Original Douay Rheims Bible (1582 & 1610)

The Actes of the Apostles

The 2. part.
The comming of the Holy Ghost and beginning of the Church in Hierusalem.
The Holy Ghost comming to the Faithful vpon whitsunday, 5. Iewes in Hierusalem of al Nations doe wonder to heare them speake al tongues. 14. And Peter to the deriders declareth, that it is not drunkennes, but the Holy Ghost, which Ioel did prophecie of, which Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ (whom they crucified) being now risen againe and ascended (as he sheweth also out of the Scriptures) hath powred out from Heauen: concluding therfore that he is Cʜʀɪꜱᴛ, and they most horrible murderers. 37. Whereat they being compunct, and submitting themselues, he telleth them that they must be baptized, and then they also shal receiue the same Holy Ghost, as being promised to al the baptized. 41. And so 3000 are baptized that very day. 42. whose godly exercises are here reported, and also their liuing state of perfection. The Apostles worke many miracles, and God daily increaseth the number of the Church.
1. The Epistle vpon whitsunday. * Act. 1,4. AND when the daies of Pentecost were accomplished, they were al together in one place: 2. and sodenly there was made a sound from Heauen, as of a vehement wind comming, & it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3. And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were * Mat. 3,11. of fire, and it sate vpon euery one of them: 4. and they were al replenished with the * Iohn 7,39. Holy Ghost, and they began to speake with diuerse tongues according as the Holy Ghost gaue them to speake. 5. And there were dwelling at Hierusalem Iewes, deuout men of euery Nation that is vnder Heauen. 6. And when his voice was made, the multitude came together, and was astonished in mind, because euery man heard them speake in his owne tongue. 7. And they were al amased, and marueled saying: Are not, loe, al these that speake, Galilæans, 8. and how haye we heard, each man our owne tongue wherein we were borne? 9. Parthians, & Medians, & Elamites, & that inhabite Mesopotamia, Iewrie, & Capadocia, Pontus, and Asia, 10. Phrygia, and Pamphilia, Ægypt & the partes of Lybia that is about Cyrenee, & strangers of Rome, 11. Iewes also, and Proselytes, Cretensians, and Arabians: we haue heard, them speake in our owne tongues the great workes fo God. 12. And they were al astonished, and marueled, saying one to another: What meaneth this? 13. But others deriding said: That these are ful of new wine. 14. The lesson before the Epistle on Imber wenesday in whitsonweeke. But Peter the Head of the rest and now newly replenished with al knowledge & fortitude, maketh the first Sermon. Peter standing with the Eleuen, lifted vp his voice; and spake to them: Ye men, Iewes, and al you that dwel in Hierusalem, be this knowen to you, and with your eares receiue my wordes. 15. For these are not drunke, as you suppose, whereas it is the third houre of the day: 16. But this is it that was said by the Prophet Ioel: 17. * Ioel 2,28. And it shal be, in the last daies (saith our Lord) of my Spirit I wil powre out vpon al flesh: and your sonnes and you daughters shal prophecie, and your yong men shal see visions, and your Ancients shal dreame dreames. 18. and vpon my seruants truely, and vpon my handmaides wil I power out in those daies of my Spirit, and they shal prophecie: 19. and I wil giue wonders in the Heauen aboue, and signes in the earth beneath, bloud and fire, and vapour of smoke. 20. The sunne shal be turned into darkenes, and the moone into the bloud before the great and manifest day of our Lord doth come. 21. And it shal be, euery one whosoeuer calleth vpon the name of our Lord, shal be saued. 22. Ye men of Israel heare these wordes: Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ of Nazareth a man approued of God among you, by miracles & wonders and signes which, God did by him in the middes of you, as you also know; 23. this same by the determinate counsel & prescience of God being deliuered, you by the handes of wicked men haue crucified and slaine. 24. Whom God hath raised vp loosing the sorrowes of Hel, according as it was imposible that he should be holden of it. 25. For Dauid saith concerning him: * Psa. 15,8. I foresaw the Lord in my sight alwaies: because he is at my right hand that I be not moued. 26. For this, my hart hath been glad and my tongue hath reioyced: moreouer my flesh also shal rest in hope. 27. Because thou wilt not leaue my soul Who but an infidel (saith St. Augustine) wil deny Christ to haue descended to Hel? ep. 99. in Hel, nor giue the Holy one to see As his soul suffered no paines in Hel, so neither did his body take any corruption in the graue. corruption. 