This is a continuation of my consideration of the many wonders (τέρατα, a form of τέρας) and miraculous signs (σημεῖα, a form of σημεῖον) which came about by the apostles.¹ I’ll continue to use the knowledge gleaned from the translation of Exodus 4:21 and 4:8, 9 in the Septuagint to analyze the miraculous sign as “the thing itself,” and distinguish it from “the wonder, the voice of the sign, the effect it has on those who witness the sign.”²

Luke described an early practice of the Jerusalem church (Acts 4:32-37 NET):

The group of those who believed were of one heart³ and mind (ψυχὴ),⁴ and no one said that any of his⁵ possessions was his own, but everything was held in common. With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all. For there was⁶ no one needy among them because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales and placing them at the apostles’ feet. The proceeds were distributed⁷ to each, as anyone had need. So Joseph,⁸ a Levite who was a native of Cyprus, called by⁹ the apostles Barnabas (which is translated “son of encouragement”), sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and placed it at¹⁰ the apostles’ feet.

Barnabas (Joseph, Joses) will play a larger role later in Luke’s narrative. It is not too difficult to imagine why a believing Levite became a “son of encouragement” (NET) or The son of consolation (KJV) to the apostles as their faith was persecuted by their rulers, elders, and experts in the law…in Jerusalem.¹¹ Here, he demonstrated by his behavior his participation as a member in good standing in this early practice of the Jerusalem church.

To translate ψυχὴ mind, however, rather than soul or life, seems disingenuous to me. While it conveys the idea that this was a spontaneous reaction to the indwelling Holy Spirit in a particular cultural context, it completely masks the apparent, if not inherent, falseness of this specific belief. I might go so far as to translate ψυχὴ person here. I may be a rabid anti-communist or overly individualistic. Still, I don’t believe that the indwelling Holy Spirit creates God-clones, but a wondrous plethora of godly individuals.¹²

Luke’s narrative continued (Acts 5:1-4 NET):

Now a man named Ananias, together with Sapphira¹³ his wife, sold a piece of property. He kept back for himself part of the proceeds with his¹⁴ wife’s knowledge;¹⁵ he brought only part of it and placed it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter¹⁶ said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie (ψεύσασθαι, a form of ψεύδομαι) to the Holy Spirit and keep back for yourself¹⁷ part of the proceeds from the sale of the land? Before it was sold, did it not belong to you? And when it was sold, was the money not at your disposal? How have you thought up this deed in your heart? You have not lied (ἐψεύσω, another form of ψεύδομαι) to people but to God!”

When Ananias¹⁸ heard these words he collapsed and died, and great fear gripped all who heard about it.¹⁹

The miraculous sign is Ananias’ death in response to Peter’s words. The wonder is the fear it caused in all who heard, more on that later. Clearly, I would be thinking completely differently about Peter’s words if Ananias had scoffed and walked away, but given his death, it is Peter’s knowledge of, and from, the Holy Spirit that captures my attention.

He knew the secret that Ananias had kept back for himself part of the proceeds.²⁰ With that knowledge alone I might have taken his lie more personally. Peter knew Ananias’ heart as well, that he had not lied to people but to God,²¹ that Satan filled [his] heart (τὴν καρδίαν σου) to lie to the Holy Spirit.²² Peter’s words conveyed Godly judgment rather than man’s judgment.

Luke’s narrative continued (Acts 5:6-11 NET):

So the young men came, wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him. After an interval of about three hours, his wife came in, but she did not know what had happened. Peter²³ said to her,²⁴ “Tell me, were the two of you paid this amount for the land?” Sapphira said, “Yes, that much.” Peter then told²⁵ her, “Why have you agreed together to test (πειράσαι, a form of πειράζω) the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!” At once she collapsed at his feet and died. So when the young men came in, they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. Great fear gripped the whole church and all who heard about these things.

Luke described some of the results of this fear (Acts 5:12-14 NET):

Now many miraculous signs (σημεῖα, a form of σημεῖον) and wonders (τέρατα, a form of τέρας) came about among the people through the hands of the apostles. By common consent they were all meeting together in Solomon’s Portico [Table]. None of the rest dared to join them, but the people held them in high honor. More and more believers in the Lord were added to their number, crowds of both men and women.

This is a brilliant description of the fear of the Lord: Those whom Jesus drew to Himself at this particular time were added to their number. None of the rest dared to join them. Though it is a little difficult to come to a definitive meaning for ἐμεγάλυνεν αὐτοὺς (NET: held them in high honor) in this context, it’s clear that believers were not being bad-mouthed by the people who feared to join them.

I have very little to say about Ananias and Sapphira, except to compare their decision to lie to the Holy Spirit and to test the Spirit of the Lord to Judah’s son Onan’s decision:

Granted, apart from the story of Ananias and Sapphira, I would have judged Onan by outward appearance. I wouldn’t have attributed his death to his own decision to lie to the Holy Spirit and to test the Spirit of the Lord. But the fact that Onan isn’t remembered for that decision helps me extrapolate the false wonder; namely, any attribution of the death of Ananias and Sapphira to anything other than their own decision to lie to the Holy Spirit and to test the Spirit of the Lord that might hinder those whom Jesus is drawing to Himself or encourage those who should fear to join the group of believers at any particular time.

