Acts 2:46Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Do you see that Peter’s words led even to this, to temperance in life? There can be no joy where there is no simplicity. Luke did not say “together,” but “with one accord,” because one may be together with others and yet not of one accord, being divided in thought. Have you seen the progress of piety? They gave up possessions and rejoiced. Their joy was great because the goods they obtained were greater. No one reviled, no one envied, no one was hostile. There was no pride and no contempt. All received instruction like children. All were disposed as newborn babes. But why do I speak in a dark image? Remember how modest everyone was when God shook our city. They were then in just such a state. There were no deceitful men and no crafty men. This is what fear means; this is what sorrow means. There was no cold word, “mine” and “yours.” Therefore there was joy at the table. No one thought that anything was his own. No one thought that he was eating another’s, though this seems a riddle. They did not regard what belonged to the brethren as another’s, for it was the Lord’s. Nor did they regard it as their own, but as belonging to the brethren. The poor man was not ashamed, and the rich man was not proud. This is what it means to rejoice. The one considered himself benefited and felt that he profited more from their kindness. The others found their glory in this, and all were strongly attached to one another. For when property is distributed, offense, pride, and sorrow can also arise. Therefore the apostle said, “not grudgingly or of necessity” (2 Cor 9:7). See how many things Luke praises in them: sincere faith, upright life, constancy in hearing, in prayers, in simplicity, and in joy. Two things could have cast them into sorrow: fasting and the distribution of property. Yet they rejoiced in both. Who would not love people with such dispositions as common fathers? They devised no evil against one another, and they entrusted everything to the grace of God. There was no fear among them, though they were amid dangers. But all their virtue, far higher than contempt for possessions, fasting, and constancy in prayer, the apostle expressed by the word “simplicity.” In this way they praised God blamelessly. Or rather, this itself is praise of God.

In order to devote themselves wholly to this work, they freed themselves from every concern for the maintenance of the community of believers, who received sustenance from the generosity of the other brethren. They occupied themselves only with teaching. Their miracles also drew everyone’s attention. They healed diseases of every kind, so that the sick were brought to them from the surrounding cities. In teaching and in wonderworking, Peter was first. The power of God poured through him in such abundance that even his shadow gave relief to the sick. For their part, the apostles, wishing to make full use of the fruits of the Old Testament preparation, at first did not separate themselves from their kinsmen. As we see, they went with everyone to the Jewish temple for prayer. In their own worship and way of life, they retained the rules and ordinances compatible with the spirit of Christianity. According to Hegesippus, the Jews’ respect for the apostle James reached such a point that the people willingly listened to his instructions and rejoiced in his miracles.

Thus a specifically Christian worship was arising of itself here, with its chief central act, the bloodless sacrifice. The living consciousness of their blessed and grace-filled state, together with the security of material life through mutual charity, filled the souls of the first Christians with contentment and holy joy. This disposition of soul also placed its mark upon their bodily life. They received food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God. A living sense of inward joy, sincerity, warmth in mutual relations, thanksgiving and doxology to God, the all-generous Giver of bodily and spiritual blessings, characterized their common household meals. What impression did this holy community make upon its contemporaries? The writer of Acts says that it lived “having favor with all the people.” This love for the Christians must have drawn those who loved them toward Christ as well. The holy life of the first Christians confirmed the truth of the apostolic preaching, just as did the wonders and signs by which the preachers accompanied their witness to Christ. And the Lord daily added to the Church those who were being saved.

It divided them into isolated individuals, concerned only for themselves and heartless toward the needs of others. The spirit of evangelical love conquered this self-interest in the believers. They “sold their possessions and goods, and distributed them to all, as anyone had need.” This was the first experience of that common life which later found its place in Christian coenobitic monasticism. Thus the first Christians lived, “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord daily added to the Church those who were being saved.”

Its beginnings already existed then; yet for a time Christians also attended Jewish temple worship. “With great boldness they came daily to the temple and remained there. A little later Peter and John do exactly the same (Acts 3:1), because they had not yet rejected anything Jewish. Indeed, their very reverence for the place passed over to the Master of the temple” (Chrysostom). “Breaking bread from house to house,” and so forth: this breaking of bread and receiving of food is the celebration of the mystery of the Eucharist and the common participation in the love-feasts that followed. “From house to house”: the Greek word allows two interpretations, either in various houses or in one house. Perhaps both occurred. On special occasions the whole community, likely not yet very numerous, gathered in one known house. Usually, however, they gathered in several private houses under the direction of the apostles. The former were public liturgical assemblies of Christians, and the latter private ones. “With gladness and simplicity of heart”: such was the general character of these public and private gatherings, or even the whole order of private life among all members of the Christian community. Fear was upon the unbelievers (v. 43), while joy and simplicity of heart were the distinguishing marks of the moral disposition of the believers. This was the fruit of living faith and purity of heart, deeply immersed in the new principle of spiritual life and sanctified by the abundant gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The wise interpreter, Saint John Chrysostom, spoke of all this in this way: “Do you see the progress of piety? They gave up possessions and rejoiced. Their joy was great, because the goods they acquired were far greater. No one reviled; no one envied. There was no pride and no contempt. All received instruction like children. All were as newborn babes. There were no deceitful men and no crafty men. There was no cold word, ‘mine’ and ‘yours’; therefore there was joy at the table. No one thought he was eating another’s, though this seems a riddle. They did not regard what belonged to the brethren as another’s, for it was the Lord’s. Nor did they regard it as their own, but as belonging to the brethren. The poor man was not ashamed, and the rich man was not proud. This is what it means to rejoice. The one considered himself benefited and felt that he profited more from their kindness. The others found their glory in this, and all were deeply attached to one another. See how many things Luke praises in them: sincere faith, upright life, constancy in hearing, constancy in prayers, simplicity, and joy.” It is notable that the newly converted are called those being saved. Since the apostle exhorted them to save themselves from this generation, it became customary to call those who turned to Christ “those being saved.” For they were being saved from sin, curse, and death (cf. Rom 8:29; 1 Cor 1:18).