Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit - the 'laying on of hands' (epitithēmi tas cheiras) by the apostles is the mediating act through which the Spirit is given. The 'received the Holy Spirit' (elabonto pneuma hagion) is the result. The apostolic touch is the vector of Spirit transmission, establishing a channel of authority and grace. This foreshadows the role of apostolic succession in later church theology.

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