Original Douay–Rheims AnnotationsActs 2
English College of Douai–Rheims
Read Acts 2 in the BibleActs 2:4
All replenished.
[1] Though the Apostles and the rest were baptized before, and had thereby received the grace of the Holy Ghost to sanctification and remission of sins, as for diverse other purposes also: Yet as Christ [2] promised them they should be further endued with strength and virtue from above, so here he fulfilleth his promise, visibly pouring down the Holy Ghost upon all the company and upon every one of them, thereby replenishing the Apostles specially with all truth, wisdom, and knowledge necessary for the government of the Church, and giving both to them and to all other present, the grace and effect of the Sacrament of Confirmation, accomplishing, corroborating, and strengthening them in their faith and the confession of the same. And lastly for a visible token of God's Spirit, he endued them all with the gift of diverse strange tongues: all (I say) there present, as well [3] our Lady, as other holy women and brethren, besides the Apostles. Though [4] the Heretics fondly argue, for the desire they have to dishonour Christ's mother, that neither she nor they were there present, nor had the gift of tongues, contrary to the plain text that saith, They were all together, to wit, all the 120 mentioned before c. 1, 15.
- 1 The sending of the Holy Ghost on Whitsunday and the effects thereof.
- 2 Lu. 24, 49.
- 3 Our B. Lady.
- 4 Beza Annot. in hoc cap. v. 1.
Acts 2:23
By the determinate counsel of God delivered.
[1] God delivered him, and he delivered himself, for love and intention of our salvation, and so the act was holy and God's own determination. But the Jews and others which betrayed and crucified him, did it of malice and wicked purpose, and their fact was damnable, and not of God's counsel or causing: though he tolerated it, for that he could and did turn their abominable fact to the good of our salvation. Therefore abhor those new Manichees of our time, both Lutherans and Calvinists, that make God the author and cause of Judas' betraying of Christ, no less than of Paul's conversion; besides the false translation of [2] Beza, saying for God's prescience or foreknowledge (in the Greek, πρόγνωσις ) God's providence.
- 1 God's determination that Christ should die, excuseth not the Jews.
- 2 Beza.
Acts 2:24
Loosing the sorrows.
Christ was not in pains himself, but loosed other men of those dolours of Hell, wherewith it was impossible himself should be touched. See ◦ S. Augustine.
- ◦ * Li. 12. c. 13. de Gen. ad lit.
Acts 2:27
My soul in Hell.
[1] Where all the Faithful, according to the Creed, ever have believed, that Christ according to his soul, went down to Hell, to deliver the Patriarchs and all just men there holden in bondage till his death, and the Apostle here citing the Prophet's words, most evidently expresseth the same, distinguishing his soul in Hell, from his body in the grave: Yet the Calvinists to defend against God's express words, the blasphemy of their Master, that Christ suffered the pains of Hell, and that no where but upon the Cross, and that otherwise he descended not into Hell, most falsely and flatly here corrupt the text, by turning and wresting both the Hebrew and Greek words [2] from their most proper and usual significations of, Soul, and Hell, into body, and grave: saying for, my soul in Hell, thus, my body, [3] life, person, year (as Beza in his new Testament an. 1556) my carcass in the grave. and this later they corrupt almost throughout the Bible for that purpose. But for refelling of both corruptions, it shall be sufficient in this place: first, that all Hebrews & Greeks, and all that understand these tongues, know that the foresaid Hebrew & Greek words are as proper, peculiar, and usual to signify, soul and Hell, as anima and infernus in Latin, yea as soul and Hell in English do properly signify the soul of man, and Hell that is opposite to heaven: and that they are as unproperly used to signify body and grave, as to say in English, soul for body, or Hell for grave. Secondly, it doth so mislike the Heretics themselves, that Castaleo one of their fine Translators refelleth it, and to make it the more sure, he for, in inferno, translateth, in Orco, that is, in Hell. Thirdly, Beza himself partly recanteth in his later edition, and confesseth that, Carcass, was no fit word for the body of Christ, and therefore, I have (saith he) changed it, but I retain and keep the same sense still. meaning, that he hath now translated it, soul, but that he meaneth thereby as before, Christ's dead body. Fourthly, [4] he saith plainly, that translating thus, Thou shalt not leave my carcass in the grave, he did it of purpose against Limbus Patrum, Purgatory, and Christ's descending into Hell, which he calleth foul errors, and marveleth, that most of the ancient Fathers were in that error: namely of Christ's descending into Hell, and delivering the old Fathers. What need we more? He opposeth himself both against plain Scriptures and all ancient Fathers, perverting the one, and contemning the other, to overthrow that truth which is an Article of our Crede. Whereby it is evidently false which some of them say for their defence, that none of them did ever of purpose translate falsely. See the Annotation upon 1. Pet. 3. v. 19.
Acts 2:44
All things common.
◦ This living in common is not a rule or a precept to all Christian men, as the Anabaptists falsely pretend: but a life of perfection and counsel, followed of our Religious in the Catholic Church. See S. Aug. in Ps. 132. in principio. & ep. 109.
- ◦ Living in common.
Acts 2:47
Increased.
[1] More and more were added to the Church (as the Greek [2] more plainly expresseth) that we may see the visible propagation & increase of the same. From which time a diligent man may deduce the very same visible Society of men joined in Christ, through the whole book, and afterward by the Ecclesiastical story, down till our days, against the pretensed invisible Church of the Heretics.
- 1 The increase & perpetuity of the VISIBLE CHURCH.
- 2 προσετίθει τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ.
Original Douay–Rheims Annotations — English College of Douai–Rheims. CC0 1.0
Acts 2:1
The days of Pentecost.
◦ As Christ our Pasch, for correspondence to the figure, was offered at the Jews' great feast of Pasch, so fifty days after (in Greek, Pentecost) for accomplishing the like figure of the Law-giving in Mount Sinai, he sent down the Holy Ghost just on the day of their Pentecost. Which was always on Sunday, as appeareth Levit. 23, 15. Both which days the Church keepeth yearly for memory of Christ's death and Resurrection, and the sending down of the Holy Ghost: as they did the like for record of their delivery out of Ægypt, and their Law giving aforesaid. The said Feasts with us containing, besides the remembrance of benefits past, great Sacraments also of the life to come. Aug. ep. 119. C. 16.