Acts 5:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This was not the only reason. It was also because, being exceedingly loving and solicitous, they helped some with money and others by healing their bodies.

How could the apostles have appeared worthy of faith, speaking in simple language, when they preached concerning God the Word, the Creator, the Savior, and the all-wise Teacher? Yet the tongue of the apostles performed wonders. Through the mouths of the apostles the dead were raised, and the lame walked.

That faith follows wonders, Scripture bears witness, saying: “And by the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were done among the people,” and all were amazed and marveled. “And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of men and women” (Acts 5:12, 14; Acts 2:7, 47).

First the wonders shone forth, and after them the teaching followed. So also in the time of the Law, the wonders performed in Egypt came first, proving that God is the Creator.

Luke that has now been read assures us of this. St. Luke says: in Jerusalem "many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles" (Acts 5:12). After two of his sermons, the holy Apostle Peter brought more than eight thousand people to Christ, not counting women and children. Since the holy apostles and the first Christians were endowed with the gift both of miracles and of clairvoyance, fear came upon every soul because of the apostles' presence (Acts 2:43). True Christians, however, were all with one accord in Solomon's Portico. What does it mean that they were with one accord? It means that the apostles and the Christians had, as it were, one heart and one soul (Acts 4:32). All the believers were together. Every day they remained in the temple, offering common prayer and praising God. After prayer and the apostolic teaching, they broke bread, that is, they partook of the Holy Mysteries. Then they had a common table, where all, rich and poor Christians alike, without distinction of rank, received food as brethren, with gladness and simplicity of heart (Acts 2:42-47). What a moving picture the life of the first Christians presented! Together with the holy apostles, they went every day to the temple for prayer. There they manifested their soul in love for God and neighbor. But now very many Christians, though healthy and having time, do not visit the holy temple even every Sunday, though they live near it. The holy apostles, God-enlightened preachers of Christianity, prayed. This means that they had need of prayer. All the more should we, weak and sinful, not live without prayer. In prayer there is consolation for the soul. Through it help from above descends to us. With it we have greater fear before God and greater dread of sinning. "Pray without ceasing," says the holy apostle (1 Thess 5:17). The holy apostles, who offered prayer everywhere, considered it their duty to take part also in outward divine worship and to visit the temple of Jerusalem. They did this both for the good of their own souls and for the salvation of those who visited the temple, Christians and Jews alike. Whatever anyone may say, outward divine worship, when beautiful, orderly, and harmonious, has an irresistible influence on the human soul. The soul develops chiefly through outward impressions, through what we see, hear, or touch. When one takes part in public outward worship, a neighboring worshiper may sometimes awaken another indifferent person in the temple to prayer by his own prayer. Or the word of the pastor may touch the soul of one who is praying, enlighten it, and correct it. But if you do not go to church, you will neither see nor hear much that is good. Sometimes, even often, those who do not attend the temple spend the time of festal worship in sleep or empty amusements and conversations. Or, what is deeply grievous, they spend it in drinking, card-playing, and the like. It must not be so, brethren. Remember the piety of the first Christians and their love for divine worship and the temple. The first Christians of Jerusalem in apostolic times showed their love for God and neighbor, and their unity of soul, not only in the temple. They showed it also in this: none of them called anything of his possessions his own, but they had all things in common. They sold their estates and every possession and distributed to all, as each had need (Acts 4:32; 2:45). Yes, at the time when the Christian Church consisted only of the one community in Jerusalem, the ardor of first love expressed itself in removing the outward distinction between wealth and poverty. It manifested itself in the sharing of possessions. Yet such self-sacrifice among the Christians of Jerusalem was not a legalized compulsion. It was left to each person's free will, to the inward impulse of love and the feeling of beneficence. Thus the Apostle Peter told the hypocrite Ananias that he could have kept his property for himself. Even after the sale, he could have disposed of the proceeds as he wished (Acts 5:4). Mary, the mother of Mark the Evangelist, had her own house in Jerusalem and had not sold it for the sake of the community (Acts 12:12). The distribution of alms to widows in Jerusalem, mentioned in Acts 6, also indicates that the distinction between poor and rich had not been completely abolished. We do not know how long this sharing of possessions existed in the Church. On a large scale and for a long time, it could not exist without a complete upheaval of all social relations. For this reason we no longer find any traces of it in other Christian communities or Churches. Yet, of course, in all the Churches there prevailed the same disposition as in the Church of Jerusalem. It was the spirit of brotherhood, the spirit of Christian love and beneficence. In this spirit the rich man looks upon the poor man as a brother and helps him with all his soul. In Christianity weight and significance are always given to understanding over narrow-mindedness, and to education over ignorance. Wealth, as the fruit of labor and intelligence, is blessed. Poverty, which is inevitable in the world, is also protected and relieved by the compassion of the rich, though it is not abolished. Given the difference in natural powers and abilities granted by God, difference in outward life is also inevitable. Yet Christianity reminds the rich and the powerful of their poverty before God and their complete dependence on Him. It moves them to mercy and humility. Works of mercy, self-denying care for the needy, and consolation for the suffering have been the chief adornment of Christian life from the beginning of Christianity (Jas 1:27).

Thus the Prophet Joel says, “And I will give wonders in heaven above and signs on the earth beneath.” Then he describes the signs with these words: “blood and fire and vapor of smoke” (Joel 2:30). Such signs are signs of wondrous gracious condescension, since they prefigured the flesh and Godhead of the God-man, and the Holy Spirit who came upon the Ever-Virgin.

Concerning the other wonders he writes thus: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes” (Joel 2:31). Who would not say that this is exceedingly fearful and terrible?

Our Lord Himself, speaking of signs, gave us to understand that signs lead us into wonder and are at the same time beneficial for us. “And these signs,” He said, “shall follow those who believe: in My name they shall cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall be well” (Mk 16:17-18).

The God-bearing apostles performed both wonders and signs. Among the wonders one must count the unexpected and violent death of Ananias and Sapphira, which produced great fear not only in those who saw it, but also in those who heard of it (Acts 5:5). The blinding of Elymas the sorcerer also belongs here (Acts 13:11).

Among the signs are the healing of the sick, the casting out of unclean spirits (Acts 5:15-16), the raising of the dead, and their other beneficent miracles, which the divine historian proclaims to us.

What, then, is Solomon’s Portico, and why did all the apostles gather there with one accord, that is, together and with one and the same intention, and perform wonders there?

Solomon’s Portico was a kind of forecourt of that temple, or, so to speak, an outer porch, as is clear from the tenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. It stood outside Solomon’s temple, on the side of the gate called Beautiful.

In Greek this portico was called στοά, which in our language means “standing place,” because it alone stood firm, or remained, from the whole structure of Solomon’s temple. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed that temple, and Cyrus the Persian restored it (4 Kings 25; 1 Ezra 5:13).

Since this portico was very spacious and could contain a great multitude of people, the apostles all gathered there together in order to teach the people. See Josephus, Antiquities, book 15, chapter 14, and book 20, chapter 8.

At these gatherings in a public place, the Christians’ seclusion could most easily have been disturbed. Yet even there none of the outsiders dared to join himself to them. Probably outsiders were even more afraid to attach themselves to them there, or to enter into any communion with them. They feared being noticed by the chief priests and the other ministers of the temple as friends or sympathizers of Christians, who were so hateful to them.

Though afraid openly to join the company of those who believed in Christ, the people were inwardly disposed toward it and glorified it, cf. Acts 2:47. They did so, on the one hand, because of the highly moral life of its members. On the other hand, they did so because of the benefits they constantly received from the apostles’ wonderworking activity.

Yet human fear could not bar the way to the truth of Christ for everyone. More and more believers were added to the Lord, a multitude of men and women. Nor could fear restrain those who sought healing. The fame of the apostles’ wonderworking power, and especially Peter’s, spread far through the surrounding regions. All streamed to Jerusalem with their diseases and their sick in order to receive healing, and all were healed.

Great was the faith of those who sought healing. They brought the sick out into the streets and laid them on beds and pallets, so that at least Peter’s shadow, as he passed by, might overshadow some of them.

The particular features of this condition are these. First, there was a multitude of signs and wonders performed by the Apostles (v. 12). These signs and wonders were probably, for the most part, healings of the sick.

The Apostles performed them among the people, that is, among unbelievers, in order to draw the people to faith in Christ.

Second, all the believers remained with one accord in the temple, specifically in Solomon’s Porch. “All” means the believers in Christ, as distinguished from outsiders (v. 13). On “with one accord,” see the notes on Acts 1:14 and Acts 2:1.

Solomon’s Porch (see the notes on Acts 3:11 and Jn 10:23) was a large covered gallery at the main entrance to the temple. It was a convenient place, and evidently a beloved one, where Christians stayed when they gathered in the temple.

“Do you see,” says St. John Chrysostom, “how many evils are produced by the passion for money? And great fear came upon the whole Church. One man was punished, but others received benefit.

Therefore this was not arranged without purpose. Although there had been miracles before, there had not been such fear. Who would not have been struck with awe? Who would not have feared? Who would not have marveled?

For Peter already inspired fear by punishing and by exposing what was hidden in the thoughts. Yet people clung to him all the more, both because of his preaching and because of the miracle.

This miracle seems to me twofold. He exposed what was hidden in the thoughts, and by command he deprived them of life.

This did not occur under Christ. From this one may see that what He said has now been fulfilled: ‘He who believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do’ (Jn 14:12).”

“Having finished the account of events in the inner life of the Church, and intending to speak of a new persecution against her, the writer of Acts again makes several general remarks about the condition of the Christian community.

The features of this condition are these. First, there was a multitude of signs and wonders among unbelievers. Second, they remained with one accord in the temple. Third, none of the outsiders dared to join them.

Fourth, the people magnified them. Fifth, the number of believers increased, and so forth.