Chapter Eleven

Discontent with Peter on the part of the Jerusalem believers for associating with the uncircumcised, and the pacification of the discontented (1–18). The preaching of the Gospel outside Palestine, especially in Antioch (10–21). Barnabas and Saul in Antioch (22–26). Prophecy of famine and charitable aid to the Christians in Judea (27–30)

Acts 11:1–3. The Apostles and the brothers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God. And when Peter came to Jerusalem, those of the circumcision were criticizing him, saying: You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them. It is noteworthy that the Jewish believers (those of the circumcision) reproach Peter not because he preached the Gospel to Gentiles and baptized them, but only because he “went in to uncircumcised men and ate with them...” In substance they could not object to preaching Christ among the Gentiles, since they could not forget the command of the Lord Himself to “teach all nations, baptizing them” — Matt 28:19. Their protest concerned only the association with the uncircumcised that Peter had permitted. “Thus the disciples were still so slow” — of Him who had once Himself fought so forcefully against those who unreasonably reproached Him “that this man eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners.” In this case the protest of the extreme zealots of the Jewish law and customs — customs not even commanded by Moses, but constituting only the traditions of unknown elders — was all the more dangerous in that it was a manifestation of that false teaching which was later spread with such sharpness by the Judaizing false teachers, and which was ready to demand the obligation of all of Judaism with its circumcision and customs for entry into Christianity. This was already an extreme position, combated by Peter and later even more by Paul — even after the apostolic council had once and for all settled this question in its authoritative decrees. Acts 11:4-17. Peter’s retelling of the Caesarean event is almost verbatim exact with the narrator of Acts’ account. Peter does not directly answer the reproach directed at him about his going to the uncircumcised and associating with them, but simply removes it by the unmistakably manifest will of God regarding the admission of Gentiles into the Church of Christ. When this had been accomplished — not so much by Peter’s will and actions as by God’s will and signs — it would evidently have been foolish opposition to God not to recognize them as full members of the Brotherhood of Christ, association with whom could no longer be anything reproachable. After such an explanation, those who had criticized Peter not only calmed down but also glorified God, who had granted even to the Gentiles “repentance leading to life” — that is, eternal life, in the eternal Kingdom of Christ. “Do you see,” says St. Chrysostom, “how everything was accomplished by Peter’s speech, which recounted the events in detail? That is why they glorified God, because He had granted repentance to those as well: see how they humbled themselves at these words! Then at last the door of faith was opened to the Gentiles...”

Acts 11:19. Meanwhile those who had been scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, proclaiming the word to no one except Jews. Having related the events that required particular attention and took place after the killing of Stephen — events without any mutual connection among themselves (Acts 8, Acts 9, Acts 10) — the narrator of Acts passes on to describing the activity of the scattered believers beyond the borders of Judea and Samaria, something he had already briefly indicated. Now the narrator wishes to present more vividly the important results of both the persecution and the scattering. “The persecution,” says Chrysostom, “brought no small benefit to the preaching of the Gospel. If the enemies had set out deliberately to spread the Church, they would have done nothing other than this: I mean the scattering of the teachers.” “Phoenicia” — the coastal strip of land to the north of Galilee, at that time subject to the Romans, with the once famous cities of Tyre and Sidon. “Cyprus” — a large island closer to the Syro-Phoenician coast of the Mediterranean Sea (see Acts 4:36). “Antioch” — a large and flourishing city of the time in northwestern Syria, on the river Orontes, about 6 hours’ journey from the sea (about 30 versts) — founded by Antiochus, father of Seleucus Nicator, founder of the Seleucid kingdom. The predominant population was Greek, and there were also many Jews. Greek culture and language were likewise dominant in the city. “Preaching the word” (that is, the Gospel) “to no one but Jews” — following the principle once expressed by the Apostle Paul, that the word of God was to be preached first to the Jews (Acts 13:46). Thus the evangelists of the Gospel to Jews, bypassing the Gentiles, “did this not from fear of men, which they counted as nothing, but wishing to keep the law and still showing condescension to them...” (Chrysostom) — that is, to the Jews, who considered themselves to possess the preeminent right to the proclamation of the Gospel. After the Caesarean events (the conversion of Cornelius), the strict distinction of Jews and Gentiles in the right to enter the Church of Christ entirely lost its force, and from this time begins the intensified spread of the Gospel among the Gentiles. Particular zeal in this was shown by believers from the Hellenist Jews (“Cypriots and Cyrenaeans,” Acts 11:20), who, having come to Antioch, openly “spoke to the Greeks, proclaiming the Lord Jesus...” and had complete success, creating the first large community of Christians from the Gentiles, which was of such great importance in the early Christian Church.

Acts 11:21. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number, having believed, turned to the Lord. “And the hand of the Lord was with them” (the preachers) — that is, the special gracious power of God, confirming the work of preaching with signs and miracles.

Acts 11:22. News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch. “News of this” — ο λόγος περί αυτῶν, “the word about them.” “To the church in Jerusalem” — in its full composition with the apostles at its head, who “sent Barnabas to go to Antioch.” Why, and why Barnabas specifically? In case any misunderstandings should arise — similar to those spoken of above (Acts 11:2-3) — and in general for the guidance of the new Christian community, Barnabas was evidently better suited for the said authority. He was a native of the same Cyprus from which some of the Antiochene preachers had come (Acts 11:20; cf. Acts 4:36); he enjoyed special respect in the Jerusalem Church (Acts 4:36-37); he was “a good man” and full of grace (Acts 11:24); he had a special gift of persuasiveness and consolation in his speech, as shown by the very name Barnabas (Acts 4:36). Such a man would naturally seem especially well suited to pacify any disorders that might arise and to direct the entire life of the community in the proper spirit.

Acts 11:23. He, arriving and seeing the grace of God, rejoiced and urged them all to hold fast to the Lord with sincere heart; Arriving on the scene, Barnabas could only rejoice at the grace of God among the Antiochene Christians, and urged them to “cleave to the Lord with purpose of heart” — τῆ προθέσει τῆς καρδίας προσμένειν τῶ Κυρίω — Slavonic: “to remain in the Lord with purpose of heart...” — literally, with intention of heart to remain with the Lord. “Having praised and approved the people, he probably attracted still more thereby” (Chrysostom).

Acts 11:24. for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a considerable number of people were added to the Lord. “For” — this refers to verse 22, grounding the reason why it was Barnabas specifically who was sent, and equally serves to explain why Barnabas rejoiced so and took the state of the newly converted close to heart.

Acts 11:25. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul and, finding him, brought him to Antioch. “Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul” — without doubt, in order to direct him to the new and wide field of activity that had opened up, for which Paul — the apostle to the Gentiles — was especially intended, having withdrawn to Tarsus from Jerusalem (Acts 9:15).

Acts 11:26. For a whole year they gathered in the church and taught a considerable number of people, and the disciples in Antioch were first called Christians. “Assembled with the church” — that is, in the common worship assemblies of Christians. “Taught a great many people” — εγένετο διδάξαι όχλον ικανόν. Taught — that is, instructed and established the converts in the truths of faith and the rules of the Christian life. Notably, the preaching activity of Saul here is characterized (even if in conjunction with Barnabas’s) by the word “to teach” (διδάξαι), which is customarily used specifically of the apostolic preaching (Acts 4:2; cf. Acts 2:42). “The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.” Until now the Lord’s followers had called themselves disciples, brethren, believers, and the like. The name that appears twice in the New Testament (Acts 26:28; 1 Pet 4:16) is cited as a name used outside the Church. This suggests that the adoption of the name Christians was hardly the work of the Christians themselves. It is equally doubtful that it could have originated with the Jews, who would surely not have ventured to apply the sacred name Christ (a translation of the Hebrew Messiah) to the followers of One whom they did not regard as such. It remains, therefore, with greater probability, to suppose that the name Christians was applied to the believers by the Antiochene Gentiles. Not knowing the dogmatic and religious-historical significance of the name Messiah, they took its Greek translation (Christ) as a proper name and formed from it the name of the party of His followers. The new designation was particularly apt because it most conveniently united into one all the confessors of the new faith — both those from Jews and those from Gentiles who had come to Christianity entirely independently of Judaism.

Acts 11:27. In those days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. “Prophets came.” Among the varied spiritual gifts with which the early Church of Christ was so richly endowed, the gift of prophecy was also manifested at that time in certain believers — that is, the foretelling of future events inaccessible to natural human knowledge (1 Cor 12:10). One of these prophets was Agabus, who is mentioned once more later (Acts 21:10).

Acts 11:28. And one of them, named Agabus, standing up, predicted by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over the whole world, which also occurred in the days of Emperor Claudius. “Foretold by the Spirit...” — εσήμανε διά τοῦ Πνεύματος — Slavonic: “signified by the Spirit” — that is, announced by means of a certain sign, an external symbolic action, what had been inspired in him by the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 21:10). “Over all the world... a great famine” — an emphatic expression indicating the onset of a great famine everywhere (cf. Luke 2:1) — throughout many parts of the world, and perhaps not simultaneously but over a series of years, and by regions rather than all at once. The narrator of Acts notes that such a famine “happened in the days of Caesar Claudius.” He was the successor of Caligula, who ruled the empire from AD 41–54. Throughout this entire period famine raged in one place or another in the regions of the Roman Empire; around AD 44 there was a great famine throughout all of Palestine (Josephus, Antiquities, XX, 2, 6; 5, 2; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, II, 11). Around AD 50 there was famine in Italy itself and in other provinces (Tacitus, Annals, XII, 43).

Acts 11:29. Then the disciples decided, each according to his means, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea; Τῶν δέ μαθητῶν καθώς ηυπορεῖτό τις ώρισαν... — literally: of the disciples, each as he was able, decided... This evidently occurred already at the onset of the famine in Judea. It was then that for the first time the fraternal love and unity of individual Christian communities toward one another was expressed in so touching a manner.

Acts 11:30. which they also did, sending what had been collected to the elders through Barnabas and Saul. “To the elders...” The first mention in apostolic history of elders. As is evident from subsequent mentions (Acts 15:2 and others) and from the apostolic epistles (Titus 1:4; 1 Tim 5:17 and others), these were leaders of individual Christian communities — pastors, teachers, and celebrants of the mysteries (cf. Acts 20:17; Eph 4:11; 1 Pet 5:1; Jas 5:14-15). They were ordained to their ministry by the laying on of hands of apostles (Acts 14:23) or bishops (1 Tim 5:22). In cities where Christian communities were more numerous — for example, Jerusalem, Ephesus, and the like — several elders were appointed (Acts 15:1 and following; Acts 20:17). There is no special record of the initial institution of this sacred order, as there is, for example, of the institution of deacons (Acts 6 and following). One thing is clear: the custom of ordaining elders for newly founded Christian communities was established very early (Acts 14:27), prompted evidently by the urgent need of each community to have an authorized and apostolically empowered leader, head, pastor, teacher, and celebrant of the sacraments, besides the bishop. As the immediate representatives of individual communities, the elders are the ones to whom the aid from Antioch is conveyed, without burdening the apostles.