Stephen had blasphemed against Moses and against God; and they carried him before the council of the high-priest. There Stephen again preached the power of Jesus Christ; reminding the Jews of their past history, of the mercies of God to them, and of the madness with which their fathers had ever persecuted the prophets. And they were cut to the heart: and they gnashed with their teeth at him. But he being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said: Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God. And they crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and with one accord rushed in violently upon him. And having cast him out of the city, they stoned him : and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, invoking, and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And kneeling down, he cried out with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. And Saul was consenting to his death. The death of Stephen was the signal for a fierce persecution of all the Christians in Jerusalem; they dispersed themselves throughout Judea and Samaria, the apostles alone remaining at Jerusalem. Saul was distinguished among the bloodiest persecutors; and he went from house to house, and dragged men and women alike to prison. Meanwhile this persecution at Jerusalem became the means of the spread of the Gospel into many places throughout the country. In Samaria, Philip the deacon converted great numbers of men and women; among the rest Simon, a man who had practised magic, and deceived many people. All these Philip baptised; and afterwards the apostles Peter and John came down from Jerusalem, and confirmed the new converts by laying on of hands. And when Simon saw, that by the imposition of the hands of the apostles the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, saying: Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I shall lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said to him: May thy money perish with thee: because thou hast esteemed the gift of God to be purchased with money. Thou hast no part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Do penance, therefore, from this thy wickedness: and pray to God, that perhaps this thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee: for I see thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity. Then Simon answering, said: Pray you to the Lord for me, that none of these things which you have said may come upon me. And Peter and John then returned to Jerusalem, preaching as they went to many cities of the Samaritans. And an angel appeared to Philip, and bade him go down to the Southern country, between Jerusalem and Gaza. And he went. And there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch, of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge over all her treasures, had come to Jerusalem to adore. And he was returning, sitting on his chariot, and reading Isaias the prophet. And the Spirit said to Philip: Go near, and join thyself to that chariot. And Philip running thither, heard him reading the Prophet Isaias: and he said: Thinkest thou that thou understandest what thou readest? he said: How can I, unless some one shew me? And he desired Philip to come up, and sit with him. And the place of the Scripture, which he read, was this: As a sheep He was led to the slaughter: and like a lamb without a voice before his shearer, so opened He not His mouth. In humility His judgment was taken away. Who shall declare His generation; for His life shall be taken away from the earth. And the eunuch, answering Philip, said: I beseech thee, of whom doth the prophet speak this? of himself, or of some other? Philip, opening his mouth, and beginning at that Scripture, preached to him Jesus. And as they went on the way, they came to a certain water: and the eunuch saith: See; here is water; what hindereth me from being baptised? And Philip said: If thou believest And with thy whole heart, thou mayest. And he answering, said: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch; and he baptised him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord took away Philip and the eunuch saw him no more. And he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found in Azotus; and passing through, he preached the Gospel to all the cities, till he came to Cesarea. CHAP. V. The Conversion of Saul. DURING this time Saul, who had assisted at the murder of Stephen, continued breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples, and went to the highpriest, and asked of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues; that if he found any men and women of this way, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. And as he went on his journey, it came to pass, that he drew near to Damascus: and suddenly a light from heaven shined round about him. And falling on the ground, he heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute Me? And he said: Who art Thou, Lord? And He said: I am Jesus, whom thou dost persecute it is hard for thee to kick against the goad. And he, trembling and astonished, said: Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? And the Lord said to him: Arise, and go into the city; and there it shall be told thee what thou must do. Now the men, who went in company with him, stood amazed, hearing indeed a voice, but seeing no one. And Saul arose from the ground; and his eyes being open, he saw nothing. But they leading him by the hands, brought him into Damascus. And he was there three days, without sight: and he neither eat nor drank. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, by name Ananias: and the Lord said to him in a vision : Ananias. And he said: Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said to him: Arise, and go into the street, that is called Strait; and seek, in the house of Judas, one named Saul of Tarsus; for, behold, he prayeth. (And he saw a man named Ananias coming in, and laying his hands upon him, that he might receive his sight.) But Ananias answered: Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how great evils he hath done to Thy saints in Jerusalem and here he hath authority from the chief priests, to bind all that invoke Thy name. And the Lord said to him: Go; for this man is a vessel of election to Me, to carry My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for the sake of My name. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and laying his hands on him, he said: Saul, brother, the Lord Jesus hath sent me, He who appeared to thee in the way as thou camest, that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it were scales and he received his sight; and rising up, he was baptised. And when he had taken meat, he was strengthened. : And he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, for some days. And immediately he preached Jesus in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. And all were astonished that heard him, and said: Is not this he who in Jerusalem attacked violently those who called upon that name; and came hither for this purpose, that he might lead them bound to the chief priests? But Saul increased much more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt at Damascus, affirming that this is the Christ. And when many days were passed, the Jews consulted together to kill him. But their laying in wait was made known to Saul. And they guarded the gates also day and night, that they might kill him. But the disciples taking him by night, conveyed him away by the wall, letting him down in a basket. And when he was come into Jerusalem, he offered to join himself to the disciples; and all were afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and related to them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that He had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had acted confidently in the name of Jesus. And he was with them coming in and going out in Jerusalem, and acting confidently in the name of the Lord. He spoke also to the Gentiles, and disputed with the Grecians : but they sought to kill him. Which when the brethren had known, they brought him down to Cesarea, and sent him away to Tarsus. CHAP. VI. Peter heals Eneas, and raises Tabitha to life. THE Church now had rest and peace for a while. And Peter went about consoling and instructing the disciples, and working great wonders amongst them. He healed Eneas of Lydda, who had been confined to his bed for eight years with the palsy, at Joppe; and raised to life Tabitha (called also Dorcas), a woman of great piety and charity to the poor. While he remained in Joppe, it pleased God to call in the Gentiles to the Church; for hitherto the Gospel had been preached only in Judea and Samaria. In Ĉesarea dwelt a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the band which is called the Italian. A religious man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always: he saw in a vision manifestly, about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of God coming in to him, and saying to him: Cornelius. And he beholding him, being seized with fear, said: What is it, Lord? And He said to him: Thy prayers and thy alms have ascended for a memorial in the sight of God. And now send men to Joppe, and call hither one Simon, who is surnamed Peter: he lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea-side: he shall tell thee what thou must do. And when the angel who spoke to him was departed, he called two of his household servants, and a soldier |