What Acts 2:36-47 means
Acts 2:36-47 teaches that Jesus is Lord and Christ, and people should repent, be baptized, and receive forgiveness and the Holy Spirit. It also shows the first believers devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, prayer, breaking bread, and shared life. Early Christian writers like Hermas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Cyprian reinforce these themes. The passage is strong on repentance, baptism, and church fellowship, while extra details are less certain.
128 early-church witnesses · 232 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What does Acts 2:36-47 mean?
Acts 2:36-47 means that Jesus, whom Israel crucified, has been made Lord and Christ, so people must repent and be baptized for forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The passage then describes what saved people look like: they keep the apostles’ teaching, share in prayer and bread, meet together, and live with glad hearts.
Early Christian writers like Hermas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Cyprian use these same ideas when they talk about repentance, baptism, forgiveness, and church life. That makes the passage’s meaning clearer and shows that these were not late ideas. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Passage context
Peter is speaking on the day of Pentecost after the Holy Spirit has been poured out. He tells the crowd that the Jesus they crucified is now Lord and Christ. The listeners are convicted, ask what to do, and Peter tells them to repent and be baptized. The passage ends by showing the new church in daily worship, fellowship, and shared life.
Why early Christian sources matter
Early Christian writers help show how the first generations read this passage. Hermas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cyprian, and the Anonymous Treatise on Re-Baptism all connect repentance, baptism, and forgiveness in ways that fit Acts 2. Justin also describes believers gathering for reading and instruction, which lines up with the apostles’ teaching in Acts 2:42. These writers do not replace the Bible text, but they help confirm how early Christians understood it.
Common interpretation points
- Acts 2:38 is the clearest verse for repentance, baptism, forgiveness, and the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 2:42-47 gives the church pattern: teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, prayers, generosity, and praise.
- The early Christian evidence is strong for baptism and church life, but thin for later doctrinal debates not stated in the passage.
Evidence-Based Summary
Acts 2:36-47 means that Peter preached Jesus as Lord and Christ, and the right response was repentance, baptism, and a new life in the Spirit. In the passage, the people are cut to the heart, Peter tells them to repent and be baptized for forgiveness, and the new believers then continue in the apostles’ teaching, breaking bread, prayer, shared life, and praise.
Early Christian writers like Hermas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cyprian, and the Anonymous Treatise on Re-Baptism strongly echo the themes of repentance, baptism, forgiveness, and the church’s common life. The evidence is strongest for baptism tied to forgiveness and for the church’s shared worship and fellowship; it is thinner on any debated details beyond that. A few nearby cards are only indirect or background, so the curated view stays centered on the passage itself.
Key Takeaways
- Acts 2:36-47 says Jesus is Lord and Christ, so the right response is repentance, baptism, and faith.
- The passage connects baptism with forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
- The first church is marked by teaching, prayer, breaking bread, generosity, and praise.
- Early Christian writers strongly echo the passage on repentance, baptism, and fellowship.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians think Acts 2:38 teaches repentance and baptism for forgiveness?
Yes. Peter tells the crowd to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins, and early Christian writers repeatedly echo that link between repentance, baptism, forgiveness, and receiving the Holy Spirit. Hermas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cyprian, and the Anonymous Treatise on Re-Baptism all fit this reading.
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Acts 2:38 Direct teaching
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
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Acts 2:37 Direct teaching
Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
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Acts 3:19 Direct teaching
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
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Acts 22:16 Direct teaching
And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.
