Then, after thinking, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, surnamed Mark, where many gathered together and prayed. Approaching the door, Peter knocked, but the maidservant, who came out to listen, recognized Peter's voice and for joy did not open the porch, but, running in, announced that Peter was standing at the door. This news seemed so strange to all that they said to her: "Are you out of your mind?" While they were in the house discussing this, Peter continued to knock at the door. At last they opened the door to him, and when they saw him, they were all amazed. Then he, making a sign with his hand that they should be silent, told them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. Then, having asked James and the brothers to be informed of this, he left Mary's house and went to another place. At the onset of day, great anxiety arose among the soldiers: no one knew where Peter had gone. Herod, having searched for him and not finding him, tried the guards and ordered them to be executed.

44. The Apostle Paul in Lystra

Paul (who was first called Saul) was appointed by the Lord to preach to the Gentiles. The first place of his preaching was Antioch, where the Hellenes who accepted the faith were the first to be called Christians. Then, accompanied by Barnabas, passing through Asia Minor with the preaching of the word of God, he once came to Lystra. There was one man who had not used his legs from birth. Among many others, he also listened to Paul's preaching. Looking at him and noticing faith in him, Paul turned to him and said with a loud voice: "To you I say in the name of the Lord Jesus, Stand up straight!" Seeing this, the people raised a cry, saying: "The gods in human form have come down to us!" And the priest of the idol of Jupiter, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, having brought oxen to the gates and brought wreaths, was already about to make a sacrifice in honor of the apostles with the people. Hearing of this, Barnabas and Paul tore their garments and, rushing into the crowd, shouted: "Brethren! What are you doing? We also are men like you, and we preach that you may turn from these false gods to the living God, who created the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them." that he was stoned and dragged out of the city almost dead. But when the disciples were gathered around him, he arose and went into the city, and the next day he withdrew with Barnabas to Derbe. There, as in Lystra, he preached the Gospel and, among other things, converted to Christ a certain young man, named Timothy, who had a pious mother and grandmother, and then knew the Holy Scriptures from childhood. This Timothy later became a zealous disciple and companion of the Apostle Paul and, having been bishop of the Ephesian church, suffered a martyr's death.

45. The Apostolic Council of Jerusalem

Upon the return of the Apostle Paul to Antioch, some of the converted Jews came there, who began to confuse the newly-baptized pagans, saying to them: "You cannot be saved unless you are circumcised according to the rite of Moses." On this occasion Paul and Barnabas had a great dispute with them, so that it was decided to send some on this matter to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders. Paul and Barnabas were among these messengers. Upon their arrival in Jerusalem, the apostles and elders gathered together to discuss this matter. After a long discourse of some believers from the Pharisaic sect, the Apostle Peter stood up and said: "Brethren! You know that long ago God chose me from among us, that out of my mouth the Gentiles might hear the word of the Gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, gave them His testimony, giving them the Holy Ghost just as He did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Why then do you now tempt God, desiring to put upon the necks of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we could bear? On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as they are." Then the whole congregation fell silent and listened to the narration of Barnabas and Paul about the miracles that God performed through them among the Gentiles. Then the Apostle James stood up and made a speech, in which he expressed his agreement with the opinion of Peter, confirming his word with the testimony of the prophets, and in conclusion he proposed not to burden those who converted from paganism with the ceremonial law of Moses, but only wrote to them, that they should abstain from food defiled with the blood of idolatrous sacrifices, from fornication, from strangled goods, and from blood, and that they should not do these things to others, what they don't want for themselves. This opinion was accepted by the whole Church, and the apostles and presbyters decided to send an epistle to the Gentile Christians, in which they set forth the opinion of James as a decree of the council of the apostles and of the whole Church, inspired by the Holy Spirit. At the end of this council, Paul again returned to Antioch, where he stayed for some time and went again to preach the Gospel, having been entrusted by the brethren with the grace of God.

46. The Conversion of Lydia and the Prison Guard

When Paul was in Troas, a Macedonian appeared to him in a vision, who asked him, saying: "Come to Macedonia and help us." Paul immediately followed this call and came to the city of Philippi. One Sabbath he went out of the city to the river where the Jews had their prayer house, and sitting down, he talked there with certain women gathered around him. Among other things, a God-fearing wife from the city of Thyatira, named Lydia, who was a merchant in scarlet, listened to him. The Lord opened her heart to accept the Gospel, and she, having been baptized with all her household, begged Paul and his companions to settle in her house. In the same city, Paul met a certain soothsayer and expelled from her the spirit of divination. For this reason her masters, who had thereby lost their income, rose up against Paul, and, seizing him, brought him before the judgment seat, denouncing that these Jews were stirring up the people and introducing a new worship, which the Romans should not accept. The judges gave orders for this to beat the apostles with rods and, giving them many blows, threw them into prison. But about midnight, when Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundation of the prison was shaken, all the doors were opened, and the fetters fell from all the prisoners. The jailer, awakening and seeing that the prison doors were open, drew his sword and wanted to kill himself, for he thought that the prisoners had fled. But Paul, shouting loudly, said: "Do no harm to yourself, we are all here!" Then the guard demanded fire, ran into the prison and trembled at the feet of the apostles. Then, leading them out, he said: "My lords! To which they answered: "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you and your household will be saved!" then they prepared a table, and he and all his household rejoiced that they had believed in God. The next morning the apostles were solemnly released and declared innocent.

47. The Apostle Paul in Athens

While in Athens, Paul was greatly grieved in spirit, looking at this city, full of idolatry, and therefore he began to preach the Gospel there both in the synagogues of the Jews, and in the squares to all who met him. Then some of the philosophers there entered into a dispute with him and, taking him, took him to the Areopagus, where they began to ask him about his teaching. Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, began thus: "Athenians! In all things I see that you are very pious, for in going around and surveying your temples, I found such an altar, on which was written: To an unknown God. This is the one whom you worship without knowing it, I preach to you. God, Who created the world and all that is in it, being the Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples created by hands and does not require the service of human hands for any need, but Himself gives to everyone life, and breath, and everything. He is not far from each of us, for in Him we live, move, and have our being. This God, having allowed the times of ignorance to be, now preaches repentance to all men everywhere, for He has appointed a day in which He will righteously judge the world through the Man Whom He has ordained for this purpose, and in Whom He has made it possible for all to believe, having raised Him from the dead."

Hearing of the resurrection of the dead, some began to laugh, and others said: "We will hear you about this at another time." However, some of those who were present believed, among them were Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, and a woman named Damarus.

48. The Apostle Paul in Caesarea

After some time, Paul was taken into custody in Jerusalem and sent to Caesarea to be tried by the Roman governor Felix. Felix received Paul favorably and was reluctant to heed the complaints of the Jews against him. He gave Paul more freedom than the rest of the prisoners, and was even ready to release him altogether if Paul wanted to buy himself off with money. Once he summoned Paul to him and, together with his wife Drusilla, the daughter of King Herod Agrippa, listened to his discourse on faith in Christ. When the Apostle began to speak about righteousness, abstinence, and the future judgment, Felix, feeling a pang of conscience, became frightened and answered him: "Now go, and when I have time, I will call you again." But since sinners are always afraid to hear the truth, Felix did not find time to listen to Paul's sermon to the end.

Two years later, Festus took Felix's place. This governor was even less fond of truth, and therefore Paul, fearing that he would deliver him into the hands of the Jews, demanded a trial before the Roman emperor himself. Then Festus, having reasoned with his counsel, announced to Paul that he would be sent to Caesar for trial.

A few days after this, King Agrippa and Veronica arrived at Festus in Caesarea. This gave Paul the opportunity to once more solemnly preach about Christ and the grace given to him as an apostle. "With the help of God," Paul concluded his speech before Agrippa, "to this day I live, and bear witness to the small and the great, of which Moses and the prophets spoke, that is, that Christ was to suffer and, rising from the dead, to proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles." At these words, Festus cried out in a loud voice: "You are mad, Paul! Great learning drives you to madness." But he answered him: "No, venerable Festus, I am not mad, but I speak words of common sense and truth. For the king, before whom I speak so freely, knows this. Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe!" Agrippa answered: "You have not in the least persuaded me to become a Christian." Paul replied: "I pray to God, that sooner or later not only you, but all who hear me now, may become like me, except for these bonds."