part of the price, immediately questioned Ananias sternly on this point, charging him directly with the crime of lying to God. He remarked to him that the land was certainly his own, and no one could question his right to do just as he pleased with that, or the money obtained for it; since he was under no obligation to give it away to the poor of the church. But since he had of his own accord attempted to get a reputation for generosity, by a base and avaricious act of falsehood, he had incurred the wrath of an insulted God. No sooner had Ananias heard this awful denunciation, than, struck with the vengeance he had brought on himself, he fell lifeless before them, and was carried out to the burial by the attendants. His wife soon after coming in, not having heard of what had happened, boldly maintained her husband's assertion, and repeated the lie most distinctly to Peter. He then declared his knowledge of her guilt, and made known to her the fate of her husband, which she was doomed to share. The words had hardly left his lips, when they were confirmed by her instant death, and she was at once carried out and laid with her husband. The effect of these shocking events on the minds of the members of the church generally, was very salutary; exhibiting to them the awful consequences of such deliberate and hardened sin.
Attendants.—The common English translation here gives the expression, "young
men," which is the primary meaning of the Greek [Greek: neaniskoi], (neaniskoi,) and is quite
unobjectionable; but the connection here seems to justify and require its secondary
use in application to "servants," "attendants," &c. This interpretation has the authority
of the learned Mosheim, who considers the persons here mentioned, to have
been regularly appointed officers, who performed the necessary duties about the assemblies
of the disciples, and executed all the commands of the apostles. He says,
"unless you suppose these young men to have been of this sort, it is hard to understand
why they alone instantly rose up and carried out the bodies of Ananias and his wife,
and buried them. But if you suppose them to have been men discharging an official
duty in the public assembly, you see a reason why, even without orders, they took
that sad duty upon themselves. And that there were public servants of this sort in
the first Christian church, no one certainly can doubt, who will imagine for himself
either its circumstances or the form of the assemblies of that age. For instance, there
were the places of meeting to be cleaned,—the seats and tables to be arranged,—the
sacred books to be brought and carried away,—the dishes to be set out and cleared
off,—in short, there were many things to be done which absolutely required particular
men." (Mosheim de Reb. Christ. ant. cons. M. p. 114, b.) This passage is quoted
by Kuinoel, and is so clear in its representation of the circumstance, as to justify
me in translating it entire.
THE INCREASING FAME OF THE APOSTLES.
The apostles, daily supported anew by fresh tokens of divine aid, went on in their labors among the people, encouraged by their increasing attention and favor. So deep was the impression of awe made by the late occurrence, that none of the rest of the church dared to mingle familiarly with the apostles, who now