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Acts 2:36 Direct teaching
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
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Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness
...ce except the one that happens when we go down into the water and receive forgiveness of our former sins." He said to me, "What you heard was sound teaching, for that is really so. For the person who has received forgiveness of sins ought not to sin anymore, but to live in purity. However, since you are asking carefully about everything, I will explain this to you also. I do not say it in order to give an excuse for error to those who are going to believe, or who have recently believed, in the Lord. For those who have now believed, and those who are going to believe, do not have repentance for sins, but they do have forgiveness of their previous sins. But for those who were called before these days, the Lord has appointed repentance. For the Lord, knowing the heart and knowing beforehand all things, knew the weakness of human beings and the many tricks of the devil, that he would bring some evil on the servants of God and would act wickedly toward them. Therefore the Lord, being merciful, had mercy on the work of His hand and appointed repentance for them. And He has given me authority over this repentance. Therefore I say to you that if anyone is tempted by the devil and sins a
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
...es, saying, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For this promise is to you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." Acts 2:38-39 Peter mentions Jesus Christ, not as if the Father should be omitted, but so that the Son also might be joined to the Father.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Supporting witness
...aised by His right hand to be a Prince and Savior, to offer repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things, as is the Holy Ghost, whom God has given to those who believe in Him." "And daily," it says, "in the temple and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and preaching Christ Jesus," the Son of God. For this was the knowledge of salvation, making those who recognize His Son's coming perfect towards God.
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Tertullian, On Baptism Supporting witness
and, Your sins shall be remitted you, on your believing, of course, albeit you be not yet baptized.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book V Supporting witness
Therefore, by forgiving sins, He indeed healed humanity, while also revealing who He was. For if no one can forgive sins except God alone, and the Lord forgave them and healed people, it is clear that He Himself was the Word of God made the Son of man, receiving from the Father the power to forgive sins; because He was human, and because He was God, so that as a man He suffered for us, and as God He might have compassion on us and forgive our debts, which made us debtors to God our Creator. And so David said beforehand, "Blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord has not counted sin;" indicating the forgiveness of sins that comes with His coming, by which "He has destroyed the record" of our debt and "nailed it to the cross;" so that just as through a tree we became debtors to God, through a tree we may also obtain the forgiveness of our debt.
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Anonymous, Treatise on Re-Baptism Supporting witness
... is mightier than I, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire," Matthew 3:11. For this reason, we also ought to begin this discussion from this point. For in the Acts of the Apostles, after His resurrection, the Lord confirmed this same word of John and commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for that promise of the Father, "which," He says, "you have heard from me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days from now," Acts 1:4-5. Peter also repeated these same words of the Lord when he explained his actions to the apostles, saying: "And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell upon them as on us at the beginning; and I remembered the word of the Lord, how that He said, John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. If, therefore, He gave them a like gift as to us, who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand the Lord?" Acts 11:15-17. And again: "Men, brothers, you know how from ancient days God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the Gospel, and be
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Anonymous, Treatise on Re-Baptism Supporting witness
... would necessarily be required from the hands of the bishops. Further, as you are not ignorant, the Holy Spirit is found to have been given by the Lord without baptism of water to men who believe, as it is written in Acts of the Apostles in this way: “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had also been poured out on the Gentiles. For they heard them speak in tongues, and they magnified God. Then Peter answered, ‘Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?’ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” Acts 10:44-48 Peter also later taught us very fully about these same Gentiles, saying: “And He made no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.” Acts 15:9 And so there will be no doubt that men may be baptized with the Holy Spirit without water, since you see that these were baptized before they were baptized with water. In this way, the declarations of both John and of our Lord Himself were fulfil
More related quotations from this section 15 shown
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Direct teaching
So, the person who has received forgiveness of sins ought not to sin anymore. For besides the first and only repentance from sins, which is from the sins of the former life, the first pagan life, that is, sins done in ignorance, there is also immediately set before those who have been called a repentance that cleanses the seat of the soul from transgressions, so that faith may be firmly established. And the Lord, knowing the heart and foreknowing the future, saw beforehand both the weakness of man and the craft and cunning of the devil from the beginning. He saw how the devil, envying man because of the forgiveness of sins, would bring certain causes of sins before the servants of God, skillfully working harm so that they might fall along with him. Therefore, since He is very merciful, He has granted, in the case of those who, though in faith, fall into some transgression, a second repentance. So if anyone is tempted after being called, and is overcome by force and deceit, he may still receive a repentance that is not to be regretted. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expect
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Anonymous, Treatise on Re-Baptism Supporting witness
Acts 1:4-5 And Peter also related these same words of the Lord, when he gave an account of himself to the apostles, saying: And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell upon them as on us at the beginning;
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
11. Since in baptism each person has his own sins forgiven, the Lord proves and declares in His Gospel that sins can be taken away only by those who have the Holy Spirit. For after His resurrection, when He sent out His disciples, He spoke to them and said, "As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you." And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, they will be forgiven; if you retain anyone's sins, they will be retained." John 20:21-23 In this place He shows that only the one who has the Holy Spirit can baptize and give forgiveness of sins. Moreover, John, who was to baptize Christ our Lord Himself, received the Holy Spirit beforehand while he was still in his mother's womb, so that it might be certain and clear that no one can baptize except those who have the Holy Spirit. Therefore those who support heretics or schismatics must answer us whether they have the Holy Spirit or not. If they have Him, why are hands laid on those who were baptized among them when they come to us, so that they may receive the Holy Spirit, since He must surely have been received there, where, if He was there, He could also be g
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
But I am amazed that some are so stubborn that they think repentance should not be granted to the lapsed, or that pardon should be denied to those who repent, when it is written, “Remember from where you have fallen, and repent, and do the first works,” Revelation 2:5. This is clearly said to someone who has plainly fallen, and whom the Lord urges to rise again by his works, because it is written, “Alms do deliver from death,” Tobit 4:10. This certainly does not mean from that death which the blood of Christ once destroyed, and from which the saving grace of baptism and of our Redeemer has delivered us, but from that death which afterward creeps in through sins. Also, in another place, time is given for repentance, and the Lord threatens the one who does not repent: “I have,” He says, “many things against you, because you allow your wife Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols; and I gave her time to repent, and she will not repent of her fornication. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds,” Re
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Tertullian, On Modesty Supporting witness
...judge those who are without?” But you remit, in order that remission may be granted you by God. The sins which are cleansed in this way are such as a man may have committed against his brother, not against God. We profess, in short, in our prayer, that we will grant remission to our debtors. But it is not fitting to stretch farther, on the authority of such Scriptures, the cable of contention with alternate pulling into diverse directions, so that one Scripture may seem to draw tight, another to relax, the reins of discipline — in uncertainty, as it were — and the latter to debase the remedial aid of repentance through lenity, the former to refuse it through austerity. Further, the authority of Scripture will stand within its own limits, without reciprocal opposition. The remedial aid of repentance is determined by its own conditions, without unlimited concession. And the causes of it themselves are distinguished beforehand without confusion in the proposition. We agree that the causes of repentance are sins. These we divide into two issues: some are remissible, some irremissible. Accordingly, it will be doubtful to no one that some deserve chastisement, some condemnation. Every
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Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness
The former, because they had already gained the most ancient baptism of the law and Moses, were to be baptized also in the name of Jesus Christ, in conformity with what Peter tells them in the Acts of the Apostles, saying, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
...those who have not sinned, so that they may remain innocent; and those who do sin, so that they may repent. For the Lord says this to you: "Take heed that you do not offend one of these little ones" in Matthew 18:10. It is also your duty to grant forgiveness to those who repent. For as soon as someone who has sinned says with sincere heart, "I have sinned against the Lord," the Holy Spirit answers, "The Lord also has forgiven your sin; be of good cheer, you shall not die." Therefore, bishop, understand the dignity of your office. As you have received the power of binding, so you have also received the power of loosing. Since you have the power of loosing, know yourself, and conduct yourself in this world in a way that fits your office, knowing that you must give a great account. For to those whom, as the Scripture says, men have entrusted much, they will require the more, in Luke 12:48. For no man is free from sin, except Him who was made man for us. For it is written, "No man is pure from filthiness, no, not even if his life is only one day long." For this reason, the lives and conduct of the ancient holy men and patriarchs are described, not so that we may reproach them when w
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Anonymous, Treatise on Re-Baptism Supporting witness
... Lord Jesus Christ has already gone before, the Holy Spirit may also be given to another person who repents and believes. For Holy Scripture has declared that those who believe in Christ must be baptized in the Spirit, so that these also may not seem to have anything less than those who are fully Christians, lest it should be necessary to ask what kind of baptism they received in the name of Jesus Christ. Unless perhaps, in that earlier discussion also, about those who had only been baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, you decide that they can be saved even without the Holy Spirit, or that the Holy Spirit is not usually given only in this way, but by the laying on of the bishop's hands, or even say that it is not the bishop alone who can give the Holy Spirit.
