返回Preface
Preface
Preface
This book is called "The Acts of the Holy Apostles" because it contains the acts of all the apostles. And the person narrating these acts is the Evangelist Luke, who also wrote this book. Being an Antiochian by origin and a physician by profession, he accompanied the other apostles, especially Paul, and writes about what he knows quite thoroughly. He also narrates in this book how the Lord ascended into heaven at the appearance of Angels; he further narrates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and upon all who were present at that time, as well as the election of Matthias in place of Judas the traitor, the election of the seven deacons, the conversion of Paul, and what he endured. Besides this, he narrates what miracles the apostles performed through prayer and faith in Christ, and Paul's journey to Rome. Thus, Luke sets forth the acts of the apostles and the miracles performed by them. The miracles he describes are the following: 1) Peter and John heal in the name of the Lord a man lame from birth, who sat at the gate called Beautiful. 2) Peter exposes Ananias and his wife Sapphira, who concealed part of what they had promised to God, and they immediately died. 3) Peter raises to his feet Aeneas the paralytic. 4) Peter in Joppa raises by prayer the deceased Tabitha. 5) Peter sees a vessel descending from heaven, filled with animals of every kind. 6) Peter's shadow, falling upon the sick, heals them. 7) Peter, held prisoner in prison, is freed by an Angel so that the guards do not see it, and Herod, eaten by worms, gives up his spirit. 8) Stephen performs signs and wonders. 9) Philip in Samaria casts out many spirits and heals the lame and the paralyzed. 10) Paul, approaching Damascus, sees a vision and immediately becomes a preacher of the Gospel. 11) The same Philip meets on the road a eunuch who is reading and baptizes him. 12) Paul in Lystra heals in the name of the Lord a man lame from birth. 13) Paul is called by a vision to Macedonia. 14) Paul in Philippi heals a woman (a girl) possessed by a spirit of divination. 15) Paul and Silas are cast into prison, and their feet are fastened in stocks; but in the middle of the night an earthquake occurs and their bonds fall off. 16) Cloths and aprons from Paul's body were placed upon the sick and the demon-possessed, and they were healed. 17) Paul in Troas raises Eutychus, who had fallen from a window and died, saying: "His soul is in him" (Acts 20:10). 18) Paul in Cyprus condemns the sorcerer Elymas, and this sorcerer becomes blind. 19) Paul and all who were with him on the ship are overtaken on the way to Rome by a fourteen-day storm. And when all expected death, an Angel, appearing to Paul, said: "Behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you" (Acts 27:24), and all were saved. 20) When Paul came ashore from the ship, a viper bit him, and everyone thought he would die. But since he remained unharmed, they considered him a god. 21) Paul by the laying on of hands heals on the island the father of the chief man Publius, who was suffering from dysentery; he also heals many other sick people.
Paul began his journey from Damascus and came to Jerusalem; from there he went to Tarsus, and from Tarsus to Antioch, and then again to Jerusalem, and again, a second time, to Antioch; from there, having been appointed together with Barnabas to the work of apostleship, he arrived in Seleucia, then to Cyprus, where he also began to be called Paul; then he went to Perga, then to Pisidian Antioch, to Iconium, to Lystra, to Derbe and Lycaonia, then to Pamphylia, then again to Perga, then to Attalia, then again, a third time, to Syrian Antioch, a third time to Jerusalem on account of circumcision, then again, a fourth time, he arrived in Antioch, then again, a second time, to Derbe and Lystra, then to Phrygia and the Galatian country, then to Mysia, then to Troas and from there to Neapolis, then to Philippi, a city of Macedonia; then, passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, he came to Thessalonica, then to Berea, to Athens, to Corinth, to Ephesus, to Caesarea, then, a second time, to Pisidian Antioch, then to the Galatian country and to Phrygia, then again, a second time, to Ephesus; then, passing through Macedonia, again, a second time, he arrived in Philippi, and from Philippi again to Troas, where he also raised the fallen Eutychus. Then he arrived in Assos, then to Mitylene; then he put in at the shore opposite Chios; then he arrived in Samos and from there to Miletus, where he summoned the Ephesian elders and conversed with them; then he went to Cos, then to Rhodes, from there to Patara, then to Tyre, to Ptolemais, and from there to Caesarea, whence again, a fourth time, he returned to Jerusalem. From Jerusalem he was sent to Caesarea and, finally, having been sent as a prisoner to Rome, he thus traveled from Caesarea to Sidon, then to Myra of Lycia, then to Cnidus and from there, after many hardships, arrived at an island where a viper bit him; then he headed to Syracuse, then to Rhegium of Calabria, then to Puteoli, and from there on foot he came to Rome. Here, at the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns, the believers met him. Having thus arrived in Rome, he taught there for a considerable time and, finally, in Rome itself he received a martyr's death after the good struggle in which he contended there. The Romans erected a beautiful building and basilica over his remains, celebrating annually the day of his memory on the third day before the July kalends. And before this, the blessed man had given much counsel concerning uprightness of life and virtue, and had also given many practical instructions; moreover, what is especially important, in his fourteen epistles he set forth all the rules of human life.
