the acts of the apostles - amazon s3 · the acts of the apostles was the first history of...

A

NOW YOU KNOW MEDIA S T U D Y G U I D E

The Acts of the Apostles

Presented by Sr. Laurie Brink, O.P., Ph.D.

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES S T U D Y G U I D E

W W W . N O W Y O U K N O W M E D I A . C O M / 1 - 8 0 0 - 9 5 5 - 3 9 0 4 / © 2 0 1 4 2

Now You Know Media Copyright Notice:

This document is protected by copyright law. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. You

are permitted to view, copy, print, and distribute this document (up to seven

copies), subject to your agreement that: Your use of the information is for

informational, personal, and noncommercial purposes only. You will not modify

the documents or graphics. You will not copy or distribute graphics separate from

their accompanying text and you will not quote materials out of their context. You

agree that Now You Know Media may revoke this permission at any time and you

shall immediately stop your activities related to this permission upon notice from

Now You Know Media.



Table of Contents

Program Summary ............................................................................................................... 4

About Your Presenter ........................................................................................................... 5

Topic 1: Introduction to the Acts of the Apostles .......................................................... 7

Topic 2: Prequel to Acts: The Gospel of Luke ............................................................ 11

Topic 3: The Importance of Geography in Acts of the Apostles ................................. 14

Topic 4: The Pentecost Experience.............................................................................. 18

Topic 5: The Work of the Deacons .............................................................................. 21

Topic 6: Saul Becomes Paul ........................................................................................ 25

Topic 7: The Peter Narratives ...................................................................................... 28

Topic 8: The Question of the Gentiles ......................................................................... 32

Topic 9: Paul’s Missionary Journeys ........................................................................... 35

Topic 10: First-Century Economic Interests .................................................................. 39

Topic 11: Telling the Good from the Bad ...................................................................... 42

Topic 12: The Sequels: The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles ..................................... 45

Suggested Readings ........................................................................................................... 49



Program Summary

Explore one of the most exciting books of the Bible with early Christianity

expert, Sr. Laurie Brink, as your guide.

At the end of the Gospel of Luke, the apostles are invigorated by the

appearance of the Resurrected Christ. Acts of the Apostles picks up where the

Gospel leaves off, with the evangelist Luke narrating the spread of the Good News

from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. In Acts, we find fascinating portraits of

Christ’s disciples in action, performing miracles and preaching throughout the

world.

The Acts of the Apostles was the first history of Christianity—but it is so

much more than just a history book. No other work in the New Testament includes

such a literary variety, covers so great a geographic and temporal expanse, or

introduces more characters. Acts presents readers with miracles, mayhem, sudden

deaths, shipwrecks, resuscitations, and harrowing escapes. Today, Luke’s second

volume continues to enthrall and inspire us.

Composed around the end of the first century, Acts owes its brilliant artistry

to an unknown author whom tradition has called “Luke,” the same writer of the

third Gospel. In Acts, the establishment and spread of the Church is Luke’s answer

to the delay of the Parousia—the coming of Christ. Jesus’ presence continues

through the Holy Spirit that now inspires His Church.

In this brilliantly taught series of lectures, you will approach the twenty-eight

chapters of Acts of the Apostles from a multifaceted perspective. You will first

approach it as a written text, examining its literary aspects. Then, you will explore

it as an ancient text, understanding the historical and cultural backdrop, which the

author could presume his audience knew. Importantly, it is also a religious text:

you will look at Acts through a theological lens, gaining a glimpse into how the

earliest believers understood and proclaimed the Gospel.

Under the guidance of Sr. Brink, you will follow Peter, Paul, and the other

apostles and disciples and learn about their mission that will bring martyrdom to

some, hardship to most, and the Gospel to all.



About Your Presenter

Laurie Brink, O.P., Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biblical Studies, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago

Sr. Laurie Brink, Sr. Laurie Brink, O.P., Ph.D, is Associate Professor of New

Testament Studies at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. A Sinsinawa

Dominican Sister, Sr. Brink received her Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

She has published extensively on the ancient social, religious, and cultural world

out of which early Christianity emerged. Her recent scholarship has focused on

the role of the Roman military in the spread of Christianity. Her monograph,

Soldiers in Luke-Acts: Engaging, Contradicting, and Transcending the

Stereotypes (Mohr Siebeck, 2014), demonstrates Luke’s characterization of

Roman soldiers as good disciples. She also serves as an associate editor for The

Bible Today.

Having worked as a senior staff member for the Combined Caesarea

Expeditions, Sr. Brink continues to do research in Greco-Roman archaeology. She

regularly leads Bible study programs to the Middle East for CTU. Her

publications include: “A General’s Exhortation to His Troops: Paul’s Military

Rhetoric in 2 Cor 10:1-11” in Biblische Zeitschrift (2005/2006), Commemorating

the Dead: Texts and Artifacts in Context (DeGruyter, 2008), In This Place:

Reflections on the Land of the Gospels for the Liturgical Cycles (Wipf & Stock,

2008), “Seen But Not Heard: Women Prophets in Caesarea” in Finding A

Woman’s Place: Essays in Honor of Carolyn Osiek (Pickwick, 2010), “U.S.

Sisters: Accolades and Admonitions” in New Theology Review (2011), “Let the

Dead Bury the Dead—Using Archaeology to Understand the Bible” in The Bible

Today (2011). “In Search of the Biblical Foundations of Prophetic Dialogue:



Engaging a Hermeneutics of Otherness” in Missiology 41 (2013); and

“Introduction to Pauline Literature,” “Romans,” “First Corinthians,” and “Second

Corinthians” in the Anselm Academic Bible (2013). Sr. Brink is a member of the

Catholic Biblical Association, Chicago Society of Biblical Research, and Society

of Biblical Literature. Sr. Brink’s previous Now You Know Media program is

titled St. Paul’s Letters Series: Philippians.

.



Topic 1: Introduction to the Acts of the Apostles

I. Introduction: The Acts of the Apostles is an attempt to answer the early Christians’

growing curiosity. “After the Resurrection, then what happened?”

A. Questions of Genre

History? Acts of the Apostles has been seen as a history of early Christian origins, though it

doesn’t read like a modern history book.

Romance novel? Some scholars propose that Acts of the Apostles is similar to ancient romance

novels which included many of the same elements that we find in Acts (shipwrecks, magic,

demons, etc.).

Biography? If the Gospel according to Luke is a biography of Jesus of Nazareth, then the Acts

of the Apostles could be read as a biography of Jesus’ followers.

B. Questions about the Author

Is it really “Luke”? Since the second century, Church fathers have referred to the author as

“Luke,” recognizing that this work and the Gospel according to Luke share themes, characters

and theology.

What do we know about the author? From the text itself, we can learn that our author was

educated in Greek, versed in rhetoric, and capable of weaving together various sources with a

very creative hand.

C. Questions about Sources

The Gospel according to Luke used the Gospel according to Mark, additional material special

to Luke, and a source we call “Q.”

Where did he find his information for Acts of the Apostles? Perhaps Luke had church legend

stories, memories, and materials from the community of Palestine and Antioch. He does use a

“we-source,” which reads like a travel diary.

D. Questions about Historical Reliability

Can we trust Acts of the Apostles?

Luke presents a theological interpretation of the spread of Christianity mostly at the hands of

Peter and Paul.

E. Questions about Purpose

Defending the Faith to Romans: Piety was very important to the Romans, so only old,

established religions were deemed legitimate.



Defending the Faith for Christians: Living with a foot in the Roman world and one in the Reign

of God presented unique challenges for the early believers.

Challenge to the Mystery Religions and Magic: The religious marketplace was filled with

attractive and tempting choices for the uncommitted believer in the first century.

A Theology of the Holy Spirit: Read with its first volume, the Gospel according to Luke, Acts

of the Apostles narrates the work of the Holy Spirit in directing the growth and spread of the

church.

II. An overview of our topics and sessions

A. Understanding Acts requires knowing the Gospel of Luke. The author presumes his reader knows

the story of Jesus and some of the major players, like Peter.

B. Locating Acts: the Importance of Geography. Acts 1:8 is Jesus’ evangelical directive for his

disciples. They are to preach the Gospel in Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. The

locations named in Acts of the Apostles were well-known in the ancient world and often had

particular reputations. For instance, Corinth was thought to be a bad city, filled with vices. Athens

was the ancient seat of wisdom and philosophy. Jerusalem was the center of the faith of the Jews.

C. The Pentecost Event: Until the Holy Spirit descends, the Apostles and disciples are undirected.

With the Pentecost experience, everything

changes. The once timid and confused

followers are emboldened and set forth to

preach.

D. Ministers and Apostles: If we think of Acts of

the Apostles as a biography of Jesus’

followers then we could expect to hear about

the various adventures of these people.

Indeed, we learn about a few significant ones:

Peter, Paul, Stephen and Philip.

E. The Question of the Gentiles: The faith

couldn’t spread far without coming face to

face with the question of the inclusion of the

Gentiles. How much of Jewish tradition

should Gentiles follow? What was Luke

thinking when he situated the first Gentile

convert in the unlikely person of a Roman

centurion?

F. Paul’s Missionary Journeys: Acts of the

Apostles records three different missionary

journeys of Paul and his companions. Each of these introduces the reader to new locations, new

believers and new threats from those who do find the Gospel good news.

The Ascension by John Singleton Copley (1775)



G. Economic Impact and Political Upheaval: Believing that the Living God does not dwell in statues

or Temples made Christians very unpopular among those who made idols for a living. The apostles

and disciples are often accused of upsetting the peace because their preaching challenges the status

quo.

H. Villains, Victims and Victors: A good story must have good characters and indeed we find many

in Acts of the Apostles. Luke portrays three basic types: those who oppose the Way (villains),

those who suffer for the sake of the Gospel (victims) and those who triumph (victors). Often those

who suffer are also those who triumph.

I. Then What Happened? The life of the Apostles after the Acts of the Apostles. In succeeding

generations, other Christians were curious about the rest of the story. Luke leaves off with Paul in

Rome preaching. The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles are non-canonical stories about what could

have happened next.


W W W . N O W Y O U K N O W M E D I A . C O M / 1 - 8 0 0 - 9 5 5 - 3 9 0 4 / © 2 0 1 4 1 0

REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Have you ever wondered about the origins of your faith? From whom did you learn your religious

history?

2. Does it matter if we can “prove” the facts of Acts of the Apostles?

3. After reading the Acts of the Apostles, which category would you place it in: history, novel, biography, or

something else?



Topic 2: Prequel to Acts: The Gospel of Luke

I. Introduction: The Debate about Luke/Acts

A. Literary Analysis and the Unity of the Text

Since the early 20th century, Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles have been designated

as Luke-Acts.

But how do the two books relate to each other? Four options are proposed. The first model

proposes that the works were written by different authors. In the second model, one author

wrote two separate works. The third suggests that the author wrote one work in two parts:

Luke-Acts. The fourth proposes that Luke-Acts was originally one work that was later

separated.

The narrative is tied together by the readers who bring what they know about the Gospel to

their understanding of Acts.

II. The Prologue(s)

Luke’s personal comment on his work. Prologues allow the narrator to “talk” to his or her

audience, given specifics about the work they are about to read. The prologue in the Gospel

introduces the narrator’s reason for writing and the prologue of Acts reminds the reader what

occurred in the first volume.

Luke’s Patron. Theophilus could mean “friend of God,” or it could refer to a proper name.

Since much ancient literature was written under the financial support of a patron, it is

reasonable to assume Luke’s patron was a historical person with the name, Theophilus.

The wider social network of Theophilus would have also have benefited from their patron’s

generosity. They could be part of the original audience.

III. The Authorial Audience

When is Luke writing? Dates as early as the 80s or as late as the second century have been

proposed.

To whom is Luke writing? From the clues in the text, we can determine the audience that the

author presumed would understand his work.

The authorial audience would have known Greek and had a fair understanding of imperial,

military and economic systems in the first century Mediterranean world. Probably, there were

freedmen, slaves, craftsmen, small business folks, and some upper class people who could be

imagined as members of the authorial audience.



IV. The Narrative Story (or Stories)

A. The authorial audience would read Acts with the Gospel of Luke in mind. The life, ministry,

preaching and passion of Jesus would be well known by those reading Acts of the Apostles.

B. Themes introduced in the Gospel reappear in Acts. Jesus is declared innocent by Pilate three

times. Three times Paul will be declared innocent by imperial officers. Peter and Paul heal, cast

out demons in the name of Jesus.

C. Some of the events in Acts only make sense when you’ve read the Gospel. Philip’s success

among the Samaritans is foreshadowed with the Parable of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel.

V. The Characters in Common

A. To strengthen the connection between the Gospel and Acts, Luke has characters introduced in

the first volume reappear in the second.

B. The significant new character is Saul who will be named Paul.

C. Several colorful minor characters are found throughout Acts. They put a human and often

humorous face on the earliest believers.

VI. The Stages of Mission

A. The proclamation of the Word is the unifying thread throughout Acts of the Apostles.

B. The mission of testimony begins in Jerusalem and spreads to Judea under the guidance of the

Holy Spirit.

C. The testimony to the Gentiles spreads the Word to beyond the boundaries of Judaism.

D. Paul’s Missionary Journeys will bring the Word all the way to Rome.



REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What would you need to know about the Gospel in order to understand the Acts of the Apostles?

2. How might your understanding of the Gospel be influenced if you read the Acts of the Apostles first?

3. What characters appear in the Gospel who then make cameos in Acts?



Topic 3: The Importance of Geography in Acts of the

Apostles

I. Introduction

A. The “Way” or ho hodos in Greek is Luke’s name for the Early Christian movement.

B. Geography is meant to be a literary device and have theological significance.

II. Jerusalem

A. The launching point for the Christian proclamation is situated firmly within Judaism.

B. Unlike the other Gospels, the disciples in the Gospel of Luke are commanded to remain in

Jerusalem.

C. Apostles are to be witnesses to all that Jesus said and did.

D. The term “The Jews” has two very different connotations in Acts:

The Jews as the community of the Jewish Tradition

The Jewish leadership that thwart the proclamation of the Gospel

III. From Judea to Samaria

A. Luke’s good sense of direction

B. The persecution scatters the disciples to Samaria.

Philip encounters the Ethiopian eunuch south of Jerusalem.

Philip preaches the word to Samaria.

C. Peter goes down to Lydda.

IV. Roman Caesarea

A. Geography is theological.

B. Caesarea is the home of Philip the Evangelist and other disciples. Paul departs to Tarsus from

here and is later held in prison for two years.

C. Luke expects his audience to be familiar with Caesarea so he doesn’t give any details about the

city.

V. Damascus and Antioch of Syria

A. The location of earlier believers (Acts 11:19-20)



B. Barnabas encourages the believers.

C. This is the place where believers are first called “Christians,” which probably was originally

shouted against the believers in a derogatory fashion.

D. The presence of Gentile believers in Antioch necessitates a meeting in Jerusalem to discuss the

situation (Acts 15).

VI. Paul’s Missionary Journeys

A. Westward Expansion

The Church of Antioch sends out Barnabas and Saul/Paul on their first missionary journey.

Pamphylia and Antioch in Pisidia along the Via Sebaste to Lystra and Derbe

B. Philippi

Paul’s second missionary journey with Silas

a. Timothy joins them

b. Travel to Macedonia in response to a vision that Paul had

At Philippi, Paul converts Lydia, the businesswoman who deals in purple goods.

Paul travels to Thessalonica only to be chased out from there as well.

C. Athens

The actual Athens of Paul’s day was past its glory

It was a symbol of Athens’ once great philosophical past

D. Corinth

Rebuilt by the Romans, Corinth was more significant than Athens.

In Acts 18, Paul meets up with Priscilla and Aquila.

a. Paul shares the same trade.

b. He remains in Corinth for 18 months, where he probably wrote his first letter to the

Thessalonians and the Letter to the Romans.

E. Ephesus

Across the Aegean Sea from Corinth, the port of Ephesus became Paul’s home for two years

(Acts 19).

Scholars propose that Paul may have written 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, and the Letter to

the Galatians while here.



VII. The Urban Christians

A. According to Wayne Meeks, early Christianity was an urban phenomenon.

B. By Paul’s day, Christian communities had been established in Thessalonica (1 Thess 1:1),

Achaia (1 Thess 1:7), Macedonia (1 Thess 1:7), Jerusalem (1 Cor 16:3), Corinth (1 Cor 1:1),

Galatia (Gal 1:2), Antioch (Gal 2:11-16), Philippi (Phil 1:1), Cenchreae (Rom 16:1), and Rome

(Rom 1:7).



REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Why is Jerusalem significant in the Acts of the Apostles?

2. How does Luke use geography to forward his story?

3. Why would Paul’s missionary efforts be focused on urban locations?



Topic 4: The Pentecost Experience

I. Introduction: Jesus’ Parting Words

A. The Sacrament of Confirmation

The coming of the Spirit celebrated with Confirmation acknowledges that a person is taking

his or her place among the community of faith as an adult member.

The Coming of the Spirit marks the moment in the life of the earliest community when they

become “adults,” so to speak. When they take on the responsibility and privilege of the

Gospel mission.

B. Acts 1:12-41

C. Acts 2 begins sometime after the Ascension

D. Why are the disciples and apostles gathered in Jerusalem again?

The external reason for gathering

a. In the first century, Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot were the three festivals that brought

Jewish pilgrims to Jerusalem.

i. Originally, these were ancient agricultural feasts celebrating the harvests of barley,

wheat and produce, respectively.

ii. Later they became associated with various moments in Israel’s salvation history: the

Exodus, the Giving of the Law and the Wanderings in the Desert.

b. The Festival of Shavuot—50 days after Passover

c. A celebration of joy to celebrate the giving of the Law at Sinai.

The internal reason for gathering

a. No first fruits of insights

b. No real understanding of where to go from here

II. The Coming of the Spirit

A. Acts 2:1-4

B. The Spirit descends on those in the upper room.

C. All receive the power of the spirit

Joel 2:28

Numbers 11:29



Upon all flesh. Not just those who are selected. Not just those who are elected. Not just those

who are gifted. Not the beautiful people or the right people or the moneyed people. But all

people receive the Spirit.

D. Would that the Lprd might bestow the spirit on them all!

The Acts of the Apostles is the beginning realization of that hope.

With the coming of the Holy Spirit, these once timid and undirected followers of Jesus are

suddenly endowed with the ability to speak.

III. The Effects of the Spirit

A. Acts 2:5-6

B. The list of nations from where the pious Jews have assembled

C. What we don’t see are pious Jews coming from more genteel places like Greece.

D. The odd list of nations and Luke’s use of “odd”

E. The list of diaspora Jews demonstrates that piety is found in the most remote corners.

F. These folks have traveled great distances to be present for the Festival of Shavuot, and they are

utterly amazed that so far from home, they find someone speaking their language.

IV. Profaning the Spirit

A. The Holy Spirit and Mary, the Mother of Jesus

B. Acts 2:44-47

C. Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11)

D. Not everyone sees eye to eye in the new community

Circumcision party criticize Peter for welcoming a Gentile (Acts 11:1-2)

Paul and Barnabas separate (Acts 15:36-41)

John Mark abandons the missionary team (Acts 13:13)

Apollos only knows the baptism of John (Acts 18:24-26)

Disciples in Tyre warn Paul not to go to Jerusalem (Acts 21:4)

E. What the Acts of the Apostles depicts is not a series of factions fighting for orthodoxy, but an

organic entity composed of earnest, prayerful, zealous believers who do not always agree.

F. What teachings from which apostle, the “how tos” of communal life and even the correct

liturgical directions for breaking the bread—none of these details prevent them and us from

coming together in one place around one table.



REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What promise does the Resurrected Jesus make to his disciples before his Ascension?

2. What effect does the coming of the Spirit have on the apostles and those gathered in the upper room?

3. We have a choice in whether to respond to the Spirit’s invitation or not?



Topic 5: The Work of the Deacons

I. Introduction

A. We tend to think wistfully of the early Church; that life was much simpler.

B. The Apostles had only to proclaim the word of God and the Holy Spirit imbued all that they did.

C. But we hear in Acts 6, not all was perfect then either.

II. The Beginnings of Catholic Relief Services

A. A bit of clarification of terms might help us understand the problems

First, we hear good news. More folks are joining (i.e., Acts 2:47, 5:14, 6:7)

a. The message of the Gospel was that Jesus Christ had been raised by God as the savior, a

universal savior for Jew and Gentile alike.

b. This was the inbreaking of the Kingdom of God, which was to come to completion with

the Parousia, Jesus’ return.

c. The Acts of the Apostles is set in this in-between time as the growing community awaits

Jesus’ second coming.

d. A need to organize: someone has to distribute the food, make sure the least in the

community are cared for.

e. The first problem in Acts 6 is that the most vulnerable are being neglected. But not just

any widows, those of the Hellenists.

“Hellenists” were Greek-speaking Jews, folks who probably lived beyond the land of Israel

proper.

a. Folks who may have been a bit more influenced in their lifestyle by the urban Greek

culture.

b. We’re not surprised to find the Hellenist Philip lives in Caesarea Maritima, a “modern”

Greco-Roman city, which is just beyond the limits of the holy land.

c. The widows of the Hebrews are those for whom the native tongue and culture is Aramaic

and Palestinian.

d. This difficulty is foreshadowing the larger discussion to take place in Acts 15 where the

question of Gentile admission will occur.



Luke tends to use the terms “The Twelve” and “The Apostles” interchangeably.

a. The very term “Apostle” is a job description. Apostolos in Greek means one who is sent

with a commission.

b. The Twelve have a unique commission from Jesus.

The acting authority for the growing community designated a group of seven to be

“deacons,” from the Greek, diakonein, which means to serve.

The Twelve cannot be responsible both for the proclamation of the Word and “serving at

table,” or meeting the daily needs of the church. In essence this story is etiological,

explaining to Luke’s audience how the position of “deacon” emerged in the early

community.

B. Stephen the First Christian Martyr

Stephen is introduced as one of the newly elected Hellenists who will minister to the needs of

the community in Acts 6:5.

a. Stephen is identified as full of grace and power who did great wonders and signs among

the people (Acts 6:8).

b. This description is reminiscent of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel.

Accused of blasphemy, he is brought before the Jewish Council, the Sanhedrin, where his

face is described as being like than of an angel (Acts 6:15).

Speeches in Acts

a. Stephen’s speech is one of nearly 30 found throughout Acts of the Apostles.

b. In fact, speeches compose a third of the work (295 verses out of 1,000).

c. NT Scholar Joseph Fitzmyer defines such a “speech” as a public address to a group or

individual usually involving the attention of a number of people, excluding prayers or

forms of dialogue.

d. Speeches in Acts are both didactic—teaching about the Gospel—and apologetic—

presenting a defense of the Gospel.

After the coming of the Spirit, the first martyr for the preaching of the Gospel is not an

apostle but a deacon.

a. Stephen didn’t start out to be a preacher.

b. In his work as deacon, he finds himself debating with those who disagree with his actions

and it costs him his life.



C. Philip the Evangelist

Philip, another Hellenist, who though chosen to meet the needs of the community (Acts 6:3),

becomes an evangelist.

After the death of Stephen a great persecution scatters the disciples out of Jerusalem.

Philip preaches in Samaria.

On a lonely road going from Jerusalem toward Gaza, Philip encounters an Ethiopian eunuch,

an official for the queen of the Ethiopians.

Philip will eventually return to Caesarea, his home, which he shares with his four daughters

who prophesy.

III. The development of a structure to support the Church’s growth

A. We are familiar with the Apostles, and we are soon introduced to deacons, prophets and

widows—all of whom will have various gifts to offer the emerging church.

B. Stephen dies a martyr for the faith.

C. Philip is described not only as being directed by the spirit, but also as having four daughters who

possess the spiritual gift of prophecy.

D. Paul is the common link. As Saul he observes and consents to Stephen’s stoning. And towards

the ends of Acts of the Apostles he will receive hospitality from Philip.



REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Who are the “Hellenists” and why are they upset?

2. How does the problem between the Hellenists and the Hebrews foreshadow the question of the inclusion

of the Gentiles?

3. The deacons were originally intended to meet the “needs” of the community, but how does their job

description develop?



Topic 6: Saul Becomes Paul

I. Introduction

A. The witnesses to Stephen’s stoning throw their clothes at the feet of an onlooker, a young man

named Saul.

B. In the beginning of Chapter 8, we hear: Saul was consenting to his execution (Acts 8:1).

II. What Luke says about Paul’s Conversion Experience

A. The young man who watched the stoning of Stephen has zealously taken it upon himself to root

out the abhorrent members of “The Way,” Luke’s particularly terminology for the Christ-

followers (Acts 9:1-2).

B. We often think of this as Paul’s (Luke uses his Greek name later in Acts) conversion, but it

might be more accurate to think of it as a call story.

In a traditional call story, like the one we have of Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3, we

find three steps.

a. God appears or speaks (Ex 3:1-4).

b. Prophet expresses unworthiness (Ex 3:11).

c. Prophet is reassured (Ex 3:12).

d. God commissions prophet (Ex 3:14; sent).

C. The persecutor has had an amazing and sudden change of heart, further explained in Acts 22,

where Paul fills in some of the blanks.

He was told he had a special commission.

He had been designated, called by God to know his will, to see the Righteous one and to hear

his voice.

D. Paul will retell the story again in Acts 26:10-18 before King Agrippa during his imprisonment in

Caesarea.

Paul is called by the Lord to preach to the Gentiles.

Of course, the original audience of Acts knew Paul’s story, since Acts was written long after

Paul’s death.

Luke intentionally delays having it recounted by the reliable voice of the Lord.



E. So the encounter on the road to Damascus narrated in Chapter 9 must be placed alongside the

retelling in Acts 22 and then again in Acts 26. When we do this we can more clearly see the

elements of a call story. The Lord appears; Paul hesitates; the Lord reassures and the Lord

commissions.

III. What Paul Says about His Own Experience

A. In the genuine letters of Paul, he is quite explicit about his life and early aspirations (Gal. 1:11-

17, Phil 3:3-17).

B. Paul zealously followed the Law, even to extent that he persecuted the church. But now his

experience of Christ changes his understanding of his own faith.

C. Paul never stops being a Jew and is proud of his heritage, but he comes to know that Jesus is the

Christ and that the message, the good news is to be shared with the Gentiles.

IV. The Former Persecutor Becomes a Zealous Preacher

A. As Luke and Paul both present it, Paul is the least likely person you would expect to proclaim

Christ, let alone Christ to the Gentiles.

B. Throughout Acts, Luke carefully shows that Paul always goes first to the synagogue (Acts 13:14,

14:1, 17:10, 18:4).

C. Luke may even have chosen to use Paul’s Hebrew name to demonstrate his solid roots in

Judaism. It’s not until Acts 13:9 that Luke begins to call him “Paul,” and with no explanation to

the reader.

D. It is only when the Jews do not receive Paul’s message that he moves on to the

Gentiles.

E. The portrait of Paul we are left with from Acts of the Apostles is of a man called by God to

proclaim Jesus as the Christ.

F. But not just any man. A Jew. A righteous Jew, trained in the tenets of his faith and zealous to

protect them.

G. Paul never knew the earthly Jesus.

H. The Damascus experience profoundly altered Paul’s sense of himself, his direction, and his

purpose.



REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Describe Saul before his encounter on the road to Damascus.

2. Why do you think Luke retells Paul’s Damascus experience three times?

3. Do you think Paul had a “conversion” or a “call”?



Topic 7: The Peter Narratives

I. Introduction

A. Peter is one of the few characters who traverses both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the

Apostles.

B. The audience first encounters him on the Sea of Galilee, where he is plying his trade.

C. We know of Peter’s denial and we hear at the end of the Gospel that the Lord has appeared to

Simon (Luke 24:34).

D. When Acts of the Apostles opens, we encounter Peter, who will no longer be called by his

double name: Simon Peter.

He is chief among the Apostles listed and decides the Twelve must be reconstituted.

Peter interprets the Pentecost event to the confused Jews who have overheard the disciples

speaking in their language.

This man from Galilee whom the Jewish authorities deem unlearned and a bit simple (Acts

4:13) becomes a bold public speaker, able to interpret Scripture and possessing the power to

heal (Acts 3:6).

E. Luke is keen to demonstrate that the Way has its roots in Jerusalem, and he must also

demonstrate that the proclamation of the message beyond Jerusalem is validated by the actions of

the chief apostle: Peter.

II. Against the Jewish Authorities

A. Peter is preaching about Jesus in Solomon’s Portico, an area designated for such activities (Acts

5:12).

B. The priests, the captain of the Temple police force, and the Sadducees happen upon Peter and

place them in custody for proclaiming that Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

C. The religious leadership is astonished by the boldness of Peter and John’s since they figured

them to be uneducated and simple men.

D. The former fisherman from the backwaters of Galilee stands before the highest religious

authority in Jerusalem.

Peter has come a long way from his days of denial.

The difference is the presence of the Holy Spirit, which will continue to direct and embolden

the Apostles.



III. Peter’s Healings and Visions

A. Peter’s preaching upsets the religious establishment, but it is also his miraculous deeds that gain

him a following.

B. The healing of the lame man (Acts 3:4-10) follows the typical pattern for healing story:

An introduction, which describes the place and time, the nature of the sick person, and how

the healer and sick person meet.

Conflict or encounter wherein the healer sees what the sick person wants. Confirmation of

the miracle.

C. But lest we think Peter’s power was only directed toward healing, we should read carefully the

incident with Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11).

D. These signs and wonders done by the Apostles are meant to demonstrate that they are the

emissaries of Jesus who in Luke’s Gospel also did signs and wonders.

In the Gospel, the authority is ascribed to God (Luke 5:17).

In Acts of the Apostles, it is in the name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts

3:6).

Luke is careful to show that Peter and the Apostles are not some new wonder-working group

but the legitimate heirs of Jesus the Christ.

E. A vision of great consequence occurs to Peter in Acts 10: 9-16.

Peter falls into a trance and sees the heaven’s open and a great sheet being let down by its

four corners with all kinds of animals.

He hears a voice that says, “Rise Peter. Kill and eat.”

He responds “No Lord; I have never eaten anything that is unclean.”

To this Peter gets a reprimand. “What God has cleansed, you must not call unclean.” This

happened three times.

Only when Peter retells the event in Jerusalem in Chapter 11 does he seem to understand its

significance.

F. In Acts 12, we read of another amazing event, this one done on Peter’s behalf—his miraculous

release from prison.

At night, Peter is bound by two chains and sleeps between two soldiers while sentries guard

the door (v. 6).

The angel of the Lord appears to Peter as a light shines in the cell. Peter is told, “Get up

quickly” (v. 7).



He passes by the first and second guards, the iron gate opens, and he escapes. In the morning,

the soldiers are stupefied by Peter’s absence (v. 18).

Peter finds his way to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where we are told the

church is meeting in prayer.

A similar miraculous prison break—or potential prison break—will occur to Paul in Acts 16.

Like Jesus who escaped the clutch of death, so too are Peter and Paul freed from the grasp of

both religious and civil imprisonment.

G. Peter’s work as an evangelist crescendos with his baptism of Cornelius the Centurion, which we

will take up in our next session.

After a brief appearance in Acts 11 and 15, where he defends his admission of Gentiles to the

Way, his character exits the stage.

In the early part of his story, Paul overlaps Peter, though the two never meet until the

Jerusalem Council.

After Acts Chapter 15, it is Paul who progresses in authority and boldness, having taken up

the mantle from Peter.

St. Peter Preaching Pentecost by Masolino da Panicale, 1426



REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Why do you think Jesus gives Simon the nickname “Peter” in Luke 6:14?

2. What accounts for the change in Simon Peter—his move from a backwaters fisherman to a courageous

preacher?

3. How does the author show that Peter is following in Jesus’ footsteps?



Topic 8: The Question of the Gentiles

I. Introduction

A. Since the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles are two volumes penned by the same author,

themes introduced in the first book appear in the second.

B. The Gospel frequently depicts Jesus at prayer. Peter and John go to the Temple to prayer in Acts

3. Peter is on the roof of Simon the Tanner house in Joppa—praying. Paul and Silas wander in

Philippi in search of a place of prayer.

C. The care of widows and the poor is a concern in both books. Jesus is moved with pity over the

plight of the widow of Nain. Jesus praises the Widow who put her last penny into the Temple

Treasury. In Acts, the Hellenist are worried that their widows are being neglected. Peter raises

Tabitha in Joppa. Tabitha was also known as Dorcas and worked among the Widows there (Acts

9: 36ff).

D. The wonders and deeds done by Peter and then Paul mirror those done by Jesus in the Gospel.

E. But perhaps the most significant theme introduced in the Gospel that comes to fulfillment in Acts

is the inclusion of the Gentiles in the mission of Jesus, a theme introduced in Luke 2:32.

II. The Cornelius Story

A. The story occupies all of Acts 10, and then Luke retells it again in 11:4–18 and refers to it in

15:7–9—the redundancy marking its importance to the author.

Cornelius was a centurion of the Italian cohort, a devout man who worshipped with the Jews,

but certainly was not Jewish.

The story of Cornelius in Acts established that the Gentiles were to be admitted into the

church by God’s design. Acts 11:17-18 reiterated the purpose of Chapter 10. It was not by

Peter’s actions but by the initiation of God that Gentiles received the Holy Spirit.

B. The story’s significance is further emphasized by the prominent role played by Peter, who has

functioned as the leader of the community since the outset (Acts 1:15; 2:14; 2:37, etc.).

C. As Peter and those with him experienced Pentecost, so now does the Gentile Cornelius and his

household.

D. The setting of Caesarea in Acts 10 centers Luke’s narrative geography as well.

Acts 1:8 provides the map: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and

Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Already the gospel has been preached in Jerusalem and Judea (Acts 2:14ff), and Samaria

(8:4).



By Luke’s time, Caesarea marked the end of Herodian control; it was a Roman city under the

jurisdiction of a Roman prefect. Luke sets Caesarea as the home of Philip the Evangelist

(Acts 8:40; 21:8) and other disciples (Acts 21:16).

E. Cornelius the Roman soldier

Negative stereotypes of soldiers in the first century

Depicted as brutes by Apuleius and Juvenal

Luke upsets the stereotype.

F. Cornelius is a God-fearer and righteous.

Peter acknowledges in 10:35 that anyone who fears God and does the work of righteousness

is acceptable to God.

The Holy Spirit falls on Cornelius and his household during the attentive hearing of the

words.

G. The events in Caesarea are interpreted both as a replication of Pentecost (2:1-42), the defining

moment of Christianity’s institutional history, and as a fulfillment of the dominical prophecy that

had opened Luke’s account of that history (11:16; cf. 1:5).

III. James and the Jerusalem Council

A. Chapter 15 is where Luke situates the conflict between the circumcision party of Judea and the

evangelists to the Gentiles, the mid-point of his second volume.

B. Peter emerges as a voice of moderation.

C. Concludes with James’ suggestion that letters be sent with Paul and Barnabas outlining the

expectations of Gentile converts—that they do not need to be circumcised but should refrain

from idol meat (a conflict that surfaced in the Corinthian community according to 1 Cor 8).

D. Chapter 15 serves as the hinge on which the door to the Gentiles swung wide open, according to

the author of Acts.



REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What themes do we find in the Gospel of Luke that continue in the Acts of the Apostles?

2. Why do you think Luke placed the Gentile conversion in the unlikely person of a Roman centurion?

3. What limits does the Jerusalem Council place on Gentile believers?



Topic 9: Paul’s Missionary Journeys

I. Introduction

A. Paul’s First Missionary Journey: evangelizing Cyprus, Pamphylia, Pisidia (Acts 13:4–14:26)

B. Paul’s Second Missionary Journey: evangelizing Greece; 16:1–18:21

C. Paul’s Third Missionary Journey: revisiting Asia Minor and Greece, 18:22–20:38)

II. Conflict: Paul and the Roman Authorities

A. Roman officials were tolerant of other religious practices as long as you agreed to pray for the

emperor and respect the gods of Rome.

B. But Romans were deeply suspicious of any new-fangled religion. If a belief was to receive

approbation, it needed to be ancient.

Knowing this, our evangelists and earlier Christian writers strove to situate the message of

Jesus within the longer, ancient story of Moses and Judaism, which was a recognized and

legitimate religion within the empire.

We begin Luke’s Gospel with the story of the righteous couple, Zachariah, the priest, and his

wife, Elizabeth. Mary and Joseph are presented as the epitome of faithful Jews.

C. Nothing threatening to Roman security interests: this is confirmed by the centurion who

announces at Jesus’ death, “Surely, this man was innocent.”

Pilate declared Jesus innocent three times: 23:4, 14, 22.

Herod will concur in Luke 23:15.

Roman officials who encounter the apostles will come to similar conclusions (Acts 16:35;

18:15; 23:29 and 25:18-19).

D. The declaration of innocence from the highest ranking Imperial official in Judea serves Luke’s

larger concerns.

The evangelist is demonstrating to his own community (and perhaps to the Romans) that they

are no threat to the well-being of the empire.

They follow Jesus who was declared innocent of all the charges of treason. And they are not

threats to the Pax Romana.

III. Company

A. The Role of Men and Women in the Mission

Lydia (Acts 16:13-15).



The Dynamic Duo: Priscilla and Aquila (Acts 18; Rom 16:3)

B. Co-workers

Barnabas accompanied Paul on his first missionary journey. So did a fellow by the name of

John Mark (Acts 12:25), but something must have transpired because John leaves the two

and returns to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13).

Paul chose Silas and departed after being commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord

(Acts 15:37-40).

Luke may be indicating that not all was rosy among the preaching teams, or he may simply

be showing us that Paul’s was not the only group traveling around and proclaiming the Good

News.

IV. Conversion: Synagogues and House Churches

A. The Role of God-Fearers

Luke-Acts frequently uses the term “God-fearer” to mean “to fear God” (Luke 1.50; 18:2;

23:40; Acts 10:2, 22, 35; 13:16, 26). In Acts 10:2 and 22, Luke calls Cornelius a “god-

fearer.” Peter announces in 10:35 that anyone who is such a fearer is acceptable to God.

Later in Acts 13:16 and 26, Paul addresses the men of Israel and the “God-fearers” in the

synagogue at Antioch of Pisidia.

The different terminology used for God-fearers in Acts may simply reflect the author’s

various sources, a fact that may explain why God-fearers appear in the first part of Acts

(10:2, 35; 13:16, 26) and was seemingly replaced by the word for “devout” (sebovmeno) in

the later part (13:43, 50; 16:14; 17:4, 17; 18:7, 13; 19:27).

God-fearers—Gentiles who were already interested in Judaism, its ethical tenets and its

Scripture—would be a ready audience for the story of Jesus.

