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Frederick Brotherton Meyer

F.B. Meyer's 'Through the Bible' Commentary - Acts 8:1-13

Fruits of the Scattered Seed Acts 8:1-13 Evidently Stephen was beloved outside the precincts of the Church, for it would seem that the devout men who lamented his early death and carried his poor body to its burial were godly Jews who had been attracted by his earnest character. In the furious persecution that ensued under the leadership of Saul, neither sex nor age was spared. According to the subsequent statement of the arch-persecutor, the disciples of Jesus were dragged before the... read more

G. Campbell Morgan

G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible - Acts 8:1-40

The popular outburst against Christianity evidenced in the martyrdom of Stephen was general. Members of the Church at Jerusalem were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. How dark the day seemed to be for the infant Church. Nevertheless, the overruling hand of God is seen in the movement. As they were scattered, the members did not cease their work. They went through Judea and Samaria preaching the Word. Philip, one of the recently chosen deacons, went to the city of Samaria. There a great... read more

Robert Neighbour

Wells of Living Water Commentary - Acts 8:10-25

Philip the Evangelist Acts 8:10-25 INTRODUCTORY WORDS Philip was a man mighty in word and in deed. He wrought miracles and preached Christ, The people may have talked and marveled at the many palsied and lame that were healed, and at the demons that were cast out, but Philip did not use his power of the miraculous to preach himself as some mighty one; he did not parade his miracles, but his Master. Among the multitude who gave heed to Philip was Simon the sorcerer. Aforetime in the same city,... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 8:1-40

The Expansion of The Church As A Result of Persecution (8:1-12:25). How thrilled the Apostles must have been at this stage at the progress of the church. Through the first few years of the infant church they had suffered a few minor discomforts, but they had come through those triumphantly, and the church had continued to grow and grow. Jerusalem was ‘filled with their teaching’ and the work of caring for all the true people of God was now being successfully administered. And then came the... read more

Peter Pett

Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 8:9-11

‘But there was a certain man, Simon by name, who before that time in the city used sorcery, and amazed the people of Samaria, giving out that he himself was some great one, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is that power of God which is called Great.” And they gave heed to him, because that of long time he had amazed them with his sorceries.’ Living among them was a man named Simon who had wooed them with sorcery, and had claimed to be a god-like... read more

Arthur Peake

Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible - Acts 8:9-13

Acts 8:9-1 Chronicles : . Simon Magus.— This man had been for some time at Samaria. This is the only account of him in NT; but in the early Fathers and in Christian legend he occupies much space, and he has been the occasion during the last century of voluminous controversy; see Baur, Church History, i. 91– 98 , Schmiedel in EBi., Headlam in HDB. Justin Martyr, who was a native of Samaria, tells us that he was born at Gitta, three miles W. of Samaria, and that evil spirits acted in him and... read more

Matthew Poole

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible - Acts 8:10

From the least to the greatest; showing how general their mispersuasion was; and no condition is exempt from the grossest mistakes, if not prevented by the grace of God. This man is the great power of God; it is said of this Simon, that he gave out himself to be that god, which any nation held to be the chiefest; and that he was the Messias of the Jews, and the God of the Gentiles. read more

Joseph Exell

Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary - Acts 8:9-13

CRITICAL REMARKSActs 8:9. Simon.—Not the Cyprian Jew of that name whom, according to Josephus (Ant., XX. vii. 2), Felix afterwards employed to persuade Drusilla to leave for him her husband. King Azizus of Emesa (De Wette, Neander, Hilgenfeld, Alford), but, according to Justin Martyr (Apol., i. 56; Dial., 120), a Samaritan magician out of Gitthon (Zeller, Holtzmann, Zöckler). The people.—Should be, the nation, τὸ ἕθνος, because Simon’s bewitchery was not confined to the city population.Acts... read more

Chuck Smith

Chuck Smith Bible Commentary - Acts 8:1-40

Chapter 8We are introduced now to one of the chief persecutors. A zealous young Jew, a Pharisee of the Pharisees, whose name is Saul. And he was standing by, consenting to the death of Stephen, holding the coats of the fellows who were throwing the stones. No doubt, cheering them on. But I have no doubt, that what Stephen's death and his reaction to it had such a great effect on Paul that he never got away from it. And I believe that it was ultimately the background of Paul's conversion. For... read more

Joseph Sutcliffe

Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments - Acts 8:1-40

Acts 8:1 . At that time there was a great persecution against the church. With regard to this very tremendous storm which suddenly burst on the infant church, Cardinal Baronius, in his Ecclesiastical Annals, gives us an extract from a discourse of Dorotheus, a priest of Antioch, written in the second century, who states that two thousand persons were at this time massacred in Jerusalem, and in Judea; and that their bodies were mangled, and exposed in the fields to be devoured by vultures... read more

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