The early church
Peter and John Before the Council
Peter and John are arrested and brought before the high priest and the Council after healing a lame man. They boldly preach about Jesus' resurrection and are threatened into silence, but refuse to obey men rather than God.
Acts 4,1-22
1While they were still speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple guard, and the Sadducees came up to them,
Λαλούντων δὲ αὐτῶν πρὸς τὸν λαὸν ἐπέστησαν αὐτοῖς οἱ ⸀ἱερεῖς καὶ ὁ στρατηγὸς τοῦ ἱεροῦ καὶ οἱ Σαδδουκαῖοι,
2greatly annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead.
διαπονούμενοι διὰ τὸ διδάσκειν αὐτοὺς τὸν λαὸν καὶ καταγγέλλειν ἐν τῷ Ἰησοῦ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ⸂τὴν ἐκ⸃ νεκρῶν,
3They seized them and put them in custody until the next day, since it was already evening.
καὶ ἐπέβαλον αὐτοῖς τὰς χεῖρας καὶ ἔθεντο εἰς τήρησιν εἰς τὴν αὔριον, ἦν γὰρ ἑσπέρα ἤδη.
4But many who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
πολλοὶ δὲ τῶν ἀκουσάντων τὸν λόγον ἐπίστευσαν, καὶ ἐγενήθη ⸀ὁ ἀριθμὸς τῶν ἀνδρῶν ⸀ὡς χιλιάδες πέντε.
5The next day the rulers, the elders, and the scribes gathered in Jerusalem,
Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν αὔριον συναχθῆναι αὐτῶν τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ ⸀τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους καὶ ⸁τοὺς γραμματεῖς ⸀ἐν Ἰερουσαλήμ
6along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and all who belonged to the high priest's family.
(καὶ ⸂Ἅννας ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς καὶ Καϊάφας καὶ Ἰωάννης καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος⸃ καὶ ὅσοι ἦσαν ἐκ γένους ἀρχιερατικοῦ),
7They made them stand in their midst and questioned them: "By what power or in what name did you do this?"
καὶ στήσαντες αὐτοὺς ἐν ⸀τῷ μέσῳ ἐπυνθάνοντο· Ἐν ποίᾳ δυνάμει ἢ ἐν ποίῳ ὀνόματι ἐποιήσατε τοῦτο ὑμεῖς;
8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers of the people and elders,
τότε Πέτρος πλησθεὶς πνεύματος ἁγίου εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἄρχοντες τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ⸀πρεσβύτεροι,
9if we are being examined today about a good deed done for a crippled man and how he was healed,
εἰ ἡμεῖς σήμερον ἀνακρινόμεθα ἐπὶ εὐεργεσίᾳ ἀνθρώπου ἀσθενοῦς, ἐν τίνι οὗτος σέσωσται,
10then let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel: it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
γνωστὸν ἔστω πᾶσιν ὑμῖν καὶ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ Ἰσραὴλ ὅτι ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Ναζωραίου, ὃν ὑμεῖς ἐσταυρώσατε, ὃν ὁ θεὸς ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἐν τούτῳ οὗτος παρέστηκεν ἐνώπιον ὑμῶν ὑγιής.
11He is the stone that you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.
οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ λίθος ὁ ἐξουθενηθεὶς ὑφʼ ὑμῶν τῶν ⸀οἰκοδόμων, ὁ γενόμενος εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας.
12And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἡ σωτηρία, ⸀οὐδὲ γὰρ ὄνομά ἐστιν ἕτερον ⸂ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν⸃ τὸ δεδομένον ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἐν ᾧ δεῖ σωθῆναι ἡμᾶς.
13When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated, ordinary men, they were amazed, and they recognized that these men had been with Jesus.
Θεωροῦντες δὲ τὴν τοῦ Πέτρου παρρησίαν καὶ Ἰωάννου καὶ καταλαβόμενοι ὅτι ἄνθρωποι ἀγράμματοί εἰσιν καὶ ἰδιῶται, ἐθαύμαζον, ἐπεγίνωσκόν τε αὐτοὺς ὅτι σὺν τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἦσαν,
14And seeing the man who had been healed standing there with them, they had nothing to say in reply.
τόν ⸀τε ἄνθρωπον βλέποντες σὺν αὐτοῖς ἑστῶτα τὸν τεθεραπευμένον οὐδὲν εἶχον ἀντειπεῖν.
15So they ordered them to leave the council and conferred with one another,
κελεύσαντες δὲ αὐτοὺς ἔξω τοῦ συνεδρίου ἀπελθεῖν συνέβαλλον πρὸς ἀλλήλους
16saying, "What shall we do with these men? For it is plain to everyone living in Jerusalem that a remarkable sign has been done through them, and we cannot deny it.
λέγοντες· Τί ⸀ποιήσωμεν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τούτοις; ὅτι μὲν γὰρ γνωστὸν σημεῖον γέγονεν διʼ αὐτῶν πᾶσιν τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν Ἰερουσαλὴμ φανερόν, καὶ οὐ δυνάμεθα ⸀ἀρνεῖσθαι·
17But to keep it from spreading further among the people, let us warn them never again to speak to anyone in this name."
ἀλλʼ ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖον διανεμηθῇ εἰς τὸν λαόν, ⸀ἀπειλησώμεθα αὐτοῖς μηκέτι λαλεῖν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ μηδενὶ ἀνθρώπων.
18So they called them in and ordered them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
καὶ καλέσαντες αὐτοὺς παρήγγειλαν ⸀τὸ καθόλου μὴ φθέγγεσθαι μηδὲ διδάσκειν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ.
19But Peter and John answered them, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to listen to you rather than to God.
ὁ δὲ Πέτρος καὶ Ἰωάννης ἀποκριθέντες ⸂εἶπον πρὸς αὐτούς⸃· Εἰ δίκαιόν ἐστιν ἐνώπιον τοῦ θεοῦ ὑμῶν ἀκούειν μᾶλλον ἢ τοῦ θεοῦ, κρίνατε,
20For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
οὐ δυνάμεθα γὰρ ἡμεῖς ἃ εἴδαμεν καὶ ἠκούσαμεν μὴ λαλεῖν.
21After threatening them further, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people—for they were all praising God for what had happened.
οἱ δὲ προσαπειλησάμενοι ἀπέλυσαν αὐτούς, μηδὲν εὑρίσκοντες τὸ πῶς ⸀κολάσωνται αὐτούς, διὰ τὸν λαόν, ὅτι πάντες ἐδόξαζον τὸν θεὸν ἐπὶ τῷ γεγονότι·
22For the man on whom this sign of healing had been performed was more than forty years old.
ἐτῶν γὰρ ἦν πλειόνων τεσσεράκοντα ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐφʼ ὃν ⸀γεγόνει τὸ σημεῖον τοῦτο τῆς ἰάσεως.