Sapphira

Sapphira (meaning beautiful in Aramaic) was the wife of Ananias who, together with her husband, sold a piece of property and brought part of the proceeds to the apostles while pretending to bring the full amount — a deliberate act of deception against the Holy Spirit and the apostolic community (Acts 5:1–11). The sin was not in keeping a portion of the sale but in lying about it, as Peter made clear: the property was theirs to keep or sell as they wished (Acts 5:4). Three hours after Ananias fell dead at Peter's word, Sapphira came in unaware of what had happened, confirmed the lie under questioning, and fell dead at the apostle's announcement of her complicity. The sudden deaths of both husband and wife produced great fear throughout the church and among all who heard. The episode, early in the Jerusalem church's history, served as a dramatic and sobering demonstration that the Holy Spirit's presence in the community was a holy and searching reality, not merely a spiritual concept.