Bede — Commentary on Scripture

And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

They were of the tent-making trade. As exiles in the land and strangers, they build tents for themselves to use on the way; σκῆναι in Greek are called tabernacles, deriving the etymology from shading, among which shade is called σκία; σκῆναι or σκηνώματα mean something like little shades, which the ancients formed from woolen, wooden, or Cilician cloths, or from the leaves or branches of trees. Mystically, just as Peter by fishing draws us from the waves of the world through the nets of faith, so Paul by setting up the tents of protection defends us from the rain of sins, the heat of temptations, and the winds of treacheries, both by word and by deed. At this point, there are two verses in Greek that are not found in some of our manuscripts. He discussed in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded Jews and Greeks. Then follows what both manuscripts have, added:

Acts 18:7

And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.

And departing from there, he entered the house of a certain man named Titus Justus. The name Justus is also written in Greek, because either this name was proper to the man, or he was surnamed this way by the Romans who knew him due to his merit of justice. However, it should not be thought that this is Titus, the disciple of the Apostle Paul, to whom he himself wrote an Epistle and appointed him bishop of the Cretans. For that Titus was with him much earlier, when he came from Antioch to Jerusalem concerning the question of circumcision, with Barnabas still accompanying him. For the same Paul says to the Galatians: Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me, and I communicated with them concerning the Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles. For he communicated with them about the Gospel he was preaching, diligently inquiring in the council of the apostles whether he was correct in preaching that the Gentiles could attain salvation through the baptism of faith without circumcision; not that he himself had any doubt about this matter…

And departing from there, he entered the house of a certain man named Titus Justus. The name Justus is also written in Greek, because either this name was proper to the man, or he was surnamed this way by the Romans who knew him due to his merit of justice. However, it should not be thought that this is Titus, the disciple of the Apostle Paul, to whom he himself wrote an Epistle and appointed him bishop of the Cretans. For that Titus was with him much earlier, when he came from Antioch to Jerusalem concerning the question of circumcision, with Barnabas still accompanying him. For the same Paul says to the Galatians: Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me, and I communicated with them concerning the Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles. For he communicated with them about the Gospel he was preaching, diligently inquiring in the council of the apostles whether he was correct in preaching that the Gentiles could attain salvation through the baptism of faith without circumcision; not that he himself had any doubt about this matter, but that the minds of those who were doubting might be confirmed by the authority of the apostolic council.

Acts 18:8

And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

But Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house, etc. This Crispus is believed to be the one whom Paul mentions as baptized by him when writing to the Corinthians: I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius.

Acts 18:17

Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things.

And all of them seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the tribunal. In Greek it is better written: And all the Greeks seized Sosthenes. For after the Jews were disgracefully expelled from the tribunal, the Gentiles also afflicted their leader with greater humiliation by beating him.

Acts 18:18 · 2 passages

And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.

When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, and so forth. Who had his hair cut in Cenchreae for he had a vow. Cenchreae is a port of Corinth, where he cut his hair due to a vow because, according to the law of Moses, those who vowed themselves to God were commanded to let their hair grow as long as they wished to be Nazirites, and afterward to cut it and offer it to the fire. Therefore, Paul did this, not indeed forgetting what he had decided with the other apostles in Jerusalem about the abolition of the law, but lest those who had believed from among the Jews be scandalized, he pretended to be a Jew in order to win the Jews. Some manuscripts have in the plural number "They shaved their head, and had a vow," meaning Priscilla and Aquila. But the distinguished doctors of the Church Jerome and Augustine, each in their letters, put it in the singular number and interpret it concerning Paul. Jerome writes thus: "Bidding farewell to the brothers, he sailed to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, and he had his head shaved in Cenchreae for he had a vow."

