The Expositor's Bible: The Acts of the Apostles, Vol. 1Stokes, George Thomas
Religion
The Expositor's Bible: The Acts of the Apostles, Vol. 1
Stokes, George Thomas
Bible. Acts -- Commentaries; Bible. Acts -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.
[123] The community of goods may have evolved itself naturally
enough out of the celebration of the Eucharist. Just let us
realize what must have happened, say, on the day of Pentecost and
the few succeeding days. The Apostles seem to have been living a
common life during the ten days of expectation. They dwelt in the
house where the upper room was. The day after Pentecost there must
have been a great deal to do, in prayer, baptism, and celebration
of the Eucharist. Their converts would join with them in the
eucharistic feast, from day to day celebrated after the primitive
fashion at the end of a common meal. Some enthusiast may then have
suggested that, as the Master might at any moment appear, they
should always live and eat in common. After a time, as the numbers
increased, this arrangement had to be modified, and a daily
distribution was substituted for daily common meals. The community
of goods may thus have been developed out of the spiritual feast
of the Eucharist, which they took in common. When the daily
distribution terminated by the exhaustion of the funds, the Agape
or lovefeast took its place, remaining as a fragment or relic of
the earlier custom. Pliny in his letter mentions the Agape, and
rightly distinguishes it from the worship of the Christians which
was celebrated in the early morning. "After these ceremonies they
used to disperse, and assemble again to share a common meal of
innocent food."
[124] In the twelfth century the number of cardinal deacons was
fixed at fourteen, at which it has ever since remained.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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