Acts 1
New Catholic Bible
At Jerusalem[a]
From Jesus to the Community of the Lord[b]
Chapter 1
Prologue.[c] 1 In my previous book, Theophilus,[d] I wrote of everything that Jesus did and taught from the beginning 2 until the day he was taken up, after first giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.
The Promise of the Spirit.[e] 3 After his passion Jesus had presented himself alive to them by many proofs. He appeared to them during forty days and spoke to them about the kingdom of God. 4 When they were gathered together, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, saying, “Wait there for the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak. 5 For John baptized with water, but within a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
6 As they were all gathered together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you are going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He replied, “It is not for you to know the dates or the times that the Father has designated by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and then you will be my witnesses not only in Jerusalem, but throughout Judea and Samaria, and indeed to the farthest ends of the earth.”
The Ascension of Jesus.[f] 9 After he said this, he was lifted up as they looked on, and a cloud took him from their sight. 10 While he was departing as they gazed upward toward the sky, suddenly two men dressed in white robes stood beside them, 11 and they said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking up into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”
12 The First Community Waiting for the Spirit. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, no farther distant than a Sabbath day’s journey.[g] 13 When they arrived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 All of these were constantly engaged in prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.[h]
15 The Choice of Judas’s Successor.[i] In those days, Peter stood up before the assembled brothers, numbering about one hundred and twenty, and said, 16 “Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit revealed through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and was granted a share in this ministry.
18 “With the money from his traitorous act, this man purchased a plot of land upon which he fell headlong, and he burst open, all of his entrails pouring out. 19 The news about this became known to all the people living in Jerusalem, so that in their own language that plot of land was called ‘Hakeldama,’ which means ‘Field of Blood.’[j] 20 For it is written in the Book of Psalms,
‘May his encampment become deserted,
and may there be no one to dwell in it.’
And again,
‘Let another take over his position.’
21 “Therefore, it is necessary to choose one of the men who have accompanied us during the entire time that the Lord Jesus lived with us, 22 beginning from his baptism by John until the day when he was taken up from us. For he must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”
23 And so they nominated two candidates: Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias. 24 Then they prayed, saying, “Lord, you know the hearts of everyone. Show us which one of these two you have chosen 25 to take the place in this apostolic ministry that Judas abandoned to go to his own place.” 26 Then they cast lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias, who was then added to the eleven apostles.
Footnotes
- Acts 1:1 In the Gospel of Luke, the life of Jesus takes the form of an ascent to Jerusalem, where through him God will decisively intervene in the destiny of humanity. The Book of Acts allows us to be present at the spread of the Gospel from that center to the ends of the earth. The Holy City is very important as the starting point of evangelization.
The experience of the young Christian community becomes exemplary, as in stories of foundations. Thus in chs. 1–7 everything takes place in Jerusalem, while in chs. 8–12 the city serves as the starting point and point of return of the stories. The Church of Jerusalem, then, is the source of Christianity: it is the mother Church and the inspiration for every other Church and for the whole Church. - Acts 1:1 The first two chapters of Acts serve a special purpose. In them we move from the risen Jesus to the community that is founded and established in the midst of the Jewish people—the community that is the starting point of the main routes along which the life of the Church develops. For readers of that period, the language used constantly recalls the great traditions of the Old Testament: the entire plan of God is recapitulated in these passages that in turn establish the perspective for what follows.
- Acts 1:1 One author conceived the third Gospel and the Book of Acts as a single whole; the combination is not the result of chance. The first work tells the story of the actions and teachings of Jesus, “beginning from [John’s] baptism” (see Acts 1:22; 10:37); the second shows us the life and activity of the risen Lord, which is likewise made visible in the deeds and acts of the various communities.
- Acts 1:1 Theophilus: perhaps a rich and distinguished person who has paid for the publication of the work. He is the same person as in Lk 1:3.
- Acts 1:3 This is the important theme that characterizes the period of the Lord’s appearances (the period lasts forty days, between Easter and Pentecost; the number 40, which recurs so often in the Bible, is a symbol of fullness). The story highlights what it means to experience the risen Lord.
It is the Spirit who links the past phase of the life of Jesus with its present phase. This Spirit, often promised by Jesus (Lk 11:13; 24:49), brings to fulfillment all the blessings that the Messiah was to bring (see Joel 4:9; Am 9:11). The day of national restoration is no longer something to be awaited; the decisive moment has already arrived, and the Spirit is beginning to unite the peoples. - Acts 1:9 The Ascension is not the final act, but the beginning of the time to come. The cloud that hides Jesus from the eyes of the disciples recalls the cloud that covered the people in the wilderness, accompanying them night and day on their journey (Ex 40:36-38); it is a sign of God’s presence, of his glory (Lk 9:34f). The risen Jesus reunites earth with heaven, i.e., the world of human beings with the world of God.
- Acts 1:12 Sabbath day’s journey: about two-thirds of a mile.
- Acts 1:14 This is the only place in which the mother of Jesus is mentioned in Acts; the collateral relatives of Jesus, his brethren, will later on have an important place in the Jerusalem community (Acts 12:20; 15:13; 21:18; see note on Mt 12:46).
- Acts 1:15 The ministry (diakonia: service) of the apostle (“one who is sent”) appears from the outset as a solidly established institution, and one that is indispensable for the people of God. The apostles are twelve in number, as though to preside over the twelve tribes, i.e., the true Israel (see Acts 26:7), and it is around them that this community of one hundred and twenty (or ten for each apostle) has formed.
- Acts 1:19 The language spoken is Aramaic.
