be incomprehensible if Philip were an apostle from 12. Finally, one further place in Acts makes us think about the deacon Philip, where he is mentioned as an evangelist, one of the 7 deacons (Acts 21:8). Therefore, Chrysostom and Theophylact think so. “He came to the city of Samaria...” From what follows it is clear that Philip had a house and family in Caesarea (Stratonova, see note to Acts 8:40) (Acts 21:8), and, obviously, he was heading there, having successfully worked on the way, in Samaria. From Samaria, having fulfilled everything intended here, he continued his journey further - to Caesarea, where, as can be seen, he remained until the time came (Acts 8:40). The writer does not indicate the name of the city of Samaria itself. Perhaps it was the main city of the country - Samaria, renamed Sebastia by Herod, or another significant city of Samaria - Shechem, where the Lord Himself once sowed the first seeds of His teaching, promising another harvest (John 6). Acts 8:9. Now there was a certain man in the city named Simon, who had previously practiced magic and astonished the people of Samaria, posing as someone great. About Simon the Magus, Justin the Martyr (himself a natural Samaritan from Shechem) says that he was from the Samaritan village of Gitta or Gitton. He was not a sorcerer in the better sense in which the Persian sages who came to worship the Infant Jesus were so called (Matthew 2:1), but in the sense of simply a sorcerer, magician, sorcerer. Blinded by the successes of his charms and art, he passed himself off as someone great, even more amazing and attracting the dark people, who saw in him “great power with God” - η δύναμις τοῦ Θεοῦ η μεγάλη. This expression is partly reminiscent of the language of a somewhat later developed Gnosticism, with its teaching about the eons as forces flowing from the fullness (plyroma) of the deity, Simon could pose as one of these forces and be recognized by the people. Despite such a long and deep fascination of the people with Simon, the power of Philip's preaching and his miracles were so amazing that they overcame not only the people, but also Simon himself. Faith in Simon gave way to faith in Christ. The people were baptized, Simon himself was baptized. Having amazed so many others with his magic, he himself was now amazed at the signs and powers that came from Philip. Apparently, however, both Simon’s faith and his amazement were based on unclean, carnal, proud and selfish motives. Otherwise, everything that happened next is insufficiently explainable (Acts 8, etc.). Acts 8:14. The Apostles who were in Jerusalem, hearing that the Samaritans had accepted the word of God, sent Peter and John to them, Acts 8:15. who, having come, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:16. For He had not yet descended on any of them, but only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 8:17. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. “The Samaritans accepted...” - δέδεκται η Σαμάρεια ... - more precisely, the slav.: “Samaria accepted” - Samaria accepted, - a common whole instead of a part. “They sent Peter and John to them...” - (“the apostles who were in Jerusalem”). There are a number of remarkably important details here. “The apostles who were in Jerusalem,” who remained there despite the persecution, heard that Samaria believed. This faith, however, lacked something important for the believers to be full members of the body of the Church of Christ: they did not receive the Holy Spirit at baptism - obviously because Philip, who baptized them, did not have, as a deacon, the apostolic authority to communicate the Holy Spirit to the baptized. To fill this, the “Apostles” send “Peter and John” - the two supreme apostles. The host of the apostles here, thus, acts as one collective personality, the private members of which are completely equal in rights, so that even the highest of them are not considered and do not consider themselves above the entire host, and, on the contrary, even unquestioningly carry out its instructions. The fulfillment of the order consisted of offering a prayer for “the baptized and laying hands on them,” which actions brought down the Holy Spirit on the newly baptized. From here we can see the sign of the sacrament of confirmation, which later replaced the apostolic laying on of hands - for the communication of the Holy Spirit to those baptized. Chrysostom speaks well about this: “Why didn’t they (the Samaritans) receive the Holy Spirit after baptism? Or because Philip did not communicate Him - perhaps, giving honor to the apostles; or he himself did not have this gift (to communicate the Holy Spirit to others), because he was one of the 7 deacons - the latter can be said with greater probability... When he baptized, he did not communicate the Spirit to those being baptized, for he did not have such power; this gift belonged to only 12... How, they will say, did they (the Samaritans) really not receive the Spirit (at all, at baptism)? They have received the Spirit of remission of sins, but they have not yet received the Spirit of signs.” Acts 8:18. Simon, seeing that the Holy Spirit was given through the laying on of the hands of the Apostles, brought them money, “Simon, when