Acts 2:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"We, Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia," as verse 10 says.

"Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene; and among us are visitors from Rome, Jews and proselytes," as verse 11 says.

"Cretans and Arabians, we hear them speaking, preaching, in our own tongues concerning the mighty works of God."

Let no one be amazed on hearing that the Jews were scattered through so many countries of the world, and that they lived together with the nations from whom they received their names. Many of them were transferred to eastern lands by the Assyrian kings Tiglath-Pileser and Shalmaneser, and also by the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. In Egypt they were transferred by Necho, king of Egypt: 'All the people, from small to great, and the commanders of the forces went into Egypt, for they feared the face of the Chaldeans' (1 Chr 5:26; 4 Kgs 18:11; 4 Kgs 3:14; 4 Kgs 23:34; 4 Kgs 25:26). Many of them also came to western lands and settled in Rome when the Romans subjected them to their power.

Rather, one should marvel at the compassionate providence of God. He so ordered matters that such a multitude of people, diverse in language, was then found in Jerusalem. They at once streamed into the house where Christ's disciples were staying and heard that most glorious miracle. Unlettered men were speaking so many languages, all different from one another. For this reason, 'on that day about three thousand souls believed and were baptized' (Acts 2:41).

What were the most famous orators of the classical world before them? They composed their speeches according to the rules of art, speeches animated only by their impoverished vanity.

The inspired words of the apostles thundered like thunder shaking mountains. They acted with the force of a hammer breaking rocks.

Countless crowds listened in silence to the wondrous words. They marveled at these words even more than at the fearful signs that had drawn them there.

Under the first irresistible impression of these words, the masses did not notice their miraculous outward feature. They felt only that these words were extraordinary. They penetrated to the marrow and burned the hearts of the hearers like fire.

But when the first impression had passed, and the multilingual masses looked at one another to share what they had felt, they noticed with astonishment that each had heard the words just spoken in his native tongue.

Their faces seemed frozen with amazement. What! The Egyptian, who had until now boasted that only those born in the land of the pyramids knew his language, now heard his own tongue.

The Greek and the Roman, who regarded their language as the possession of educated people alone, also heard each his own language. And from whom? From these ignorant, neglected, poor Galileans, whose very name sounded contemptible.

At first their silent amazement began to find expression in words and exclamations. A murmur of cries and questions passed through the masses. All turned to one another for an explanation of the mysterious event.

"Are not all these who are speaking Galileans?" they asked one another in wonder among the people. "And how do we hear each in our own dialect in which we were born?"

"We hear them speaking in our tongues of the mighty works of God." And again all were amazed and, perplexed, said to one another: "What does this mean?"

Some had been resettled by conquerors, and some had moved there voluntarily. In Egypt the Hebrews even had their own temple. There their sacred books were translated into Greek, the language then spoken in Alexandria.

In Cyrene a whole quarter of the inhabitants were Jews.

Visitors from Rome means those who had come to Jerusalem for the feast from Rome, or in general from the cities of the Roman West. Many Jews also lived there, especially after the Roman wars in Judea before the birth of Christ.

In Rome itself they populated an entire district.

Jews and proselytes means Jews by birth and pagans who had accepted the Jewish faith; see the note on Mt 23:15. There were also many such people.

It seems that this remark refers to all the countries named above, and not to Rome alone. From all the listed countries there were then in Jerusalem both native Jews and pagans who had accepted their faith.

All heard the apostles speaking in their languages and dialects.

Some proselytes were called "proselytes of the gate," since they had not fully entered the number of the faithful. They observed only the seven commandments of Noah. Others were called "proselytes of righteousness and of the covenant." These were circumcised and observed the whole Law of Moses.

Both groups, of course, were sufficiently informed about the messianic expectations of believers. Therefore they could be especially receptive to the words of God uttered through the inspired apostles.