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As the lame man who was healed held on to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the porch that is called Solomon’s, greatly wondering.
Verse 11. As he held Peter and John. That is, kept close by them, and with them, out of joy and gratitude. Witham.
When Peter saw it, he responded to the people, “You men of Israel, why do you marvel at this man? Why do you fasten your eyes on us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made him walk?
Verse 12. Peter seeing, made answer to the people. This is the second sermon, that is related, which, as Saint John Chrysostom observes, was spoken publicly in the temple.—Why look you upon us? Saint Peter, at the beginning takes care to give the glory to God. Witham.
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had determined to release him.
Verse 13. Who does not admire, in this second discourse of Saint Peter, as well as in his first, the prudence and discretion, with which he blames the Jews? He reproaches them, but with such mildness, as not to offend them, and dispenses to them truths in proportion to their capacity to bear them; after the example of his master and Saviour, he sweetens the bitterness of the truth, by furnishing them with an excuse. They sinned through ignorance. Calmet.
But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
Verse 14–15. The just one, and the holy one, even the author of life you killed: he that is the just one promised, the Messias, the Son of God, and true God. Witham.
and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, to which we are witnesses.
Verse 14–15. The just one, and the holy one, even the author of life you killed: he that is the just one promised, the Messias, the Son of God, and true God. Witham.
By faith in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which is through him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.
“Now, brothers, I know that you did this in ignorance, as did also your rulers.
Verse 17. You did it through ignorance, but such as could not excuse the chief of you. Witham.
The word for “brothers” here may be also correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”
But the things which God announced by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled.
“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, so that there may come times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord,
and that he may send Christ Jesus, who was ordained for you before,
Verse 20. The times of refreshment. The time of eternal rest and happiness, and so forth—These words, you may be saved, must be understood, to make the sense complete. Witham.
whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God spoke long ago by the mouth of his holy prophets.
Verse 21. Whom heaven indeed must receive, as also in the Prot. translation not contain: nor can any argument be drawn from hence, that Christ’s body cannot be truly at the same time in the holy Sacrament, especially after a different manner. The true sense of these words is, that heaven is the place of Christ’s abode, till the day of judgment, and that it was in vain for them to think that he would come to take possession of any temporal kingdom. Witham.—The restitution of all things. Jesus remains in heaven, till his second coming to judge the living and the dead. That is the great day, when every thing shall be finally settled, and restored to its proper order. He shall avenge the injuries done to God; restore peace to the afflicted just men of the earth, and justice to their persecutors. He shall exalt his Church, and himself receive the homage of adoration, from every tribe of men. Calmet.—See 2 Peter 3:13 which text, together with what we read in this place, joins inseparably the last coming of Jesus Christ, with the universal re-establishment promised in both these passages, and completely excludes the Millennium, which some erroneously expect to take place between the accomplishment of the first and second of these events. See Bossuet’s reflexions on the 20th ch. of the Apocalypse, where the errors of many Protestant writers, especially of Dodwell, are refuted. To shew that the error of the Millennium cannot be assigned as a general cause which impelled the primitive Christians to martyrdom, it will suffice to produce this decisive passage of S. Justin, who after Papias, was the first supporter of that system: speaking to Tryphon concerning this temporal kingdom, which Christ was to enjoy here below, in the re-established Jerusalem with the saints risen from the dead, for a thousand years, he says: “I have already confessed that many others, with myself, were of this opinion; … but there are many others, and persons of sound faith, and exemplary conduct, who reject this opinion.” In dialog. cum Tryph. n. 84.—Clement of Alexandria, S. Cyprian, and Origen, lay down principles diametrically opposite to this system. It has also been expressly combated by Caius, and S. Denis of Alexandria, one of the greatest luminaries of the third century, as we learn from Eusebius, and S. Jerom.