Atos 28
Bede
Atos 28:2
For lighting a fire, they revived us all. In Greek it is written: They received us all. Which we also think was first so translated into Latin, but changed through the negligence of scribes. — Retractions on Acts
Atos 28:3
A viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. Because the unclean spirit, repelled by the flame of virtues from the heart of the faithful, tries to inject the poison of persecutions into the teachers of truth to harm the hand, that is, to impede the work of spiritual doctrine. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 28:3
When Paul had gathered a great bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire. The Apostle, having come out of the sea, kindled a fire because of the cold, as he warmed the hearts of those he had rescued from the tempests by his teaching with the ardor of love. The sticks are called any exhortations, which, capable of kindling charity, are as if cut from the integrity of the Scriptures, like branches cut with leaves. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 28:5
And indeed he shook off the beast into the fire and suffered no harm. By the same fire that warms his own, he burns the beast, because by the same virtues both the saints make progress, and the wicked with their own author perish in envy, as the prophet says: Zeal has seized an unlearned people, and now fire devours the adversaries. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 28:8
It happened, however, that the father of Publius, afflicted with fever and dysentery, was lying down, etc. Why does he save an infirm unbeliever with prayer, who heals the faithful Timothy and Trophimus, one by medical art and leaves the other entirely, unless because the former was to be healed outwardly by a miracle, who was not alive inwardly, which those who were healthily alive inwardly did not need? — Commentary on Acts
Atos 28:8
It happened that the father of Publius, having been struck by fever and dysentery, was lying ill. Dysentery is an affliction of the intestines, caused with ulceration, because it expels bloody discharge, or bile, or some other alteration of humour; but it is considered harmful by the ancients if it produces black discharge from the beginning. For Hippocrates in his Aphorisms stated this: "Dysentery beginning from black bile is deadly." Following this, patients experience continual distress in the lower abdomen, sometimes green, sometimes mucilaginous: they also emit scrapings with drops of blood, with a biting pain in the intestines and navel, they suffer from sleeplessness, nausea, frequently also slight fever, which is narrated that the father of Publius suffers here; sometimes even the exclusion of excrement occurs, especially in infants: it occasionally results from chilling or from the corruption of sharper humours. Gregory also recalls this disease in the fifth book of his Histories, saying thus: "In the times of Emperor Tiberius, the dysenteric disease nearly seized all of Gaul. For in those who were suffering, there was a severe fever with vomiting and excessive pain in the kidneys, heaviness of the head, or neck; moreover, what was expelled from the mouth was either saffron-colored or certainly green. However, many asserted that it was hidden poison; but herbs that cure poisons, taken as a drink, provided relief for many." — Retractions on Acts
Atos 28:11
We sailed in an Alexandrian ship, which had wintered on the island and had the insignia of Castor and Pollux. I believe that at first the insignia of Castor was placed, but due to the mistake of the scribes, letters were added, just as "frustra panis" is written instead of "frusta," and "appropriat" instead of "appropiat," which we find often written in the oldest manuscripts. For in Greek instead of the insignia of Castor, it is written παρασήμῳ διοσκούροις, but Διόσκουροι, the twin Castors, that is, Castor and Pollux, are called in Greek. The city of the Colchians is a witness, which, made by the charioteers Amphitus and Cercyon, is called Dioscuria from their name. For this reason, the pagans invoke them as gods at sea, because in the omens of sailors, if solitary stars appear on the ship or on the masts, they are dangerous; but if twin stars, they are harbingers of a prosperous voyage. At their arrival, they say the dreadful star called Helen is driven away. In another translation, we saw written for παρασήμῳ διοσκούροις, "bearing the emblem of Jupiter's sons." For the fables say that Jupiter, transformed into a swan, ravished Leda, the wife of Theseus, and Helen was born from that. Hence it is said: That melodious bird sought Leda's embrace, and similarly, he transformed into a star and fathered Castor and Pollux as twins. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 28:25-26
Because the Holy Spirit well spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying: "Go to this people and say: You will hear indeed, etc." This prophecy, which the Apostle affirms was pronounced by the Holy Spirit, the book of the prophet itself recalls as having been spoken by the Lord. From this, it is clearly shown that the will and nature of the Lord and the Holy Spirit are one, and the name of the Lord is also understood in the appellation of the Spirit. And indeed, Paul, having no other Holy Spirit when he wrote these things about him, who was in the prophets before the coming of the Lord, was referring to the same Spirit of whom he himself was also a partaker, and all those who were brought in the faith of perfect virtue. Hence, he mentions the Spirit with the article, confirming it to be singular and one, and as he says, not simply "Holy Spirit," but with the added article "the Holy Spirit," and he recalls Isaiah prophesying with the word "the Holy Spirit." Peter too, in that speech by which he persuaded the present, said: "It was necessary for the Scripture to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke (that is, 'the Holy Spirit') through the mouth of David concerning Judas" (Acts I). He too shows that the same Spirit worked in the prophets and in the apostles. These excerpts from the books of the blessed Didymus should hold this place in our writings. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 28:27
They have shut their eyes lest they should see with their eyes. That is, by their preceding merits, they were the cause that God shut their eyes. Or it should be joined to the preceding, with the Lord saying to the prophet, "Go to this people, and reproach them with sins that they may have deserved blindness, perhaps if even thus they may be worthy to hear and turn to me" (Isaiah VI). — Commentary on Acts
Atos 28:27
For the heart of this people has grown dull, and their ears barely heard. So that we do not think the dullness of the heart and heaviness of the ears are of nature, not of will, he adds the blame of choice and says: — Commentary on Acts
Atos 28:30-31
However, he remained for two whole years in his own hired house, that is, in the lodgings he had rented for himself, preaching Christ to all, not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles, who he said were to be saved, those who were rejected. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 28:30-31
He remained in his lodging for a full two years and welcomed all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God. Jerome makes mention of this place in a letter to Lucinius: "Paul enters Rome in chains, to free those chained by errors of superstition; he remains in his rented lodging for two years, to render to us the eternal gift of both instruments." By this exposition, he taught that all other things that are written in this volume, either about Paul the apostle himself or about others, do not only present the fruits of ecclesiastical doctrine on the surface of the letter: but truly also if anyone has perfectly understood, they possess the essence of spiritual sense, pregnant with virtue. — Retractions on Acts
Atos 28:31
And teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with boldness without hindrance. He was not only not prohibited from preaching in Rome, but also, with Nero's empire not yet firmly established, and with crimes not yet erupting as much as the histories tell about him, he was sent to preach the Gospel of Christ also in the regions of the West, as he himself says to the Romans: Now therefore I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. And shortly after: Therefore, when I have completed this, I will pass through you into Spain. Later, that is, in the last year of Nero, he was detained by him, and was crowned with martyrdom. He explains both these things in the second Epistle to Timothy, which he dictates while being in chains: At my first defense, no one came to my support, but all deserted me. But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it, and I was rescued from the lion's mouth (II Timothy 4). Very clearly indicating that Nero is the lion because of his cruelty. And in the following: And he saved me, and will save me for his heavenly kingdom (Ibid.), which evidently indicated that he felt his impending martyrdom. Hence, in the same Epistle, he had prefaced by saying: For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith (Ibid.). — Commentary on Acts