Bidding farewell to the brothers, he traveled to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, who had his head shaved in Cenchrea, etc. It seems unclear whether Paul or Aquila had their head shaved in Cenchrea; but Jerome the presbyter clearly, as we explained more fully in the previous book, understands this as said of Paul. For after he gave this statement in his letter to Augustine, he immediately added and said: "Even if there he was compelled to circumcise Timothy out of fear of the Jews, why did he grow his hair out as a vow, and later cut it in Cenchrea according to the law?" If we wish to follow his meaning in this place, we never read anywhere that Aquila was shaved. If we say that Aquila was shaved in this place, there remains at the end of this booklet a place where we also read that Paul was shaved, or shaved off. However, those who say that Aquila and his wife Priscilla were shaved are mistaken due to a textual error. For in the Greek, it is clearly written κειράμενος, that is, shaved, in the singular number, and he had a vow, not they had, whether this is understood of Pau…

Bidding farewell to the brothers, he traveled to Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila, who had his head shaved in Cenchrea, etc. It seems unclear whether Paul or Aquila had their head shaved in Cenchrea; but Jerome the presbyter clearly, as we explained more fully in the previous book, understands this as said of Paul. For after he gave this statement in his letter to Augustine, he immediately added and said: "Even if there he was compelled to circumcise Timothy out of fear of the Jews, why did he grow his hair out as a vow, and later cut it in Cenchrea according to the law?" If we wish to follow his meaning in this place, we never read anywhere that Aquila was shaved. If we say that Aquila was shaved in this place, there remains at the end of this booklet a place where we also read that Paul was shaved, or shaved off. However, those who say that Aquila and his wife Priscilla were shaved are mistaken due to a textual error. For in the Greek, it is clearly written κειράμενος, that is, shaved, in the singular number, and he had a vow, not they had, whether this is understood of Paul or Aquila.

Acts 18:21-22

But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.

He departed from Ephesus, and descending, he went up to Caesarea and greeted the church. He says Caesarea, the metropolis of Cappadocia. For he had not yet come to Syria of Phoenicia. Formerly called Mosacha from Mosoc, the son of Japheth, later it received the name Caesarea from Caesar Augustus.

Acts 18:27

And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

When he came, he conferred much with those who believed. For he vigorously confuted the Jews. Another translation has: He greatly benefited the believers by grace. This is what the Apostle writes to the Achaians: "I planted, Apollos watered" (I Cor. III).

Acts 18:28

For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

For he strongly refuted the Jews, publicly showing through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. In Greek, it is written: Publicly and from house to house showing; which is of an excellent teacher, thus to teach many generally, so as not to cease to exhort individuals vigorously.

Acts 19:2

He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

And he said to them: Did you receive the Holy Spirit upon believing? This means, Did you receive the laying on of hands, by which the Holy Spirit is usually given, after baptism?

Acts 19:4

Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

John baptized with the baptism of repentance. This baptism, he says, could not grant the remission of sins but could teach only repentance. For just as the sign of circumcision was a seal of the faith which they carried in the patriarchs, so this washing was accepted by the repentant people as a singular sign of their devotion: Yet this same thing was figuratively showing also the baptism of Christ, by which remission would be granted.

Acts 19:5

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Having heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. A question is frequently discussed, whether those who, perhaps due to ignorance, were baptized by some who were not themselves baptized, yet were of the right faith, ought to be baptized again; which matter, I think, is explained in this chapter. For what difference does it make whether someone is baptized before the beginning of Christ's baptism or now without its succession, since even John himself, whom he baptized in faith and in the name of Christ, though it was to come, had baptized, said they should be baptized again, saying: "I baptize you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Matt. III)? For if now, such people could be remedied sufficiently by participation in the body and blood of Christ alone, as some assert, it might have sufficed then too; nor would it have been necessary for those whom John baptized with water to be baptized by Christ's disciples, but merely to be confirmed by sharing in the blood.

Acts 19:7

And all the men were about twelve.

All the men were about twelve, etc. But the judgments of God are a great abyss. Behold, recently deemed unworthy of the visitation of the apostles, Asia is now consecrated by the Apostolic number and elevated by the prophetic gift. And it should be noted that the Holy Spirit also here showed the signs of his coming upon the twelve disciples, and above upon the one hundred and twenty, which is the number twelve multiplied by ten, that sign in Jerusalem, this in Ephesus, which is a city of the Greeks. I believe to show that whether a person believes from among the Jews or the Gentiles, they only who communicate with the unity of the Catholic and Apostolic Church are fulfilled.

Acts 19:9-10

But when divers were hardened, and believed not, but spake evil of that way before the multitude, he departed from them, and separated the disciples, disputing daily in the school of one Tyrannus.

He separated the disciples, daily disputing in the school of a certain Tyrannus. This happened for three years, etc. At this time, while Paul was staying in Ephesus, it is said that he wrote the first letter to the Corinthians, in which he also mentions Priscilla and Aquila, saying: "Aquila and Priscilla greet you much in the Lord, with the church that is in their house" (1 Cor. XVI). By this word it is also shown that not only did they serve Christ faithfully, but also had a congregation of faithful in their house. Furthermore, the second epistle is said to have been written when he was in Troas: Moreover, the Epistle to the Romans was written later as the record shows. For he himself testifies that he wrote it on his journey to Jerusalem.

Acts 19:12

So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them.

So that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried to the sick. Many of us do not know what aprons signify; however, Gregory, who is now the bishop of the Apostolic See, while he was still an archdeacon, answered a friend from Britain who inquired about this among other things, that it is a kind of handkerchief which the Hebrews use on their heads.

Acts 19:13

Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth.

However, certain itinerant Jewish exorcists attempted to invoke over those who, etc. Josephus reports that King Solomon devised and taught his people modes of exorcism, that is, adjurations, by which unclean spirits, once expelled from a person, might not dare to return. This sometimes happens even through reprobates, either for the condemnation of those who do such things or for the benefit of those who see and hear, so that although men may despise those who perform the signs, they nevertheless honor God, at whose invocation such great miracles are performed.

Acts 19:14

And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

However, there were some seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva, who were doing this. It is better read according to the Greek: However, there was of a certain Sceva. Since even Satan himself transforms into an angel of light (II Cor. XI), he does not fear to color his ministers with the same pretense. Hence, since the grace of the Holy Spirit is usually designated by the number seven, in which figure the Lord, after the resurrection, feasts with seven disciples, and seven brothers come to Cornelius to baptize him with the Holy Spirit, the sons of Sceva are reckoned as if they are to expel evil spirits in the number seven. Since they invoke the name of Christ and the apostles, not believing, but testing, they are deservedly condemned not only by God but also by the very demons for their deceitful falseness. They are well called the sons of Sceva, which translates to "little fox crying out." This animal, very crafty and deceitful, shows Jews, Gentiles, and heretics always lurking against the Church of God and chattering with a garrulous voice. Concerning whom it is commanded b…

However, there were some seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva, who were doing this. It is better read according to the Greek: However, there was of a certain Sceva. Since even Satan himself transforms into an angel of light (II Cor. XI), he does not fear to color his ministers with the same pretense. Hence, since the grace of the Holy Spirit is usually designated by the number seven, in which figure the Lord, after the resurrection, feasts with seven disciples, and seven brothers come to Cornelius to baptize him with the Holy Spirit, the sons of Sceva are reckoned as if they are to expel evil spirits in the number seven. Since they invoke the name of Christ and the apostles, not believing, but testing, they are deservedly condemned not only by God but also by the very demons for their deceitful falseness. They are well called the sons of Sceva, which translates to "little fox crying out." This animal, very crafty and deceitful, shows Jews, Gentiles, and heretics always lurking against the Church of God and chattering with a garrulous voice. Concerning whom it is commanded by the guardians of the same Church: Catch for us the little foxes that ruin the vineyards.

Acts 19:15

And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize. About this verse, Arator says, Know your madness, enemy race, the demon admits to reigning, Whom you deny has come, and you are convicted by this very fact, By the one who drives you to ruin.

Acts 19:19 · 2 passages

Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.

And many of those who had followed curious arts brought their books, etc. He calls curious arts the industry of magical arts, whose followers justly burn their books, valued at a great price, when they see the very demons they served honoring Jesus Christ the Lord and his apostles.

They found the sum to be fifty thousand silver coins. And in the Gospel's debtors under the number of fifty denarii, debts are forgiven. I believe that subsisting in this life with the five senses of the body, we transgress the precepts of the Decalogue. Here, however, due to the enormity of the magic crime, the number of a thousand is also added. Otherwise, the number fifty often refers to penance and the remission of sins, whence the Fiftieth Psalm of Penance, and the fiftieth year is one of remission.