68

A Cypriot by race, who had a field, sold it, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

a. He is about to relate what follows concerning Ananias and Sapphira, and wishing

to show that the man had sinned most grievously, he first mentions the one who did right; that when such a multitude was doing these things, with so much grace, so many signs, he was not corrected by any of these things, but being completely blinded by the love of money, he brought that destruction upon his own head. Who had a field; he said it this way, making clear that this was the only one he possessed; having sold it, he brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, and kept back part of the price, his wife also being aware of it; and bringing a certain part, laid it at the apostles' feet. The terrible thing is that the sin was with consent, and no one else knew what had happened. From where did it come upon this wretched and miserable man to do this? But Peter said: Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? See now a great sign performed, and much greater than the former one. While it remained, did it not remain yours, and after it was sold, was it not in your own control? That is, for was there any necessity and force? For do we drag you unwillingly? Why is it that you have conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God. And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. Do you see whence this sign is greater? From the taking of a life, from knowing the things in the mind, and the things that happened secretly. And great fear came on all those who heard these things. And the younger men arose, wound him up, and carried him out and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered her: Tell me, whether you sold the land for so much? He wanted 60.100 to save her; for he was the author of the sin. And for this reason he perhaps gives her an occasion for defense, and the power of repentance. Wherefore he also says: Tell me, whether you sold the land for so much? And she said, Yes, for so much. Then Peter said to her: How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and shall carry you out. Then she fell down immediately at his feet, and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon all who heard these things. After their fear had occurred, they performed more signs; and that they did perform them, listen. And by the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were performed among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s porch. And of the rest no one dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly. Rightly so. For Peter was henceforth fearsome, punishing and exposing the things in the mind; to whom they were even more attached because of the sign, and the first public speech, and the second, and the third. For he himself performed the first sign, and the second, and the present one, which to me seems twofold, and not just one single thing; one, the exposing of what was in the mind; second, the taking of a life by command. And believers were the more added, it says, to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they brought the sick out into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them. This did not happen in the case of Christ; whence it is now possible to see in deed what was said by Him come to pass. What is this? He who believes in me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do. And the multitude from the surrounding cities also came together to Jerusalem,

68

Κύπριος τῷ γένει, ὑπάρ χοντος αὐτῷ ἀγροῦ, πωλήσας ἤνεγκε τὸ χρῆμα καὶ ἔθηκε παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων.

