RSV ~ Acts 8 Notes

Acts 8:1 | ISB Notes

scattered: Persecution pushes Christianity out of Jerusalem and into the surrounding regions of Judea and Samaria (8:25, 40), and even beyond the northern border of Palestine as far as Phoenicia, Syria, and the Mediterranean island of Cyprus (11:19). Far from driving believers into hiding, the dispersion launches a new phase of missionary activity (8:4). See note on Acts 1:8.

except the apostles: Jerusalem remained the center of apostolic presence and authority in the earliest years. The exemption of the apostles from this first persecution is explained by Gamali-el’s advice to the Sanhedrin in 5:38 to leave the leaders of the movement alone.

Acts 8:5 | ISB Notes

Philip: One of the seven deacons appointed in 6:5, later called “the evangelist” (21:8). Philip’s successful ministry in Samaria displays the power of the gospel to make friends of enemies: many accepted his message and came to him for Baptism, even though racial and religious tensions between Jews and Samaritans could be traced back several centuries. Jesus himself set the precedent for an outreach to the Samaritans in Lk 17:11-19 and Jn 4:7-42. See note on Lk 9:52.

Acts 8:9 | ISB Notes

Simon: Revered by the Samaritan masses as the embodiment of divine power (8:10). Beyond the narrative of Acts, Christian tradition calls him the father of heretics and the founder of Gnosticism. It is said that when Simon and his teaching eventually reached Rome, a statue was erected in his honor along the Tiber River with the inscription: “To Simon, the holy god”. Luke probably included this episode to alert readers that Simon and his devotees were not approved by the apostles.

practiced magic: This is the first of several episodes in Acts where Christianity triumphs over the magical and superstitious arts so prevalent in the ancient world (13:6-11; 16:16-18; 19:18-19).

Acts 8:14 | ISB Notes

received the word: Samaria’s enthusiasm in this episode is the mirror opposite of Lk 9:51-53.

Peter and John: The apostles are called to examine and endorse this new development of bringing the first non-Jews into the family of faith.

Acts 8:16 | ISB Notes

not yet fallen: A distinction is made in Acts between Baptism, which confers the Spirit in an invisible way (2:38), and the laying on of hands, which calls down the Spirit to manifest his presence in a visible and charismatic way (19:6).

• In the interpretive tradition of the Church, this deeper conferral of the Spirit through the imposition of hands is linked with Confirmation, a sacrament that follows Baptism and is integral to the process of Christian initiation. As in this episode, deacons (Philip) can baptize, but it belongs to the bishops (Peter and John) to bestow a fuller measure of the Spirit on the baptized by the laying on of hands (CCC 1288, 1313).

Acts 8:18 | ISB Notes

offered them money: Simon wanted to purchase the sacramental power of the apostles to confer the Spirit. He was interested, not in ministry, but in the miraculous. Simony is the sin of buying and selling ecclesiastical authority and takes its name from Simon and his self-centered motives (CCC 2121).

Acts 8:26 | ISB Notes

the road: It ran southwest from Jerusalem to the coastal city of Gaza, one of the last inhabited settlements before the desert stretch from Palestine to Egypt.

Acts 8:27 | ISB Notes

a eunuch: An emasculated court official, here specified as the treasurer of the Ethiopian kingdom in Africa.

Candace: Either the name or the title of the queen mother and royal matriarch of Ethiopia.

Jerusalem to worship: Judaism drew admirers from many places and nationalities in the ancient world. The eunuch falls into this category, but because of his physical condition he could not be circumcised, enter the Temple, or unite himself fully with the community of the Old Covenant.

• Although castration was an impediment to fellowship and membership in Israel (Deut 23:1), Isaiah envisioned a lifting of this restriction in the messianic age (Is 56:3-5). The dawning of this new age in Christ convinces Philip there is no longer anything to “prevent” the eunuch’s Baptism into the covenant family of God (8:36-38).

Acts 8:30 | ISB Notes

heard him: Reading aloud was customary in antiquity.

Acts 8:32-33 | ISB Notes

The eunuch is puzzled by the prophecy of Is 53:78 and the person to whom it refers (8:34).

• The passage comes from the song of the “Suffering Servant” in Is 52:13—53:12, which describes the rejection, humiliation, and murder of the Messiah by his own generation. In the midst of this tragedy, the Servant pours out his life willingly in sacrifice for human sin. Philip interprets the poem christologically, i.e., as a preview of the suffering and sacrifice of Christ (CCC 601).

Acts 8:39 | ISB Notes

caught up Philip: Sudden relocations by the Spirit were also experienced by the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16).

went on his way: According to the report of Irenaeus (A.D. 180), the eunuch returned home to become the first Christian to evangelize Ethiopia.

Acts 8:40 | ISB Notes

Azotus: Another name for the Philistine city of Ashdod, 20 miles north of Gaza. Nearly 55 miles up the coast from Azotus is Caesarea, the Roman capital of Judea, where Philip presumably stayed for several years (21:8).