Acts 5
1 Now a certain man Ananaias by name with Saphira his wife sold [their] possessions, 2 and kept back from the price, the wife also being aware, and having brought [it], placed [a] certain part beside the feet of the apostles. 3 But Peter said: Ananaias, why has Satan filled your heart for you to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back from the price of the field? 4 Did it not remain to you only and was [that] sold not in your authority? Why then was this deed placed in your heart? You did not lie to men but to God. 5 Now Ananaias hearing these words, having fallen, he breathed out his last, and great fear came to pass upon all those hearing. 6 So having stood up, the young men covered him, and having carried [him] out buried [him]. 7 Now it came to pass [about] the interval of three hours, his wife also came in not knowing what came to pass. 8 So Peter answered to her: Tell me, if the field rendered this much. Now she said: Yes, this much. 9 So Peter said to her: Why was it agreed to you [both] to test the spirit of [the] Lord? Behold the feet of those having buried your husband [are] upon the door and they will carry you out. 10 And she immediately fell before his feet and breathed out her last. So having come in, the young men found her dead, and having carried [her] out buried her with her husband. 11 And great fear came to pass upon the whole assembly1 and upon all having heard these [things].12 Now through the hands of the apostles were coming to pass many signs and wonders among the people, and they were all with one purpose in the portico of Solomon. 13 But none of the rest were daring to be joined to them, but the people were magnifying them; 14 but rather they were being added to [those] believing in the Lord, [a] multitude of men and women, 15 so that [they were] even bringing the feeble into the streets and placing [them] upon mattresses and pallets, in order that when Peter comes [his] shadow overshadow any of them. 16 And the multitude was being gathered round [about] the cities of Jerusalem, bringing feeble [ones] and [those] tormented by unclean spirits, all of whom were being healed. 17 Now the chief priest and all those with him, those being the sect of the Pharisees, having stood, they were filled with jealousy, 18 and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in prison publicly. 19 Now [an] angel of [the] Lord during the night opened the doors of the jail, and having brought them out he said: 20 Be going, and having stood, be speaking in the temple to the people all the words of this zoe-life2 . 21 So having heard they went out near dawn into the temple and were teaching. Now the chief priest and those with him being present3 called together the council, and all the council of elders of the sons of Israel, and sent to the prison for them to be brought. 22 Now the officers having arrived did not find them in the jail. So having returned they reported, 23 saying that, We found the prison shut in all security, and the guards standing at the doors, but having opened we found no one inside. 24 Now as the chief of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed concerning them what might have come to pass with respect to this. 25 Now a certain man having arrived reported to them that, Behold the men, who were placed in the jail, are in the temple standing and teaching the people. 26 Then having departed the chief with the officers were bringing them, not with force, for they were fearing the people, [that] they not be stoned. 27 So having brought them they stood [them] in the council. And the chief priest asked them, 28 saying: With command we commanded you not to be teaching upon this name, and behold you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you want to bring on us the blood of this man. 29 But Peter and the apostles answering said: It is necessary to be obeying God rather than men. 30 God of our fathers has raised Jesus, on whom you laid violent hands, having hung [him] upon [the] tree. 31 This prince and savior has God exalted to his right [hand] to give repentance to Israel and allowance4 from sins. 32 And you are witnesses of these words, and [so is] the Holy Spirit which God has given to those obeying him. 33 Now having heard they were infuriated5 and wanted to do away with them. 34 Now a certain Pharisee in the council by name Gamaliel, [a] teacher of the law honored by all the people, commanded them outside to do little [to] the men, 35 and said to them: Be giving heed to yourselves upon these men what you are [about] to be doing. 36 For before these days rose Theudas, saying himself to be something, to whom [a] number of men [about] four hundred attached themselves, who was done away with, and all as many as were persuaded to him were dispersed, and it came to pass to nothing. 37 After this arose Judas the Galileean in the days of the census and mislead [the] people after him, and that [one] perished, and all as many as were persuaded to him were scattered. 38 And with respect to now I say to you: Withdraw from these men and be allowing them, for if this intention or this word be from men, it will stop. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop them, lest you be found fighters against God. Now they were persuaded to him, 40 and having called upon the disciples, having beat them, they commanded [them] not to be speaking upon the name of Jesus and dismissed them. 41 And indeed therefore they were going from the face of the council rejoicing, that they were considered worthy to be dishonored in behalf of his name. 42 And every day in the temple, and [house] by house they were not ceasing teaching and good-newsing the Christ Jesus.
1EKKLESIA (εκκλησια) from "called out". Appears 114 times in the N.T., but only in two places in the Gospels ( Matt.16:18 (twice) and Matt.18:17 (twice)). It's worth noting that when Jesus uses the term EKKLESIA, Christian community as we know it didn't yet exist—there were only the disciples. EKKLESIA is apparently different from 'synagogue' (SYNAGOGE (συναγωγη) which occurs 56 times in the N.T.) EKKLESIA is used in secular Greek literature of a popular assembly 'called to assemble', and also of those 'called' to a cult. EKKLESIA is used frequently in the N.T. outside of the Gospels to refer to Christian communities, but in Acts.7:38 it is used of the people of Israel led through the desert by Moses, and in Acts.19:32 ff. of a secular assembly. Thus, all told, the common translation of EKKLESIA as 'church' doesn't really reflect 1st century usage—it seems to mean more like 'a group of people assembled for some specific purpose'.
2from ZOE "ZOH-ay" (ζωη)—Life 'collectively', interdependent, interconnected. Although it means 'life' in the conventional sense (for example: Matt.9:18, Matt.27:63, Luke.2:36, Acts.25:24, Rom.7:2, 2Cor.1:8, 1Thes.4:17, 1Tim.5:10, Rev.19:20), Jesus uses ZOE exclusively of 'life eternal' (with the possible exceptions of Luke.15:13, Luke.16:25). The other N.T. writers use ZOE in both senses—temporal and eternal, generally clear from the context. The Father is the 'zoe-living God' (see Matt.16:16). The Septuagint (LXX) in Gen.2:7 has "...[God] breathed into his nostrils the breath of zoe-life, and the man became a zoe-living psyche-life" (and see 1Cor.15:45); and Gen.3:20 (LXX) "And Adam called his wife's name ZOE, because she was the mother of all zoe-living." Contrast PSYCHE (ψυχη): an individual manifestation of life/consciousness. See John.12:25 where both ZOE and PSYCHE occur. Greek also has the word BIOS (βιoς ) for 'life' in the sense of biological processes.
3or "having arrived"
4or "forgiveness"
5or "cut to the quick"