Ananias (Husband of Sapphira)

Biblical Account

Ananias appears in Acts 5:1–6. His name is generally understood to be the Greek form of the Hebrew name Hananiah, meaning "the LORD is gracious." Three men bearing this name appear in Acts. Besides the subject of this article, there are Ananias of Damascus, who laid hands on Saul (Acts 9 and 22), and the high priest Ananias, who sat in judgment on Paul (Acts 23 and 24). They are three different people.

The immediately preceding passage, Acts 4:32–37, records that believers in the early church sold their possessions, laid the proceeds at the apostles' feet, and distributed them according to need. The same passage describes how Barnabas sold a field and brought the money. Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, likewise sold a possession. However, with his wife's knowledge, he kept back part of the price and laid only the remainder at the apostles' feet. Peter asked him, "Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?" (Acts 5:3). Peter went on to say that the land had belonged to Ananias both before and after it was sold, and he rebuked him: "thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God" (5:4). On hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. The young men wrapped up his body, carried him out, and buried him (5:5–6). About three hours later, Sapphira also died over the same matter (5:7–10). The full narrative is treated in the article Ananias and Sapphira.

Significance Within Scripture

This episode is set alongside the account of Barnabas in chapter 4, so that the genuine sharing of the early church stands in contrast to a deception that merely imitated its outward form. After the two deaths, the passage concludes: "And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things" (5:11). Ananias is not mentioned anywhere else in the New Testament.

Interpretation and Issues

• The nature of the sin: Many interpreters appeal to Peter's words (5:4). They hold that giving one's property was voluntary, and that the problem was not that Ananias kept part of it but that he pretended to be giving the whole.
• The deity of the Holy Spirit: Verse 3 speaks of lying "to the Holy Ghost," while verse 4 says "unto God." These two expressions are frequently cited in expositions of the doctrine of the Trinity as showing that the Holy Spirit is God.
• Comparison with Achan: Several commentators compare this incident with the account of Achan in Joshua 7. They see a parallel between Achan, who hid devoted things in the early days of Israel's entry into the Promised Land, and this incident at the very beginning of the church. It has also been noted that the word for "keep back" in the two passages is rendered by the same term in the Greek Bible.
• The question of salvation: The text does not say whether Ananias was a true believer or whether his death signifies eternal punishment, and interpreters therefore differ. Some view it as physical discipline of a believer, while others regard him as someone who never had true faith.
• What the text does not say: In the case of Ananias, the text does not state that Peter pronounced a sentence of death. Likewise, the explanation that Ananias acted out of a desire to be praised as Barnabas had been is often added in preaching, but it is an inference rather than something the text states directly.

In Korean Churches

In Korean Protestant churches, the story of Ananias is frequently cited in sermons on honesty, reverent fear before God, offerings, and vows. At the same time, the use of this passage as grounds for pressuring people to give has drawn criticism. Critics point to 5:4, which states that the property was his own, and argue that the focus of the passage is on the deception rather than on the amount given.