Acts 9:13

How much evil (osa kaka). How many evil things. Saul's reputation ( Galatians 26:10 ) as a persecutor had preceded him. To thy saints (toi agioi). Dative of disadvantage. "Used here for the first time as a name for the Christians" (Knowling), but it came to be the common and normal (Hackett) term for followers of Christ ( Galatians 9:32 Galatians 9:41 ; Galatians 26:10 ; 1 Corinthians 1:2 , etc.). This common word is from to ago, religious awe or reverence and is applied to God's name ( Luke 1:49 ), God's temple ( Matthew 24:15 ), God's people as set apart for God ( Luke 1:70 ; Luke 2:23 ; Romans 1:7 , etc.). Ananias in his ignorance saw in Saul only the man with an evil reputation while Jesus saw in Saul the man transformed by grace to be a messenger of mercy.