ACC ~ Acts 28 v1 - 6

OVERVIEW:

This passage and the following one, which describe the sojourn of the company at Malta, are once again centered on Paul and the works the Lord does through him. The inhabitants of the island welcome them warmly, but when Paul is bitten by a viper they conclude that Justice (dikē), who somehow failed in her mission to destroy this evil man in the shipwreck, is now killing him through a snake. When nothing unfortunate happens to him they conclude he is a god. This incident may be alluding to the saying of Jesus found at Mark 16:18. Eusebius sees in Paul’s time on Malta the fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah, and he provides a master narrative of the steady spread of the gospel. Other Fathers offer more detailed comments. Chrysostom tries to locate the change of perspective in the Maltese from compassion to condemnation to belief. Paul’s humanity is at first evident from his subjugation to both the elements and other people: his guilt then seems apparent from the snake bite, and his immunity to harm reverses these prior judgments. Bede and Arator interpret the events allegorically. Bede reads the narrative as an outward manifestation of inner virtues or of general principles of how the devil (the snake) attacks. Arator has an intriguing interpretation. For him, too, the snake is the devil, and this event is a sign that the devil never learns but continues to try his same tactics. Wisdom of Solomon 2 seems to be lurking behind some commentators’ interpretations (BEDE, THEODORET, BASIL) and specifically Wisdom of Solomon 2:23-24: “God created man for incorruption and made him in the image of his own eternity, but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it.” Bede makes explicit mention of how the envy of the impious is the motivation for their attacks against the good. Basil and Theodoret see the impotence of the serpent’s venom as the effect of faith that brings incorruption not just to the soul but in its fullness to the body as well. Ammonius manages to sum up all these thoughts quite succinctly: we are called to be as God, and no matter the schemes that the envious plot who have no idea what God is up to. The only thing that is truly to be feared is infidelity to God. The divinization of humanity is even grasped, though inaccurately, in the way that the pagans developed their pantheon by exalting exceptional humans to the status of divinities.

28:1 | The Island Was Called Malta

HOW THE GOSPEL TAKES PASSAGE THROUGH THE SEA. EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA: “And they shall be scattered on the merchant ships of foreigners and together plunder the sea.” For they, in their wanderings among the nations, had to make use of the passage through the sea, just as though they were flying on it, they made a swift course through the sea so that they might proclaim the gospel to most nations in a short time. Sometimes they went by foot, sometimes through the sea, but instead of employing Jewish ship captains, they hired those who had received the message of Christ. At the same time, they plundered the sea, that is the islands, through which they passed and made known to their inhabitants the salvific teaching. So you may understand this passage, here is one example. The apostle Paul, being one of those whom this passage prophesies, took a course through the sea on his way to Rome, and when he was shipwrecked on the island called Malta he worked a miracle of great astonishment to the inhabitants, and by healing the physically ill, he so amazed the onlookers that he plundered many and drew them to the salvific teaching. COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 1.63.

28:2 | Unusual Kindness

THE KINDNESS OF THE BARBARIANS. CHRYSOSTOM: The Jews, who saw so many miracles, persecuted and harassed Paul. The barbarians, on the other hand, saw none and were kind to him solely because of his misfortune. “No doubt,” they said, “this man is a murderer.” They did not simply pronounce their judgment but added, “No doubt,” as if this was clear for anyone to see. “Justice,” they say, “has not allowed him to live.” So they too had an account of providence. These barbarians were far closer to truth than the philosophers. The latter did not allow providence to extend to the sphere below the moon. The former believed that God was present everywhere and that, even if one should escape many dangers, he would not escape in the end. Still, they do not make it their business to bring him to this end but respect him for now on account of his misfortune. They do not broadcast their judgment but only speak to each other. For the chains led them to suspect this. And yet they were prisoners. Let those be ashamed who say, “Do not do good to those in prison.” Let us feel shame before the barbarians. For they did not know who those men were, only that they were human beings from their misfortune. HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 54.

28:3 | A Bundle of Sticks and a Viper

ANOTHER DISPLAY OF HIS HUMAN NATURE. CHRYSOSTOM: See how active [Paul] is, how he never works miracles simply for the sake of it but only in time of need. In the storm, when there was a reason, he prophesied, and it was not simply for the sake of prophesying. Here too, he puts sticks on the fire, not for vain display but to save them and to enjoy some warmth. HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 54.

THE FIRE OF CHARITY. BEDE: When the apostle came out of the sea, he kindled a fire on account of the cold, for with the heat of love he warmed the hearts of those whom by his teaching he had saved from the waves of the tempests. For the sticks are any things said in his exhortations which, having the power to enkindle charity, are plucked from the fullness of the Scriptures as though they were cut from sprigs of foliage. COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 28.3A.

DEMONS ATTACK THE TEACHERS OF TRUTH. BEDE: Because an unclean spirit is driven out of the hearts of the faithful by the flame of the virtues, it strives to pour out the venom of its persecutions on teachers of the truth, so that it can in this way wound their hand, that is, hinder the work of spiritual teaching. COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 28.3B.

THE DEVIL’S WAYS NOT CHANGED. ARATOR: You wickedly hurtful serpent, why do you still wish to call [us] back from the Lord and contrive your old pillaging on the newness of the law? O lover of death, whose very parent you are, why do you renew your warfare upon the redeemed? You come as a plunderer, but you lie there as plunder, and, bringing death [from a tree], you are destroyed by the branches of a second tree, O evil one, and since the cross of Christ, death is your portion of the wood. ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 2.

THE FULL ARMOR OF VIRTUE. THEODORET OF CYR: And so the viper, which drove its teeth into the apostle’s hand, since it did not find any entry of sin in him, immediately released him and threw itself into the fire by inflicting on itself a punishment, because it had made an attack against an impenetrable body. Therefore let us fear the beasts, if we do not possess the full armor of virtue. CATENA ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 28.3.

FEAR LESS THE BEASTS THAN FAITHLESSNESS. BASIL THE GREAT: The beasts prove your faith. Do you believe in the Lord? “You will tread upon the asp and the adder, you trample down the lion and the serpent.” And you have the power to walk over snakes and scorpions. Don’t you see that the snake that bit Paul as he gathered sticks did him no harm, since the holy man was found to be full of faith. If you have no faith, fear less the beast than your own faithlessness through which you make yourself susceptible to every type of corruption. HOMILIES ON THE HEXAEMERON 9.6.

28:4 | Paul Thought to Be a Murderer

CONDEMNATION PAVES THE WAY FOR TRUTH. CHRYSOSTOM: “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.” This was permitted for a good reason. They were to see the thing and utter the thought, so that when it took place, the miracle would not be disbelieved. See how respectfully they speak among themselves, how natural judgment is clearly expressed even among barbarians, and how they did not condemn without giving a reason. HOMILIES ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 54.

28:5 | Paul Suffered No Harm

THE DEVIL’S ENVY. BEDE: He burned up the beast in the same fire by which he provides them [his companions] with warmth. The saints advance by the same virtues that are the downfall of the impious and their instigator because of their envy. As the prophet says, “Zeal lays hold on an uneducated people, and now fire consumes enemies.” COMMENTARY ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 28.5.

28:6 | They Changed Their Minds

WHY THEY THOUGHT PAUL DIVINE. AMMONIUS: “He, however, shook off the creature into the fire.” The faithful are superior to any scheme, either if it is planned by people or beasts, and they are similar to gods, as Scripture says: “I say, ‘You are gods; nevertheless, you shall die,’ because of infidelity, ‘like mortals.’” So the barbarians, seeing that [Paul] did not die but escaped from certain death, considered him to be a god, as they used to consider anyone that performed miracles to be a god. And in this manner they named their ancient gods, either because of the excellence of their strength, which they saw to be superior to theirs, as in the case of Hercules, son of Semele, or because of their magical arts, which raised the admiration of the spectators, as in the case of Simon in Samaria. CATENA ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 28.5.