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Anonymous, Treatise on Re-Baptism Supporting witness
...at reason cut off from salvation. Rather, whenever they came to a right mind, they obtained through repentance a sound hope of salvation, especially when they received the Holy Spirit, by whom every man ought to be baptized. This is the kind of point they would have meant. Likewise, we do not think that Peter alone underwent this in the Gospel, but all the disciples did. For although they had already been baptized, the Lord afterward says to them, "All of you will be offended because of Me," Mark 14:27. And, as we see, after they corrected their faith, they were baptized with the Holy Spirit after the Lord's resurrection. So, not without reason, we also at the present day may believe that men who have been corrected from their former error may be baptized in the Holy Spirit, even though they had already been baptized with water in the name of the Lord and may have had a somewhat imperfect faith. For it makes a great difference whether a man has not been baptized at all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, or whether he is lacking in some respect when he is baptized with the baptism of water. That is of less account, provided that afterward a sincere faith in the truth is eviden
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Tatian, The Diatessaron Background
Luke 3:3 And he came into all the region which is about Jordan, proclaiming the 40 baptism of repentance unto the forgiveness of sins.
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Origen, Commentary on John Background
I, he says, baptize you with water unto repentance, purifying you, as it were, and turning you away from evil courses and calling you to repentance;
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Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Background
And the Lord said, Receive the Holy Ghost: whose sins you remit, they shall be remitted;
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Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse Background
And the Lord said, Receive the Holy Ghost: whose sins you remit, they shall be remitted;
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Background
Grant to him, O Lord Almighty, through Your Christ, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, that so he may have power to remit sins according to Your command;
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Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Background
If He was not baptized, neither is any of us baptized.
What did the first church do in Acts 2:42-47?
The first believers kept the apostles’ teaching, stayed together, broke bread, prayed, shared what they had, worshiped God, and grew day by day. Justin Martyr’s description of Christian gatherings and the Didache’s meal and confession language give early support for this church pattern.
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Acts 2:47 Direct teaching
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
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Acts 2:44 Supporting witness
And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
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Acts 4:32 Supporting witness
Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
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Acts 2:43 Supporting witness
And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Background
And besides all these, [he records] what [Christ] said to His disciples in the way, after the resurrection, and how they recognised Him in the breaking of bread.
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Background
and it is related also in the Acts of the Apostles that he preached the word in Athens.
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Background
The end of the Constitutions of the Holy Apostles by Clement, which are the Catholic doctrine.
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Pamphilus, Exposition on the Acts of the Apostles Background
E. Of the harmonious and universal fellowship of the believers;
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Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Supporting witness
And when the apostle goes away, let him take nothing but bread until he lodges;
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Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Background
But concerning the apostles and prophets, according to the decree of the Gospel, thus do.
Did early Christians connect Acts 2:42 with breaking bread and worship?
Yes. Acts 2:42 and 2:46 place breaking bread at the center of the believers’ life, and Justin Martyr, the Didache, and later liturgical texts use similar language for Christian worship and shared meals. The strongest point is the church’s regular gathering around bread, prayer, and thanksgiving.
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Acts 2:42 Direct teaching
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
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Acts 2:46 Direct teaching
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
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Justin Martyr, Connection to Acts 2:42 Supporting witness
And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things.
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Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Supporting witness
But every Lord's day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure.
