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1. They do not narrate for the sake of ambition; for how could they? but of Christ’s

grace they show these things as proofs. Therefore, whatever those men said, these things they relate; but as for their own words, even if they pass them over, yet in this they become more bold. And consider how again they took refuge in true help, in invincible alliance, and again with one accord, and with earnestness; for it is not a prayer made simply. And when they heard, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said. See how precise their prayers are. When they thought it right for a worthy man to be shown to them for the apostolate, they spoke thus: You, Lord, knower of all hearts, show (for there was need of foreknowledge); but here, since it was necessary for the adversaries to be silenced, they speak of sovereign power; therefore they also began thus: Lord, God, who made the heaven and the earth, and the sea, and all that is in them; who by the mouth of David your servant said, Why did the nations rage, and the peoples imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. As if demanding from God a covenant, they bring the prophecy forward, at the same time also comforting themselves, that their enemies meditate all things in vain. What therefore they say is this: Bring those things to fulfillment, and show that they have imagined vain things. For of a truth they were gathered together in this city against your holy Child Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your counsel predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats. Do you see the wisdom, and how these are not the words of people who curse? They did not set down their threats in detail, but say only that they threatened; for the writer shortens the account. And see: they did not say, Dash them in pieces, strike them down; but what? And grant to your servants to speak your word with all boldness. Thus let us also learn to pray. And yet with how much anger might one not be filled, falling upon men who were attempting to kill him, and threatening such things? with how much hatred might he not be filled? But not so these saints. By stretching out your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of your holy Child Jesus. If the workings are done in that name, he says, the boldness will be great. And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken. This became a proof of their being heard, and of God’s visitation. 60.94 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. What is, They were filled? It is instead of, They were kindled with the Spirit. For the gift was kindled anew in them. And they spoke the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul. Do you see that with the grace of God they also contributed things of their own? For everywhere one must observe this, that with the grace of God they also display things of their own; just as Peter said, Silver and gold I have none. What he said above, then, that they were all together, again here indicating the same thing he says, that The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul. And having said that they were heard, he then speaks also of their virtue. For he is about to enter into the narrative of Sapphira and Ananias. Therefore, wishing to show the defilement of those two, he first discusses the virtue of the others. Tell me now, did love beget the having no possessions, or did having no possessions beget love? It seems to me that love begot having no possessions, which also strengthened love the more. But hear also what he says: They were all of one heart and one soul. Behold, heart and soul are the same thing. And not one of them said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave their testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. As if they had been entrusted with this, it shows; or also as concerning a debt

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αʹ. Οὐχὶ φιλοτιμίας ἕνεκεν διηγοῦνται· πῶς γάρ; ἀλλὰ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ

χάριτος ταῦτα τεκμήρια ἐπιδείκνυνται. ∆ιὸ καὶ ὅσα μὲν ἐκεῖνοι εἶπον, ταῦτα διηγοῦνται· τὰ δὲ αὐτῶν εἰ καὶ παρατρέχουσιν, ὅμως καὶ ταύτῃ θαρσαλεώτεροι γίνονται. Καὶ σκόπει, πῶς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν ἀληθῆ βοήθειαν κατέφυγον, ἐπὶ τὴν συμμαχίαν τὴν ἄμαχον, καὶ πάλιν ὁμοθυμαδὸν, καὶ μετὰ σπουδῆς· οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστιν εὐχὴ ἁπλῶς γινομένη. Οἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες, ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἦραν φωνὴν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ εἶπον. Ὅρα, πῶς εἰσιν ἠκριβωμέναι αὐτῶν αἱ εὐχαί. Ὅτε τὸν ἄξιον εἰς ἀποστολὴν ἠξίουν αὐτοῖς ἀναδειχθῆναι, οὕτως ἔλεγον· Σὺ, Κύριε, καρδιογνῶστα πάντων, ἀνάδειξον (προγνώσεως γὰρ ἦν ἐκεῖ χρεία)· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ἐπειδὴ ἐπιστομισθῆναι τοὺς ἐναντίους ἐχρῆν, περὶ δεσποτείας διαλέγονται· διὸ καὶ οὕτως ἤρξαντο· ∆έσποτα ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ ποιήσας τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς· ὁ διὰ στόματος ∆αυῒδ τοῦ παιδός σου εἰπὼν, Ἵνα τί ἐφρύαξαν ἔθνη, καὶ λαοὶ ἐμελέτησαν κενά; Παρέστησαν οἱ βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς, καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες συνήχθησαν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατὰ τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ κατὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ. Καθάπερ συνθήκας ἀπαιτοῦντες τὸν Θεὸν, τὴν προφητείαν εἰς μέσον ἄγουσιν, ἅμα καὶ ἑαυτοὺς παραμυθούμενοι, ὅτι εἰκῆ ἅπαντα μελετῶσιν οἱ ἐχθροί. Ὃ οὖν λέγουσι, τοῦτό ἐστιν· Ἐκεῖνα εἰς πέρας ἄγαγε, καὶ δεῖξον, ὅτι κενὰ ἐμελέτησαν. Συνήχθησαν γὰρ ἐπ' ἀληθείας ἐν τῇ πόλει ταύτῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἅγιον Παῖδά σου Ἰησοῦν, ὃν ἔχρισας, Ἡρώδης τε καὶ Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος σὺν ἔθνεσι καὶ λαοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, ποιῆσαι ὅσα ἡ χείρ σου καὶ ἡ βουλή σου προώρισε γενέσθαι. Καὶ τὰ νῦν, Κύριε, ἔπιδε ἐπὶ τὰς ἀπειλὰς αὐτῶν. Ὁρᾷς τὴν φιλοσοφίαν, καὶ πῶς οὐχὶ καταρωμένων ἐστὶ ταῦτα; Οὐκ ἔθηκαν δὲ τὰς ἀπειλὰς ἰδικῶς, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἠπείλησαν μόνον λέγουσιν· ἐπιτέμνεται γὰρ ὁ συγγραφεὺς τὸν λόγον. Καὶ ὅρα· οὐκ εἶπον, Ῥάξον αὐτοὺς, κατάβαλε αὐτούς· ἀλλὰ τί; Καὶ δὸς τοῖς δούλοις σου μετὰ παῤῥησίας πάσης λαλεῖν τὸν λόγον σου. Οὕτω μανθάνωμεν εὔχεσθαι καὶ ἡμεῖς. Καίτοι γε πόσου οὐκ ἄν τις ἐμπλησθείη θυμοῦ, εἰς ἄνδρας ἐμπεσὼν ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπιχειροῦντας, καὶ ἀπειλοῦντας τοιαῦτα; πόσης οὐκ ἂν ἀπεχθείας πληρωθείη; Ἀλλ' οὐχ οἱ ἅγιοι οὗτοι. Ἐν τῷ τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐκτείνειν εἰς ἴασιν, καὶ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα γίνεσθαι διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ ἁγίου Παιδός σου Ἰησοῦ. Ἂν ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι ἐκείνῳ γίνωνται αἱ ἐνέργειαι, μεγάλη ἔσται ἡ παῤῥησία, φησί. ∆εηθέντων δὲ αὐτῶν, ἐσαλεύθη ὁ τόπος, ἐν ᾧ ἦσαν συνηγμένοι. Τοῦ ἀκουσθῆναι αὐτοὺς, καὶ τῆς ἐπισκέψεως τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦτο 60.94 τεκμήριον γέγονε. Καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν ἅπαντες Πνεύματος ἁγίου. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐπλήσθησαν; Ἀντὶ τοῦ, Ἀνεπυρώθησαν τῷ Πνεύματι. Καὶ γὰρ ἀνεκαίετο ἐν αὐτοῖς τὸ χάρισμα. Καὶ ἐλάλουν τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ μετὰ παῤῥησίας. Τοῦ δὲ πλήθους τῶν πιστευσάντων ἦν ἡ καρδία καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ μία. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι μετὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εἰσέφερον; Πανταχοῦ γὰρ τοῦτο χρὴ παρατηρεῖν, ὅτι μετὰ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὰ παρ' ἑαυτῶν ἐπιδεικνύουσι· καθάπερ Πέτρος ἔλεγεν, Ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον οὐχ ὑπάρχει μοι. Ὃ ἀνωτέρω οὖν εἶπεν, ὅτι πάντες ἦσαν ἐπιτοαυτὸ, πάλιν ἐνταῦθα δηλῶν τὸ αὐτὸ λέγει, ὅτι Τοῦ πλήθους τῶν πιστευσάντων ἦν ἡ καρδία καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ μία. Εἰπὼν δὲ, ὅτι ἠκούσθησαν, λέγει λοιπὸν αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν ἀρετήν. Καὶ γὰρ μέλλει ἐμβαίνειν εἰς τὸ διήγημα τῆς Σαπφείρας καὶ τοῦ Ἀνανίου. ∆ιὸ θέλων δεῖξαι τὴν μιαρίαν ἐκείνων, πρότερον περὶ τῆς τῶν ἄλλων ἀρετῆς διαλέγεται. Εἰπὲ δή μοι, ἡ ἀγάπη τὴν ἀκτημοσύνην ἔτεκεν, ἢ ἡ ἀκτημοσύνη τὴν ἀγάπην; Ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ ἡ ἀγάπη τὴν ἀκτημοσύνην, ἣ καὶ ἐπέσφιγγεν αὐτὴν μᾶλλον. Ἄκουε δὲ καὶ τί φησιν· Πάντων ἦν ἡ καρδία καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ μία. Ἰδοὺ καρδία καὶ ψυχὴ τὸ αὐτό. Καὶ οὐδὲ εἷς τι τῶν ὑπαρχόντων αὐτῷ ἔλεγεν ἴδιον εἶναι, ἀλλ' ἦν αὐτοῖς ἅπαντα κοινά. Καὶ δυνάμει μεγάλῃ ἀπεδίδουν τὸ μαρτύριον τῆς ἀναστάσεως οἱ ἀπόστολοι τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καθάπερ ἐγχειρισθέντας αὐτοὺς τοῦτο δείκνυσιν· ἢ καὶ ὡς περὶ ὀφλήματος