John Calvin Commentary Acts 8

At that day. The persecution began with Stephen. After that, when their madness was ignited by this, it grew intense against everyone. For the wicked are like brute beasts; once they have tasted blood, they are more desirous of it and become more cruel by committing murder.

For Satan, who is the father of all cruelty, first takes from them all feeling of humanity once they are stained with innocent blood. After that, he stirs up in them an unquenchable thirst for blood, from which these violent assaults to commit murder come. Consequently, once they have begun, they will never willingly stop.

Moreover, when power is once granted to them to do harm, their boldness increases over time, so that they are carried headlong with less restraint. Luke also notes this when he says, The persecution was great. Undoubtedly, the Church had little rest before, nor was it free from the vexation of the wicked. But the Lord spared His people for a time, so that they might have some liberty, and now they began to be more severely attacked.

These things must also be applied to our time. If the fury of our enemies seems at any time to be, as it were, asleep, so that it does not send out flames far, let us know that the Lord provides for our weakness. Yet, let us not in the meantime imagine that we will have continual truce, but let us be ready to suffer harsher attacks whenever they break out suddenly.

Let us also remember that if at any time the constancy of one man has whetted the cruelty of our enemies, the blame for the evil is unjustly ascribed to him. For Luke does not defame Stephen when he says that because of him the Church was more severely troubled than before; rather, he turns this to Stephen's praise, because he valiantly, as the standard-bearer, encouraged others by his example to fight courageously.

When he calls it the Church which was at Jerusalem, his meaning is not that there were Churches elsewhere, but he moves on to these things which followed as a result. For since there was only this one body of the godly in all the world, it was torn apart by flight. Yet, more Churches soon sprang up from those lame members who were dispersed here and there, and so the body of Christ was spread far and wide, whereas before it was confined within the walls of Jerusalem.

They were all scattered abroad. It is certain that not all of them were scattered abroad, but Scripture uses a universal term for what we mean by 'everywhere' or 'abroad.' The point is this: not only a few were in danger, because the cruelty of the enemies raged throughout the whole Church.

Many often flee due to faintheartedness, even when they hear any slight rumor, but these believers were in a different situation. They did not flee rashly out of discouragement, but because they saw no other means to appease the fury of their adversaries. And he says that they were scattered not only throughout various places of Judea, but that they even came to Samaria.

Thus, the middle wall that made a division between the Jews and the Gentiles began to be pulled down (Ephesians 2:14). For the conversion of Samaria was, as it were, the first fruits of the calling of the Gentiles. Although the Samaritans had circumcision, as did the people of God, we know that there was great dissension, and not without significant cause, since they had in Samaria only a false worship of God, as Christ affirms, because it was merely a distasteful imitation.

Therefore, God then opened the gate for the gospel, so that the scepter of Christ, sent out from Jerusalem, might come to the Gentiles. He exempts the apostles from this number, not because they were free from the common danger, but because it is the duty of a good pastor to set himself against the invasions of wolves for the safety of his flock.

But here a question may be asked: since they were commanded to preach the gospel throughout the whole world (Mark 16:16), why did they stay at Jerusalem, even when they were expelled from there by force? I answer that since Christ had commanded them to begin at Jerusalem, they occupied themselves there until, being brought into some other place by His hand, they might know for certain that He was their guide.

And we see how cautiously they proceeded to preach the gospel; not that they shunned the function that was entrusted to them, but because they were amazed at a new and unfamiliar thing. Therefore, seeing the gospel so mightily resisted at Jerusalem, they dared not go to any other place until they had overcome that first immense set of difficulties.

Assuredly, by staying at Jerusalem, they were not seeking their own ease or personal advantage, nor were they free from care. For they had a difficult responsibility; they were continually amidst various dangers and encountered great troubles. Therefore, undoubtedly, they were determined to do their duty. Especially since they stood firm when all the rest fled, this is clear evidence of valiant constancy.

If anyone objects that they might have divided the provinces among themselves, so that they might not all have been engaged in one place, I answer that Jerusalem alone had enough work for all of them.

In sum, Luke regards this as a thing worthy of praise: that they did not follow the rest into voluntary exile to avoid persecution. Yet he does not condemn the flight of those whose situation was more free. For the apostles considered the particular nature of their calling; namely, that they should maintain their position, since the wolves were invading the sheepfold. The rigor of Tertullian and others like him was too great, as they indiscriminately denied that it is lawful to flee from persecution. Augustine says it better, giving permission to flee provided that the churches, deprived of their pastors, are not betrayed into the hands of the enemies. This is surely the best moderation, which neither indulges the flesh too much nor drives those headlong to death who may lawfully save their lives. Whoever is inclined may read the 180th Epistle to Honoratus.

To return to the apostles, if they had been scattered here and there by fear of persecution, even at the beginning, everyone might have rightly called them hirelings. How hurtful and shameful would abandoning their post have been at that time? How greatly would it have discouraged the minds of everyone? What great harm would their example have caused for posterity?

It may sometimes happen, indeed, that the pastor may also flee; that is, if they attack him alone, and if the destruction of the Church is not feared if he is absent. But if both his flock and he must encounter the adversary, he is a treacherous forsaker of his office if he does not steadfastly maintain it even until the end. Private individuals have greater liberty.

They dressed Stephen. Luke shows that even in the heat of persecution the godly were not discouraged but, being always zealous, performed those duties that belonged to godliness. Burial seems to be a matter of small importance; yet, rather than neglect it, they exposed themselves to no small danger to their lives.

