Acts 8:16-18
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
16 for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.[a] 17 Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit.(A)
18 [b]When Simon saw that the Spirit was conferred by the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money
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- 8:16 Here and in Acts 10:44–48 and Acts 19:1–6, Luke distinguishes between baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus and the reception of the Spirit. In each case, the Spirit is conferred through members of the Twelve (Peter and John) or their representative (Paul). This may be Luke’s way of describing the role of the church in the bestowal of the Spirit. Elsewhere in Acts, baptism and the Spirit are more closely related (Acts 1:5; 11:16).
- 8:18–20 Simon attempts to buy the gift of God (Acts 8:20) with money. Peter’s cursing of Simon’s attempt so to use his money expresses a typically Lucan attitude toward material wealth (cf. Lk 6:24; 12:16–21; 16:13).
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