28. Thou hast made knowen to me the waies of life: thou shalt make me ful of ioyfulnes with thy face. 29. Ye men, Brethren, let me boldly speake to you of the Patriarch Dauid: that * 3. King. 2,10. he died, and was buried; and his sepulchre is with vs vntil this present day. 30. Whereas therfore he was a Prophet, and knew that by an othe * Psa. 131,11. God hath sworne to him, that of the fruit of his loynes there should sit vpon his seat; 31. forseeing he spake of the resurrection of Christ. For neither was he left in Hel, neither did his flesh see corruption. 32. This Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ hath God raised againe, whereof al we are witnesses. 33. Being exalted therfore by the right hand of God, and hauing receiued of his Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath powred out this whom you see and heare. 34. For Dauid ascended not into Heauen; but he saith: * Psa. 109,1. Our Lord hath said to my Lord, sit on my right hand. 35. vntil I make thine enemies the foote-stoole of thy feet. 36. Therfore let al the house of Israel know most certainly that God hath made him both Lord, & Cʜʀɪꜱᴛ, this Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ, whom you haue crucified. 37. Contrition. And hearing these things, they were compunct in hart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the Apostles: What shal we doe men, Brethren. 38. But Peter said to them, Not only amendment of life, but penance also required before Baptisme, in such as be of age, though not in that sort as afterward in the Sacrament of penance. Aug. de fid. & oper. c. 11. & ep. 108. doe pennance, & by euery one of you baptized in the name of Iᴇꜱᴠꜱ Cʜʀɪꜱᴛ for remission of your sinnes; and you shal receiue the guift of the Holy Ghost. 39. For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to al that are farre off, whomsoeuer the Lord our God shal cal. 40. With very many other wordes also did he testifie and exhorted them, saying: Saue your selues from this peruerse Generation. 41. They thefore that receiued his word, were baptized & there were added in that day about Three thousand were conuerted at this first Sermon, & they were put to the other visible companie & Church. three thousand soules. 42. And they were perseuering in the doctrine of the Apostles, and in the communication of This was the B. Sacrament, which the Apostles dayly ministred to the Christians at least in one kind. See c. 20,7. the breaking of bread, and praiers. 43. And feare came vpon euery soul; many wonders also and signes were done by the Apostles in Hierusalem, and there was great feare in al. 44. Al they also that beleeued, were together, * Act. 4,32. & had al things common. 45. Their possessions and substance they sold, and deuided them to al, according as euery one had need. 46. Daily also continuing with one accord in the Temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they tooke their meate with ioy and simplicitie of hart: 47. praising God, and hauing grace with al the people. And our Lord increased them that should be saued, daily together. ANNOTATIONS. Cʜᴀᴘ. II. 1. The daies of Pentecost.) The feastes of Pasche and Pentecost.
As Christ our Pasche, for correspondence to the figure, was offered at the Iewes great feast of Pasche, so fifty daies after (in Greeke, Pentecost) for accomplishing the like figure of the Law-giuing in Mount Sinai, he sent downe the Holy Ghost iust on the day of their Pentecost: which was alwaies on Sunday, as appeareth Leuit. 23,15. Both which daies the Church keepeth yearely for memorie of Christs death and Resurrection, and the sending downe of the Holy Ghost; as they did the like for record of their deliuerie out of Ægypt, & their Law-giuing aforesaid: the said Feastes with vs conteining, besides the remembrance of benefites past, great Sacraments also of the life to come. Aug. ep. 119. c. 16.
4. Al replenished.) The sending of the Holy Ghost on whitsunday and the effects thereof.
Through the Apostles and the rest were baptized before, and had thereby receiued the grace of the Holy Ghost to sanctification and remission of sinnes, as for diuers other purposes also: *yet as Christ promised them they should be further indowed with strength and vertue from aboue, so here he fulfilled his promise, visibly powring downe the Holy Ghost vpon al the companie and vpon euery one of them, thereby replenishing the Apostles specially with al truth, wisedom, and knowledge necessarie for the gouernement of the Church, & giuing both to them and to al other present, the grace and effect of the Sacrament of Confirmation, accomplishing, corroborating, and strengthning them in their faith and the confession of the same.
Our B. Ladie.
And lastly for a visible token of Gods Spirit, he indowed them al with the guift of diuers strange tongues: al (I say) there present, as wel our Ladie, as other holy women and Brethren, besides the Apostles. Though **the Heretikes fondly argue, for the desire they haue to dishonour Christs mother, that neither she nor they were there present, nor had the guift of tongues, contrarie to the plaine text that saith, They were al together, to wit, al the 120. mentioned before c. 1,15.
*Luke 24,49.
**Beza Annot. in hoc. c. v. 1
23. By the determinate counsel of God deliuered.) Gods determination that Christ should die, excuseth not the Iewes.
God deliuered him, and he deliuered himself, for loue and intention of our saluation; & so the act was holy and Gods owne determination. But the Iewes and others which betraied and crucified him, did it of malice and wicked purpose, & their fact was damnable, and not of Gods counsel of causing; though he tolerated it, for that he could and did turne their abominable act to the good of our saluation.
Beza.
Therefore abhorre those new Manichees of our time, both Lutherans and Caluinists, that make God the Authour and cause of Iudas betraying of Christ, no lesse than of Paules conuersion; besides the false translation of Beza, saying for Gods prescience of foreknowledge (in the Greeke, προγνωσις) Gods prouidence.
24. Loosing the sorrowes.) Christ was not in paines himself, but loosed other men of those dolours of Hel, wherewith it was impossible himself should be touched. See *S. August. *Li. 12. c. 13. de Gen. ad lit. 27. My soul in Hel.) Corrupt translation against the Article of Christs descening into Hel.
נֶפֶשׁ ψυχή
שְׁאוֹל ᾅδου
Where al the Faithful, according to the Creed, euer haue beleeued, that Christ according to his soul, went downe to Hel, to deliuer the Patriarches and al iust men there holden in bondage til his death, & the Apostle here citing the Prophets wordes, most euidently expresseth the same, distinguishing his soule in Hel, from his body in the graue: yet the Caluinists to defend against Gods expresse wordes, the blasphemie of their Maister, that Christ suffered the paines of Hel, and that no where but vpon the Crosse, and that otherwise he descended not into Hel, most falsely and flatly here corrupt the text, by turning and wresting both the Hebrew and Greeke wordes from their most proper and vsual significations of, Soule, and Hel into body and, graue: saying for, my soule in Hel, thus, my body, *life, person, yea (as Beza in his New Testament anno 1556) my carcas in the graue. And this later they corrupt almost throughout the Bible for that purpose. But for refelling of both corruptions, it shal be sufficient in this place: first, that al Hebrewes & Greekes, & al that vnderstand these tongues, know that the foresaid Hebrew & Greeke wordes are as proper, peculiar & vsual to signifie soul & Hel, as anima & infernus in Latin; yea as soul and Hel in English doe properly signifie the soule of man, and Hel that is opposite to Heauen; and that they are as vnproprely vsed to signifie body and graue, as to say in English, soul for body, or Hel for graue. Secondly, it doth so mislike the Heretikes themselues, that Castaleo one of their fine Translatours refelleth it, and to make it the more sure, he for, in inferno, translateth, in Orco; that is, in Hel. Thirdly, Beza himself partly recanteth in his later edition, and confesseth that, Carcass, was no fit word for the body of Christ, & therefore, I haue (saith he) changed it, but I retaine and keepe the same sense stil. meaning, that he hath now translated it, soule, but that he meaneth thereby as before, Christs dead body. Fourthly, **he saith plainely, that translating thus: Thou shalt not leaue my carcas in the graue, he did it of purpose against Limbus Patrum, Purgatorie, and Christs descending into Hel; which he calleth foul errours, and marueleth, that most of the ancient Fathers were in that errour: namely of Christs descending into Hel, and deliuering the old Fathers. What need we more? He opposeth himself both against plaine Scriptures and al Ancient Fathers, peruerting the one, and contemning the other, to ouerthrow that truth which is an Article of our Creed. Whereby it is euidently false which some of them say for their defense, that none of them did euer of purpose translate falsely. See the Annotation vpon 1. Peter 3,19.
*English Bible 1579.
**New Test. anno. 1556. annot. in 2. Act. v. 27. & 24. in 1. Pet. 3,19.
44. Al things common.) Liuing in common.
This liuing in common is not a rule or a precept to al Christian men, as the Anabaptistes falsely pretend: but a life of perfection and counsel followed of our Religious in the Catholike Church. See S. Aug. in Ps. 112. in principio. & ep. 109.
47. Increased.) The increase & perpetuitie of the Visibile Church.
More and moe were added to the Church (as the *Greeke more plainely expresseth) that we may see the visible propagation & increase of the same. From which time a diligent man may deduce the very same visible Societie of men ioyned in Christ, through the whole booke, and afterward by the Ecclesiastical storie, downe til our daies, against the pretensed inuisible Church of the Heretikes. men, as the Anabaptistes falsely pretend: but a life of perfection and counsel followed of our Religious in the Catholike Church. See S. Aug. in Ps. 112. in principio. & ep. 109.
*Προσετίθει τῇ ἐκκλησία.