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While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus and found certain disciples.
Verse 1. Disciples. These were apparently disciples of Saint John the Baptist, who believed in Christ from his testimony, and had received no farther instruction, nor any baptism but John’s. Calmet.
He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They said to him, “No, we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
Verse 2. Saint Paul first inquires of them, if they have received the Holy Ghost by confirmation. Their answer is probably not to be interpreted with rigour; since they must have heard something of the holy Spirit, so often mentioned in the Old Testament, by whom the prophets are said to speak, and so forth They meant, they did not know there was in the Church, any means of communicating this Spirit to the faithful. Idem.
He said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.”
Paul said, “John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Christ Jesus.”
NU omits Christ.
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Verse 5. Baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, so called to distinguish it from the baptism of John; and that of Christ was given in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, according to the command of Christ himself. Witham.
When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them and they spoke with other languages and prophesied.
Verse 6. Imposed his hands on them, by which imposition of hands, was given the Holy Ghost in the sacrament of confirmation. Witham.
They were about twelve men in all.
He entered into the synagogue and spoke boldly for a period of three months, reasoning and persuading about the things concerning God’s Kingdom.
But when some were hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the multitude, he departed from them and separated the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus.
This continued for two years, so that all those who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.