he saw...” Obviously, the acceptance of the Holy Spirit by believers was accompanied by some visible signs. Perhaps it was special expressions of spiritual delight or something similar to what happened to the apostles and other believers on the day of Pentecost - in any case, something visible and noticeable (Zlat.), which prompted Simon to his crazy attempt. An interesting question arises: did Simon himself receive the Holy Spirit before that, along with other believers with such unclean motives and intentions? According to interpreters, Simon had not yet had time to receive the Holy Spirit. Probably, laying hands on everyone to bring down the Holy Spirit required a lot of time and was done in a certain order. Struck by the obvious signs of the gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands of the apostles, Simon, without waiting for his turn, hurries to make his crazy proposal to the apostles. “He did not believe for the sake of faith,” Theophylact says about him, “but so that miracles could be performed for him too. How did he think to perform miracles? He himself deceived and also tamed the demoniac, and therefore thought that the apostles, like him, used some kind of art. That's why he gave money. Again, so as not to lose this gift, he was constantly with Philip...” As for how a person with such unclean intentions could be among the believers, this question is perfectly answered by St. Chrysostom: “Simon had an illness for a long time; that is why he is not freed from it at baptism. How was he baptized? Just as Christ chose Judas..." Acts 8:20. But Peter said to him: Let your silver perish with you, because you thought to receive the gift of God with money. “Let your silver perish with you...” an expression of threat, indicating the disastrousness of Simon’s act if he does not realize this. Acts 8:21. You have no part or lot in this, for your heart is not right before God. “There is no part or lot in you in this ...” seven...", i.e. in what you are talking about - in receiving the Holy Spirit. You will not receive either a part in the amount that is given to all believers, or the whole lot in the amount that we, the apostles, have, as Peter says to Simon. “Your heart is not right before God...”, as possessed by impure motives, thinking and using impure means to achieve its impure aspirations. Acts 8:22. So repent of this sin of yours, and pray to God: perhaps the thoughts of your heart will be forgiven you; “Perhaps the thought of your heart will be forgiven you...” This indicates the severity of Simonov’s sin, which requires especially intense prayers and repentance for forgiveness. “The thought of your heart...” is the above-mentioned conscious intention to buy the gift of God for money, which is possible only with another blasphemous thought that God is able to trade in His gifts. Acts 8:23. for I see you filled with bitter gall and in the bonds of unrighteousness. “I see you fulfilled...” εις γάρ χολήν πικρίας καί σύνδεσμον αδικίας ορῶ σε όντα ... better than glory: “in the gall of bo I see you in sorrow and the union of untruth...” I see you in bitter bile and the bonds of untruth. Just as bile is bitter and poisonous, so are your words, your intention, your soul, capable of such thoughts and speeches, and not only capable of this, but also incapable of doing the opposite - the best way of thinking and acting. Just as the most bitter and poisonous bile was emitted, according to the ancients, by a snake, so a person capable of giving such bitter bile of thoughts and intentions must have reached a particularly sad and dangerous moral state. Acts 8:24. Simon answered and said, “Pray to the Lord for me, so that nothing that you have said may befall me.” What follows further confirms Peter’s indication of Simon’s dangerous moral state. He responds to the call for the cleansing of sin through intense prayer and repentance only with a request that the apostles themselves pray for him, and precisely so that he would not be subjected to punishment, which worried him more than the cleansing and correction of his soul. The writer does not report anything about the further fate of Simon. But history has preserved information about him as the worst enemy of Christianity, who opposed the apostles, whom Peter met again in Rome. Obviously, he found himself the death that St. predicted for him on his dangerous path. Peter. Acts 8:25. They, having testified and preached the word of the Lord, went back to Jerusalem and preached the Gospel in many villages of Samaria. “They are”, i.e. The Apostles Peter and John, “witnessing and preaching the word of the Lord,” taught the newly converted Samaritans the Gospel reading in even more detail and testified in word and deed to the truth of the faith they accepted. Acts 8:26. And to Philip the Angel of the Lord said: Get up and go at noon, to the road that goes from Jerusalem to Gaza, to the one that is empty. “The Angel of the Lord said (to Philip) ...” This was not an invisible suggestion of an Angel to Philip, but obviously, in the visible appearance of the Angel of God to him in Samaria. With three features the Angel denotes the place where Philip needs to go: “at noon”, i.e. south of