Further, St. Peter also testifies to the Ascension of Christ, the result of which was this outpouring of the grace of the Holy Spirit upon the faithful. Just as St. Peter affirmed the truth of Christ's resurrection on the prophecy of David, which was especially important for his Jewish listeners, so he affirms the truth of the Lord's Ascension by referring to verse 1 of the 109th Psalm. David, as we know, did not ascend to heaven himself, but says of his Lord that God seated him at His right hand: it is clear that David does not say this about himself, but about another person, namely, about the Messiah Jesus of Nazareth, Who ascended into heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ, during His earthly life, Himself added this prophecy to Himself (Matt. 22:42-45) [13], and St. Peter now applies it precisely to the ascension of the Lord and His sitting at the right hand of the Father.

In conclusion, the Apostle draws a practical conclusion from all that has been said: "Know therefore with certainty, all the house of Israel, that God has made this Jesus, Whom you have crucified, Lord and Christ" – the Jesus crucified by them is exactly the Messiah of whom the Old Testament prophets predicted.

"Whom ye have crucified" is a bold and powerful turn of phrase, with which the Apostle wanted to strike the hearts of his listeners as if with a sharp edge: God so exalted and magnified Him, and you crucified Him. "With this he beautifully concluded his word," says St. John Chrysostom, "in order to shake their souls."

The speech of the holy Apostle Peter did indeed have a powerful effect on his listeners. They were "pricked in heart," that is, they came to a state of contrition of heart, clearly imagining how grievously they had sinned before God and the Messiah. The inspired word of the Apostle, confirmed by the amazing event they had witnessed, strongly convinced them of the Messianic dignity of Jesus of Nazareth, and they turned to Peter and the other Apostles with a question full of reverence, love, and trust:

"What shall we do, men brethren?" that is, what shall we do in order to atone for our transgression, to receive the forgiveness of sins, and to enter into communion with the rejected Messiah?

St. Peter, on behalf of all the Apostles, points out the path of reconciliation with God not in any external deeds of Old Testament righteousness, but in repentance and baptism: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Here the Apostle demands of the Jews the same condition for entering the Kingdom of the Messiah, which was demanded earlier by St. John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ when He began His preaching (see Matthew 3:2 [14] and 4:17 [15]). The first and most necessary condition for this is repentance, that is, the determination to radically change one's life, in particular for the Jews, the rejection of Judaism and conversion to Christianity. The second condition is baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ. These words do not contradict the commandment of the Lord Himself – to baptize "in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit": they denote only the main content of the faith and confession of those who are baptized – they must believe in Christ as the Messiah and with this faith approach baptism. For these two deeds, the Apostle promises them two saving consequences for them: the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The salvation of man is accomplished in this twofold way: the laying aside of the old man with his sinful deeds and the putting on of the new one – the "new creation" of man by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

"For the promise belongs unto you, and to your children, and to all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call" — the promise of God, given through the prophet Joel about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, belongs first of all to the Jews, as the chosen people of God, and then to all the peoples of the earth, i.e. to the Gentiles, whom the Lord also calls into His Kingdom. St. Peter, however, speaks about this secretly, calling the pagans "distant," so that this thought would not seem tempting to the Jews, since they considered themselves worthy of the Kingdom of the Messiah.

"And in many other words..." The writer does not set forth all that St. Peter said to his listeners, but conveys only the essence of all that is said in the exhortation: "Be saved from this corrupt generation," that is, strive to avoid the condemnation that awaits the obstinate Jews, in their fierce obstinacy, who do not want to believe in the Messiah Christ.

The judgment of this obstinate Jewish family was carried out very soon, already in the year 70, with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. The Jews, who had turned to Christ, escaped the horrors of this terrible punishment of God, which befell the obstinate Jewish race: they, remembering the instructions of the Lord (Matthew 24:15-16) [16], fled from Jerusalem in advance. This apostolic exhortation applies, of course, to all believers of all times, who must always be saved from the world, which lies in evil, by faith in Christ and a virtuous life, in order to escape the punishment of God that awaits the sinful world.

Действие этого события — излияния Святого Духа на Апостолов и речь Апостола Петра было необыкновенно величественным: к первоначальному малому обществу христианскому «присоединилось в тот день душ около трех тысяч», которые приняли святое крещение.

Первая христианская община

(2:42-47)

Все вновь крестившиеся постоянно пребывали «в учении Апостолов, в общении и преломлении хлеба и в молитвах» — для крещения требовалась только искренняя сердечная вера во Христа и покаяние; научение же новой вере совершалось потом, постепенно — Апостолы научали присоединенных истинам новой для них веры. Все уверовавшие представляли собой как бы одну дружную семью: это братское их единение Дееписатель и выражает словом «общение».

Под «преломлением хлеба» обычно разумелось всякое вкушение пищи, но в книге Деяний оно имеет высший смысл: под ним надо понимать Таинство Евхаристии — принятие Тела и Крови Христовых. В Апостольской Церкви Евхаристия совершалась иногда даже вечером (Деян 20:7-11) [17], причем к ней присоединялась трапеза, называвшаяся «вечерею любви» (агапа) или «трапезой любви» (Иуд. 12; 1 Кор 11:20-34). Под «молитвами» здесь подразумеваются не молитвы в Иерусалимском храме, о чем речь идет ниже, а молитвы собственно-христианского характера по домам. Таким образом, в этих домашних собраниях первохристианской общины в Иерусалиме мы видим начало христианского Богослужения, которое состояло тогда из апостольских поучений, таинства Евхаристии и общих молитв. О пении здесь не упоминается, но так как пение было обычно при храмовом и синагогальном богослужении евреев, то несомненно этот обычай перешел и в богослужебные собрания первой христианской общины.