ACC ~ Acts 1 v6 - 11

OVERVIEW:

This passage contains three points: the discussion of the “times and seasons” of the final restoration, the gift of the Holy Spirit with its consequent power to witness and the account of Jesus’ ascension. The Fathers examine the foolishness of calculating the time of events still to come. They also, like Luke, understand the importance of the Holy Spirit’s role in empowering the apostles and the whole church to witness. They do not seem, however, to be sensitive to the manner in which Luke announces the structure of his work with the statement that the witnessing of the apostles will reach “Judea” (Acts 1—7), “Samaria” (Acts 8—12) and the “end of the earth” (Acts 13—28). The teaching that Jesus, in his transformed humanity, is present with the Father is frequently found in the New Testament. Luke 24:51 and perhaps John 20:17 imply that the ascension took place on Easter day, while the passage in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8 requires a period of time between the resurrection and the ascension. Only Luke, however, specifies the date of the ascension as occurring forty days after the resurrection. The Fathers concentrate more on the fact of the transformed humanity of Christ and his return in that humanity “in the same way” as he went to heaven than on this dilemma, though, as we have seen above, Augustine did note it and applied another method to solve it.

1:6-7 | The Time of Restoration

THE FATHER’S AUTHORITY. CHRYSOSTOM: Without saying anything to him of the Holy Spirit, they put this question, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” They did not ask when, but whether it would be at this time, so eager were they to learn the day. But it seems to me they had no clear notion of the nature of that kingdom, for the Spirit had not yet instructed them. … For their affections were still formed by sensible objects. They had not yet become better than they were before. Thus from now on they had higher conceptions concerning Christ. Therefore, since their minds were elevated, he also speaks to them on a higher level. For he no longer tells them, “Not even the Son knows the day,” but says, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.” … Just as when we see a child crying and stubbornly wishing to take something from us that is not indispensable for him, we hide the thing, show him our empty hands and say, “See, we do not have it.” Likewise Christ acted also towards the apostles. And when the child, even after we have shown him our empty hands, continues to cry, knowing he has been deceived, we leave him with the excuse, “Someone is calling me,” and, in our desire to divert him from his first choice, we give him something else, which we tell him is wonderful, and then we hasten away. This is what Christ also did. The disciples asked to have something, and he said he did not have it. And on the first occasion he frightened them. When they asked a second time, again he said he did not have it, except now he did not frighten them, but, after showing his empty hands, he gave them a plausible reason, that “the Father has set it by his own authority.” HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 2.

RESPECT FOR THE DISCIPLES. CHRYSOSTOM: And this he says, because he was very careful to honor them and to conceal nothing from them. Therefore he refers it to his Father, both to make the matter awesome and to dispel further inquiry on what was said. If this were not the reason, but he is ignorant, when will he know? Will he only know at the same time we do? Who would say this? He knows the Father clearly, just as the Father knows the Son. Is he then ignorant of the day? Furthermore, “the Spirit searches everything, even the depth of God.” But are we to say that he does not even know the time of the judgment? But he knows how he must judge, and he understands the secrets of each. Was he to be ignorant of this, which is much more general? And, if “all things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being,” how was he ignorant of the day? For he who made the ages clearly made the times also, and if the times, then also the day. How, then, is he ignorant of what he made? HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW 77.1.

IT IS NOT FOR YOU TO KNOW. BEDE: He was telling them that the time of that kingdom is secret, that it is accessible only to the Father’s knowledge. And, when he said, “It is not for you to know,” he showed them that he himself also knew (since all things are his which are the Father’s), but that it would not be expedient for them, as mortals, to know. Thus, being always uncertain about the coming of the Judge, they should live every day as if the next day they were to be judged. COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 1.7.