αʹ. Μέλλει διηγεῖσθαι τὸ κατὰ Ἀνανίαν λοιπὸν καὶ Σάπφειραν, καὶ θέλων

δεῖξαι τὸν ἄνδρα χείριστα ἡμαρτηκότα, πρώτου μέμνηται τοῦ κατωρθωκότος· ὅτι τοσούτου πλήθους ὄντος τοῦ ταῦτα ποιοῦντος, τοσαύτης χάριτος, τοσούτων σημείων, οὐχ ὑπ' οὐδενὸς τούτων διωρθώθη, ἀλλὰ καθάπαξ ὑπὸ τῆς φιλοχρηματίας τυφλωθεὶς, τὸν ὄλεθρον ἐκεῖνον ἐπεσπάσατο τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κεφαλῇ. Ὑπάρχοντος αὐτῷ ἀγροῦ· οὕτως εἶπεν, δηλῶν, ὅτι τοῦτον μόνον ἐκέκτητο· πωλήσας ἤνεγκε τὸ χρῆμα, καὶ ἔθηκε παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων. Ἀνὴρ δέ τις ὀνόματι Ἀνανίας, σὺν Σαπφείρᾳ τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ, ἐπώλησε κτῆμα, καὶ ἐνοσφίσατο ἀπὸ τῆς τιμῆς, συνειδυίας καὶ τῆς γυναικός· καὶ ἐνέγκας μέρος τι, παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων ἔθηκε. Τὸ δεινὸν, ὅτι μετὰ συγκαταθέσεως ἡ ἁμαρτία, καὶ οὐδεὶς ἕτερος ᾔδει τὸ γενόμενον. Πόθεν ἐπῆλθε τῷ ταλαιπώρῳ τούτῳ καὶ ἀθλίῳ τοῦτο ἐργάσασθαι; Εἶπε δὲ ὁ Πέτρος· Ἀνανία, διὰ τί ἐπλήρωσεν ὁ Σατανᾶς τὴν καρδίαν σου ψεύσασθαί σε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ νοσφίσασθαι ἀπὸ τῆς τιμῆς τοῦ χωρίου; Ὅρα καὶ νῦν μέγα σημεῖον γενόμενον, καὶ πολλῷ πλέον ἐκείνου τοῦ προτέρου. Οὐχὶ μένον σοὶ ἔμενε, καὶ πραθὲν ἐπὶ τῇ σῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ὑπῆρχε; Τουτέστι, Μὴ γὰρ ἀνάγκη τις ἦν καὶ βία; μὴ γὰρ ἄκοντας ὑμᾶς ἕλκομεν; Τί ὅτι ἔθου ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦτο; Οὐκ ἐψεύσω ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ. Ἀκούων δὲ ὁ Ἀνανίας τοὺς λόγους τούτους, πεσὼν ἐξέψυξεν. Ὁρᾷς, πόθεν μεῖζον τὸ σημεῖον τοῦτο; Ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνελεῖν, ἀπὸ τοῦ τὰ ἐν διανοίᾳ εἰδέναι, καὶ τὰ λάθρᾳ γεγονότα. Ἐγένετο δὲ φόβος μέγας ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀκούοντας ταῦτα. Ἀναστάντες δὲ οἱ νεώτεροι συνέστειλαν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἐξενέγκαντες ἔθαψαν. Ἐγένετο δὲ ὡς ὡρῶν τριῶν διάστημα, καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ μὴ εἰδυῖα τὸ γεγονὸς εἰσῆλθεν. Ἀπεκρίθη δὲ αὐτῇ ὁ Πέτρος· Εἰπέ μοι, εἰ τοσούτου τὸ χωρίον ἀπέδοσθε; Ταύτην ἐβούλετο 60.100 σῶσαι· ἐκεῖνος γὰρ ἦν ὁ ἀρχηγὸς τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτῇ δίδωσι τάχα καιρὸν ἀπολογίας, καὶ ἐξουσίαν μετανοίας. ∆ιὸ καὶ λέγει· Εἰπέ μοι, εἰ τοσούτου τὸ χωρίον ἀπέδοσθε; Ἡ δὲ εἶπε, Ναὶ τοσούτου. Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος εἶπε πρὸς αὐτήν· Τί ὅτι συνεφωνήθη ὑμῖν πειρᾶσαι τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον; Ἰδοὺ οἱ πόδες τῶν θαψάντων τὸν ἄνδρα σου ἐπὶ τῇ θύρᾳ, καὶ ἐξοίσουσί σε. Ἔπεσε δὲ παραχρῆμα παρὰ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξέψυξεν. Εἰσελθόντες δὲ οἱ νεανίσκοι εὗρον αὐτὴν νεκρὰν, καὶ ἐξενέγκαντες ἔθαψαν πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς. Καὶ ἐγένετο φόβος μέγας ἐφ' ὅλην τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ἐπὶ πάντας τοὺς ἀκούοντας ταῦτα. Μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι τὸν φόβον αὐτῶν, πλείονα σημεῖα ἐποίουν· καὶ ὅτι ἐποίουν, ἄκουε. ∆ιὰ δὲ τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐγίνετο σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα ἐν τῷ λαῷ πολλά. Καὶ ἦσαν ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἅπαντες ἐν τῇ στοᾷ Σολομῶντος· τῶν δὲ λοιπῶν οὐδεὶς ἐτόλμα κολλᾶσθαι αὐτοῖς, ἀλλ' ἐμεγάλυνεν αὐτοὺς ὁ λαός. Εἰκότως. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Πέτρος ἦν λοιπὸν φοβερὸς, κολάζων καὶ τὰ εἰς νοῦν ἐξελέγχων· ᾧ καὶ μᾶλλον προσέκειντο διά τε τὸ σημεῖον, καὶ τὴν πρώτην δημηγορίαν, καὶ τὴν δευτέραν, καὶ τὴν τρίτην. Αὐτὸς γὰρ καὶ τὸ σημεῖον εἰργάσατο τὸ πρῶτον, καὶ τὸ δεύτερον, καὶ τὸ νῦν, ὅπερ ἐμοὶ καὶ διπλοῦν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἕν τι καὶ μόνον εἶναι δοκεῖ· ἓν μὲν, τὸ τὰ κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐλέγξαι· δεύτερον δὲ, τὸ ἀνελεῖν προστάγματι. Μᾶλλον δὲ προσετίθεντο πιστεύοντες, φησὶν, τῷ Κυρίῳ πλήθη ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν, ὥστε κατὰ τὰς πλατείας ἐκφέρειν τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς, καὶ τιθέναι ἐπὶ τῶν κλινῶν καὶ κραββάτων, ἵνα ἐρχομένου Πέτρου κἂν ἡ σκιὰ ἐπισκιάσῃ τινὶ αὐτῶν. Τοῦτο ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ οὐ γέγονεν· ὅθεν καὶ ὁρᾷν νῦν ἐστιν ἔργῳ τὸ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ εἰρημένον ἐξελθόν. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, τὰ ἔργα, ἃ ἐγὼ ποιῶ, κἀκεῖνος ποιήσει, καὶ μείζονα τούτων ποιήσει. Συνήρχετο δὲ καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πέριξ πόλεων εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ,