• A.D. 42.

Ver. 1. Manahen . . . foster-brother to Herod, or nursed with the same milk. Wi. — It would appear from his having been brought up with Herod, that he was of noble parentage. He is likewise believed to have been one of the seventy-two disciples. The Latins keep his feast on the 24th of May. Calmet.

Ver. 2. As they were ministering to the Lord. [1] Mr. N. and some others translate, offering up sacrifice. There are indeed good grounds to take this to be the true sense, as the Rhemish translators observed, who notwithstanding only put ministering, lest, (said they) we should seem to turn it in favour of our own cause, since neither the Latin nor Greek word signifies of itself to sacrifice, but any public ministry in the service of God; so the S. Chrys. says, when they were preaching. Wi. — Separate me. Though Paul and Barnabas are here chosen by the Holy Ghost for the ministry, yet they were to be ordained, consecrated, and admitted by men; which loudly condemns all those modish and disordered spirits, that challenge and usurp the office of preaching, and other sacred and ecclesiastical functions, without any appointment from the Church. B. — "Consider, says S. Chrysostom, by whom they are ordained: by Lucius, of Cyrene, and Manahen, rather than by the Spirit. The less honourable these persons are, the more signal is the grace of God."

Ver. 3. Fasting and prayer, imposing their hands upon them. By which is clearly expressed, the manner in which the ministers of God were, and are still ordained bishops, priests, deacons in the Church. Wi. — Interpreters are much divided in opinion, whether this imposition of hands be a mere deputation to a certain employment, or the sacramental ceremony, by which orders are conferred. SS. Chrysostom, Leo, &c. are of the latter opinion; nor does it any where appear that S. Paul was bishop before this. Arator, sub-deacon of the Church of Rome, who dedicated in the year 544 his version of the Acts of the Apostles into heroic verse to Pope Virgilius, attributes this imposition of hands to S. Peter:

Ver. 5. In the synagogues of the Jews, preaching first the gospel to them. Wi.

Ver. 6. A magician . . . whose name was Bar-jesu, son of Jesus, or Josue. In Arabic, Elymas is the same as magician. This man did all he could to dissuade the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, from embracing the Christian faith. Wi. — Salamina was the capital of the island of Cyprus, and at the eastern extremity, as Paphos was at the western. A. D. 45.

Ver. 9. Then Saul, who also is Paul. This is the first time we find the apostle called Paul. Some, therefore, think it was given him when he converted this proconsul, Sergius Paulus. Others, that Saul being a Hebrew word, the Greeks, or rather the Romans, turned it into Paul. Wi. — This is the first place in which this apostle is called Paul. He took this name out of respect to the illustrious convert he had made in the person of the proconsul, the governor of the island. Menochius. — Or, more probably, his former name, by a small change, was modelled into Paulus, which was a sound more adapted to a Roman ear. He begins to bear this name only, when he enters on his mission to the Gentiles. Calmet.

Ver. 10. Son of the devil. Sharp language, when grounded on truth, may be used against those who hinder the conversion of others. S. Chrys. says, he was struck with this blindness only for a time, to make him enter into himself, and be converted. Wi.

• A.D. 42.

Ver. 14. Antioch. Many cities in Asia Minor bore this name. It is related that Seleucus Nicanor built many, and called them by this name, in honour of his father Antiochus. Tirinus. — Pamphylia and Pisidia were two provinces in Asia Minor. — The sabbath-day. Some not only understand, but even translate, the first day of the week: but here is rather meant the Jewish sabbath, as S. Paul went into their synagogues. And in this his first sermon to them, which S. Luke has set down, he speaks nothing that could offend or exasperate the Jews, but honourably of them, to gain them to the Christian faith; he commends in particular David, whose Son they knew the Messias was to be: and of whom he tells them, that God had given them their Saviour, Jesus . He mentions this high eulogium, which God gave of David, Ps. lxxxviii. 21. that he was a man according to God's heart, who in all things should fulfil his will, that is, as to the true worship of God; though he fell into some sins, of which he repented, and did penance. Wi.

• * Exodus 1:1
  These are the names of the children of Israel, that went into Egypt with Jacob: they went in every man with his household:
• ** Exodus 13:21
  And the Lord went before them to shew the way, by day in a pillar of a cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire; that he might be the guide of their journey at both times.
• ** Exodus 13:22
  There never failed the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, before the people.

• * Exodus 16:3
  And the children of Israel said to them: Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat over the fleshpots, and ate bread to the full: Why have you brought us into this desert, that you might destroy all the multitude with famine?

• * Josue 14:2
  Dividing all by lot, as the Lord had commanded the hand of Moses, to the nine tribes, and the half tribe.

Ver. 19. These seven nations are the Chanaanites, the Hethites, the Hevites, the Pherezites, the Gergesites, the Jebusites, and the Amorrhites. Jos. iii. 10. and alibi.

• * Judges 3:9
  And they cried to the Lord, who raised them up a saviour, and delivered them; to wit, Othoniel, the son of Cenez, the younger brother of Caleb:

Ver. 20. Chronology only gives about 350 years from the entrance into the land of promise to the end of Samuel's judicial government, who was the last of the judges. V.

• * 1_Kings 8:5
  And they said to him: Behold thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: make us a king, to judge us, as all nations have.
• * 1_Kings 9:16
  To morrow about this same hour I will send thee a man of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be ruler over my people Israel: and he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked down upon my people, because their cry is come to me.
• * 1_Kings 10:1
  And Samuel took a little vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and kissed him, and said: Behold, the Lord hath anointed thee to be prince over his inheritance, and thou shalt deliver his people out of the hands of their enemies, that are round about them. And this shall be a sign unto thee, that God hath anointed thee to be prince.

• * 1_Kings 13:14
  But thy kingdom shall not continue. The Lord hath sought him a man according to his own heart: and him hath the Lord commanded to be prince over his people, because thou hast not observed that which the Lord commanded.
• * 1_Kings 16:3
  And thou shalt call Isai to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou art to do, and thou shalt anoint him whom I shall shew to thee.

• * Psalms 88:21
  I have found David my servant: with my holy oil I have anointed him.

• * Isaias 11:1
  And there shall come forth a rod out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root.

Ver. 24, &c. He then brings the testimony, which John the Baptist gave of Jesus, as it is likely many of them had heard of John, and of the great esteem that all the people had of his virtue and sanctity. He tells them that salvation was offered and sent them by Jesus, against whom the chief of the Jews at Jerusalem obtained of Pilate a sentence, that he should be crucified; but that God raised him up from the dead the third day. And we, says he, publish to you this promise, the Messias, promised to our forefathers.

• * Matthew 3:1
  And in those days cometh John the Baptist preaching in the desert of Judea.
• * Mark 1:4
  John was in the desert, baptizing and preaching the baptism of penance, unto remission of sins.
• * Luke 3:3
  And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins.

• * Matthew 3:11
  I indeed baptize you in water unto penance, but he that shall come after me, is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire.
• * Mark 1:7
  And he preached, saying: There cometh after me one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.
• * John 1:27
  The same is he that shall come after me, who is preferred before me: the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose.

• * Matthew 27:20
  But the chief priests and ancients persuaded the people that they should ask Barabbas and make Jesus away.
• * Matthew 27:23
  The governor said to them: Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying: Let him be crucified.
• * Mark 15:13
  But they again cried out: Crucify him.
• * John 19:15
  But they cried out: Away with him: Away with him: Crucify him. Pilate saith to them: shall I crucify your king? The chief priests answered: We have no king but Caesar.

• * Matthew 28:1
  And in the end of the sabbath, when it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre.
• * Mark 16:1
  And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalen and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought sweet spices, that coming, they might anoint Jesus.
• * Luke 24:1
  And on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared.
• * John 20:1
  And on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalen cometh early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre: and she saw the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

Ver. 33. He then shews them that Jesus was their Messias, and the Son of God, begotten of his Father from eternity, who rose from the dead, and he applies these words, (Ps. ii. 7.) to prove Christ's resurrection, thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee. It is true, these words regard chiefly the eternal generation of Christ, as they are applied by S. Paul, (Heb. v. 5.) but the resurrection was a necessary consequence of his divinity, since death could have no power over him. S. Paul here also proves Christ's resurrection by the following predictions. Wi. — Second psalm. The oldest copy reads, first psalm. The difference is merely in words; for the division of the psalter at present is very different from what it formerly was: sometimes a single psalm of ours being divided into many, and many of our divisions making only one, according to the Hebrews. The latter are not even now agreed among themselves on the same division of the psalms. Calmet. — Some suppose, that what we call the first psalm was originally looked upon as a preface to the psalter; others, that our first and second psalms united in one. Mat. Polus.

