John Calvin Commentary Acts 23:8

"For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both." — Acts 23:8 (ASV)

The Sadducees say. Though Luke makes mention of three points in which these sects disagreed, yet shortly after he brings them to two, because there is similar consideration to be had for spirits and for angels. Therefore, he says that the Pharisees confessed both; namely, that the dead shall rise again, and that human and angelic spirits are immortal.

And here Luke declares in what sense the apostle professed himself to be a Pharisee—not because he subscribed to all their inventions, but only concerning the resurrection of the dead. We know how sharply Christ reproves their errors (Matthew 22:29); therefore, it would have been good if some exception had been added, so that no one might think that Paul was in agreement with them in all things.

Now, though the Sadducees denied the resurrection, yet we should not think that they were entirely like the Epicureans. For they confessed that the world is governed by the providence of God, and that every person is rewarded for their works. In this point, they were sounder than the Epicureans.

But they erred too greatly when they confined the rewards of righteousness and the punishments of wickedness to this life. For, to omit the Scripture for a moment, experience teaches that both the godly and the ungodly are either punished with many miseries or else treated gently; and that the wicked often live in wealth and pleasures, while the worshippers of God are often miserably tormented, as it is in Psalm 73:4. Therefore, whoever esteems the judgment of God by the present condition of people, whether it be good or bad, must inevitably fall away from faith in the end to an Epicurean contempt of God.

Now, this is brutish stupidity to be content with an uncertain and transitory life, and not to be wise above the earth. For this reason, we must flee from that error as from a detestable monster. For though godliness also has the promises of the earthly life, yet because we are most miserable if our hope remains fixed in this world, the children of God must begin with this: that they should lift up their eyes toward heaven and continually think about the glory of the last resurrection.

Neither angel nor spirit. This passage is explained in two ways. Many refer it to the Holy Spirit, which seems unlikely. For however much the Sadducees might be excused in other errors, yet because the Scripture so often repeats the name of the Spirit, I can scarcely believe that they denied that which the Pharisees believed only lightly and obscurely.

For even the Pharisees had no distinct faith concerning the Holy Spirit, in the sense that they acknowledged the distinct person of the Spirit in the substance of God. Some interpret "angel" and "spirit" as signifying one thing, as if the same thing were said twice. But for what purpose was it to repeat something that was plain enough?

Indeed, the clause that follows misled them, where Luke seems to make no distinction. But we showed the reason before: because, since the souls of men and angels share the same nature and substance, they are both placed in one order. Therefore, I do not doubt that this is Luke’s true meaning: that the Sadducees denied angels, and also all kinds of spirits.

Now, since Paul cries out that he is a Pharisee in this point of doctrine, he flatly condemns all deluded individuals who today are in the same error. For there are certain profane and unlearned men who dream that angels and devils are nothing else but good and evil inspirations. And lest they lack some pretext, they say that everything the Scripture contains concerning good and evil angels originated with the heathen, whereas that opinion common in the world had its beginning from heavenly doctrine. But the heathen polluted with their lies that doctrine which they had from the Fathers.

Regarding men’s souls, because even today certain perverse individuals falsely claim that souls vanish at death until the day of the resurrection, their madness is also refuted by the testimony of Luke.