Chapter Eight

The persecution of the Church after the killing of Stephen (1–4). The preaching of Philip in Samaria (6–8). Simon the Sorcerer (9–13). Peter and John in Samaria. The sin of Simon the Sorcerer (14–25). Philip’s baptism of the eunuch of the Ethiopian queen (26–40)

Acts 8:1. Saul was consenting to his death. In those days a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem; and all, except the Apostles, were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. “Saul approved of his killing” — of Stephen’s killing. He later acknowledges this himself (Acts 22:20). “On that day” — εν εκείνη τῆ ημέρα — Slavonic: “on that day.” The matter evidently unfolded as follows: the fanatical mob of killers, made savage by the blood of the First Martyr, returned to the city and launched a full-scale pogrom against the Christians, which at first did not spread beyond Jerusalem. According to Church tradition, up to 2,000 Christians fell as victims of this pogrom, among them the other deacon — Nicanor (Chet. Min. July 28). “All were scattered, except the Apostles” — perhaps recalling the words of the Lord (Matt 10:23). The Apostles remained, according to Theophylact’s interpretation, because “where the attack is strongest, there the best fighters must be found, and be an example of courage and boldness for others.”

Acts 8:2. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. “Devout men” — perhaps not even Christians, but simply admirers of Stephen from among the more sensible Jews who were secretly well-disposed toward Christianity, just as Joseph and Nicodemus once had the same courage to perform the burial of the crucified Lord. These pious admirers of the martyr also arranged, according to Jewish custom, a “great lamentation” for the deceased (Gen 50:10; Deut 34 and others).

Acts 8:3. But Saul was ravaging the church, going from house to house, dragging off men and women and committing them to prison. The actions of Saul show that he was an instrument of the Sanhedrin in the persecution of Christians and evidently had from it the corresponding authority; otherwise he would hardly have dared to break into the homes of ordinary citizens, and the prisons would hardly have been at his disposal. Under these conditions, the severity of the persecution was further aggravated by Saul’s personal fanatical blindness and fury, all of which together created an extremely difficult situation for the Church of Christ.

Acts 8:4. Meanwhile those who had been scattered went about proclaiming the word. “Those who were scattered” — that is, from the Jerusalem persecution — the believers successfully made use of their new circumstances, proclaiming Christ in new places. Further on it is noted (Acts 11:19) that they in this way spread the Gospel of Christ even as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, confirming the wise observation of the later Church writer: “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christians” (Tertullian).

Acts 8:5. Philip went down to a city of Samaria and proclaimed Christ to them. “Philip” mentioned here and further on is not one of the twelve Apostles, but one of the deacons. The Apostles, as was specifically mentioned above, were not leaving Jerusalem at that time. It would also be incomprehensible why the Apostles would send Peter and John to Samaria, as mentioned in Acts 8:14, if Philip here were one of the twelve. Finally, the deacon Philip is suggested here also by a later passage in Acts where he is mentioned as an evangelist, one of the seven deacons (Acts 21:8). This is also the view of both Chrysostom and Theophylact. “He came to a city of Samaria.” From what follows it is clear that Philip had a home and family in Caesarea (Strato’s Tower; see note on Acts 8:40) (Acts 21:8), and was evidently headed there, having labored fruitfully on the way, in Samaria. From Samaria, having completed all that was appointed there, he continued his journey to Caesarea, where, as is evident, he remained for a time (Acts 8:40). The historian does not name the city of Samaria itself. It may have been the chief city of the region — Samaria, renamed Sebaste by Herod — or another significant Samaritan city, Shechem, where the Lord Himself had once sown the first seeds of His teaching, promising another the harvest (John 6).

Acts 8:9. Now there was a man in the city named Simon, who had previously practiced sorcery and amazed the people of Samaria, claiming to be somebody great. Concerning Simon the Sorcerer, Justin Martyr (himself a native Samaritan from Shechem) says that he was from the Samaritan village of Gitta or Gitton. He was a sorcerer not in the better sense in which the Persian sages who came to worship the infant Jesus were so called (Matt 2:1), but in the simple sense of a charlatan, a conjurer, a magician. Blinded by the success of his charms and tricks, he claimed to be someone great, further amazing and attracting to himself the ignorant people, who saw in him “the great power of God” — η δύναμις τοῦ Θεοῦ η μεγάλη. This expression partially recalls the language of the Gnosticism that developed somewhat later, with its teaching about the aeons as powers emanating from the fullness (pleroma) of the deity. Simon may have claimed to be — and been recognized by the people as — one such power. Despite the prolonged and deep enchantment of the people by Simon, the power of Philip’s preaching and his miracles were so striking that they overcame not only the people but Simon himself. Faith in Simon gave way to faith in Christ. The people were baptized; Simon himself was baptized. The man who had so long amazed others with his sorceries now marveled himself at the signs and powers that came through Philip. Yet it appears that Simon’s faith and his wonder had at their base impure, carnal, self-loving, and mercenary motives. Otherwise all that followed (Acts 8 and following) would be insufficiently explained.

Acts 8:14. The Apostles in Jerusalem, when they heard that Samaria had received the word of God, sent Peter and John to them, Acts 8:15. who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:16. For he had not yet come upon any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Acts 8:17. Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. “Samaria had received” — δέδεκται η Σαμάρεια — more precisely in Slavonic: “Samaria received” — the collective whole in place of the part. “They sent Peter and John to them” — (“the Apostles in Jerusalem”). Here there is a series of notably important details. “The Apostles in Jerusalem,” who had remained there despite the persecution, heard that Samaria had believed. But this faith lacked something important for the believers to be full members of the body of the Church of Christ: they had not received the Holy Spirit at baptism — evidently because Philip, who baptized them, did not have, as a deacon, apostolic authority to impart the Holy Spirit to the baptized. To supply this, “the Apostles” sent “Peter and John” — two of the chief apostles. The company of apostles acts here as one collective person, whose individual members are fully equal, so that even the most senior among them do not consider themselves, and are not considered, above the whole body, and conversely even obediently carry out its instructions. The fulfillment of the commission consisted in offering prayer “for those baptized and the laying of hands on them,” actions which brought down upon the newly baptized the Holy Spirit. This gives a prefiguring of the sacrament of chrismation, which subsequently replaced the apostolic laying on of hands for imparting the Holy Spirit to those being baptized. On this occasion Chrysostom remarks well: “why did they (the Samaritans) not receive the Holy Spirit after baptism? Either because Philip did not impart it — perhaps in deference to the apostles; or he himself did not have this gift (of imparting the Spirit to others), because he was one of the seven deacons — the latter can be stated with greater probability... Baptizing, he did not impart the Spirit to those he baptized, for he had no such authority; this gift belonged to the twelve alone... How then, someone will say — did they (the Samaritans) not receive the Spirit (at all, at baptism)? They received the Spirit of forgiveness of sins, but the Spirit of signs they had not yet received.”

Acts 8:18. When Simon saw that through the laying on of the Apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, “Now when Simon saw...” Evidently the reception of the Holy Spirit by the believers was accompanied by some visible signs. These may have been special expressions of spiritual exaltation, or something similar to what happened with the apostles and other believers on the day of Pentecost — in any case something visible and observable (Chrysostom), which prompted Simon to his foolish attempt. An interesting question arises: had Simon himself previously received the Holy Spirit along with the other believers, given his impure motives and intentions? According to the commentators, Simon had not yet managed to receive the Holy Spirit. The laying on of hands on each person for the conferring of the Holy Spirit probably took considerable time and was performed in a set order. Struck by the evident signs of the gift of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, Simon, not waiting his turn, hastened to make his foolish proposal to the apostles. “He believed not out of faith,” says Theophylact of him, “but in order to work miracles himself. How did he think to work miracles? He himself deceived people and also calmed those possessed by demons, and so he thought the apostles similarly employed some art. That is why he offered money. For the same reason, so as not to lose this gift, he constantly kept company with Philip.” As for how a man with such impure intentions could have been numbered among the believers, this question is answered well by Chrysostom: “the disease was in Simon from long ago; that is why even at baptism he is not freed from it. How then was he baptized? Just as Christ chose Judas...”

Acts 8:20. But Peter said to him: may your money perish with you, because you thought to obtain the gift of God with money. “May your silver perish with you” — an expression of threat, pointing to the ruinous nature of Simon’s act, if he does not recognize it as such.

Acts 8:21. You have no part or share in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. “You have no part or share in this” — ουκ έστι δοί μερίς ουδέ κλῆρος εν τῶ λόγω τούτω — Slavonic: “there is no part or lot for you in this word” — that is, in what you are speaking of — in the reception of the Holy Spirit. Neither a portion, in the measure given to all believers, nor the full lot, in the measure in which we the apostles possess it, will you receive — as if Peter were saying this to Simon. “Your heart is not right before God” — as one possessed by impure motives, conceiving impure means for achieving impure ends.

Acts 8:22. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours and pray to God: perhaps the intention of your heart may be forgiven you; “Perhaps the intention of your heart may be forgiven you” — this points to the gravity of Simon’s sin, which requires especially intense prayers and repentance for forgiveness. “The intention of your heart” — the deliberate plan cited above of purchasing the gift of God with money, possible only alongside another blasphemous intention — that God is capable of trading in His gifts.

Acts 8:23. for I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity. “For I see that you are” — εις γάρ χολήν πικρίας καί σύνδεσμον αδικίας ορῶ σε όντα — better in Slavonic: “for I see you to be in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity.” I see you in bitter gall and the bonds of iniquity. As gall is bitter and poisonous, so are your words, your intention, your soul — capable of such thoughts and words — and not merely capable of this, but at the same time incapable of the opposite, the best way of thinking and acting. Just as the most bitter and poisonous gall was thought by the ancients to come from a serpent, so a person capable of producing such bitter gall of thoughts and intentions must have reached a particularly grievous and dangerous moral state.

Acts 8:24. Simon answered and said: pray for me to the Lord, so that none of what you have said may come upon me. What follows confirms Peter’s indication of Simon’s dangerous moral state. To the call to purge his sin through intense prayer and repentance, he responds only with a request that the apostles themselves pray for him — and specifically only that he not be subjected to punishment, which troubled him more than the purification and correction of his soul. The historian reports nothing about Simon’s subsequent fate. But history has preserved accounts of him as a most bitter enemy of Christianity, who opposed the apostles, and with whom Peter had another meeting in Rome. He evidently found that ruin which St. Peter had foretold for him on his dangerous path.

Acts 8:25. So after testifying and proclaiming the word of the Lord, they started back toward Jerusalem and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. “They” — that is, the Apostles Peter and John — “having testified and proclaimed the word of the Lord,” instructing the newly converted Samaritans more fully in the Gospel teaching and confirming by both word and deed the truth of the faith they had received.

Acts 8:26. But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: rise and go south, to the road going down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the one that is deserted. “An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip.” This was not an invisible prompting of an angel to Philip, but evidently a visible appearance to him of an angel of God in Samaria. With three marks the angel designates the place Philip is to go: “to the south,” that is, southward from Samaria; “to the road from Jerusalem to Gaza”; and specifically “the one that is desert” (αύτη εστίν έρημος). “Gaza,” mentioned here, is one of the most ancient cities of the Philistines (Gen 10:19; Josh 15:45), to the southwest of Jerusalem, near the Mediterranean Sea. As today, so evidently at that time, several roads led from Jerusalem to Gaza, which is why the angel indicates more precisely the one Philip needs. This “desert” road, according to commentators, was probably the one that passed through Eleutheropolis.

Acts 8:27. He rose and went. And behold, an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, a court official of Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasury, had come to Jerusalem to worship, The man Philip encountered on the indicated road is described by the historian with three distinguishing features: “an Ethiopian eunuch” and “an official of the queen.” The first indicates not merely a place of residence but specifically the nationality of the man encountered. He was not a natural-born Jew living in Ethiopia, but an Ethiopian by birth. The fact that he had traveled to Jerusalem for worship and was reading the book of the prophet Isaiah (probably in the LXX translation) indicates that he was a proselyte; and if he was a eunuch (whom the law of Moses did not permit to be received into the assembly of the Lord), he was probably a proselyte of the gate, not a proselyte of righteousness — that is, of the second, not the first, degree. “Eunuch” — by common understanding a castrated man; such persons served in the East as keepers of royal harems, and were sometimes elevated to the highest state offices, as we see in the present case. “Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.” Ethiopia — the land to the south of Egypt, comprising what is now Nubia and Abyssinia, whose political and commercial center was Meroe. This country was ordinarily governed by women, all of whom were called “Candaces,” just as the kings of Egypt were called “Pharaohs” (Pliny, Hist. natur., VI, 35). As a proselyte of the gate, he had access to the temple and could, on a par with Jews, offer sacrifice to the true God, whom he had evidently come to know through some Jews living in Ethiopia. His good religious disposition, which made him worthy and sufficiently prepared to receive faith in Christ, is clearly shown by the fact that even while traveling he was occupied with reading the word of God.

Acts 8:29. The Spirit said to Philip: go up and join this chariot. “The Spirit said to Philip.” This was evidently an inner spiritual revelation, without any outward visible intermediary, clearly perceived as a command from above, from the Holy Spirit.

Acts 8:30. Philip ran up and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said: do you understand what you are reading? “Hearing him reading” — προσδραμών δέ ο Φίλιππος ήκουσεν αυτοῦ αναγινώσκοντος, more precisely in Slavonic: “but Philip running up, heard him reading” — that is, aloud, so that Philip could make out even what exactly was being read. Philip’s question contains in the original a certain play on words, which on the one hand softens the somewhat bold nature of addressing an unknown nobleman, and on the other expresses through the particle α ρά γε a doubt that the eunuch understands what he is reading: α ρά γε γινώσκεις ά αναγινώσκεις? Expecting a negative answer, Philip was not mistaken. And perhaps precisely thanks to the gentle and playful form of the question, Philip at once won the eunuch’s heart and drew from him a reply full of childlike simplicity and humility — that he did not understand what he was reading. At the same time this question suggested to the nobleman that the questioner evidently himself possessed true understanding of that passage, which is why he urgently asked Philip to come up and sit with him to explain what was being read. Here again is a new touchingly kind trait of character in this eminent nobleman (cf. Chrysostom).

Acts 8:32. Now the passage of Scripture he was reading was this: as a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he does not open his mouth. Acts 8:33. In his humiliation his judgment was taken away. But who will explain his lineage? For his life is taken from the earth. The passage of Scripture mentioned here is found in Isa 53 and is cited exactly from the LXX translation, which shows that the eunuch was reading the book of the prophet in that translation, which was then most widespread in Egypt. Both the Jewish and the ancient Christian Church unanimously referred this passage to the Messiah — the Sufferer for the sins of the world (cf. Matt 8:17; Mark 15:28; John 12 and following; 1 Pet 2 and following). The meaning of this passage is: “like a sheep he was led to the slaughter” (in sacrifice), “and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he does not open his mouth” (that is, in complaint, or in rebuke, or to express resistance). “In his humiliation” (in his sufferings) “his judgment was taken away” (that is, the judgment accomplished upon Him was a judgment He Himself accepted by taking upon Himself the sin of all people). “And his generation” (γενεάν) “who can describe?” (“generation,” that is, His birth, His origin — eternal from the Father, without a Mother, and in time from a Mother without a Father). “For his life is taken away from the earth.” In connection with what precedes, this last expression means: “who can explain that with such an indescribable origin, with such an incomprehensible nature of this life, it was destined to be taken from the earth, that is, to be cut short in suffering on the cross” (this is hinted at somewhat by the very form of the expression — “taken away from the earth...”).

Acts 8:34. The eunuch said to Philip: I ask you, about whom does the prophet say this — about himself, or about someone else? “The eunuch said to Philip” — αποκριθείς δέ ο ευνοῦχος τῶ Φιλίππω εῖπε — Slavonic: “but the eunuch answered Philip, saying” — more precisely in English: “the eunuch said to Philip in reply.” “I ask you” — that is, to explain.

Acts 8:35. Philip opened his mouth and, beginning from this passage of Scripture, proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. “He opened his mouth” — ανοίζας... τό στόμα — a certain solemnity of expression pointing to the special importance of Philip’s proclamation about Jesus.

Acts 8:36. And as they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said: look, here is water; what prevents me from being baptized? The eunuch’s subsequent question to Philip about the possibility of his baptism shows that Philip’s preaching was sufficiently detailed and attentively received by the listener, who was burning with a desire to become a follower of Christ. “They came to some water” — the exact location is not known; it was probably situated between Eleutheropolis and Gaza (Robinson II, 749).

Acts 8:37. Philip said to him: if you believe with all your heart, you may. He answered and said: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Acts 8:38. And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. Acts 8:39. And when they came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit fell on the eunuch, but an angel of the Lord caught Philip away; and the eunuch did not see him any more, and went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8:40. But Philip was found at Azotus, and passing through he proclaimed the gospel in all the towns until he came to Caesarea. “The Holy Spirit fell on the eunuch, and an angel of the Lord caught Philip away.” Only in a few ancient Greek manuscripts (which our Slavonic and Russian translations follow) is this passage read thus. In the majority of manuscripts and translations, which most commentators follow (including Chrysostom and Theophylact), this passage simply says: “the Holy Spirit caught Philip away.” Whether this difference arose from an addition in some codices or from an omission in others is hard to say. The former — an addition by later copyists of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the baptized, passed over in silence by the historian — is more probable. This descent, necessary and exceptional in the present case, could occur without any visible laying on of hands, as later at the baptism of Cornelius and his household, and even before the performance of baptism (Acts 10 and following), for by the word of the Lord (John 3:8): “the Spirit breathes where it will...” “Philip was caught away” — an indication of a special supernatural action — the instantaneous disappearance of Philip, after which he “was found” at Azotus (v. 40). “This was done well,” says Chrysostom on this occasion, “so that it might be evident that what occurred was the work of God, and that the eunuch would not suppose Philip to be an ordinary man. And Philip received great benefit from it, for what he had heard about the prophets — about Habakkuk, Ezekiel, and others (Dan 14:36-39) — he saw fulfilled in himself, having in an instant traversed a great distance.” “He went on his way rejoicing” — in all that had happened, that is, both in the fact that he had been baptized, had received the Holy Spirit, had become a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the fact that all this had been accomplished in such a wondrous manner. Church tradition has preserved for us the name of this nobleman — Indich — as well as certain accounts of his subsequent fate. Upon returning to his country he was the first preacher of the Gospel there, converted many, including his mistress the queen, and baptized her (Nicephorus Callistus II, 6). “Azotus,” like Gaza, is one of the five chief cities of the Philistines, north of Gaza and to the west of Jerusalem, about 50 versts from it, near the Mediterranean Sea — now the village of Esdud. “Passing through he proclaimed the Gospel” — from Azotus Philip’s journey continued in the ordinary way northward toward Caesarea. Along this route, for the purpose of proclaiming the Gospel, he would have visited the cities of Accaron, Jamnia, Joppa (Jaffa), Apollonia, and others. “Caesarea,” where Philip apparently had his permanent residence (Acts 21 and following), was a large well-known city on the Mediterranean Sea, about 100 versts to the northwest of Jerusalem, the seat of the then Roman procurators of Judea; it was built and named in honor of Caesar Augustus by Herod the Great, on the site of what had been Strato’s Tower, which is why Caesarea was also called Caesarea Stratonis, to distinguish it from Caesarea Philippi in Palestine, on the site of the ancient Paneas.