• * Psalms 2:7
  The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.

Ver. 34. I will give you the holy things of David sure. These are the words of the prophet Isaias, lv. v. 3. According to the Sept. the sense is, I will faithfully fulfil the promises I made to David. Ch.

• * Isaias 55:3
  Incline your ear and come to me: hear and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the faithful mercies of David.

Ver. 35. In another place also he saith, (Ps. xv. 10.) thou wilt not suffer thy holy one to see corruption. That is, Christ's body to be corrupted in the grave. See the words of S. Peter, Acts c. ii. 27. Wi.

• * Psalms 15:10
  Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; nor wilt thou give thy holy one to see corruption.

Ver. 36. After he had served in his generation. That is, in his life-time, saw corruption, or was corrupted in the grave. Wi.

Ver. 37-38. Justified. That your sins being forgiven by the merits of Christ, you may be truly just in the sight of God. Wi.

Ver. 39. The law of Moses was then imperfect. I shew you its completion, by preaching to you Christ, whom it foretold. You would violate the law of Moses by opposing the new law, to which he leads you. Tirinus.

Ver. 40. See then that you reject not this divine Saviour, lest what has been denounced by the prophets fall upon your incredulous heads: I will abandon the holy place which I entrusted to you; I will cease to look upon you as my people; I will transfer my kingdom to the Gentiles. V.

• * 3_Kings 2:10
  So David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.
• * Habacuc 1:5
  Behold ye among the nations, and see: wonder, and be astonished: for a work is done in your days, which no man will believe when it shall be told.

Ver. 41. Ye despisers [2] of the favours offered you, behold, wonder, &c. This citation is out of Habacuc, (c. i. v. 5.) according to the Sept. The prophet, by these words, foretold to the Jews in his time the evils that would come upon them in their captivity in Chaldea, but S. Paul here applies them at least to the miseries that the incredulous Jews would incur, if they obstinately refused to believe in Christ. Wi.

Ver. 44. The whole city. Not only Jews, but a great many Gentiles, which exasperated the envious Jews. Wi.

• * Isaias 49:6
  And he said: It is a small thing that thou shouldst be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to convert the dregs of Israel. Behold, I have given thee to be the light of the Gentiles, that thou mayst be my salvation even to the farthest part of the earth.

Ver. 48. As many as were pre-ordained to eternal life, [3] by the free election, and special mercies, and providence of God. Wi. — Some understand this as if it meant, predisposed by their docility, to receive the word of life. But the Fathers unanimously understand it literally of predestination, which is defined by S. Thomas, serm. i. qu. 23. a. 1. "The disposition of God, by which he prepares, what he will himself perform, according to his infallible foreknowledge." In other words, it is the manner in which God conducts a reasonable creature to its proper destiny, which is eternal life. In this mystery of the Catholic faith, which cannot be clearly explained to human understanding, because it is a mystery, there are nevertheless several points, which we know for certain. 1st. Though it is certain, that this decree of the Almighty is infallible, and must have its effect, yet it is far removed from the blasphemy of Calvinists, who pretend that it destroys free-will, and therefore removes all motives of exertion to good works. 2d. For it is a point of Catholic faith, that this foreknowledge of the Almighty no ways interferes with man's liberty, but leaves him still a perfectly free agent, and therefore responsible for his actions. 3d. It is likewise decreed by the Council of Trent, that no one can certainly know that he is of the number of the predestined, without a special revelation to that effect. These are the most essential points, which it concerns us to know of this doctrine. As to the consequences which may be drawn from these positions, it were better for us to submit our understandings to the obedience of faith, than entangle ourselves in a maze of abstruse errors, far removed from our comprehension. Would that this sober line of conduct were pursued by many moderns, who at present talk and write so much on this subject, and to such little purpose. How excellently well does the great genius of the Latin Church, S. Augustin, say: Melius est dubitare de occultis, quam litigare de occultis! How much wiser and better is it to confess our ignorance on mysteries, than idly to dispute on mysteries! l. viii. de Gen. ad litt. c. 5.

• * Matthew 10:14
  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words: going forth out of that house or city shake off the dust from your feet.
• * Mark 6:11
  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you; going forth from thence, shake off the dust from your feet for a testimony to them.
• * Luke 9:5
  And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off even the dust of your feet, for a testimony against them.
• A.D. 42.

Ver. 51. Shaking off the dust, &c. See the Annotations, Matt. x. 14.