And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she prevailed upon us.
All Commentaries on Acts 16:15 Go To Acts 16
John Chrysostom
AD 407
then look at her wisdom, how she importunes (δυσωπεἵ), the Apostles how full of humility her words are, how full of wisdom. If you have judged me faithful, she says. Nothing could be more persuasive. Who would not have been softened by these words? She did not request (or, claim) did not entreat simply: but she left them to decide, and (yet) exceedingly forced them: And she constrained us, it says, by those words. And again in a different way: for see how she straightway bears fruit, and accounts it a great gain. If you have judged me, that is, That ye did judge me is manifest, by your delivering to me such (holy) mysteries (i.e. sacraments, see p. 225, note 3): and she did not dare to invite them before this. But why was there any unwillingness on the part of Paul and those with them, that they should need to be constrained? It was either by way of calling her to greater earnestness of desire, or because Christ had said, Enquire who is worthy, and there abide. Luke 10:8 (It was not that they were unwilling), but they did it for a purpose. — And it came to pass, it says, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: the same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which show unto us the way of salvation.