Samaria, “on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza” and precisely “on the one that is empty” (αύτη εστίν έρημος). “Gaz”, mentioned here, is one of the oldest of the Philistine cities (Gen. 10:19; Josh. 15:45) southwest of Jerusalem, near the Mediterranean Sea. As now, so, obviously, at that time, several roads led from Jerusalem to Gaza, which is why the Angel more precisely designates the one that Philip needed. This “deserted” road, according to interpreters, is probably the one that led through Eleutheropolis. Acts 8:27. He got up and went. And behold, an Ethiopian husband, a eunuch, a nobleman of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, keeper of all her treasures, who came to Jerusalem to worship, The person Philip met on the indicated path is designated by the writer with three features: “Ethiopian eunuch” and “queen’s nobleman.” The first means not only the place of residence, but precisely the nationality of the person met. He was not a natural Jew who lived in Ethiopia, but an Ethiopian by birth. The fact that he traveled to Jerusalem to worship and read the book of the prophet Isaiah (probably in the LXX translation) suggests that he was a proselyte, and if there was an eunuch (which, according to the law of Moses, could not be accepted into the society of Jehovah), he was probably a proselyte of the gates, and not a proselyte of righteousness, that is, of the 2nd, not the 1st degree. “Eunuch”, according to ordinary concepts, is an eunuch, who in the East were the guardians of royal harems, and sometimes were awarded the highest government positions, as we see in this case. “Candace, queen of Ethiopia...” Ethiopia is a country south of Egypt, where now Nubia and Abyssinia are, the political and commercial center of which was Meroe. This country was usually ruled by women, who were all called “Kandaks”, just as the Egyptian kings were called “pharaohs”. (Plin. Hist. natur, VI, 35). As a proselyte of the gate, he had access to the church and could, along with the Jews, offer sacrifice to the true God, whom he knew, obviously, from one of the Jews living in Ethiopia. His good religious mood, which made him worthy and sufficiently prepared for faith in Christ, is clearly revealed from the fact that he was busy reading the Word of God on the way. Acts 8:29. The Spirit said to Philip: Come and dock with this chariot. "The Spirit spoke to Philip". This was obviously an internal spiritual revelation, without any external visible media, clearly recognized as a command from above, from the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:30. Philip came up and, hearing that he was reading the prophet Isaiah, said: Do you understand what you are reading? “Hearing what he read...” Greek. προσδραμών δέ ο Φίλιππος ήκουσεν αυτοῦ αναγινώσκοντος: “Philip came when he heard him honoring.." - as he approached, Philip heard him reading - obviously out loud, so that Philip could even hear what exactly was being read. Philip's question contains in the original some play on words, softening, on the one hand, some boldness in addressing an unfamiliar nobleman: on the other hand, the doubt expressed by the particle α ρά γε that the eunuch understands what is being read. Philip, who expected a negative answer, was indeed not mistaken. And, perhaps, it was precisely thanks to the soft and playful form of the question that Philip immediately won over the eunuch’s heart and aroused in him the consciousness, filled with childish simplicity and humility, that he did not understand what he was reading. At the same time, this question suggested to the nobleman that the one who asked him, obviously, himself has a true understanding of this passage, which is why he begs Philip to come up and sit with him to interpret what he is reading. This is again a new touchingly kind character trait in a noble nobleman (cf. Zlat.). Acts 8:32. And the passage from the Scripture that he read was this: He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb that is silent before its shearers, so He opens not His mouth: Acts 8:33. In His humiliation His judgment was completed. But who will explain His generation? for His life will spring up from the earth. The passage of Scripture mentioned here is in Is. 53 and is transmitted exactly according to the LXX translation, which indicates that the eunuch read the book of the prophet in this translation, which was then most widespread in Egypt. Both the Jewish and ancient Christian churches unanimously attributed the above passage to the Messiah - the Sufferer for the sins of the world (cf. Matt. 8:17; Mark 15:28; John 12, etc.; 1 Pet. 2, etc.). The meaning of this passage is: “like a sheep He was led to the slaughter” (at sacrifice), “and like a lamb before His shearers is silent, so He opens not His mouth” (i.e. for complaints, or reproach and expression of resistance). “In His humiliation” (during His suffering) “His judgment was completed” (i.e., the judgment that was completed on Him was the judgment to which He condemned Himself by taking the sin of all people). “But His generation” (γενεάν) “who will explain?” ("genus", i.e. His birth, origin - eternal from the Father, without the Mother, and in time from the Mother without the Father). “For His life