Bede — Commentary on Scripture

But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.

They stirred up the souls of the Gentiles against the brothers. What follows in Greek: "But God made peace," is missing in some Latin manuscripts. And there: "They were preaching," it follows in Greek: "And the whole multitude was moved by their teaching."

Acts 14:6

They were ware of it, and fled unto Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and unto the region that lieth round about:

But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Lystra. And these little verses are not found in some of our manuscripts.

Acts 14:8

And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:

And a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, sat, etc. Just as that lame man whom Peter and John healed at the gate of the temple prefigures the salvation of the Jews, so also this sick man of Lycaonia, a people far removed from the religion of the law and temple, but gathered by the preaching of the apostle Paul. He says, "They gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship, that we should go unto the Gentiles, and they unto the circumcision." And the times agree with the exposition. For he was in the early days of faith, when the word had not yet been believed by the Gentiles; but here the Jews, having been expelled for their unbelief and sprinkled with the dust of condemnation, are healed amidst the new joys of the converted Gentiles.

Acts 14:9

The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,

And seeing that he had faith to be healed. And that one seeks money in the Jewish manner, but this one seeks salvation from the apostles through faith.

Acts 14:10

Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

He said with a loud voice: Stand upright on your feet. In the Greek exemplar it is read: He said with a loud voice: I say to you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, stand upright on your feet. We have added these from the translation, so that, bewildered by the variety of manuscripts, you might not be ignorant of what is true.

Acts 14:11

And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.

The gods, likened to men, have come down to us. The foolish error of the Gentiles, who think that whatever they see above themselves are gods.

Acts 14:12 · 2 passages

And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.

And they called Barnabas Jupiter; indeed, because he seemed to be the chief among them. For they thought Jupiter was the father of gods and king of men.

But Paul, Mercury, because he was the chief speaker; because they believed Mercury to grant eloquence and speech to mortals. Hence, they called Mercury as if running in the middle, that is, between ears and tongues, and the Greeks called him Hermes, which means interpreter.

Acts 14:13 · 2 passages

Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people.

The priest of Jupiter, who was in front of the city, bringing bulls and garlands before the gates, etc. It was the custom of the gentiles, according to Pliny, that when sacrificing to the honor of their gods, they would place garlands on both the victims and themselves.

Bringing bulls and garlands before the gates. The bulls for sacrifice, and the garlands, either to decorate the face of the temple according to the custom of the Gentiles or to place them upon those they would sacrifice to as gods.

Acts 14:14

Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out,

Having torn their clothes, they rushed out into the crowd, and so on. They, fearing, tear their garments because they were being honored with the worship of gods. For this is a custom of the Jews whenever they hear anything blasphemous and as if against God. But Herod, because he did not give honor to God but acquiesced to the excessive favor of the people, was immediately struck by an angel.

Acts 14:19

And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.

But some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium. In Greek, the narrative begins thus: While they were staying and teaching, some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium.

Acts 15:2

When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

They decided that Paul and Barnabas and some others from them should go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, etc. About this ascension of his, Paul himself writes to the Galatians: Then, after fourteen years, I went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also, and I communicated to them the Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles (Galatians II); where the very number that he mentioned must be reckoned in years. For we know that the apostles Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom in the thirty-eighth year after the passion of the Lord, that is, in the last year of Nero, and that the blessed Peter sat upon the episcopal throne in Rome for twenty-five years. Now, twenty-five and fourteen make not thirty-eight but thirty-nine. Therefore, it follows that we believe the blessed Peter came to Rome in the same fourteenth year after the passion of the Lord, in which Paul conversed with him at Jerusalem, in the fourth year of Claudius Caesar; and likewise, unless I am mistaken, from this position it is proven that the blessed Apostle Paul came to faith in the same year in which t…

They decided that Paul and Barnabas and some others from them should go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, etc. About this ascension of his, Paul himself writes to the Galatians: Then, after fourteen years, I went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along also, and I communicated to them the Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles (Galatians II); where the very number that he mentioned must be reckoned in years. For we know that the apostles Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom in the thirty-eighth year after the passion of the Lord, that is, in the last year of Nero, and that the blessed Peter sat upon the episcopal throne in Rome for twenty-five years. Now, twenty-five and fourteen make not thirty-eight but thirty-nine. Therefore, it follows that we believe the blessed Peter came to Rome in the same fourteenth year after the passion of the Lord, in which Paul conversed with him at Jerusalem, in the fourth year of Claudius Caesar; and likewise, unless I am mistaken, from this position it is proven that the blessed Apostle Paul came to faith in the same year in which the Lord suffered and rose again.

Acts 15:5

But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

Saying that it is necessary to circumcise them. The Galatians were deceived by this error, believing that circumcision and the ceremonies of the law should be mixed with the grace of baptism.

Acts 15:9

And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

Purifying their hearts by faith. Therefore, it is not necessary to cleanse them with the circumcision of the flesh, whose hearts such great faith purifies, that they even deserve to receive the Holy Spirit before baptism.

Acts 15:10

Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

Now, therefore, why do you test God by placing a yoke on the necks of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear. It is clear that it should be understood in many ways what is said: You shall not test the Lord your God (Matt. IV). Therefore, he tests God who attempts to serve and please him in a way other than he has commanded, who confides that he can keep his commandments without the help of his grace. But the blessed Peter wishes to remove the heavy yoke of law observance from the necks of the disciples, so that he may place upon them the light yoke of evangelical freedom. Of which Paul also says to the companions of the same grace: For you did not receive a spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, Abba, Father (Rom. VIII).

Acts 15:11

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

But by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we believe to be saved, even as they are. If therefore they, that is, the fathers who could not bear the yoke of the old law, believed themselves to be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, it is manifest that this grace was what made the ancient righteous live. Since the righteous shall live by faith, there could have been different sacraments for different times, yet all converging harmoniously to the unity of the same faith.

Acts 15:16

After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

After this I will return, and build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen, and the rest. The tabernacle of David signifies the shadow of the law, which was corrupted and torn apart by the traditions of the Pharisees, but when the Lord returns, that is, appears in the flesh, it is raised up by the spiritual grace of God, so that not only Jews but also all nations of the Gentiles may seek his name.

Acts 15:20 · 2 passages

But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

And from things strangled, and blood, that is, from shedding blood or eating with blood. These indeed were allowed for those coming from a Gentile life, as the rudiments of the faith and the ingrained habit of Gentilism, but lest they should think that the same sufficed even for the more perfect, he diligently added and said:

To abstain from the pollutions of idols, and fornication, and that which is strangled, and blood. He speaks of that which is strangled as carrion, about which Ezekiel writes: "The priests shall not eat anything that is dead of itself or torn by beasts, whether it be from birds or from cattle" (Ezek. XLIV). Jerome explains this: "And according to the literal sense, says he, this pertains to the whole chosen royal and priestly race, which properly refers to Christians, who are anointed with spiritual oil, about which it is written: 'God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions.' These precepts apply, that they do not eat dead flesh, whether from birds or from cattle, whose blood has by no means been shed, which in the Acts of the Apostles is called strangled; and the epistle of the Apostles from Jerusalem warns that these things should necessarily be observed; and what is taken by a beast, because this too is similarly strangled; and it condemns priests who, with gluttonous greed, keep these things from thrushes, fig-peckers, dormice, and the like."