Acts 8:15Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

And note this: these apostles did not go out, but by dispensation those went out from Jerusalem who did not have this grace, because they had not yet received the Holy Spirit. They received power to work signs, but not the power to impart the Spirit to others. Therefore this belonged exclusively to the apostles. For this reason we see that the chief apostles do this, and no one else.

Peter and John came to the city where the first conversion of the Samaritans to faith in Christ had taken place. They prayed for the newly baptized and, through the laying on of hands, brought down the Holy Spirit upon them.

From this it is seen that in the Church of apostolic times both baptism in water and the imparting of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands were performed (8:17,18). These mysteries are still performed in the holy Orthodox Church. Only the imparting of the gift of the Holy Spirit is performed not through the laying on of hands, but through chrismation.

Philip was one of the deacons. They were probably not yet authorized to perform the mystery of the laying on of hands, which was later replaced by chrismation. At that time only the apostles could perform it. Therefore their presence in Samaria was required, to seal the believers with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which they had initially received in baptism.

"Why did they not receive the Holy Spirit after baptism? Either because Philip did not impart Him, perhaps giving this honor to the apostles, or because he himself did not possess this gift," that is, to impart the Spirit to others, "since he was one of the seven deacons. The latter may be said with greater probability. When he baptized, he did not impart the Spirit to those being baptized, for he did not have such authority. This gift belonged then only to the twelve. How, someone will say, did they, the Samaritans, not receive the Spirit at all in baptism? They received the Spirit of forgiveness of sins, but had not yet received the Spirit of signs" (Chrysostom, cf. Theophylact).

When they came, the apostles prayed, laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. It appears that the prayer was common, for all who had believed and been baptized, that they might receive the Holy Spirit. This was done before the laying on of hands. Then the actual laying on of hands followed upon each baptized person separately. As hands were laid upon each one separately, each received the Holy Spirit.

The fact that the holy apostle Philip did not have this right, despite his power to work miracles, shows that these latter gifts were, so to speak, special and extraordinary. In the twelve apostles, besides these extraordinary powers, there were gifts of grace for the universal gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are necessary for all Christians, both generally and individually.

When Peter and John came to Samaria, as representatives of the twelve apostles they could have acted with special confidence. Yet they first prayed that the Holy Spirit would descend upon those being baptized. By this they showed that the action of the Spirit is given not to those who are indifferent, but to those who ask and entreat. This remains so even when the ministers of the mystery are such vessels of grace as the pillars of the Church.

There is no doubt that all the believing Samaritans prayed together with the praying apostles. What a moving sight it was. In it the word of Christ spoken to the Samaritan woman was fulfilled. True worshipers would worship neither on Mount Gerizim nor in Jerusalem, but in every place. For this reason the writer of Acts now does not even mention the place.