will be taken up from the earth...” In connection with the previous one, this last expression means: “Who will explain that with such an inexplicable origin, with such incomprehensibility of this life, it was destined to be taken from the earth, i.e. to be interrupted in suffering on the cross (this is somewhat hinted at by the form of the expression itself - “he will take off from the earth...”). Acts 8:34. The eunuch said to Philip: I ask you to tell me: about whom is the prophet saying this? Is it about yourself or about someone else? “The eunuch said to Philip...” – αποκριθείς δέ ο ευνοῦχος τῶ Φιλίππω εῖπε ... – “the priest answered the speech to Philip”, more precisely in Russian: “the eunuch and said to Philip in response...” “I beg you...” – i.e. explain. Acts 8:35. Philip opened his mouth and, beginning from this Scripture, preached to him about Jesus. “He opened his mouth...” - ανοίζας ... τό στόμα ... opening his mouth... - some solemnity of speech to indicate the special importance of Philip's gospel about Jesus. Acts 8:36. Meanwhile, continuing their journey, they came to water; and the eunuch said, Here is the water; What prevents me from being baptized? The eunuch's further question to Philip about the possibility of baptism for him shows that Philip's sermon was quite detailed and attentively received by the listener, who was kindled with a thirst to be a follower of Christ. “We came to the water” - this place is not known exactly, probably located between Eleutheropolis and Gaza (Robinson II, 749). Acts 8:37. Philip said to him: if you believe with all your heart, it is possible. He answered and said: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Acts 8:38. And he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water; and baptized him. Acts 8:39. When they came out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended on the eunuch, and Philip was taken away by the Angel of the Lord, and the eunuch no longer saw him, and continued on his way, rejoicing. Acts 8:40. And Philip found himself in Azotus and, as he passed, he preached the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea. “The Holy Spirit descended on the eunuch, and Philip was taken away by the Angel of the Lord...” Only in a few ancient Greek manuscripts (which our Slavic and Russian translations follow) does this passage read like this. In most manuscripts and translations, which most interpreters follow (including Chrysostom and Theophylact), in this place it is simply said: “The Holy Spirit delighted Philip...” It is difficult to say why such a difference occurred - whether from an addition in some codes, or from an omission in others. More likely, however, the first is the addition by subsequent scribes of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the baptized person, which was kept silent by the writer. This descent, necessary and in this case exceptional, could have happened without the visible laying on of hands, as after, at the baptism of Cornelius and his household, and even before the baptism was performed (Acts 10, etc.), for according to the word of the Lord (John 3:8) “Where the Spirit wills, it breathes...” “Philip was delighted...” - an indication of a special supernatural action - the instant disappearance of Philip, after which he “found himself” in Azoth (v. 40). “It was well done,” Chrysostom says on this occasion, so that it would be clear that what happened was the work of God, so that the eunuch would not think that Philip was a simple man. And Philip received great benefit from this, for what he heard about the prophets, about Habakkuk, Ezekiel and others (Dan. 14:36-39), he saw fulfilled on himself, finding himself having instantly traveled a long way.” “He continued on his way, rejoicing...” - everything that happened, i.e. and the fact that he was baptized, received the Holy Spirit, became a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the fact that all this happened in such a wonderful way. Church tradition has preserved for us the name of this nobleman - Indich, as well as some information about his further fate. Upon returning to his country, he was the first preacher of the Gospel in it, converted many, including his mistress, the queen, baptizing her (Nicef. Cal. II, 6). “Azotus”, like Gaza, is one of the 5 main Philistine cities north of Gaza and west of Jerusalem, about 50 versts from it, near the Mediterranean Sea - now the village of Esdud. “As he passed he preached the gospel...” - from Azoth, Philip’s journey continued as usual, towards the north, to Caesarea. On this way, to evangelize, he had to visit the cities of Ekron, Jamnia, Joppa (Jaffa), Apollonia, etc. “Caesarea,” where Philip, apparently, had a permanent residence (Acts 21, etc.), is a large well-known city on the Mediterranean Sea, about 100 miles northwest of Jerusalem, the seat of the then Roman procurators of Judea; built and named in honor of Caesar Augustus by Herod the Great, on the site of the former Stratonov castle, which is why Caesarea was also called Caesarea-Stratonic, in contrast to the Palestinian Caesarea-Philippi on the site of ancient Panea. Caesarea-Stratonov is often mentioned in the future by the writer. You might be interested in: