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THE BOOK OF ACTS/The Acts of the Apostles

THE BOOK OF ACTS/The Acts of the Apostles. A Christian History. For this section see : S. L. Harris, Understanding the Bible . Seventh Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2007, Chapter 14, “An Account of Christian Origins and the Pauline Letters”, pp. 448-504. Introduction :

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THE BOOK OF ACTS/The Acts of the Apostles

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  1. THE BOOK OF ACTS/The Acts of the Apostles A Christian History

  2. For this section see: S. L. Harris, Understanding the Bible. Seventh Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2007, Chapter 14, “An Account of Christian Origins and the Pauline Letters”, pp. 448-504.

  3. Introduction: - The Book of Acts continues Luke’s two-part narrative of Christian origins; - Who was Luke? See Textbook p. 393; - Luke 1.1-4; - called “the beloved” physician; - a Luke accompanied Paul on some missionary journeys (Col 4.14; Philemon 24; 2 Tim 4.11); - the writer of Acts did not know Jesus; - his identity is not known with certainty.

  4. The Book of Acts - Introduction (contd.): - most scholars think that Luke-Acts was written after 70 CE, when Titus demolished Jerusalem; - the author has knowledge of the siege of Jerusalem (Luke 21.20-24; see also 19.43-44); - after the Jewish Wars of 66-73 CE and before about 90-95 CE; - in the mid- to late-80s; - in Ephesus, a city in Asia Minor; - see Luke 1.3 and Acts 1.1 and Theophilus.

  5. Arch of Titus in Rome (drawing). This commemorates Titus’ carrying off the Temple treasures to Rome after AD 70.

  6. Arch of Titus – Spoils of War brought to Rome.

  7. Arch of Titus – Spoils of War – Menorah.

  8. Ephesus: General View of the Ancient City in Asia Minor.

  9. Introduction (contd.): - The Book of Acts is an idealized account of the beginnings of the Church; - The author focuses on two leaders only, namely, Peter and Paul: - Peter dominates the first half of the book (chs. 1- 12) and represents Jewish Christianity centered in Jerusalem; - Paul represents the transition of Christianity from a Jewish to a Gentile religion (chs. 13-28).

  10. Introduction to Acts: - Luke depicts the Church as a model of harmony and cooperation; - This is in contrast to the picture that one gets from Paul’s letters; - Paul, in Acts, is a team player; - Luke uses the same themes in Acts that he uses in his account of the “Good News”: - a Spirit-directed faith; - innocent of insurrection against Roman authority; - divinely predestined to spread to the ends of the earth (1.8; 10.34-35).

  11. Acts 2.2-4: the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

  12. Purpose and Structure: - Luke does not delve into the complex social, economic, and theological forces that shaped early Christianity; - He provides instead a smoothly flowing narrative that shows the birth and growth of Christianity; - But Luke’s account is the only one we have of earliest, or first century, Christianity; - But he puts a “spin” on his account so as to downplay theological controversies and presents Church leaders as models of behaviour.

  13. Historicity of Acts: - Acts is not history in the present, scholarly understanding of the term; - There is little in it about the Eleven ... except for Peter; - Peter ... the leader of Early Christianity/Jewish Christianity in Jerusalem; - John and James (12.2) play minor parts; - When another James (Gal 2.9; Acts 15.13-21; 21.18-26) comes on the scene, what happens to Peter?

  14. Historicity of Acts (contd.): - the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome (“the ends of the earth”); - The progress ... is mainly geographical: - From Jerusalem ... to Samaria (8.5), Damascus (9.10), Antioch (11.26), Asia Minor (13.13), Europe (16.11), and finally Rome … itself; - the northeastern corner of the Mediterranean; - Nothing about North Africa, e.g., Alexandria and Cyrene.

  15. Acts of the Apostles: - to a Greek-speaking audience; - ... God kept his promises to Israel (Acts 3); - Then God opens the “new way” to non-Jews, i.e., Gentiles; - ... God created a spirit-empowered Jewish community in Jerusalem; - Jews are the first members of the Church (2.14-36, 37-41); - Jews remain the “heirs of the prophets” and “within the covenant”.

  16. Acts - Outline: - 1. Prologue and Jesus’ Ascension (1.1-11); - 2. Founding of the Jerusalem Church (1.12-2.47); - 3. Work of Peter and the Apostles (3.1-5.42); - 4. Persecutions of the “Hellenists, ” i.e., Greek-speaking Jews … (6.1-8.40); - 5. Preparation for Gentile mission (9.1-12.25); - 6. First missionary journey of Barnabas and Paul (13.1-15.35);

  17. Acts - Outline: - 7. Paul’s secondary missionary journey (16.1-18.21); - 8. Paul’s third missionary journey (18.22-20.38); - 9. Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem and imprisonment in Caesarea (21.1-26.32); - 10. Paul’s journey to Rome and his preaching to Roman Jews (27.1-28.31).

  18. 1. Prologue and Ascension (1:1-11): - Post-resurrection appearances … ; - A ... visible ascension into heaven; - Matthias chosen to replace Judas Iscariot (1.12-26); - Luke’s understanding of an Apostle: see 1.21-22; - Luke hardly ever refers to Paul as an Apostle.

  19. 2. Founding of the Jerusalem Church - the role of the Holy Spirit (2.12-2.47): - The Jerusalem Church increases in numbers by means of divine power; - The work of the Holy Spirit, e.g., Glossolalia (2.1-24; see Joel 2.28-32); - Peter’s speech interprets the meaning of Pentecost; - The character of the Jerusalem Church (2.43-45; 4.32-35);

  20. Descent of the Holy Spirit - Santa Maria Novella, Florence, Italy.

  21. 3. The Work of Peter and the other Apostles (3.1-5.42): - Confrontation between the Apostles and the Jerusalem authorities (4.1-22); - Luke’s attitude towards both the Sadducees and the Pharisees (4.8-11);

  22. 4. Persecution of the “Hellenists” (6.1-8.40): • - Stephen, a leading “Hellenist” or Greek-speaking Jew (6. 5, 8); • - Stephen is presented as the first Christian Martyr (7.60); • - subsequent persecution and the growth of the Church (8.1b-40); • the “new way” carried to such individuals as Simon the Magician (8.9) and an Ethiopian Eunuch (8.27); • the role of Philip in this work of evangelization (6.5; 8.4; 21,8).

  23. 5. Preparation for the Gentile Mission (9.1-12.25): • - The progress of Christianity …. to a world religion; • - See, for example, the conversion of Saul of Tarsus (9.1-19) and Cornelius, the Roman centurion (Chs. 10-11); • - Peter is depicted as the one who first opens the door to Gentiles, that is, non-Jews; • Peter’s persuasion of the “circumcision party” (11.1-18); • See 10.44-48 and 11.15-18: the “Gentile Pentecost”;

  24. 5. Preparation for the Gentile Mission (9.1-12.25) (contd.): - Gentiles flock to the Church at Antioch (11.19-26); - The Jerusalem Church sends Barnabas... to report on the situation (11.22); - Barnabas and Paul at Antioch (11.25-30); - Gospel preached “all over Judea and Samaria”; - The first half concludes with an account of Herod Agrippa I’s persecution (41-44 CE) of the Jerusalem community (see Textbook, G-18); - God is unhappy with Herod (12.20-23).

  25. 6. First Missionary Journey of Barnabas and Paul and the Jerusalem Conference (13.1-15.35) (see Fig. 14.2, p. 454 in Textbook): - The rest of Acts is devoted mainly to the Missionary Journeys of Paul and his fellow workers; - the work of Paul and Barnabas in the various Hellenistic cities of Asia Minor; - Dissension between Gentile and Jewish Christians over adherence to the Mosaic Torah (15.1-35); - must Gentile Christians be circumcised and observe Jewish dietary laws?

  26. Paul: Map of His World.

  27. 6. First Missionary Journey of Barnabas and Paul and the Jerusalem Conference (13.1-15.35) (contd.): - The Jerusalem Conference held about A.D. 49 (Acts 15); - Must a Gentile believer become a Jew ... to be a Christian? - A division within the Church; - The dispute settled in favour of uncircumcised Gentiles (15.28-29); - The deciding voice is that of James, the person who later succeeds Peter as head of the Jerusalem Church (15.13-21);

  28. 6. First Missionary Journey of Barnabas and Paul and the Jerusalem Conference (13.1-15.35) (contd.): - James requires only limited Torah mandates of the Gentile Christians (15.13-21); - requirements based on rules from Leviticus (Acts 15.13-21; Leviticus 17-18); - Themes of unity and cooperation dominate … ; - it is a unanimous decision and the “Whole Church” sends a delegation to Antioch to explain the Jerusalem Church’s decision (15.30-35); - Actually, a decision of the Holy Spirit (15.22-29).

  29. 6. First Missionary Journey of Barnabas and Paul and the Jerusalem Conference (13.1-15.35) (see fig. 14.2, p. 454 in Textbook) (contd.): - Paul’s independence of the Apostolic Church (Gal 1.17, 18-19, 20; 2.1-10); - Luke and Paul differ on the latter’s relationship to the Church in Jerusalem; - Paul indicates that he was never under the jurisdiction of the Church’s leadership in Jerusalem (Gal 1.17, 18-19, 20; 2.1-10); - See also 1 Cor 8.8; 10.27 relative to eating meat sacrificed to Greco-Roman gods.

  30. 7. Paul’s Secondary Missionary Journey; Evangelizing Greece (16.1-18.21) (see fig. 14.3, p. 458 in Textbook): - Paul and Barnabas separate (15.39); - Why the separation? - Paul and Silas visit churches in Syria and Asia Minor (15.40-41); - A vision directs Paul to Macedonia (15.40-16.10); - Paul’s customary activity relative to the Jews and then being abused by them (16.11-17.15);

  31. 7. Paul’s Secondary Missionary Journey; Evangelizing Greece (16.1-18.21) (see Fig. 14.3, p. 458 in Textbook) (contd.): - Paul in Philippi, Thessalonica, Beroea, and Athens; - Paul speaks at the Areopagus in Athens (17.19-31); - Paul at Corinth (18.1-17);

  32. Athens: Agora.

  33. Athens: Parthenon.

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