{{about|Ananias and Sapphira|other people}}

[[Image:Masacc12.jpg|right|thumb|The Death of Ananias, by [[Masaccio]]]]
'''Ananias''', and his wife '''Sapphira''', were, according to the [[Acts of the Apostles]], members of the [[Early Christian]] [[church]].

==The story==
Acts Chapter 4 closes by making the statement that the Christian believers in the early Church considered their possessions to be their own, "but they had all things in common," and that a church member, [[Barnabas]], sold a plot of land and donated the profit to the [[Twelve Apostles|apostle]]s. It was in this context that Ananias and Sapphira decided that they, too, would like to make such a donation. After the sale they agreed only to give a certain proportion of the money to the apostles, but to say that it was the whole amount.

In Acts 5:2, Ananias presents his donation to [[Saint Peter|Peter]], who replies, "Why hath [[Satan]] filled thine heart to lie to the [[Holy Spirit|Holy Ghost]]?" Peter points out that Ananias had every right not to sell the land at all or to do what he wanted to with the profits, but by telling a lie—by saying that he was donating the entire amount—he had lied to God.

Ananias then falls to the ground dead and is carried out. Three hours later, his wife enters and tells the same lie, suffering the same fate.



==Salvation of Ananias and Sapphira==
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Primarily within [[Evangelicalism|evangelical]] [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[Christianity]], there is a debate about whether Ananias and Sapphira were [[Salvation|saved]]. Christians who hold to a view of [[Perseverance of the saints|once saved, always saved]] deny that Ananias and Sapphira could have lost their salvation. Those who believe in the [[conditional preservation of the saints]] believe that they were lost. If the lie that Ananias and Sapphira conspired to commit was against the Holy Ghost, then their damnation is not in doubt.

==References==
*{{1911}}
* [[:s:Bible (King James)/Acts#Chapter 5|Acts 5 at WikiSource]]
* ''King James Version Bible Commentary''. 1831 pages. Thomas Nelson Publishing: 2005. ISBN 1-4185-0340-1.

[[Category:New Testament people]]

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