Luke continued (Acts 5:15, 16 NET):

Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and put them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow would fall on some of them. A crowd of people from the towns around Jerusalem also came together, bringing the sick and those troubled by unclean spirits. They were all being healed [Table].

Who were they who carried the sick out into the streets? The translation they appears to be assumed from the verb ἐκφέρειν, an active infinitive form of ἐκφέρω. The nearest antecedent is πλήθη ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ γυναικῶν (NET: crowds of both men and women).²⁶ I admit I had associated these crowds of both men and women with the More and more believers in the Lord…added to their number.²⁷ Their activity, however, sounds more like the vain hero-worship of those who feared to join the believers.

After the Lord healed a man born lame (Acts 3:1-10), Peter declared (Acts 3:12-21 NET):

Men of Israel, why are you amazed at this? Why do you stare at us as if we had made this man walk by our own power or piety? [Table] The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate after he had decided to release him [Table]. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a man who was a murderer be released to you. You killed the Originator of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this fact we are witnesses! And on the basis of faith in Jesus’ name, his very name has made this man—whom you see and know—strong. The faith that is through Jesus has given him this complete health in the presence of you all. And now, brothers, I know you acted in ignorance, as your rulers did too. But the things God foretold long ago through all the prophets—that his Christ would suffer—he has fulfilled in this way. Therefore repent and turn back so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and so that he may send the Messiah appointed for you—that is, Jesus [Table]. This one heaven must receive until the time all things are restored, which God declared from times long ago through his holy prophets [Table].

In the end, however, it doesn’t seem to have mattered whether it was believers are those who feared to join them who carried the sick out into the streets: They were all being healed.²⁸ My tears flowed at this outpouring of God’s grace, knowing from history what will come upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem who ignore Jesus’ warning to flee.²⁹

Jesus had said (John 14:10b-12 NET):

The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, but the Father residing in me performs his miraculous deeds (τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ) [Table]. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, but if you do not believe me, believe because of the miraculous deeds themselves [Table]. I tell you the solemn truth, the person who believes in me will perform the miraculous deeds that I am doing, and will perform greater deeds than these because I am going to the³⁰ Father.

This indiscriminate multiplication of miraculous deeds of healing seems wholly designed to give every opportunity for repentance to those whose prejudice incites their rejection of Jesus’ person. Luke’s narrative continued (Acts 5:17, 18 NET):

Now the high priest rose up, and all those with him (that is, the religious party of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy. They laid hands on the apostles and put them in a public jail [Table].

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Jesus said, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it!³¹

Luke’s narrative continued (Acts 5:19-26 NET):

But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said [Table], “Go and stand in the temple courts and proclaim to the people all the words of this life” (πάντα τὰ ρήματα τῆς ζωῆς ταύτης). When they heard this, they entered the temple courts at daybreak and began teaching.

Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin—that is, the whole high council of the Israelites—and sent to the jail to have the apostles brought before them. But the officers who came for them did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported, “We found the jail³² locked securely and the guards standing³³ at³⁴ the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.” Now when the³⁵ commander of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this report, they were greatly puzzled concerning it, wondering what this could be. But someone came and reported to them,³⁶ “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts and teaching the people!” Then the commander of the temple guard went with the officers and brought³⁷ the apostles without the use of force (for they were afraid of being stoned³⁸ by the people).

The officers’ fear adds some weight to the NET translation of ἐμεγάλυνεν αὐτοὺς: held them in high honor.³⁹ This apparent tug-of-war between the apostles and the rulers in Jerusalem is the outworking of Jesus’ promise (John 12:31, 32 NET):

Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.

Paul explained to Gentile believers (Romans 11:25b-32 NET):

A partial hardening has happened to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in [Table]. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Deliverer will come out of Zion;
he will remove ungodliness from Jacob [Table].
And this is my covenant with them,
when I take away their sins.”⁴⁰

In regard to the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but in regard to election they are dearly loved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable. Just as you were formerly disobedient to God, but have now received mercy due to their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy [Table]. For God has consigned all people to disobedience so that he may show mercy to them all.

And Jesus prophesied over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37-39 NET):

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it! [Table] Look, your house is left to you desolate! For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’

I’ll continue with this in another essay. According to a note (21) in the NET Paul quoted from Isaiah 59:20, 21. A table comparing the Greek of Romans 11:26b, 27a with that of Isaiah 59:20, 21 in the Septuagint follows.

Tables comparing Genesis 38:8; 38:9 and 38:10 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and comparing Genesis 38:8; 38:9 and 38:10 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek, and tables comparing the Greek of Acts 4:32; 4:34-37; 5:1-3; 5:5; 5:8, 9; John 14:12 and Acts 5:23-26 in the NET and KJV follow.