And so, because of its being the Preparation Day, and as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

On the first day of the week, early in the morning, while it was still dark, Mary of Magdala went to the tomb, and saw that the stone had been removed.

So she came running to Simon Peter, and to that other disciple who was Jesus' friend, and said to them: "They have taken away the Master out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him!"

Stooping down, he saw the linen wrappings lying there, but did not go in.

Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, went inside too, and he saw for himself and was convinced.

"Mary!" said Jesus. She turned round, and exclaimed in Hebrew: "Rabboni!" (or, as we should say, 'Teacher').

After which he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Master.

Again Jesus said to them: "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me as his Messenger, so I am sending you."

If you remit any one's sins, they have been remitted; and, if you retain them, they have been retained."

So the rest of the disciples said to him: "We have seen the Master!" "Unless I see the marks of the nails in his hands," he exclaimed, "and put my finger into the marks, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."

Later on, Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias.

It was in this way:--Simon Peter, Thomas, who was called 'The Twin,' Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, Zebediah's sons, and two other disciples of Jesus, were together, when Simon Peter said:

"Cast your net to the right of the boat," he said, "and you will find fish." So they cast the net, and now they could not haul it in on account of the quantity of fish.

Upon this the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter: "It is the Master!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Master, he fastened his coat round him (for he had taken it off), and threw himself into the Sea.

So Simon Peter got into the boat and hauled the net ashore full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and yet, although there were so many, the net had not been torn.

Peter turned round, and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following--the one who at the supper leant back on the Master's shoulder, and asked him who it was that would betray him.

So the report spread among the Brethren that that disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say that he was not to die, but said "If it is my will that he should wait till I come, what has that to do with you?"

And once, when he had gathered them together, he charged them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the fulfillment of the Father's promise-- "that promise," he said, "of which you have heard me speak;

So, when the Apostles had met together, they asked Jesus this question--"Master, is this the time when you intend to re-establish the Kingdom for Israel?"

They all united in devoting themselves to Prayer, and so did some women, and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

This became known to every one living in Jerusalem, so that the field came to be called, in their language, 'Akeldama,' which means the 'Field of Blood.')

So they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabas, whose other name was Justus, and Matthias;

Then there appeared tongues of what seemed to be flame, separating, so that one settled on each of them;

'It shall come about in the last days,' God says, 'That I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind; your sons and your daughters shall become Prophets, your young men shall see visions, and your old men dream dreams;

He, I say, in accordance with God's definite plan and with his previous knowledge, was betrayed, and you, by the hands of lawless men, nailed him to a cross and put him to death.

And now that he has been exalted to the right hand of God, and has received from the Father the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, he has begun to pour out that gift, as you yourselves now see and hear.

So let the whole nation of Israel know beyond all doubt, that God has made him both Lord and Christ--this very Jesus whom you crucified."

So those who accepted his teaching were baptized, and about three thousand people joined the disciples on that day alone.

Peter fixed his eyes on him, and so did John, and then Peter said: "Look at us."

Grasping the lame man by the right hand, Peter lifted him up. Instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong,

All the people saw him walking about and praising God;

You, I say, disowned the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for the release of a murderer!

And it is by faith in the Name of Jesus, that this man, whom you all see and know, has--by his Name--been made strong. Yes, it is the faith inspired by Jesus that has made this complete cure of the man, before the eyes of you all.

Therefore, repent and turn, that your sins may be wiped away; so that happier times may come from the Lord himself,

Let me tell you all and all the people of Israel, that it is by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified and whom God raised from the dead--it is, I say, by his Name that this man stands here before you lame no longer.

When the Council saw how boldly Peter and John spoke, and found that they were uneducated men of humble station, they were surprised, and realized that they had been companions of Jesus.

But, when they looked at the man who had been healed, standing there with them, they had nothing to say.

So they ordered them out of court, and then began consulting together.

So they called the Apostles in, and ordered them not to speak or teach in the Name of Jesus.

All who heard their story, moved by a common impulse, raised their voices to God in prayer: "O Sovereign Lord, it is you who has 'made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them,'

When their prayer was ended, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to tell God's Message fearlessly.

The Apostles continued with great power to bear their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God's blessing rested upon them all abundantly.

"Ananias," Peter exclaimed, "how is it that Satan has so taken possession of your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit, and kept back a part of the money paid for the land?

Instantly Sapphira fell down at Peter's feet and expired. On coming in, the young men found her dead; so they carried her out and buried her by her husband's side.

But, when the officers got there, they did not find them in the prison; so they returned and reported that,

And we are witness to the truth of this, and so is the Holy Spirit--the gift of God to those who obey him."

The Twelve, therefore, called together the general body of the disciples and said to them: "It is not well for us to see to the distribution at the tables and neglect God's Message.

So God's Message spread, and the number of the disciples continued to increase rapidly in Jerusalem, and a large body of the priests accepted the Faith.

The eyes of all the members of the Council were riveted upon Stephen, and they saw his face looking like the face of an angel.

And, upon that, Stephen spoke as follows: "Brothers and Fathers, hear what I have to say. God, who manifests himself in the Glory, appeared to our ancestor Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, and before he settled in Haran, and said to him--

On this, Abraham left the country of the Chaldaeans and settled in Haran; and from there, after his father's death, God caused him to migrate into this very country, in which you are now living.