On the teaching of Christ after the resurrection, on His appearance to the disciples and His promise to them of the gift of the Holy Spirit, on the manner and form of the Lord's ascension, and on His glorious second coming. Peter's speech to the disciples on the death and rejection of Judas the traitor. On the divine descent of the Holy Spirit upon the believers on the day of Pentecost. On the healing in Christ's name of a man lame from birth; the benevolent, exhortative, and salvific instruction given by Peter on this occasion. On the unanimous and complete communion of the believers. On how an Angel of God led the apostles, who had been imprisoned, out of the prison by night, commanding them to preach Jesus without hindrance. On the selection and ordination of seven deacons. The uprising and slanders of the Jews against Stephen; his speech on God's covenant with Abraham and on the twelve patriarchs. On the persecution of the Church and on the death of Stephen. On Simon the sorcerer, who believed and was baptized along with many others. On the fact that the gift of the Holy Spirit is imparted not for silver and not to hypocrites, but to believers according to their faith. On the fact that God lavishes salvation upon people who are good and faithful, as is evident from the example of the eunuch. On the divine calling of Paul from heaven to the work of Christ's apostleship. On the paralytic Aeneas, healed by Peter in Lydda. On how an Angel appeared to Cornelius and how again there was a call from heaven to Peter. On how Peter, being condemned by the apostles for associating with the uncircumcised, recounts to them in order everything that happened, and how at that same time he sends Barnabas to the brethren who were in Antioch. The prophecy of Agabus about the famine that was to come upon the whole world, and the aid rendered by the Antiochian believers to the brethren in Judea. The killing of the Apostle James; also here, on the punishment of the guards and on the bitter and ruinous death of the impious Herod. On Barnabas and Saul, sent by the Divine Spirit to Cyprus, and on what they did in Christ's name to the sorcerer Elymas. Paul's rich instruction about Christ on the basis of the law and the prophets, with historical and evangelical characteristics. On how, while preaching Christ in Iconium, the apostles were driven out from there after many had believed. On the healing by the apostles of a man lame from birth in Lystra; as a result of which they were taken by the inhabitants for gods who had descended to them; Paul is stoned. On the fact that converting Gentiles should not be circumcised; the deliberations and decree of the apostles. On the instruction of Timothy and on the revelation to Paul to go to Macedonia. On the disturbance that arose in Thessalonica as a result of the evangelical preaching, and on Paul's flight to Berea and from there to Athens. On the inscription on the altar in Athens and on Paul's wise preaching. On Aquila and Priscilla, on the swift belief of the Corinthians, and on the foreknown favor of God toward them, which was communicated to Paul through revelation. On the baptism of those who believed in Ephesus, on the imparting to them of the gift of the Holy Spirit through Paul's prayer, and on the healings performed by Paul. On the death and restoration to life of Eutychus through Paul's prayer in Troas; the pastoral exhortation to the Ephesian presbyters. The prophecy of Agabus about what was to happen to Paul in Jerusalem. James exhorts Paul not to forbid the Jews from being circumcised. On the disturbance stirred up in Jerusalem against Paul and on how the tribune took him from the hands of the crowd. On what Paul endured when he appeared before the Sanhedrin, what he said and what he did. On the villainies that the Jews plotted against Paul, and on their denunciation of him to Lysias. On the accusation of Paul by Tertullus before the governor and on his defense. On the successor of Felix, Festus, and the latter's course of action. The arrival of Agrippa and Bernice and the communication to them of information about Paul. Paul's sea voyage to Rome, filled with very many and very great dangers. On how Paul arrived in Rome from Melita. On Paul's conversation with the Jews who were in Rome.
