“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' — the cutting of hearts (katanyssō, pricked, wounded, pierced) indicates the Spirit's conviction (cf. John 16:8); conscience awakens to guilt and need. The question 'What shall we do?' (ti poiēsomen, what shall we perform) seeks the path of repentance and restoration. The crowd's openness is the Spirit's work.
Church Fathers on Acts 2:37
Do you see what a great thing gentleness is? More than any vehemence, it pricks our hearts, inflicts a keener wound. For as in the case of bodies which have become callous, the man that strikes upon them does not affect the sense so powerfully, but if he first mollify them and make them tender, then he pierces them effectually; so in this instance also, it is necessary first to mollify. But that which softens, is not wrath, not vehement accusation, not personal abuse; it is…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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