Preliminary information about the Book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles: the writer, purpose, time and place of writing, etc. Spirits. Demon. 1875. No 39, p. 198.

On the Book of the Acts of the Apostles on the Wrong Views of Some of the Modern Protestant Interpreters. The works of K. D. Ak. 1866. Aug. 384-414., Oct. 191-250.

Preliminary information about the book of Acts of St. Paul. see Public interpretation. reading, Archpriest. Polotebnova. Vol. 1, p. 1 — 12.

Charcot. History of the Apostolic Church (from Luthard). Tr. Kiev. D. Ak. 1868. I. 381-400.

Schaffa. Writing of the Apostolic Age. The Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Smolen, ep. Vedas. 1867. № 8. 299-300.

A Brief Sketch of the History of the Apostolic Age. Rukov. dlya s. P. 1877. I. 470-479. 546-552. II. 95-101. 333-340. 365-371. 393-400. 416-424.

PART ONE

Church of Christ from the Jews (I-XII chapters)

I. The Opening of the Church Founded by Christ through the Descent of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit on believers (chapters I-II).

CHAPTER I

Verse 1-3

Commentary on the Preface to the Book of the Acts of the Holy Apostles. I ch. 1-3

Eusebius, Archbishop. Mogilev

1. For the first word was done about all, about Theophilus, which Jesus began to do and teach, even to the day, in the same commandment of the Apostle the Holy Spirit, whom He chosen, ascended.

"The first book I have written to you, Theophilus, concerning all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day on which he ascended, giving commandments by the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen."

The first word or the first book: by this word or book, the Holy Apostle Luke means his Gospel, or evangelism. St. Luke, out of humility, does not call his book the Gospel, but the Apostle Paul calls his book so, speaking of St. Luke: "His praise is in the Gospel in all the churches" (2 Corinthians 8:28). What did St. Luke write his first book to Theophilus about?

For all whom Jesus began to do and teach unto the day, in which He ascended; all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning to the day on which he ascended. This is how the Apostle Luke shows the content of his Gospel. He says: about everything that Jesus did and taught: this does not mean that the Gospel of Luke embraces all the works and all the teaching of Jesus Christ. This is impossible, as the Evangelist John testifies: "If it were written by one, neither can I myself contain the books of the whole world that are written" (John 21:25). St. Chrysostom remarks: "How, you say, does Luke speak about everything? But he did not say everything, but about everyone, and this means the same thing that is generally and abbreviated: or in other words: he speaks about everything that is especially important and necessary." The Apostle reminds us of this so that Theophilus, when he begins to read the new book, which Luke now begins, would remember the contents of the first book, or Gospel, and thus better understand the power and importance of this second book.

As Jesus began, do and teach. Jesus Christ, as a good shepherd, first did, then taught. He said: "Whosoever shall do and teach, this great shall be called in the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:19). Jesus Christ began to act from the time when He, the Son of God, took on our human nature with all its weaknesses, except sin. His Divine incarnation is the greatest work of God's goodness to the human race; His circumcision, bringing him to the temple of Jerusalem, to be presented before the Lord (Luke 2:22); His flight to Egypt and return to Nazareth, his growth in obedience to his parents (Matthew 2:13, 23), his journey with them to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover (Luke 2:42, 52); baptism by John on the Jordan, forty-day fasting in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1, 2); all these are works of God's love for mankind, which the Lord the Savior accomplished before He began to teach about the Kingdom of God. When Jesus Christ began to preach the Gospel, He revealed in Himself the most perfect example of a righteous man, so that no one could convict Him of any sin (John 8:46). Jesus Christ is the most perfect example of true pastors and teachers: every pastor and teacher must first do, then teach; "For there is nothing," says Chrysostom, "more useless than a teacher who is inquisitive only — this is characteristic not of a teacher, but of a hypocrite. For this reason the Apostles first taught by life, and then by words."

2. Even unto the day, in the same commandment of the Apostle the Holy Spirit, whom He chose, ascended.

Here St. Luke shows the limit to the works of the Lord Jesus, described by him in his first book, i.e. in the Gospel. This is the Lord's ascension to heaven. That is, the Gospel of Luke speaks of everything that Jesus Christ did and taught, from the beginning, or from His appearance on earth, "until the day in which He ascended into heaven, having given by the Holy Spirit commandments to the Apostles whom He had chosen."