For many of them who had unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, went out.
πολλων γαρ των εχοντων πνευματα ακαθαρτα βοωντα φωνη μεγαλη εξηρχετο πολλοι δε παραλελυμενοι και χωλοι εθεραπευθησαν
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
“Unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed by them.” This cry was a clear sign that they were departing. The works of sorcerers, by contrast, bound the mouth still more. “Many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.” There was no deception here, for the healed had to walk and act.
Here the baptism of the Samaritans by the deacon Philip is narrated (Acts 6:5). He, however, did not impart the Holy Spirit to them.
Therefore the apostles Peter and John were sent to Samaria to impart the Spirit to them. They “came and prayed for them,” the Samaritans, “laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”
In the same chapter, verses 36-39, the baptism of the Ethiopian man is recounted. The baptism was performed by the same Philip.
It followed the preaching of Christ (Acts 8:35), which produced in the hearer a sincere faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God (Acts 8:37).
After this, Philip and the Ethiopian both went down into the water, and Philip baptized the Ethiopian.
From this it is evident that in the Church of apostolic times there was both baptism in water and the imparting of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands (Acts 8:17-18).
These mysteries are performed to this day 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.
The writer of Acts describes the success of Philip’s preaching here by saying that the people heeded it with one accord. This shows the people’s faith in that preaching. He indicates the general moral disposition of the people with the phrase “great joy.” It was, as it were, a public feast, so warmly and sympathetically did the people receive this preaching, accompanied by miracles. “Unclean spirits,” and so forth: see the note on Mt 4:24 and Mk 9:26.
The miracles of the Apostle Philip were as great as they were varied.
The Samaritans did not have on Mount Gerizim such majestically sacred service as the Jews performed on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem. Yet they related to sufferers with greater warmth of soul.
Therefore they brought the lame and the paralytics to Philip’s feet, so that he might heal them.
According to their faith, Philip, inspired from above and endowed with a special gift of God, healed them.
From those possessed by evil spirits, the unclean spirits came out of themselves, though this was most unpleasant to them, and they uttered terrible cries.
All who were healed rejoiced, together with their relatives and acquaintances, and also the eyewitnesses of these great miracles of God’s mercy.
Thus there was rejoicing throughout the whole city. Undoubtedly this was the chief city of Samaria, otherwise the writer of Acts would have named it.
Chief cities were ordinarily called simply cities, and everyone of that region would understand which city was meant.
The departure of evil spirits from those possessed by them appears as one of the clear proofs that they are distinct from the persons they possess, whom some consider merely nervous invalids.
Therefore both Jesus Christ and the apostles spoke with demons and sent them to other places (cf. Mt 8:28; Lk 8:27).
Here precisely the destruction of the devil’s power was being accomplished, for which Jesus Christ had come (cf. Acts 26:18; Rom 16:20).
The modern ability of some people to master the soul and body of others by so-called spiritualistic influence shows how much more easily demons could master people ready to listen to them with all their soul and reject God.
Modern people likewise renounce their own will, gradually becoming ever more pitiable instruments in the hands of magnetizers or hypnotizers.
For this reason their dreadful experiments on people are forbidden, since many abuse these actions.
But the actions of the apostles were only works of mercy. Therefore they evoked only common joy, and the purest joy, since everything was done in the name of the Lord.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 16 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS