Act 5:17, 24:14 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 17. The high priest-and-the sect of the Sadducees ] αιρεσις τωνσαδδουκαιων, The heresy of the Sadducees . In this place, as well as in several others, the word αιρεσις, heresy , has no evil meaning in itself; it is a word of distinction, and may receive either a good or bad colouring from the persons or opinions designated by it. It signifies a sect or party , whether good or bad, distinguished from any other sect . αιρεσις, heresy , comes from αιρεω, I choose , and was anciently applied to the different sects of the heathen philosophers, the members of each sect having chosen their own in preference to all the others. It has been applied among ecclesiastical writers in the same way-when a man chooses one party of Christians, in preference to others, to be his companions in the way of salvation; and he chooses them and their creed and Christian discipline, because he believes the whole to be more consistent with the oracles of God than any of the rest. The Church of Rome has thought proper to attach a very bad meaning to this innocent word, and then apply it to all those who can neither credit her transubstantiation , depend on her purgatory , nor worship her relics . A heretic , in her acceptation, is one who is not a papist , and, because not a papist, utterly out of the way and out of the possibility of being saved . These persons should recollect that, by a then persecuting brother , St. Paul, all the apostles, and the whole Church of Christ, were termed ναζωραιωναιρεσις, the heresy of the Nazarenes , ; and it was after the way which the persecuting Jews called heresy that St. Paul and the rest of the apostles worshipped the God of their fathers , ; and it was according to the strictest HERESY in the Jewish Church, ακιριβεστατηναιρεσιν, that St. Paul lived before his conversion, ; and we find, from , that the whole Church of Christ was termed this heresy , ταυτηςαιρεσεως, and this by persons who intended no reproach , but wished simply to distinguish the Christians from scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees , &c. Heresy therefore, in its first acceptation, signifies simply a choice : afterwards it was applied to designate all those persons who made the same choice; and hence the word sect and it became synonymous: in process of time it was applied to those professing Christianity who made, in some cases, a different choice as to some article of faith , or form of worship , from those which had obtained in that part of the Church with which they had been before connected. The majority, from whom they became thus separated, spoke evil of them, and treated them ill, because they presumed to choose for themselves on the foundation of the Holy Scriptures; and because they would take nothing for the truth of God that was not accredited from heaven. Thus, when the people now called Protestants , began to examine their creed according to the Holy Scriptures, and, in consequence of this examination, left out auricular confession, indulgences , the priests' power to forgive sins, adoration of saints, angels , and relics, purgatory , and the doctrine of transubstantiation , because they could not find them in the word of God, the papists called them heretics , by which they meant, in opposition to the meaning of the word, persons holding damnable errors ; and, as such, they persecuted, burnt , and destroyed them wherever they had power. Now be it known to these persecutors, that the Protestants still choose to reject opinions and practices which they know to be unscriptural, absurd, and superstitious; and which they have a thousand times demonstrated to be such : and, on this ground, may they still be HERETICS! Were filled with indignation. ] ζηλου, With zeal . ζηλος, from ζεω, to be hot , and λα or λιαν, very much , signifies a vehement affection or disposition of the mind, which, according to its object, is either good or bad, laudable or blamable . Its meaning in this place is easily discerned; and not improperly translated indignation , in our version. We need not be surprised that the Sadducees were filled with indignation , because the apostles proclaimed the resurrection of Christ, and, through that, the general resurrection , which was diametrically opposed to their doctrine; for they denied the possibility of a resurrection, and believed not in the being of either angel or spirit ; nor did they allow of the existence of a spiritual world. .

‏ Acts 5:17

Verse 17. The high priest-and-the sect of the Sadducees] αιρεσις τωνσαδδουκαιων, The heresy of the Sadducees. In this place, as well as in several others, the word αιρεσις, heresy, has no evil meaning in itself; it is a word of distinction, and may receive either a good or bad colouring from the persons or opinions designated by it. It signifies a sect or party, whether good or bad, distinguished from any other sect. αιρεσις, heresy, comes from αιρεω, I choose, and was anciently applied to the different sects of the heathen philosophers, the members of each sect having chosen their own in preference to all the others. It has been applied among ecclesiastical writers in the same way-when a man chooses one party of Christians, in preference to others, to be his companions in the way of salvation; and he chooses them and their creed and Christian discipline, because he believes the whole to be more consistent with the oracles of God than any of the rest. The Church of Rome has thought proper to attach a very bad meaning to this innocent word, and then apply it to all those who can neither credit her transubstantiation, depend on her purgatory, nor worship her relics. A heretic, in her acceptation, is one who is not a papist, and, because not a papist, utterly out of the way and out of the possibility of being saved. These persons should recollect that, by a then persecuting brother, St. Paul, all the apostles, and the whole Church of Christ, were termed ναζωραιωναιρεσις, the heresy of the Nazarenes, Ac 24:5; and it was after the way which the persecuting Jews called heresy that St. Paul and the rest of the apostles worshipped the God of their fathers, Ac 24:14; and it was according to the strictest HERESY in the Jewish Church, ακιριβεστατηναιρεσιν, that St. Paul lived before his conversion, Ac 26:5; and we find, from Ac 28:22, that the whole Church of Christ was termed this heresy, ταυτηςαιρεσεως, and this by persons who intended no reproach, but wished simply to distinguish the Christians from scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, &c. Heresy therefore, in its first acceptation, signifies simply a choice: afterwards it was applied to designate all those persons who made the same choice; and hence the word sect and it became synonymous: in process of time it was applied to those professing Christianity who made, in some cases, a different choice as to some article of faith, or form of worship, from those which had obtained in that part of the Church with which they had been before connected. The majority, from whom they became thus separated, spoke evil of them, and treated them ill, because they presumed to choose for themselves on the foundation of the Holy Scriptures; and because they would take nothing for the truth of God that was not accredited from heaven. Thus, when the people now called Protestants, began to examine their creed according to the Holy Scriptures, and, in consequence of this examination, left out auricular confession, indulgences, the priests' power to forgive sins, adoration of saints, angels, and relics, purgatory, and the doctrine of transubstantiation, because they could not find them in the word of God, the papists called them heretics, by which they meant, in opposition to the meaning of the word, persons holding damnable errors; and, as such, they persecuted, burnt, and destroyed them wherever they had power. Now be it known to these persecutors, that the Protestants still choose to reject opinions and practices which they know to be unscriptural, absurd, and superstitious; and which they have a thousand times demonstrated to be such: and, on this ground, may they still be HERETICS!

Were filled with indignation.] ζηλου, With zeal. ζηλος, from ζεω, to be hot, and λα or λιαν, very much, signifies a vehement affection or disposition of the mind, which, according to its object, is either good or bad, laudable or blamable. Its meaning in this place is easily discerned; and not improperly translated indignation, in our version. We need not be surprised that the Sadducees were filled with indignation, because the apostles proclaimed the resurrection of Christ, and, through that, the general resurrection, which was diametrically opposed to their doctrine; for they denied the possibility of a resurrection, and believed not in the being of either angel or spirit; nor did they allow of the existence of a spiritual world. See Clarke on Ac 4:2.

‏ Acts 24:14

Verse 14. That after the way which they call heresy] See the explanation of this word in Clarke's note on "Ac 5:17", and see before, Ac 24:5, where what is here translated heresy, is there rendered sect. At this time the word had no bad acceptation, in reference to religious opinions. The Pharisees themselves, the most respectable body among the Jews, are called a sect; for Paul, defending himself before Agrippa, says that he lived a Pharisee according to the strictest αιρεσιν, sect, or heresy of their religion. And Josephus, who was a Pharisee, speaks, τηςτωνφαρισαιωναιρεσεως, of the heresy or sect of the Pharisees. LIFE, chap. xxxviii. Therefore it is evident that the word heresy had no bad meaning among the Jews; it meant simply a religious sect. Why then did they use it by way of degradation to St. Paul? This seems to have been the cause. They had already two accredited sects in the land, the Pharisees and Sadducees: the interests of each of these were pretty well balanced, and each had a part in the government, for the council, or Sanhedrin, was composed both of Sadducees and Pharisees: see Ac 23:6. They were afraid that the Christians, whom they called Nazarenes, should form a new sect, and divide the interests of both the preceding; and what they feared, that they charged them with; and, on this account, the Christians had both the Pharisees and the Sadducees for their enemies. They had charged Jesus Christ with plotting against the state, and endeavouring to raise seditions; and they charged his followers with the same. This they deemed a proper engine to bring a jealous government into action.

So worship I the God of my fathers] I bring in no new object of worship; no new religious creed. I believe all things as they profess to believe; and acknowledge the Law and the Prophets as divinely inspired books; and have never, in the smallest measure, detracted from the authority or authenticity of either.