And as the circumstance of time declares that they valiantly despised death, so also, we gather from this that they were careful to do this not without great and urgent cause. For this greatly served to exercise their faith: that the body of the holy martyr should not be left to the wild beasts, in whom Christ had triumphed nobly according to the glory of His gospel.

Neither could they live for Christ unless they were ready to be gathered to Stephen into the fellowship of death. Therefore, the care they took to bury the martyr was for them a meditation leading to invincible constancy in professing the faith. Therefore, they did not seek to provoke their adversaries in a superfluous matter with ill-advised zeal.

Although that general reason, which ought always and everywhere to be valid among the godly, was undoubtedly of great weight with them. For the rite of burial pertains to the hope of the resurrection, as it was ordained by God from the beginning of the world for this purpose.

Therefore, it was always considered cruel barbarism to willingly allow bodies to lie unburied. Ungodly men did not know why they should consider the rite of burial so holy; but we are not ignorant of its purpose, namely, that those who remain alive may know that the bodies are committed to the earth as to a prison, until they are raised up from there.

From this it appears that this duty is profitable more for those who are alive than for those who are dead, although it is also a part of our humanity to give due honor to those bodies to which we know blessed immortality is promised.

They made great lamentation. Luke also commends their profession of godliness and faith in their lamentation. For a sorrowful and unfortunate end usually causes men to forsake those causes in which they previously delighted. But, on the other hand, these men declare by their mourning that they are not in the least terrified by Stephen's death from standing firmly in approval of their cause, considering at the same time what a great loss God’s Church suffered by the death of one man.

And we must reject that foolish philosophy which wants all men to be completely unfeeling so that they may be wise. It must be that the Stoics, who would have a man be without any emotion, were devoid of common sense. Certain madmen would gladly introduce the same foolish ideas into the Church today; and yet, notwithstanding, although they require hearts of iron from other men, nothing is softer or more effeminate than they themselves are.

They cannot bear for other men to shed a single tear; yet if anything turns out contrary to their wishes, they mourn endlessly. God thus punishes their arrogance jestingly (if I may call it that), seeing that He makes them a laughingstock even to boys.

But let us understand that those emotions which God has given to human nature are not, in themselves, any more corrupt than their Author Himself; rather, they are to be evaluated first according to their cause, and secondly, according to whether they maintain a balance and moderation. Surely, the man who denies that we ought to rejoice over the gifts of God is more like a block of wood than a man; therefore, we may just as lawfully sorrow when they are taken away.

And lest I go beyond the scope of this present passage, Paul does not forbid mourning altogether when any of their friends are taken away by death, but he desires a distinction between believers and unbelievers, because hope ought to be for them a comfort and a remedy against impatience.

For the reality of death rightly causes us to sorrow; but because we know that life has been restored to us in Christ, we have what is sufficient to appease our sorrow. Similarly, when we are sorry that the Church is deprived of rare and excellent men, there is good cause for sorrow; only we must seek such comfort as may correct any excess.

But Saul. We must note two things here: how great the cruelty of the adversaries was, and how wonderful the goodness of God was, who deigned to make Paul a pastor from such a cruel wolf. For that desire to lay waste the Church with which he was inflamed seemed to cut away all hope. Therefore, his conversion was all the more excellent afterward.

And it is not to be doubted that this punishment was laid upon him by God, after he had conspired with other wicked men to put Stephen to death, thereby becoming the ringleader of cruelty. For God often punishes sins more sharply in the elect than in the reprobate.

And they were scattered abroad. Luke declares in this passage also, that it came about by the wonderful providence of God, that the scattering of the faithful would bring many to the unity of faith; thus the Lord brings light out of darkness, and life out of death.

For the voice of the gospel, which was heard previously in one place only, now sounds everywhere.

Meanwhile, we are taught by this example that we must not yield to persecutions, but rather be encouraged to courage.

For when the faithful fled from Jerusalem, they were not afterwards discouraged by exile, by their present miseries, or by any fear that they might degenerate into slothfulness; rather, they were as ready to preach Christ even in the midst of their calamity as if they had never suffered any trouble.

Moreover, Luke seems to note that they led a wandering life, changing their lodgings often.

Therefore, if we desire to be counted their brothers, let us urge ourselves forward so diligently, that no fear or bitterness of the cross discourage us; but that we rather press on in professing our faith, and that we never be weary of advancing the doctrine of Christ. For it is an absurd thing that exile and flight, which are the first exercises of martyrdom, should make us silent and fainthearted.

Luke said that they all preached the Word of God. Now he mentions Philip alone, both because his preaching was more fruitful and effective than the preaching of the others, and also because notable histories followed, which he will add later. He used city of Samaria to refer to the city Samaria, which was destroyed by Hyrcanus, rebuilt by Herod, and called Sebaste.

Read Josephus, in his Thirteenth and Fifteenth Books of Antiquities. When he says that Philip preached Christ, he signifies that the whole sum of the gospel is contained in Christ. The other speech which he uses shortly after is more complete, yet it is the same in effect.

He joins the kingdom of God and the name of Christ together. But because we obtain this goodness through Christ—to have God reign in us, and to lead a heavenly life, being renewed into spiritual righteousness and dead to the world—the preaching of Christ therefore also includes this point.

But the sum is this: Christ, with his grace, repairs the world which was destroyed. This comes to pass, first, when he reconciles us to the Father, and secondly, when he regenerates us by his Spirit, so that the kingdom of God may be established in us when Satan is put to flight.

Moreover, since he previously stated that the apostles did not leave Jerusalem, it is thought that he is speaking here of one of the seven deacons, whose daughters also prophesied.