Acts 8:15-17

[ChristRocket]

Hello everyone!

Acts 8:15-17 “Peter and John, went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit.”

In these passages, what is the meaning of them not recieving the Holy Spirit when they were Baptized and only upon the laying on of hands from the Apostles? (Obviously, this destroys the Evangelicals’ idea that receiving the Holy Spirit/Accepting Christ is the sign of being baptized.)

Is this a reference to Confirmation? What are the implications of this, seeming as how in other places Baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit seem to coincide? Also, I know that Canon law and doctrine allows anyone to baptize anyone (technically) but is it the same for confirmation? Can only a bishop/priest confirm?

 

[Della]

Hello everyone!

Acts 8:15-17 “Peter and John, went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit.”

In these passages, what is the meaning of them not recieving the Holy Spirit when they were Baptized and only upon the laying on of hands from the Apostles? (Obviously, this destroys the Evangelicals’ idea that receiving the Holy Spirit/Accepting Christ is the sign of being baptized.)

Is this a reference to Confirmation? What are the implications of this, seeming as how in other places Baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit seem to coincide? Also, I know that Canon law and doctrine allows anyone to baptize anyone (technically) but is it the same for confirmation? Can only a bishop/priest confirm?

I refer you to this from Haydock’s Catholic Bible Commentary: Acts 8: haydock1859.tripod.com/id123.html. He states that it was confirmation and that only the Apostles had that chrism at the time. Of course, the chrism was passed on to their successors, the bishops of the Church.

 

[Joe_5859]

Hello everyone!

Acts 8:15-17 “Peter and John, went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit.”

In these passages, what is the meaning of them not recieving the Holy Spirit when they were Baptized and only upon the laying on of hands from the Apostles? (Obviously, this destroys the Evangelicals’ idea that receiving the Holy Spirit/Accepting Christ is the sign of being baptized.)

Is this a reference to Confirmation? What are the implications of this, seeming as how in other places Baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit seem to coincide? Also, I know that Canon law and doctrine allows anyone to baptize anyone (technically) but is it the same for confirmation? Can only a bishop/priest confirm?

Generally, this is viewed as a reference to Confirmation. The ordinary minister of Confirmation is the bishop, though he can allow his priests to confirm in certain cases (such as happens in parishes all over on the Easter Vigil when many are received into the Church.

This passage backs that up. Philip the deacon was already there baptizing, but he had to send for the Apostles (in this case, Peter and John) to come and Confirm them in the Spirit. The same is true today with our bishops.