“And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.”
Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their own language Akeldama, meaning Field of Blood — the Aramaic term (Hakeldama) grounds the narrative in Palestinian eyewitness tradition and Jerusalem memory. The renaming marks the field as a permanent sign of judgment; places bear witness to God's moral order. The dual language (Aramaic/Greek) reflects the earliest church's bilingual character.
Church Fathers on Acts 1:19
And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue Aceldama, that is to say, the field of blood. Acts 1:19. Now the Jews gave it this name, not on this account, but because of Judas; here, however, Peter makes it to have this reference, and when he brings forward the adversaries as witnesses, both by the fact that they named it, and by saying, in their proper tongue, this is what he means. Then after the event, he…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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