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Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Supporting witness
to You be the glory forever. Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills, and was gathered together and became one, so let Your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth into Your kingdom;
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness
Then breaking the bread, He presented it, that we might eat it, according to reason, and that knowing the Scriptures we might walk obediently.
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Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness
For it is related in St. Luke's Gospel, that Jesus after His resurrection took bread, and blessed it, and breaking it, distributed it to Simon and Cleopas;
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Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness
Luke 24:30 And when he sat with them, he took bread, and blessed, 57 and broke, and gave to them.
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Early Liturgies, Divine Liturgy of St. Mark Supporting witness
and when He had blessed, hallowed, and broken the bread, gave it to His holy and blessed disciples and apostles, saying:—
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
...ystery of the new covenant. Take of it, and eat. This is my body, which is broken for many, for the remission of sins." In the same way, He also took the cup, mixed it with wine and water, sanctified it, and gave it to them, saying, "Drink all of this, for this is my blood, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins. Do this in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you show my death until I come. Therefore, remembering His passion, death, resurrection from the dead, return into the heavens, and His future second appearing, in which He is to come with glory and power to judge the living and the dead, and to repay everyone according to his works, we offer to You, our King and our God, according to His constitution, this bread and this cup. We give You thanks through Him, because You have counted us worthy to stand before You and to sacrifice to You. And we beg You to look mercifully upon these gifts set before You, O God, who stand in need of none of our offerings. Accept them, to the honor of Your Christ, and send down Your Holy Spirit upon this sacrifice, the Witness of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus, that He may show this bread to b
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Early Liturgies, Divine Liturgy of St. James Supporting witness
...pherd, who takes away the sin of the world, who freely forgave the debt of the two debtors and gave remission of her sins to the woman who was a sinner, who gave healing to the paralytic along with the remission of his sins: forgive, remit, and pardon, O God, our offenses, voluntary and involuntary, in knowledge and in ignorance, by transgression and by disobedience, which Your all-holy Spirit knows better than Your servants do.
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Tertullian, On Prayer Supporting witness
...these shall be added," Matthew 6:33. Although we may rather understand, "Give us this day our daily bread," spiritually. For Christ is our Bread, because Christ is Life, and bread is life. He says, "I am the Bread of Life," John 6:35. And, a little above, "The Bread is the Word of the living God, who came down from the heavens," John 6:33. Then we find, too, that His body is counted in bread: "This is my body," Matthew 26:26. And so, in asking for daily bread, we ask for perpetuity in Christ and indivisibility from His body. But because that phrase can also be understood in a bodily sense, it cannot be used that way without the religious remembrance of spiritual Discipline as well. For the Lord commands that bread be prayed for, which is the only food necessary for believers. For all other things the nations seek after, Matthew 6:32. He teaches the same lesson both by examples and repeatedly in parables, when He says, "Does a father take away bread from his children, and hand it to dogs?" And again, "Does a father give his son a stone when he asks for bread?" For in this way He shows what sons expect from their father. No, even that man knocking at night knocked for bread, Luke
Common Questions
Why were the people in Acts 2 cut to the heart?
They realized Peter was telling them they had rejected the one God had made Lord and Christ. That conviction led them to ask what they should do.
What did Peter tell them to do in Acts 2:38?
Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins, and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
What did the first believers do after Acts 2?
They stayed in the apostles’ teaching, shared fellowship, broke bread, prayed, praised God, and cared for one another.
How did early Christians use Acts 2:42-47?
They used it as a model for church life: teaching, prayer, breaking bread, confession, and a shared life centered on Christ.
Does Acts 2:36-47 teach baptism for forgiveness?
Yes. Peter tells the crowd to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
What does Acts 2:42 teach about the church?
It teaches that the church should stay in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayers.
Did early Christians treat Acts 2 as important?
Yes. Writers like Hermas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Cyprian often connect repentance, baptism, forgiveness, and church life to the same pattern.
Source Index for Acts 2:36-47
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 232 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 128
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 80 shown of 104
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.
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Book 80 1:33
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Book 79 1:60