John Chrysostom, On the Beginning of Acts

5. But that the observation of the seasons and all the rest were done usefully and profitably is clear from these things; but let us see, then, for what reason the 51.104 book of the Acts of the Apostles is read at the time of Pentecost. For we have raised all these questions for this reason, so that when you see the observation of seasons being observed, you may not think that the apostles are afflicted with the Jewish polity. But pay close attention, I beg you; for it is no small question that is about to be discussed. On the day of the cross we read all the things concerning the cross; on the Great Sabbath again, that our Lord was betrayed, that he was crucified, that he died according to the flesh, that he was buried; for what reason, then, do we not also read the Acts of the Apostles after Pentecost, when they also happened and had their beginning? And I know indeed that many are ignorant of this; therefore, it is necessary to confirm it from the book of Acts, so that you may learn that the beginning of the apostolic Acts is not Pentecost, but the time after Pentecost. Wherefore one might also rightly ask, why ever it has been legislated to read of the cross on the day of the cross and the passion; but we do not read the apostolic Acts on the very days, nor at the time in which they were done, but we anticipate the time. For not immediately when Christ rose did the apostles perform miracles, but for forty days he associated with them upon the earth. But for what reason he was with them on the earth for forty days, we shall declare at another time; for the present, however, let us proceed to the subject at hand of the discourse, showing that Christ did not immediately ascend into heaven after the resurrection, but spent forty days on the earth with the disciples, and did not simply spend time, but also ate with them, and shared a table, and imparted conversation, and after forty days he ascended to the Father in the heavens, and not even then did they work miracles, but another ten days passed, and when Pentecost was fulfilled the Holy Spirit was sent to them, and then, having received the tongues of fire, they began to perform miracles. And all these things, beloved, we will confirm from the Scriptures; for instance, that for forty days he was with them, that after Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended, that then they received the fiery tongues, that from that time they began the signs. Who then says all these things? The disciple of Paul, the honorable and great Luke, thus making the beginning and saying: The first account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after he had given commandments through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen; to whom he also presented himself alive after his suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. And being assembled together with them, he commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem. Do you see that after the resurrection the Lord was on the earth for forty days, speaking about the kingdom of God, and assembling with the apostles? do you see that he also shared a table? And he commanded them, he says, not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, "which," he said, "you have heard from me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized 51.105 with the Holy Spirit not many days hence." And the Savior said these things during the forty days, Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, saying, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" And he said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in his own authority; but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Now when he had spoken these things, while they watched, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. Did you see how also for forty days

εʹ. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν ἡ τῶν καιρῶν παρατήρησις καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα χρησίμως καὶ συμφερόντως ἐγίνοντο, ἀπὸ τούτων δῆλον· ἴδωμεν δὲ λοιπὸν τίνος ἕνεκεν τὸ 51.104 βιβλίον τῶν Πράξεων τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς ἀναγινώσκεται. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο ταῦτα πάντα ἐκινήσαμεν, ἵν', ὅταν ἴδητε καιρῶν παρατήρησιν ἐγκειμένην, μὴ νομίσητε πολιτείαν νοσεῖν Ἰουδαϊκὴν τοὺς ἀποστόλους. Ἀλλὰ προσέχετε μετὰ ἀκριβείας, παρακαλῶ· οὐ γὰρ μικρόν ἐστι ζήτημα τὸ μέλλον ῥηθήσεσθαι. Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σταυροῦ τὰ περὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ πάντα ἀναγινώσκομεν· ἐν τῷ σαββάτῳ τῷ μεγάλῳ πάλιν, ὅτι παρεδόθη ἡμῶν ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι ἐσταυρώθη, ὅτι ἀπέθανε τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ὅτι ἐτάφη· τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν καὶ τὰς Πράξεις τῶν ἀποστόλων οὐ μετὰ τὴν Πεντηκοστὴν ἀναγινώσκομεν, ὅτε καὶ ἐγένοντο, καὶ ἀρχὴν ἔλαβον; Καὶ οἶδα μὲν ὅτι πολλοὶ τοῦτο ἀγνοοῦσι· διόπερ ἀπὸ τοῦ βιβλίου τῶν Πράξεων αὐτὸ πιστώσασθαι ἀναγκαῖον, ἵνα μάθητε, ὅτι τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν Πράξεων τῶν ἀποστολικῶν οὐχ ἡ Πεντηκοστὴ ἔχει, ἀλλ' ὁ καιρὸς ὁ μετὰ τὴν Πεντηκοστήν. ∆ιὸ καὶ δικαίως ἄν τις ζητήσειε, τί δήποτε τὸν μὲν σταυρὸν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σταυροῦ καὶ τοῦ πάθους ἀναγινώσκειν νενομοθέτηται· τὰς δὲ Πράξεις τὰς ἀποστολικὰς οὐκ αὐταῖς ταῖς ἡμέραις ἀναγινώσκομεν, οὐδὲ τῷ καιρῷ καθ' ὃν ἐπράχθησαν, ἀλλὰ προφθάνομεν τὸν καιρόν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ εὐθέως ὅτε ἀνέστη Χριστὸς, θαύματα ἐποίουν οἱ ἀπόστολοι, ἀλλὰ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας αὐτοῖς συνηλίζετο ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν τὰς τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας αὐτοῖς συνεγένετο ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἐν ἑτέρῳ καιρῷ δηλώσομεν· τέως δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον ἴωμεν τοῦ λόγου, δεικνύντες, ὅτι οὐκ εὐθέως εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνέβη μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἀλλὰ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διέτριψε μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς διέτριψεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συναλιζόμενος, καὶ τραπέζης κοινωνῶν, καὶ ὁμιλίας μεταδιδοὺς, καὶ μετὰ τὰς τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας ἀνῆλθε πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ οὐδὲ τότε ἐθαυματούργουν, ἀλλ' ἕτεραι δέκα ἐγίνοντο ἡμέραι, καὶ πληρουμένης τῆς Πεντηκοστῆς ἐπέμφθη αὐτοῖς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ τότε λαβόντες τὰς πυρίνας γλώσσας ἤρξαντο ποιεῖν θαύματα. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα, ἀγαπητοὶ, ἀπὸ τῶν Γραφῶν πιστωσόμεθα· οἷον ὅτι τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας αὐτοῖς συνεγένετο, ὅτι μετὰ τὴν Πεντηκοστὴν κατῆλθε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ὅτι τότε τὰς γλώσσας ἔλαβον τὰς πυρίνας, ὅτι τῶν σημείων ἔκτοτε ἤρξαντο. Τίς οὖν ταῦτα πάντα φησίν; Ὁ τοῦ Παύλου μαθητὴς, ὁ τίμιος καὶ μέγας Λουκᾶς, οὕτω ποιούμενος τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ λέγων· Τὸν μὲν πρῶτον λόγον ἐποιησάμην περὶ πάντων, ὦ Θεόφιλε, ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν, ἄχρι ἧς ἡμέρας ἐντειλάμενος τοῖς ἀποστόλοις διὰ Πνεύματος ἁγίου, οὓς ἐξελέξατο, ἀνελήφθη· οἷς καὶ παρέστησεν ἑαυτὸν ζῶντα μετὰ τὸ παθεῖν αὐτὸν, ἐν πολλοῖς τεκμηρίοις, δι' ἡμερῶν τεσσαράκοντα ὀπτανόμενος αὐτοῖς, καὶ λέγων τὰ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ συναλιζόμενος παρήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων μὴ χωρίζεσθαι. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἦν ὁ Κύριος, λέγων περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ συναλιζόμενος τοῖς ἀποστόλοις; ὁρᾷς ὅτι καὶ τραπέζης ἐκοινώνει; Καὶ παρήγγειλεν αὐτοῖς, φησὶν, ἀπὸ Ἱεροσολύμων μὴ χωρίζεσθαι, ἀλλὰ περιμένειν τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἣν ἠκούσατέ μου, φησίν· ὅτι Ἰωάννης μὲν ἐβάπτισεν ὕδατι, ὑμεῖς δὲ βαπτι 51.105 σθήσεσθε ἐν Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ οὐ μετὰ πολλὰς ταύτας ἡμέρας. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἐν ταῖς τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέραις, Οἱ μὲν οὖν συνελθόντες ἐπηρώτων αὐτὸν λέγοντες· Κύριε, εἰ ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ ἀποκαθιστάνεις τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Ἰσραήλ; Εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· Οὐχ ὑμῶν ἐστι γνῶναι χρόνους ἢ καιροὺς, οὓς ὁ Πατὴρ ἔθετο ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ· ἀλλὰ λήψεσθε δύναμιν ἐπελθόντος τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐφ' ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἔσεσθέ μοι μάρτυρες ἐν τῇ Ἱερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ καὶ Σαμαρείᾳ, καὶ ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν, βλεπόντων αὐτῶν, ἐπήρθη, καὶ νεφέλη ὑπέλαβεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν. Εἶδες πῶς καὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας