The Acts of the Holy Apostles, Written by Luke the Evangelist
1 1 Luke tieth this history to his Gospel. 9 Christ being taken into heaven. 10 The Apostles, 11 being warned by the Angels, 12 to return, 14 and give themselves to prayer. 15 By Peter’s motion, 18 into Judas the traitor’s place. 26 Matthias is chosen.
1 I have made the [a]former treatise, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to [b]do and teach,
2 Until the day that he was taken up, after that he through the holy Ghost, had given commandments unto the Apostles, whom he had chosen:
3 [c]To whom also he presented himself alive after that he had suffered, by many [d]infallible tokens, being seen of them by the space of forty days, and speaking of those things which appertained to the kingdom of God.
4 (A)And when he had [e]gathered them together, he commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, (B)which said he, ye have heard of me.
5 (C)For John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized [f]with the holy Ghost within these few days.
6 [g]When they therefore were come together they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time [h]restore the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times, or the [i]seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 (D)But ye shall receive power of the holy Ghost, when he shall come on you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 (E)[j]And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up: for a cloud took him up out of their sight.
10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel.
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing into heaven? This Jesus which is taken up [k]from you into heaven, shall so come, as ye have seen him go into heaven.
12 ¶ Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount that is called the mount of Olives, which is near to Jerusalem, being from it a Sabbath [l]day’s journey.
13 [m]And when they were [n]come in, they went up into an upper chamber, where abode both Peter and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zealot, and Judas James’s brother.
14 These all [o]continued with [p]one accord in [q]prayer and supplication with the [r]women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his [s]brethren.
15 [t]And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said (now the number of [u]names that were in one place were about an hundred and twenty.)
16 [v]Ye men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, Which the (F)holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before of Judas, which was (G)guide to them that took Jesus.
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained fellowship in this ministration.
18 He therefore hath [w]purchased a field with the reward of iniquity: and when (H)he had [x]thrown down himself headlong, he brast asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it is known unto all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, insomuch, that that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, The field of blood.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, (I)Let his habitation be void, and let no man dwell therein: (J)also, Let another take his [y]charge.
21 [z]Wherefore of these men which have companied with us, all the time that the Lord Jesus was [aa]conversant among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John unto the day that he was taken up [ab]from us, must one of them be made a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 [ac]And they [ad]presented two, Joseph called Barsabas, whose surname was Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, saying, Thou Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take the [ae]room of this ministration and Apostleship, from which Judas hath [af]gone astray, to go to his own place.
26 Then they gave forth their lots: and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was by a common consent counted with the eleven Apostles.
Footnotes
- Acts 1:1 A passing over from the history of the Gospel, that is, from the history of the sayings and doings of Christ, unto the acts of the Apostles.
- Acts 1:1 The acts of Jesus are the miracles and doings which showed his Godhead, and his most perfect holiness and example of his doctrine.
- Acts 1:3 Christ did not straightway ascend into heaven after his resurrection: because he would thoroughly prove his resurrection: and with his presence confirm his Apostles in the doctrine, which they had heard.
- Acts 1:3 He calleth those infallible tokens, which are otherwise [termed] necessary: now in that Christ spake, and walked, and ate, and was felt of many, these are sure signs and tokens that he truly rose again.
- Acts 1:4 They were dispersed here and there, but he gathereth them together that they might altogether be witnesses of his resurrection.
- Acts 1:5 Either of the Father, or of me: so that either the Father or Christ is set here against John, as the holy Ghost is against the water, as things answerable the one to the other.
- Acts 1:6 We must fight before we triumph: and we ought not curiously to search after those things, which God hath not revealed.
- Acts 1:6 To the old and ancient state.
- Acts 1:7 That is, the fit occasions that serve to doing of matters which the Lord hath appointed to bring things to pass in.
- Acts 1:9 After that Christ had promised the full virtue of the holy Ghost, wherewith he would govern his Church, although he should be absent in body, he took up his body from us into heavenly tabernacles, there to continue until the latter day of judgment, as the Angels witness.
- Acts 1:11 That is, out of your sight.
- Acts 1:12 About two miles.
- Acts 1:13 Ecclesiastical assemblies to hear the word, and to make common prayer, were first instituted and kept in private houses by the Apostles.
- Acts 1:13 They went into the house, which the Church hath chosen at that time to be a receipt for the whole assembly.
- Acts 1:14 The Greek word signified an invincible constancy, and steadiness.
- Acts 1:14 It is to good purpose, that this concord is mentioned: for those prayers are most acceptable to God which are made with agreeing minds and wills.
- Acts 1:14 The disciples prayed for the sending of the holy Ghost, and also to be delivered from present dangers wherewith they were beset.
- Acts 1:14 For it was behoovable to have the wives confirmed, who were afterward to be partakers of the dangers with their husbands.
- Acts 1:14 With his kinfolks.
- Acts 1:15 Peter is made the mouth and interpreter of the whole company of the Apostles, either by secret revelation of the holy Ghost, or by express judgment of the Congregation.
- Acts 1:15 Because men are commonly billed and enrolled by their names.
- Acts 1:16 Peter preventeth the offense that might be taken of the falling away of Judas the betrayer, showing that all things which came unto him, were foretold by God.
- Acts 1:18 Luke considered not Judas’s purpose, but that that followed of it, and so we used to say, that a man hath procured himself harm, not that his will and purpose was so, but in respect of that which followed.
- Acts 1:18 The Greek words signify thus much, that Judas fell down flat and was rent in sunder in the middle, with a marvelous huge noise.
- Acts 1:20 His office and ministry David wrote these words against Doeg the King’s herdsman: And these words, Shepherd, Sheep, and Flock, are put over to the Church office and ministry, so that the Church and the offices thereof are called by these names.
- Acts 1:21 The Apostles deliberate upon nothing, but first they consult and take advisement by God’s word: and again they do nothing that concerneth and is behoovable for the whole body of the Congregation, without making the Congregation privy unto it.
- Acts 1:21 Word for word, went in and out, which kind of speech betokeneth as much in the Hebrew tongue, as the exercising of a public and painful office, when they speak of such as are in any public office, Deut. 31:2; 1 Chron. 27:1.
- Acts 1:22 From our company.
- Acts 1:23 Apostles must be chosen immediately from God, and therefore after prayers, Matthias is chosen by lot, which is as it were GOD’S own voice.
- Acts 1:23 Openly, and by the voices of all the whole company.
- Acts 1:25 That he may be fellow and partaker of this ministry.
- Acts 1:25 Departed from, or fallen from: And it is a Metaphor taken from the way: For callings are signified by the name of ways, with the Hebrews.