God's words were these--'Abraham's descendants shall live in a foreign country, where they will be enslaved and ill-treated for four hundred years.

And so Jacob went down into Egypt. There he died, and our ancestors also,

This king acted deceitfully towards our race and ill-treated our ancestors, making them abandon their own infants, so that they should not be reared.

It was just at this time that Moses was born. He was an exceedingly beautiful child, and for three months was brought up in his own father's house;

So Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and proved his ability both by his words and actions.

He thought his brothers would understand that God was using him to save them; but they failed to do so.

When Moses saw it, he was astonished at the vision; but on his going nearer to look at it more closely, the voice of the Lord was heard to say--

He it was who led them out, after he had shown wonders and signs in Egypt, in the Red Sea, and in the Desert during forty years.

So God turned from them and left them to the worship of the Starry Host, as is written in the Book of the Prophets--'Did you offer victims and sacrifices to me, O House of Israel, all those forty years in the Desert?

He, filled as he was with the Holy Spirit, fixed his eyes intently on the heavens, and saw the Glory of God and Jesus standing at God's right hand.

"Look," he exclaimed, "I see Heaven open and the Son of Man standing at God's right hand!"

The people, one and all, listened attentively to what Philip told them, when they heard of, and saw, the miracles which he was working.

And many who were paralyzed or lame were cured, so that there was great rejoicing throughout that city.

Every one, high and low, paid attention to him. 'This man,' they used to say, 'must be that Power of God which men call "The Great Power."'

When the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that the Samaritans had welcomed God's Message, they sent Peter and John to them;

When Simon saw that it was through the placing of the Apostles' hands on them that the Spirit was given, he brought them a sum of money and said:

"Give me also this power of yours, so that, if I place my hands upon any one, he may receive the Holy Spirit."

"A curse upon you and upon your money," Peter exclaimed, "for thinking that God's free gift can be bought with gold!

For I see that you have fallen into the 'bitterness of envy' and the 'fetters of sin.'"

"Pray to the Lord for me, all of you," Simon answered, "so that none of the things you have spoken of may befall me."

Peter and John, having borne their testimony and delivered the Lord's Message, returned to Jerusalem, telling the Good News, as they went, in many Samaritan villages.

So Philip set out on a journey; and on his way he came upon an official of high rank, in the service of Candace, Queen of the Abyssinians. He was her treasurer, and had been to Jerusalem to worship,

So Philip ran up, and he heard the Abyssinian reading the Prophet Isaiah. "Do you understand what you are reading?" he asked.

The passage of Scripture which he was reading was this--'Like a sheep, he was led away to slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb in the hands of its shearer, so he refrains from opening his lips.

So he ordered the carriage to stop, and they went down into the water--both Philip and the Treasurer--and Philip baptized him.

But, when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, and the Treasurer saw no more of him; for he continued his journey with a joyful heart.

The men traveling with Saul were meanwhile standing speechless; they heard the sound of the voice, but saw no one.

When Saul got up from the ground, though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So his men led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus;

And for three days he was unable to see, and took nothing either to eat or to drink.

"Go at once," said the Lord, "to the 'Straight Street', and ask at Judas's house for a man named Saul, from Tarsus. He is at this moment praying,

And he has seen, in a vision, a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him, so that he may recover his sight."

So Ananias went, entered the house, and, placing his hands on Saul, said: "Saul, my Brother, I have been sent by the Lord--by Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here--so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

Instantly it seemed as if a film fell from Saul's eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,

Saul's influence, however, kept steadily increasing, and he confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by the proofs that he gave that Jesus was the Christ.

And so it came about that the Church, throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, enjoyed peace and became firmly established; and, ordering its life by reverence for the Lord and the help of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

And all the inhabitants of Lydda and of the Plain of Sharon saw him, and came over to the Lord's side.

Giving her his hand, Peter raised her up, and, calling in the widows and others of Christ's People, presented her to them alive.

One afternoon, about three o'clock, he distinctly saw in a vision an angel from God come to him, and call him by name.

He is lodging with a tanner named Simon, who has a house near the sea."

And saw that the heavens were open, and that something like a great sail was descending, let down by its four corners towards the earth.

While Peter was still perplexed as to the meaning of the vision that he had seen, the men sent by Cornelius, having enquired the way to Simon's house, came up to the gate,

The men replied: "Our captain, Cornelius, a pious man who reverences God and is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, has been instructed by a holy angel to send for you to his house, and to listen to what you have to say."

So, when Peter entered the city, Cornelius met him, and, throwing himself at Peter's feet, bowed to the ground.

Peter, however, lifted him up, saying as he did so: "Stand up, I am only a man like yourself."

Therefore send to Jaffa, and invite the Simon, who is also known as Peter, to come here. He is lodging in the house of Simon the tanner, near the sea.'

Accordingly I sent to you at once, and you have been so good as to come. And now we are all here in the presence of God, to listen to all that you have been instructed by the Lord to say."

Then Peter began. "I see, beyond all doubt," he said, "that 'God does not show partiality,'

To him it is that all the Prophets bear witness, when they say that every one who believes in him receives through his Name forgiveness of sins."

The Apostles and the Brethren throughout Judea heard that even the Gentiles had welcomed God's Message.