To many, and not just to some one person, neither the book itself nor the one who composed and wrote it were known. Therefore I deemed it necessary to undertake this interpretation with the aim both of instructing the ignorant and of not allowing such a treasure to remain unknown and hidden under a bushel, because no less than the Gospels themselves can the penetration of such wisdom and such right teaching benefit us, and especially that which was accomplished by the Holy Spirit. Let us therefore not neglect this book; on the contrary, let us study it with all possible diligence, because in it one can see actually fulfilled those prophecies of Christ which are contained in the Gospels; in it one can also see the truth shining forth in the deeds themselves, and the great change for the better in the disciples, wrought in them by the Holy Spirit. In it one can find dogmas which would not be so clearly understood by anyone were it not for this book; without it the essence of our salvation would have remained hidden, and some of the dogmas of teaching and rules of life would have remained unknown. But the greater part of the contents of this book consists of the acts of the Apostle Paul, who labored more than all the rest. The reason for this was also that the writer of this book, the blessed Luke, was a disciple of Paul. His love for his teacher is evident from many other things, but especially from the fact that he remained inseparably with his teacher and constantly followed him, whereas Demas and Hermogenes left him: one departed for Galatia, the other for Dalmatia. Listen to what Paul himself says about Luke: "Only Luke is with me" (2 Tim. 4:10); and in the Epistle to the Corinthians he says of him: "We have sent the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches" (2 Cor. 8:18); also, when he says, "He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve; I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received" (1 Cor. 15:1, 5), he means his Gospel; so that no one will err if he attributes this work of Luke (the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles) to Him; and when I say "to Him," I mean Christ. But if someone says, "Why then did Luke, being with Paul until the end of his life, not describe everything?" we shall answer that for the zealous even this was sufficient, that he always dwelt on what was especially needful, and that the chief concern of the apostles did not consist in writing books, since they transmitted much also without writing. But everything that is contained in this book is worthy of admiration, and especially the adaptability of the apostles, which the Holy Spirit inspired in them, preparing them for the work of the divine economy. Therefore, while speaking so much about Christ, they said little about His Divinity, but more about His incarnation, His sufferings, resurrection, and ascension. For the goal toward which they strove consisted in making the listeners believe that He rose and ascended into heaven. Just as Christ Himself strove above all to prove that He came from the Father, so too Paul strove above all to prove that Christ rose, ascended, departed to the Father, and came from Him. For if the Jews previously did not believe that He came from the Father, then all of Christ's teaching seemed to them far more incredible after the account of the resurrection and His ascension into heaven was added to it. Therefore Paul imperceptibly, little by little, leads them to the understanding of more exalted truths; and in Athens Paul even calls Christ simply a man, adding nothing more, and this not without purpose, because if they often attempted to stone Christ Himself when He spoke of His equality with the Father and called Him a blasphemer of God for this, then they could hardly accept this teaching from fishermen, and that after His crucifixion on the cross. And what is there to say about the Jews, when even the disciples of Christ themselves, hearing teaching about more exalted subjects, were troubled and scandalized? Therefore Christ also said, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now" (John 16:12). But if they could not "bear" them—they who had been with Him for so long, who had been initiated into so many mysteries and had seen so many miracles—then how could the pagans, having renounced their altars, idols, sacrifices, cats and crocodiles (for in this consisted the pagan religion), and other impious rites, suddenly accept the exalted word about Christian dogmas? And how could the Jews, who daily read and heard the following saying from the law: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord" (Deut. 6:4), "I, and there is no God besides Me" (Deut. 32:39), and who at the same time saw Christ crucified on the cross, and most importantly, had crucified Him themselves and laid Him in the tomb and had not seen His resurrection—how could these people, hearing that this very man is God and equal to the Father, not be troubled and not fall away completely, and indeed sooner and more easily than all others? Therefore the apostles gradually and imperceptibly prepare them and display great skill in adaptation, while they themselves receive a more abundant grace of the Spirit and in the name of Christ perform greater miracles than those performed by Christ Himself, so that by both means they might raise up those who lay prostrate on the ground and awaken in them faith in the word of the resurrection. And therefore this book is preeminently a proof of the resurrection, because once the resurrection was believed, everything else was readily accepted as well. And anyone who has thoroughly studied this book will say that preeminently in this consists its content and its entire purpose. Let us then first hear its very beginning.
This book is called "The Acts of the Holy Apostles" because it contains the acts of all the apostles. And the person narrating these acts is the Evangelist Luke, who also wrote this book. Being an Antiochian by origin and a physician by profession, he accompanied the other apostles, especially Paul, and writes about what he knows quite thoroughly. He also narrates in this book how the Lord ascended into heaven at the appearance of Angels; he further narrates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and upon all who were present at that time, as well as the election of Matthias in place of Judas the traitor, the election of the seven deacons, the conversion of Paul, and what he endured. Besides this, he narrates what miracles the apostles performed through prayer and faith in Christ, and Paul's journey to Rome. Thus, Luke sets forth the acts of the apostles and the miracles performed by them. The miracles he describes are the following: 1) Peter and John heal in the name of the Lord a man lame from birth, who sat at the gate called Beautiful. 2) Peter exposes Ananias and his wife Sapphira, who concealed part of what they had promised to God, and they immediately died. 3) Peter raises to his feet Aeneas the paralytic. 4) Peter in Joppa raises by prayer the deceased Tabitha. 5) Peter sees a vessel descending from heaven, filled with animals of every kind. 6) Peter's shadow, falling upon the sick, heals them. 7) Peter, held prisoner in prison, is freed by an Angel so that the guards do not see it, and Herod, eaten by worms, gives up his spirit. 8) Stephen performs signs and wonders. 9) Philip in Samaria casts out many spirits and heals the lame and the paralyzed. 10) Paul, approaching Damascus, sees a vision and immediately becomes a preacher of the Gospel. 11) The same Philip meets on the road a eunuch who is reading and baptizes him. 12) Paul in Lystra heals in the name of the Lord a man lame from birth. 13) Paul is called by a vision to Macedonia. 14) Paul in Philippi heals a woman (a girl) possessed by a spirit of divination. 15) Paul and Silas are cast into prison, and their feet are fastened in stocks; but in the middle of the night an earthquake occurs and their bonds fall off. 16) Cloths and aprons from Paul's body were placed upon the sick and the demon-possessed, and they were healed. 17) Paul in Troas raises Eutychus, who had fallen from a window and died, saying: "His soul is in him" (Acts 20:10). 18) Paul in Cyprus condemns the sorcerer Elymas, and this sorcerer becomes blind. 19) Paul and all who were with him on the ship are overtaken on the way to Rome by a fourteen-day storm. And when all expected death, an Angel, appearing to Paul, said: "Behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you" (Acts 27:24), and all were saved. 20) When Paul came ashore from the ship, a viper bit him, and everyone thought he would die. But since he remained unharmed, they considered him a god. 21) Paul by the laying on of hands heals on the island the father of the chief man Publius, who was suffering from dysentery; he also heals many other sick people.
Paul began his journey from Damascus and came to Jerusalem; from there he went to Tarsus, and from Tarsus to Antioch, and then again to Jerusalem, and again, a second time, to Antioch; from there, having been appointed together with Barnabas to the work of apostleship, he arrived in Seleucia, then to Cyprus, where he also began to be called Paul; then he went to Perga, then to Pisidian Antioch, to Iconium, to Lystra, to Derbe and Lycaonia, then to Pamphylia, then again to Perga, then to Attalia, then again, a third time, to Syrian Antioch, a third time to Jerusalem on account of circumcision, then again, a fourth time, he arrived in Antioch, then again, a second time, to Derbe and Lystra, then to Phrygia and the Galatian country, then to Mysia, then to Troas and from there to Neapolis, then to Philippi, a city of Macedonia; then, passing through Amphipolis and Apollonia, he came to Thessalonica, then to Berea, to Athens, to Corinth, to Ephesus, to Caesarea, then, a second time, to Pisidian Antioch, then to the Galatian country and to Phrygia, then again, a second time, to Ephesus; then, passing through Macedonia, again, a second time, he arrived in Philippi, and from Philippi again to Troas, where he also raised the fallen Eutychus. Then he arrived in Assos, then to Mitylene; then he put in at the shore opposite Chios; then he arrived in Samos and from there to Miletus, where he summoned the Ephesian elders and conversed with them; then he went to Cos, then to Rhodes, from there to Patara, then to Tyre, to Ptolemais, and from there to Caesarea, whence again, a fourth time, he returned to Jerusalem. From Jerusalem he was sent to Caesarea and, finally, having been sent as a prisoner to Rome, he thus traveled from Caesarea to Sidon, then to Myra of Lycia, then to Cnidus and from there, after many hardships, arrived at an island where a viper bit him; then he headed to Syracuse, then to Rhegium of Calabria, then to Puteoli, and from there on foot he came to Rome. Here, at the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns, the believers met him. Having thus arrived in Rome, he taught there for a considerable time and, finally, in Rome itself he received a martyr's death after the good struggle in which he contended there. The Romans erected a beautiful building and basilica over his remains, celebrating annually the day of his memory on the third day before the July kalends. And before this, the blessed man had given much counsel concerning uprightness of life and virtue, and had also given many practical instructions; moreover, what is especially important, in his fourteen epistles he set forth all the rules of human life.
On the teaching of Christ after the resurrection, on His appearance to the disciples and His promise to them of the gift of the Holy Spirit, on the manner and form of the Lord's ascension, and on His glorious second coming. Peter's speech to the disciples on the death and rejection of Judas the traitor. On the divine descent of the Holy Spirit upon the believers on the day of Pentecost. On the healing in Christ's name of a man lame from birth; the benevolent, exhortative, and salvific instruction given by Peter on this occasion. On the unanimous and complete communion of the believers. On how an Angel of God led the apostles, who had been imprisoned, out of the prison by night, commanding them to preach Jesus without hindrance. On the selection and ordination of seven deacons. The uprising and slanders of the Jews against Stephen; his speech on God's covenant with Abraham and on the twelve patriarchs. On the persecution of the Church and on the death of Stephen. On Simon the sorcerer, who believed and was baptized along with many others. On the fact that the gift of the Holy Spirit is imparted not for silver and not to hypocrites, but to believers according to their faith. On the fact that God lavishes salvation upon people who are good and faithful, as is evident from the example of the eunuch. On the divine calling of Paul from heaven to the work of Christ's apostleship. On the paralytic Aeneas, healed by Peter in Lydda. On how an Angel appeared to Cornelius and how again there was a call from heaven to Peter. On how Peter, being condemned by the apostles for associating with the uncircumcised, recounts to them in order everything that happened, and how at that same time he sends Barnabas to the brethren who were in Antioch. The prophecy of Agabus about the famine that was to come upon the whole world, and the aid rendered by the Antiochian believers to the brethren in Judea. The killing of the Apostle James; also here, on the punishment of the guards and on the bitter and ruinous death of the impious Herod. On Barnabas and Saul, sent by the Divine Spirit to Cyprus, and on what they did in Christ's name to the sorcerer Elymas. Paul's rich instruction about Christ on the basis of the law and the prophets, with historical and evangelical characteristics. On how, while preaching Christ in Iconium, the apostles were driven out from there after many had believed. On the healing by the apostles of a man lame from birth in Lystra; as a result of which they were taken by the inhabitants for gods who had descended to them; Paul is stoned. On the fact that converting Gentiles should not be circumcised; the deliberations and decree of the apostles. On the instruction of Timothy and on the revelation to Paul to go to Macedonia. On the disturbance that arose in Thessalonica as a result of the evangelical preaching, and on Paul's flight to Berea and from there to Athens. On the inscription on the altar in Athens and on Paul's wise preaching. On Aquila and Priscilla, on the swift belief of the Corinthians, and on the foreknown favor of God toward them, which was communicated to Paul through revelation. On the baptism of those who believed in Ephesus, on the imparting to them of the gift of the Holy Spirit through Paul's prayer, and on the healings performed by Paul. On the death and restoration to life of Eutychus through Paul's prayer in Troas; the pastoral exhortation to the Ephesian presbyters. The prophecy of Agabus about what was to happen to Paul in Jerusalem. James exhorts Paul not to forbid the Jews from being circumcised. On the disturbance stirred up in Jerusalem against Paul and on how the tribune took him from the hands of the crowd. On what Paul endured when he appeared before the Sanhedrin, what he said and what he did. On the villainies that the Jews plotted against Paul, and on their denunciation of him to Lysias. On the accusation of Paul by Tertullus before the governor and on his defense. On the successor of Felix, Festus, and the latter's course of action. The arrival of Agrippa and Bernice and the communication to them of information about Paul. Paul's sea voyage to Rome, filled with very many and very great dangers. On how Paul arrived in Rome from Melita. On Paul's conversation with the Jews who were in Rome.
To many, and not just to some one person, neither the book itself nor the one who composed and wrote it were known. Therefore I deemed it necessary to undertake this interpretation with the aim both of instructing the ignorant and of not allowing such a treasure to remain unknown and hidden under a bushel, because no less than the Gospels themselves can the penetration of such wisdom and such right teaching benefit us, and especially that which was accomplished by the Holy Spirit. Let us therefore not neglect this book; on the contrary, let us study it with all possible diligence, because in it one can see actually fulfilled those prophecies of Christ which are contained in the Gospels; in it one can also see the truth shining forth in the deeds themselves, and the great change for the better in the disciples, wrought in them by the Holy Spirit. In it one can find dogmas which would not be so clearly understood by anyone were it not for this book; without it the essence of our salvation would have remained hidden, and some of the dogmas of teaching and rules of life would have remained unknown. But the greater part of the contents of this book consists of the acts of the Apostle Paul, who labored more than all the rest. The reason for this was also that the writer of this book, the blessed Luke, was a disciple of Paul. His love for his teacher is evident from many other things, but especially from the fact that he remained inseparably with his teacher and constantly followed him, whereas Demas and Hermogenes left him: one departed for Galatia, the other for Dalmatia. Listen to what Paul himself says about Luke: "Only Luke is with me" (2 Tim. 4:10); and in the Epistle to the Corinthians he says of him: "We have sent the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches" (2 Cor. 8:18); also, when he says, "He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve; I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received" (1 Cor. 15:1, 5), he means his Gospel; so that no one will err if he attributes this work of Luke (the book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles) to Him; and when I say "to Him," I mean Christ. But if someone says, "Why then did Luke, being with Paul until the end of his life, not describe everything?" we shall answer that for the zealous even this was sufficient, that he always dwelt on what was especially needful, and that the chief concern of the apostles did not consist in writing books, since they transmitted much also without writing. But everything that is contained in this book is worthy of admiration, and especially the adaptability of the apostles, which the Holy Spirit inspired in them, preparing them for the work of the divine economy. Therefore, while speaking so much about Christ, they said little about His Divinity, but more about His incarnation, His sufferings, resurrection, and ascension. For the goal toward which they strove consisted in making the listeners believe that He rose and ascended into heaven. Just as Christ Himself strove above all to prove that He came from the Father, so too Paul strove above all to prove that Christ rose, ascended, departed to the Father, and came from Him. For if the Jews previously did not believe that He came from the Father, then all of Christ's teaching seemed to them far more incredible after the account of the resurrection and His ascension into heaven was added to it. Therefore Paul imperceptibly, little by little, leads them to the understanding of more exalted truths; and in Athens Paul even calls Christ simply a man, adding nothing more, and this not without purpose, because if they often attempted to stone Christ Himself when He spoke of His equality with the Father and called Him a blasphemer of God for this, then they could hardly accept this teaching from fishermen, and that after His crucifixion on the cross. And what is there to say about the Jews, when even the disciples of Christ themselves, hearing teaching about more exalted subjects, were troubled and scandalized? Therefore Christ also said, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now" (John 16:12). But if they could not "bear" them—they who had been with Him for so long, who had been initiated into so many mysteries and had seen so many miracles—then how could the pagans, having renounced their altars, idols, sacrifices, cats and crocodiles (for in this consisted the pagan religion), and other impious rites, suddenly accept the exalted word about Christian dogmas? And how could the Jews, who daily read and heard the following saying from the law: "Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord" (Deut. 6:4), "I, and there is no God besides Me" (Deut. 32:39), and who at the same time saw Christ crucified on the cross, and most importantly, had crucified Him themselves and laid Him in the tomb and had not seen His resurrection—how could these people, hearing that this very man is God and equal to the Father, not be troubled and not fall away completely, and indeed sooner and more easily than all others? Therefore the apostles gradually and imperceptibly prepare them and display great skill in adaptation, while they themselves receive a more abundant grace of the Spirit and in the name of Christ perform greater miracles than those performed by Christ Himself, so that by both means they might raise up those who lay prostrate on the ground and awaken in them faith in the word of the resurrection. And therefore this book is preeminently a proof of the resurrection, because once the resurrection was believed, everything else was readily accepted as well. And anyone who has thoroughly studied this book will say that preeminently in this consists its content and its entire purpose. Let us then first hear its very beginning.