B. Preaching in the Synagogues

The author of Acts never disregards the Jews in the proclamation of the Gospel.

The apostles will continue to go first to the synagogue but will meet with increasing hostility

by some factions of Jews (Acts 14:1-2).

New Testament scholar Robert Tannehill’s own work on Israel in Luke-Acts shows that

Luke consciously developed a more nuanced portrait of the Jews that spanned the two

volumes.

By the time the Acts of the Apostles comes to a close in Rome, Paul, the Apostle to the

Gentiles, has not given up on his Jewish brothers and sisters.



C. Gathering in the House Churches

Luke is writing about the earliest communities, before the First Jewish War that would

destroy the Temple and scatter both Jews and Jewish Christians out of Jerusalem.

His portrait of the believers are of faithful Jews or Gentiles who still participate in the

religious activities of their Jewish tradition, but also gather a Christian community in the

houses of various patrons.

The household is also the unit of conversion.

D. Cornelius and all his household are baptized (Acts 10:2, 48).

E. Lydia and her household are baptized (Acts 16:15).

F. The Philippian jailer and his household came to believe in God (Acts 16:34).

G. Far from being a threat to the peace of Rome, Luke demonstrates that there is no conflict

between belief in Jesus and life in the empire. The company of co-workers sustains and nurtures

the fledgling community and as a result the church grows.



REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What areas did Paul evangelize during his three missionary journeys?

2. Was Paul a “lone ranger” or did he have assistance during his journeys?

3. What role did God-fearers play in the spread of the Gospel?



Topic 10: First-Century Economic Interests

I. Introduction

A. The Acts of the Apostles presents a snapshot of the first century Mediterranean world in which

Christianity first took root.

B. First-century economic interests, which will include the idea that the first Christians held all

things in common

C. The impact the proclamation of the Gospel had on rival cults

D. The influence of shipping routes and roadways for speedy travel.

II. All Things in Common

A. Acts 2:41-45

B. The right use of possessions is a theme seen in both the Gospel of Luke and Acts.

C. The summary in Acts 2 indicates that the expectations continued to be upheld by the community

of believers after the resurrection (Acts 2:45).

D. Sharing of possessions in the Gospel is the response to conversion.

E. Sharing of possessions in Acts of the Apostles becomes a witness to the community created by

the spirit.

III. The Economic Impact of the Good News

A. The economic costs of the preaching of the gospel also have wider ramifications.

B. Casting out the demon in the Philippian slave girl (Acts 16:16-18).

This slave girl is a money-maker for her owners.

When Paul casts out the spirit, it ruins the owners’ business.

Although the owners claim that Paul and Silas are advocating unlawful customs, we know

from the narrator that the owners are ticked off because their source of profit is now dried up.

Demetrius and the silversmiths of Ephesus (Acts 19:24-41)

IV. The Roman authorities

A. Luke wants to show that Christians are no threat to Rome’s well-being. In fact, what the apostles

and disciples preach is not even a concern of Rome.

B. Luke appears to be somewhat confident in Roman law and justice.



V. Shipping Routes and Roadways

A. Roman Roads

Peter’s coastal journeys in Acts 9:32–10:24 follow the Via Maris.

Paul and Barnabas traveled extensively along the Via Sebaste (Acts 13:13–14:28).

Both Thessalonica and Philippi were situated on the Via Egnatia.

B. Waterways

Paul and Barnabas sail from the west coast of Syria to Cyprus and from there to Perga. They

return to Antioch of Syria via ship (14:25-26).

When Paul has a dream of a Macedonian man urging him to come to Macedonia in Acts 16,

Paul boards a ship in Troas on the western coast of Asia Minor and sails to Samothrace and

on to Neapolis, the port city of Philippi.

First person narration for sea voyages.

VI. Becoming a member of the “Way”

A. This marked out a particular path on which the Christian was to walk, which had economic

impact as well as religious significance.



REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Why do you think Paul’s preaching might not have been welcomed among pagan businessman?

2. Why did Luke want to show that Christianity was no threat to the well-being of Romans?

3. How did Roman roads help promote the spread of the Christian message?



Topic 11: Telling the Good from the Bad

I. Introduction

A. Telling the good from the bad

Nobody wears a white hat in the Acts of the Apostles.

Stereotypes quickly call to the mind of the reader the virtues or vices associated with that

type.

Stereotypes work because the reader expects the character to behave in a particular manner.

Luke provides a complex portrait of various characters so as to invoke in the audience an

emotional response that would lead to virtuous action or at least suggest the direction for

such action.

II. The Mixed Portrayal of the Jews

A. All starts out well and good for the Jewish people in the beginning of Acts.

B. The preaching of the Gospel takes root among some of the Jews in Jerusalem.

C. Some scholars have seen Luke’s portrait of Israel as anti-Semitic, and indeed if read narrowly it

would appear that though invited, the Jews do not become the majority of believers.

D. Luke depicts Paul as always going first to the synagogue.

E. Robert Tannehill analyzes this portrait of Israel across the new volumes and see it as a “tragic

story.”

F. Perhaps the story of the Jews which Tannehill sees as hope unfulfilled is better recognized as

hope yet to be fulfilled.

III. Magicians and False Prophets

A. In Acts, Luke distinguishes between the prophets of old (3:18, 21, 24, 25; 7:42, 52; 10:43; 13:15,

27, 40; 15:15; 24:14; 26:22, 27; 28:23) and current prophets like those who traveled from

Jerusalem (11:27; 21:10), the prophets and teachers of Antioch (13:1), Judas and Silas (15:32);

Bar-Jesus, the false prophet (13:6), and Agabus (21:10).

B. The relationship between prophecy and magic has a long history, and has often been used by

societies to deal with deviant minority movements.

In the Greco-Roman world, the determination of whether a miraculous event occurred by

“magic” or the power of the god(s) depended on the perspective of the observer.

When Saul and Barnabas travel to the island of Cyprus, they encounter one of these

prophet/magicians (Acts 13:6-12).



C. For the Christian disciple, the actions of Jesus and the Apostles were clearly by means of the

Holy Spirit.

D. But according to unbelievers, the miracles were wrought by magic at the hands of a sorcerer

(Contra Celsus 1:38, 71; 2.32, 48) inspired by Beelzebub (Luke 11:15), or pagan gods come

down to earth.

E. The problem Luke faced is depicted in Acts 14:8-18. Paul and Barnabas appear to the astonished

people of Lystra as gods in human form.

F. Luke disparages rivals through the derogatory use of the term “magic” and clearly attempts to

distinguish the human actor from the divine source of power.

G. But sometimes, as Acts demonstrates, the demons themselves admonish those who would claim

power inappropriately.

Acts 19:11-20

Here the demon chastises the would-be exorcists, clearly demonstrating that only those who

truly speak for Jesus have authority over the demons.

IV. The Positive Portrayal of Soldiers

A. Power and authority are also concerns of another significant group of characters in Acts of the

Apostles: collectively called the Roman military.

B. In Luke’s day, the Roman legions and their auxiliaries were spread throughout the Empire,

assuring that the heavy hand of Imperial power was ever near.

C. Another noteworthy military figure is Claudius Lysias, the tribune, the highest ranking military

officer in Jerusalem.

In Acts 22, Claudius Lysias sends his centurions to rescue Paul when the Jews attack him in

the Temple.

As the story continues, we seem to have a role reversal. Claudius Lysias starts to treat Paul

with respect. He even sends Paul under protective custody to Caesarea when a plot to kill

Paul is discovered.

D. Luke seems to be well-aware of the variety of literary stereotypes available to characterize

soldiers.

E. His characterization suggests that Roman soldiers may be abusive, mocking, and greedy, but

they are also likely to be desirous of repentance, humble, and insightful.

F. Perhaps Luke is simple inviting his audience to be make nice with the Roman soldiers they

undoubtedly encountered.

G. To do so would continue to show that Christianity offered no threat to the Empire. But, perhaps,

as we’ve seen with the portrayal of the Jews, Luke is a both/and sort of guy.



REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Who does Luke portray as villains in his Acts of the Apostles?

2. What distinguishes a prophet from a magician in the ancient world?

3. Why might Luke have portrayed Roman soldiers in a positive light?



Topic 12: The Sequels: The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles

I. Introduction

A. Stereotypes

The audience is expected to be sympathetic to widows, distrusting of tax collectors, and

suspicious of magicians.

But occasionally, Luke turns the stereotype on its head.

B. Our motley group of Apostles and disciples

“Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?” (Acts 2:7).

Peter and John are thought to be uneducated and common (Acts 4:13).

Saul is cast as an overly-zealous persecutor, a role he admits to himself.

C. But it is these unlikely characters—the very ones the reader is likely to first misjudge—whom

the Holy Spirit ordains.

But not without personal cost.

The chosen ones are not without hardship.

a. James, the brother of John, is killed by the sword on Herod Agrippa’s orders.

b. Peter and Paul are imprisoned repeatedly.

c. Paul and his companions are routinely beaten. Paul survives a shipwreck only to be bitten

by a viper on the island of Malta.

d. Like Jesus before them, the Apostles and disciples are broken and bruised for the sake of

the Gospel.

D. What was it that Luke intended his original audience to come away with? What was his purpose?

Clearly, the Gospel concerns the narration of what Jesus did and taught until he was taken up.

The second volume then depicts the life of the community after Jesus’ ascension (Acts

1:12ff).

A theological agenda: Luke wants to pass on a tradition that wove the biblical history of

Israel into the story of Jesus while establishing that “this divinely destined salvation” was

only found within the apostolic tradition represented by Peter and Paul.

An encouragement to the church facing opposition

A more historical goal may have been “to attest to God’s providential course in concrete

history.”



The purpose of Luke-Acts may, indeed, be theological, evangelical, ecclesiological,

historical, and apologetic.

E. If we look at the whole of Luke-Acts, we can see another concern of Luke’s. How do you

explain the delay of Jesus’ returning, the Parousia?

F. Luke-Acts can be viewed as the author’s attempt to explain that delay for his own community.

II. Luke’s Understanding of Salvation History

A. First Period: Law and Prophets: from Adam to John

Interim with birth and infancy of John and Jesus, and the ministry of John

B. Second Period: Proclamation of the Kingdom by Jesus; from the descent of the Spirit on Jesus to

the return of the Spirit to the Father on the cross (23:46)

Interim: time of resurrection appearances, revelatory teaching to disciples by risen Jesus

C. Third Period: Proclamation of Kingdom of God by the church, from descent of the Spirit to

Parousia.

D. Clearly, Luke envisioned this third period, the time of the Church, as the one in which his

community resided. Jesus was present through his Spirit within this Church and would continue

to do so until all flesh, particularly the Gentiles, came to faith.

III. What happened to Paul?

A. Paul had been martyred in Rome but Acts didn’t include that part. Where was the rest of the

story?

B. Drawing from oral stories and legends, these curious believers composed what we call

“Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles.”

The word “apocryphal” comes from the Greek word, apokryptein, which means “hidden.”

These works weren’t part of the Christian canon, though they share story elements with the

New Testament books and claim apostolic authorship.

C. Apocryphal Acts of Paul, a second-century narrative of Paul’s career and death.

Only about two-thirds of its original 3600 lines has survived

a. One section known as the Acts of Paul and Thecla, about a young woman’s desire to be

baptized and Paul’s hesitancy until she proves herself, having survived two near

executions.

b. The other section is often called the Martyrdom of Paul.

i. In the Martyrdom of Paul, we learn of Paul’s fate at the hands of Nero.



ii. So moved were the soldiers who attended this execution that they became believers.

The second-century Church father, Tertullian, renounced the author of the Acts of Paul,

whom he said was a cleric from the province of Asia, writing around 170 C.E.

IV. What happened to Peter?

A. After Acts 15, we don’t hear about Peter again.

B. From the second-century presbyter, Papias, we learn that Mark, the evangelist, was Peter’s

interpreter in Rome. We don’t know how Peter wound in up Rome, but by the second century his

presence is attested there along with Paul.

C. The Apocryphal Acts of Peter picks up the story of Peter’s evangelical work in Rome. Much of

the second-century work centers on a miracle contest between Simon Magnus and Peter.

D. The Apocryphal Acts of Peter also includes his martyrdom, which at first Peter attempts to

avoid.

The Crucifixion of Peter by Caravaggio



REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Why do you think Luke fails to narrate the death of Paul?

2. How does the Spirit-filled church function within Luke’s sense of salvation history?

3. What do you think was so threatening about the Apostles that Peter and Paul were martyred by

imperial officials?



Suggested Readings

Hamm, Dennis. Acts of the Apostles. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2005.

Johnson, Luke-Timothy. The Acts of the Apostles. Sacra Pagina. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press,

2006.

Kee, Howard Clark. To Every Nation under Heaven: The Acts of the Apostles. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity

Press International, 1997.

Pervo, Richard I. The Acts of the Apostles. Hermeneia. Louisville, KY: Fortress Press, 2009.

Spencer, F. Scott. The Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. IBT. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2008.

the acts of the apostles - amazon s3 · the acts of the apostles was the first history of...

Documents