John Calvin Commentary Acts 4:1

"And as they spake unto the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them," — Acts 4:1 (ASV)

And as they spoke, by this it appears how watchful the wicked are, because they are always ready at a moment’s notice to stop the mouths of Christ’s servants. And, undoubtedly, they came together, as it were, to quench some great fire; which Luke indicates when he says that the ruler or captain of the temple also came; and he adds, moreover, that they were greatly displeased that the apostles taught.

Therefore, they did not come upon them by chance, but intentionally, so that, according to their authority, they could restrain the apostles and put them to silence. And yet they had some appearance of law and fairness; for if anyone rashly intruded, it was the high priest’s duty to restrain him; and likewise, to keep the people obedient to the law and the prophets, and to prevent all new doctrines.

Therefore, when they hear unknown men, who had no public authority, preaching to the people in the temple, they seem, as their office required and as they were commanded by God, to take action to remedy this. And surely, at first glance, it seems that there was nothing in this action worthy of blame, but the outcome eventually reveals that their plan was wicked, and their motive ungodly.

Again, it was difficult for the apostles to escape disgrace and blame, because they, being private and despised persons, took public authority upon themselves. This difficulty arose because, when things are in disorder, many things must be undertaken that are contrary to common custom. This is especially true when we are to affirm and defend religion and the worship of God, and the leaders themselves block all paths and abuse against God the office that was entrusted to them by God.

The faithful champions of Christ must endure and pass through this disgrace under Popery. For a thousand summers will pass over their heads before any reformation or improvement for the better will mature among them. Therefore, Luke emphasizes this point when he says that they were distressed because the resurrection was preached in the name of Christ.

For from this it follows that they hated the doctrine before they knew it. He mentions the Sadducees by name, as those who were more zealous in this cause. For they were usually a part of the priests; but because the question concerned the resurrection, they opposed the apostles more than the others. Furthermore, this was a most terrible confusion among the Jews, that this profane sect held such authority.

For what godliness could remain when the immortality of the soul was regarded as a fable, and that with impunity? But people inevitably rush headlong in this way when they have once allowed pure doctrine to be disregarded among them. Therefore, we must be all the more diligent to beware of every wicked deviation, lest such a consequence immediately follow.

Some people think that the ruler of the temple was chosen from among the priests, but I am more inclined to think that he was a high-ranking captain of the Roman army. This is because it was a place fortified both by nature and by human construction. Again, Herod had built a tower there, which was called Antonia. So it is to be supposed that he had stationed a band of soldiers there, and that the Roman captain had oversight of the temple area, lest it become a place of refuge for the Jews if they started any commotion, which we can also gather from Josephus.

And this fits very well with the fact that Christ’s enemies craved the help of the secular power, under the pretext of quelling some disturbance. Meanwhile, they seek favor with the Romans, as if they were concerned with maintaining the authority of the Roman empire.