KEEPING WATCH. EPHREM THE SYRIAN: “It is not for you to know times or seasons.” He has hidden that from us so that we might keep watch and that each of us might think that this coming would take place during our life. For, if the time of his coming were to be revealed, his coming would be in vain, and it would not have been desired by the nations and the ages in which it was to take place. He has indeed said that he will come, but he did not define when, and thus all generations and ages thirst for him. COMMENTARY ON TATIAN’S DIATESSARON.

WHY THE SON KNOWS. HILARY OF POITIERS: The Son is not lacking in the knowledge of anything that the Father knows, and the Son is not ignorant, because the Father alone knows, since the Father and the Son remain in the unity of the nature. What the Son, in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden, does not know is in harmony with the divine plan for maintaining silence. The Lord bore testimony to this when he replied to the apostles who had questioned him about the times, “It is not for you to know the times or dates which the Father has fixed by his own authority.”

The knowledge is denied them. Not only is it denied, but they are forbidden to be anxious about the knowledge, since it is not for them to know these times. Naturally, after the resurrection, they now interrogate him about the times, since they had been informed previously when they broached the question, that not even the Son knows, and they could not believe that the Son did not know in the literal meaning of the term, because they again question him as one who does not know. Since they are aware that the mystery of not knowing is according to the divine plan for maintaining silence, they conclude that now, after the resurrection, the time for speaking has at length arrived, and they bring forth their questions.

And the Son does not tell them that he does not know but that it is not for them to know, because the Father has settled this matter by his own authority. Consequently, if the apostles realize that this statement, that the Son does not know, is in keeping with the plan of salvation and is not a weakness, shall we assert that the Son, therefore, does not know the day because he is not God? God the Father has determined it by his own authority, therefore, in order that it may not come to the knowledge of our human comprehension, and the Son, when previously interrogated, had said that he did not know and now he does not make the same reply that he does not know, but that it is not for them to know, and that the Father, however, has decided upon these times not in his knowledge but in his authority. Since the day and moment are included in the idea of time, it is impossible to believe that the day and moment for restoring the kingdom of Israel is unknown to him who is to restore it. But, to lead us to the knowledge of his birth through the Father’s unique power, he answered that it was known to him and, while revealing that the right to acquire this knowledge had not been conferred on them, he declared that this knowledge itself is dependent upon the mystery of the Father’s authority. ON THE TRINITY 9.75.

THE UNITY OF THE GODHEAD. AMBROSE: But neither is the Father deceived nor does the Son deceive. It is the custom of the holy Scriptures to speak thus, as the examples I have already given, and many others testify, so that God feigns not to know what he does know. In this then a unity of Godhead and a unity of character is proved to exist in the Father and in the Son; seeing that, as God the Father hides what is known to him, so also the Son, who is the image of God in this respect, hides what is known to him. ON THE CHRISTIAN FAITH 5.17.218.

KNOWLEDGE OF THE KINGDOM. BASIL THE GREAT: That is to say, the knowledge of such a kingdom is not for them that are bound in flesh and blood. This contemplation the Father has put away in his own power, meaning by “power” those that are authorized, and by “his own” those who are not held down by the ignorance of things below. LETTER 8.7.

THE TRINITY POSSESSES UNFAILING KNOWLEDGE. CASSIODORUS: People did not realize what they should not know, and the Son of God was not in any sense unaware of this through weakness of the flesh. But if we were to suspect that the divine Majesty cloaked ignorance (a thing it would be irreverent to say), then that ignorance would be found stronger than the divine nature, and could—to speak foolishness—bring down the providence by which all things were created. But since we are taught that this is quite ridiculous, we must believe that the whole Trinity, whose nature is one and all-powerful, has always an unfailing knowledge of all things. EXPOSITION OF THE PSALMS 9.39.

