King James Version · Under Rome
Acts 4
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And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of , and the , came upon them, Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through the from . And they laid hands on them, and put them in hold unto the next day: for it was now eventide. Howbeit many of them which heard the word ; and the number of the men was about five thousand. And it came to pass on the morrow, that their , and , and , And Annas the , and , and , and , and as many as were of the kindred of the , were gathered together at . And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what , or by what name, have ye done this? Then , filled with the Ghost, said unto them, Ye of the people, and , If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of of , whom ye , whom , even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the . Neither is there in any other: for there is none other name under given among men, whereby we must be . Now when they saw the boldness of and , and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with . And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. But when they had commanded them to go aside out of , they conferred among themselves, Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that in ; and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of . But and answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of to unto you more than unto , judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified for that which was done. For the man was above forty years old, on whom this miracle of healing was shewed. And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the and had said unto them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to with one accord, and said, , thou art , which hast made , and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who thy servant hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the were gathered together against , and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy child , whom thou hast , both Herod, and , with the , and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy determined before to be done. And now, , behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy child . And when they had , the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Ghost, and they spake the word of with boldness. And of them that were of one and of one : neither said any of them that ought of the things which he was his own; but they had all things common. And with great gave of the of : and great was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at ’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by was surnamed , (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a , and of the country of , Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at ’ feet.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
Christians read this chapter differently
- What about those who never hear? · Acts 4:12
Every view at its strongest, with who holds it and what it has to answer for.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.