Acts 4:6

And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. AND ANNAS THE HIGH PRIEST, AND CAIAPHAS. See the note at Luke 3:2 (in opening Remarks on Matthew 3:1) and at John 18:13 (in exposition of Mark 14:53-41, pp. 202, 203). AND JOHN, AND ALEXANDER - of whom nothing is known, AND AS MANY AS WERE OF THE KINDRED OF THE HIGH PRIEST. The public influence which Annas had acquired may be judged of by this, that though the Romans made a practice of settin...

5-14 Peter being filled with the Holy Ghost, would have all to understand, that the miracle had been wrought by the name, or power, of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, whom they had crucified; and this confirmed their testimony to his resurrection from the dead, which proved him to be the Messiah. These rulers must either be saved by that Jesus whom they had crucified, or they must perish for ever. The name of Jesus is given to men of every age and nation, as that whereby alone believers are saved from the wrath to come. But when covetousness, pride, or any corrupt passion, rules within, men shut their eyes, and close their hearts, in enmity against the light; considering all as ignorant and unlearned, who desire to know nothing in comparison with Christ crucified. And the followers of Christ should act so that all who converse with them, may take knowledge that they have been with Jesus....

Verse Acts 4:6. _ANNAS_] Though this man was not now actually in the office of high priest, yet he had possessed it for eleven years, bore the title all his life, and had the honour of seeing five of his sons fill that eminent place after him-an honour that never happened to any other person from the commencement of the Mosaic institution. He is the same who is called Ananus by Josephus, Ant. b. xx. c. 8. _AND CAIAPHAS_] He was son-in-law to Annas, John 18:13, was now high priest, and the same who, a short time before, condemned Christ to be crucified. _AND JOHN_] Dr. Lightfoot conjectures, with great probability that this was _Jochanan ben Zaccai_, who was very famous at that time in the Jewish nation. Of him it is said in the Talmud, _Jucas_. fol

THEIR RULERS - The rulers of the Jews; doubtless the members of the Sanhedrin, or Great Council of the nation. Compare Acts 4:15. See the notes on Matthew 2:4; Matthew 5:22. The expression their rulers looks as if this book was written for the Gentiles, or Luke would have said our rulers. ELDERS - Presbyters, or those who were chosen from among the people to sit in the Sanhedrin. It is probable that the rulers were those who held also some other office, but were also authorized to sit in the Great Council. SCRIBES - See the notes on Matthew 2

EXPOSITION ACTS 4:1 THE CAPTAIN OF THE TEMPLE. Only here and Acts 5:24, and Luke 22:4, Luke 22:52 in the plural some have thought that the commander of the Roman garrison of the castle of Antonia is here meant. But as the scene is laid in the court of the temple, this is very improbable. Josephus ('Ant. Jud.,' 20, Luke 6:2) speaks of an officer apparently of the temple, who was called ὁ στρατηγός, and was certainly a Jew by his name Ananus, and being, as Josephus relates farther ('Bell Jud.,' 2, 12. 6), the son of the high priest Ana

AND ANNAS THE HIGH PRIEST,.... So called, either because he had been an high priest, though he was not now, but Caiaphas his son-in-law; or because he was the Sagan of the high priest, and had all the other priests under his government; and is mentioned first, because he was father-in-law to Caiaphas; Luke 3:2 he could not be called so, because he was נשיא, "prince", or president of the council; for not he, but Gamaliel, was president at this time. And CAIAPHAS; who was properly high priest, and continued so for three years after the death of Christ: AND JOHN; who is thought by Dr. Lightfoot to be the same with Jochanan, or John ben Zaccai; a famous Jewish Rabbi, who lived at this time, and until, and after the destruction of Jerusalem: this Rabbi was כהן, "a priest" t, as this John was, of the kindred of the high priest; he lived also at Jerusalem; for it is sa

ACTS 4:6 VIwa,nnhj {A} Both John and Alexander are unknown. Codex Bezae, in substituting Jonathan for John, agrees with information given by Josephus, who says that Jonathan, son of Annas, was appointed high priest in A.D. 36 in succession to Caiaphas (_Antiquities_ XVIII.iv:3). Either the reading of Bezae is a correction of Luke, in accord with what may be historical fact, or scribes substituted the familiar name VIwa,nnhj for the less familiar VIwna,qaj. A majority of the Committee was impressed by the former possibility, when considered in the light of the preponderance of external evidence....

CHAPTER 4 __ 1. Their Arrest (Acts 4:1). 2. The Result of the Testimony (Acts 4:4). 3. Peter and John before the Rulers and Elders (Acts 4:5). 4. Peter's bold witness (Acts 4:8). 5. The astonished Sanhedrin and their Release (Acts 4:13). 6. With their own company (Acts 4:23). 7. The saved multitude (Acts 4:32). The enemy begins now his acts, and the first indication is gi

A full meeting of the Sanhedrin takes place in the morning. Annas and Caiaphas are known to us; the former was high priest, A.D. 6- 15; Caiaphas, his son-in-law, A.D. 18- 34. John and Alexander are otherwise unknown. These and the other high-priestly aristocrats belonged by tradition to the Sadducees (Schü rer, ii. 1:178). The court sits in a semicircle, the accused stand in the middle. The interrogation (Acts 4:7) shows that no serious charge is brought against them; it is the same that was put to Jesus (Mark 11:28; Luke 20:2) over the Temple cleansing. The name in which they acted was notorious; as to the power by which they had made the lame man walk, Mark 3:22 shows wh

ARREST (Acts 4:1-4)...