1:8 | Worldwide Witnesses

IN THE RESURRECTION AND THE ASCENSION. CHRYSOSTOM: He had said earlier, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans.” What he did not say then, he added here, “and to the ends of the earth.” Having said this, which was more fearful than all the rest, he held his peace. “When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.” Do you see that they preached and fulfilled the gospel? For great was the gift he had bestowed upon them. In the very place, he says, where you are afraid, that is, in Jerusalem, preach there. And afterwards he added, “and to the ends of the earth.” Then again the proof of his words, “as they were watching, he was lifted up.” Not “as they were watching,” he rose from the dead, but “as they were watching, he was lifted up,” since the sight of their eyes was in no way all sufficient then. For they saw in the resurrection the end but not the beginning, and they saw in the ascension the beginning but not the end. HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 2.

GIFTS ARE FROM THE TRINITY. CHRYSOSTOM: And they did become witnesses by their miracles. This is so, for the grace of the Spirit is ineffable, and innumerable are his gifts. Moreover, this took place that you might learn that the gifts and the power of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit are one. What appears to be proper to the Father also belongs in reality to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. “How is it, then,” you will say, “that no one comes to the Son ‘unless the Father draw him’?” But this is shown to be true of the Son also, for he said, “I am the way; no one comes to the Father but through me.” And notice that the same thing is true of the Spirit also. For “No one can say, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord,’ except in the Holy Spirit.” And again, we are told that apostles have been given to the church, at one time by the Father, at another by the Son, and at another by the Holy Spirit, so we see that the varieties of gifts belong to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 86.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IS DIVINE. AMBROSE: And so, when the Lord appointed his servants the apostles, that we might recognize that the creature was one thing and the grace of the Spirit another, he appointed them to different places, because all could not be everywhere at once. But he gave the Holy Spirit to all, to shed upon the apostles though separated the gift of indivisible grace. The persons, then, were different, but the accomplishment of the working was in all one, because the Holy Spirit is one of whom it is said, “You shall receive power, even the Holy Spirit coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The Holy Spirit, then, is uncircumscribed and infinite, who infused himself into the minds of the disciples throughout the separate divisions of distant regions and the remote bounds of the whole world whom nothing is able to escape or to deceive. And therefore holy David says, “Where shall I go from your Spirit, or where shall I flee from your face?” Of what angel does the Scripture say this, of what dominion, of what power, of what angel do we find the power diffused over many? For angels were sent to few, but the Holy Spirit was poured upon whole peoples. Who, then, can doubt that that is divine which is shed upon many at once and is not seen; but that that is corporeal which is seen and held by individuals? ON THE HOLY SPIRIT 1.7.81-82.

1:9 | Christ Was Lifted Up

THE ELEMENTS SERVE HIM. ARATOR: [And] let us commend the manner of his rule through the powers that are subject to him: born of a virgin mother, rising again by treading upon death, seeking the scepter of heaven. He announces [such] deeds by these [angelic] servants. Nor do the elements cease to serve their thunderer. In his honor as he is coming, a star does service as a soldier, going before the magi. A cloud waits upon him in obedience as he goes. ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 1.

THE CLOUD A SYMBOL OF HEAVEN. CHRYSOSTOM: Why “a cloud took him”? This is another indication that he ascended to heaven. Not fire, as in the case of Elijah, nor a fiery chariot, but “a cloud took him.” This was a symbol of heaven, according to the words of the prophet, “who makes the clouds his chariot,” meaning the Father himself. Because of this he says, “on a cloud,” implying, “in the symbol of the divine power,” for no other power could dwell upon a cloud. Listen again to what another prophet says: “The Lord is riding upon a swift cloud.” HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 2.

THE OBEDIENCE OF CREATION. BEDE: Everywhere creation offers obedient service to its Creator. The stars indicated his birth; clouds overshadowed him in his suffering, received him in his ascension, and they will accompany him when he returns for the judgment. COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 1.9B.

FLESH CAN RISE. PSEUDO-JUSTIN: And when they were by every kind of proof persuaded that it was himself [resurrected], and in the body, they asked him to eat with them, that they might thus still more accurately ascertain that he had truly risen bodily; and he did eat honeycomb and fish. And when he had thus shown them that there is truly a resurrection of the flesh, he also wished to show them that it is not impossible for flesh to ascend into heaven (as he had said that our dwelling place is in heaven), so “he was taken up into heaven while they beheld,” just as he was in the flesh. If, therefore, after all that has been said, any one demand demonstration of the resurrection, he is in no respect different from the Sadducees, since the resurrection of the flesh is the power of God, and, being above all reasoning, is established by faith and seen in works. FRAGMENTS OF THE LOST WORK OF JUSTIN ON THE RESURRECTION 9.

1:11 | Taken to Heaven

THE REASONS FOR THE ANGELS’ APPEARANCE. BEDE: The angels appeared to the disciples for two reasons, namely, to console them in their sorrow at his ascension by reminding them of his return and to show that he had truly gone to heaven, not merely apparently so, as in the case of Elijah. COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 1.11A.

HE WILL COME IN THE BODY. CHRYSOSTOM: Now, as they watched, their conceptions were elevated. He gave them not merely a subtle hint of the nature of his second coming. For this phrase—“thus he will come”—means with the body. This is what they desired to hear. And concerning the judgment he said again that he will come in this same way upon a cloud. HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 2.

COMING IN GLORY. BEDE: He will come to judge in the same form and substance of a body in which he had come to be judged [by Pilate]. To him God truly gave, and did not take away, an immortal nature. His eternal and divine glory, which once was manifested to three of his disciples on a mountain, will be seen by all the saints with the accomplishment of the judgment, when the wicked person will be removed so that he may not see the glory of God. COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 1.11B.

A TRANSFORMED BODY. AUGUSTINE: How did they see him go? In the flesh which they touched, which they felt, the scars of which they even probed by touching; in that body in which he went in and out with them for forty days, manifesting himself to them in truth, not in any falsity; not as an apparition, not as a shadow, not as a spirit, but as he himself said, not deceiving, “Handle and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you see me to have.” Now, indeed, that body is worthy of a heavenly dwelling place, not subject to death, not changeable through ages. For as he had grown to that age from infancy, so he does not decline to old age from the age which was young adulthood. He remains as he ascended. He is going to come to those to whom, before he comes, he wanted his word to be preached. So, therefore, he will come in a human form. The ungodly, too, will see this. Those placed to the right will see it too; those separated to the left will see it too, as it was written, “They shall see him whom they have pierced.” If they will see him whom they have pierced, they will see the same body which they thrust through with a spear; [for] the Word is not struck by a spear. Therefore, the ungodly will be able to see this very one whom they were also able to wound. They will not see the God lying hidden in the body; after the judgment he will be seen by those who will be on the right. This, therefore, is why he said, “The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son,” because the Son will come, clearly visible, to the judgment, appearing in human body to human beings, saying to those on the right, “Come, blessed of my Father, receive the kingdom”; saying to those on the left, “Go into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.” TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 21.13.2-4.

CHRIST STILL HAS FLESH. CHRYSOSTOM: In us “after the flesh” implies our being in sins; “not after the flesh” implies not being in sins. In Christ, however, “after the flesh” implies his being subject to the affections of nature, such as thirst, hunger, weariness, sleep. (For “he committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” Therefore he also said, “Which of you convicts me of sin?” and again, “The ruler of this world is coming, and he has no power over me.”) For him the phrase “not after the flesh,” then, means being freed from even these things, not being without flesh. For indeed with the flesh he comes to judge the world, with a flesh that is impassible and unmixed. We too will advance toward this, when our body conforms “to the body of his glory.” HOMILIES ON 2 CORINTHIANS 11.3.

CHRIST’S HUMAN NATURE IS LIMITED. THEODORET OF CYR: Now they saw his nature as limited. For I have heard the words of the Lord, “You shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven,” and I acknowledge that what is seen by human eyes is limited, for the unlimited nature is invisible. Furthermore to sit upon a throne of glory and to set the lambs upon the right and the kids upon the left indicates limitation. DIALOGUE 2.