Acts ix. 10.VIII. ANANIAS, a Disciple of Jesus Christ, dwelling at Damascus, whom the Lord directed in a vision to go and find Paul, who had been lately converted, and was come to Damascus. Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this Man, how much evil he hath done to thy Saints at Jerusalem; and how he hath authority from the Chief Priests to bind all that call upon thy Name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my Name before the Gentiles, and Kings, and the Children of Israel. For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my Name’s sake. Ananias went therefore to the House where God had revealed to him that Paul was, and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared unto thee in the way, hath sent me that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales, and he received sight forthwith, and arose and was baptized.
We know no other circumstance of the life of Ananias besides this which we have related. The book of Apostolical Constitutions believes him to be a Layman1. Œcumenius2, and some Moderns, think he was a Deacon; S. Austin3 will have it that he was a Priest, because it is said that S. Paul was sent to him that he might at his hands receive the Sacrament, the administration whereof was left by Jesus Christ to the Priesthood of his Church. The modern Greeks maintain, that he was one of the seventy Disciples, and made Bishop of Damascus, and that having obtained the Crown of Martyrdom, he was buried in the same City. There is a very fine Church to be seen there, in the place where he was interr’d; and the Turks, who have made a Mosque of it, do notwithstanding preserve a great respect for his Monument. The Greeks observe his Festival upon the first day of October, and the Latins on the 25th of January.
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