King James Version · Under Rome
Acts 5
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But a certain man named , with his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at ’ feet. But said, , why hath filled thine to lie to the Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own ? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine ? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto . And hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and . 7And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to of ? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her , and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all , and upon as many as heard these things. And by the hands of were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in ’s porch. And of the rest durst no man join himself to them: but the people magnified them. And believers were the more added to , both of men and women.) Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of passing by might overshadow some of them. There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto , bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with : and they were healed every one. Then the rose up, and all they that were with him, (which is the sect of the ,) and were filled with , And on , and put them in the common prison. But by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in to the people all the words of this life. And when they heard that, they entered into early in the morning, and taught. But the came, and they that were with him, and called together, and all the senate of the , and sent to the prison to have them brought. 22But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within. Now when the and the captain of and the heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow. 25Then came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are standing in , and teaching the people. Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without : for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned. And when they had brought them, they set them before : and the asked them, Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s upon us. Then and the other answered and said, We ought to rather than men. The of our fathers up , whom ye slew and . Him hath exalted with his to be a Prince and a , for to give to Israel, and forgiveness of . And we are his of these things; and so is also the Ghost, whom hath given to them that him. When they heard that, they were cut to , and to them. Then stood there up one in , a , named , a doctor of , had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put forth a little space; And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men. For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as him, were scattered, and brought to nought. After this man rose up of in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also ; and all, even as many as him, were dispersed. And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of , ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against . And to him they agreed: and when they had called , and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of , and let them go. And they departed from the of , rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer for his name. And daily in , and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach .
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.
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.