The Acts of the Apostles

Scripture WorkshopEpiscopal Church of the Resurrection

Winter 2011

Acts 1:1-8

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus did and taught from the beginning until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. After his suffering he presented himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over the course of forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While staying with them, he ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the promise of the Father. ‘This’, he said, ‘is what you have heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’

So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?’ He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’

Acts, Summary• Tells story of birth and expansion of church from

Jesus’ ascension to arrival of Paul in Rome• Part II of Gospel of Luke• Attempts to give Christians confidence in their

future by teaching about their past• Addresses social and theological problems brought

by its Jewish heritage in a Greco-Roman world• Tries to show Christianity’s faithfulness to Jewish

scriptures and compatibility with Roman civics and morals

• Half the book is about Paul, interpreting him through these themes

Outline of Acts• Ascension of Jesus• Growth, energized by Spirit and led by Peter• Martyrdom of Stephen• Mission outside of Jerusalem to Gentiles• Conversion of Paul• Peter includes Gentiles• First mission of Paul• Peter escapes death• Council frees Gentiles from reqs of Jewish law• Paul’s travels around Mediterranean• Paul’s arrest

Who was Luke?• Tradition says Luke was a physician who

accompanied Paul, that he was a Syrian from Antioch• But there’s no textual evidence for this tradition,

which dates from late 2nd century• Academically familiar with Judaism. Familiar with

Septuagint. Highly educated, aware of geography outside of Palestine, familiar with early church

• Writes from urban perspective, not the rural background of Jesus

• Tradition says Luke wrote in Antioch or Rome• Probably a Gentile Christian

When was Acts written?• Jesus: 3-33• Paul’s Letters: 51-58• Roman/Jewish War: 66-70• Gospel of Mark: 68-73• Rome destroys Jerusalem temple: 70• Gospel of Matthew: 80-90• Luke/Acts: 80-90• Gospel of John: 80-110• Revelation: 92-96• Other Epistles: 70-130 • Didache: 100-150• Justin Martyr: Mid 2nd Century• Gospel of Thomas: Mid 3rd Century

Is it Historically Accurate?• No. • Acts was not intended to be. It is composed of

historical remembrances and interpretation• Acts departs significantly from Paul’s historical

chronology, which was written earlier• “History” as objective discipline did not exist

until 19th century• Goal: Preaching for conversion, identity claims

for Jesus, interpreting Jesus stories and early Church stories to Christian community

Writing Style

• Within the New Testament, Luke uses the smoothest Greek prose

• Luke is well-versed in Greco-Roman literary style

• Often uses lengthy speeches to summarize and interpret concepts and events

Social Context of Text• Tradition of being oppressed by foreign powers, in

this case Roman Empire, which collude with Jewish hierarchy

• Honor/Shame Society: Pivotal social value was public reputation. Disputes have challenge/riposte dynamic. In-group /out-group behavior

• Collectivistic: Individuals defined by communal identity. Non-individualistic

• Kinship defines a person

Social Context of Text

• Spirit world: Good and evil spirits everywhere considered normal. Most human issues had spiritual corollaries

• Patron/Client structure: “socially fixed relations of reciprocity between social unequals”

• Purity: System of meaning that determines behavior as good or deviant. Elaborate rules

Social Context of Text

• Hellenistic world• Growing apocalypticism in face of Roman

occupation• Meals very ceremonial and microcosm of life• Poverty

Levels Within the Text

• When reading, remember that characters within Acts lived in Palestine and Med. world in the early/mid 1st C

• Luke’s community came later and probably lived elsewhere: multiple social contexts

• Luke is interpreting events for a later audience in a different place

• The connection between the two communities is the oral tradition

Women in Acts• Property of fathers or husbands• Extremely ritually unclean when menstruating• Lived private lives in family, no social lives or

power outside kinship circle• Double standards

Relationship to Imperial Rome

• Rome dominated Mediterranean world• Enforced peace through violence• Roman soldiers throughout Mediterranean• Heavily taxed commerce, especially agriculture,

reducing people to virtual slaves• Patron/client structure• Jews and early Christians hated Romans

Relationship to Imperial Rome

• Persecuted some early Christian communities• Rome is focus of apocalyptic projection• Romans considered emperor to be a God• Emperor’s image on all Roman coins, which

Jews and Christians had to use• Before the temple fell, Rome placed statue of

emperor in holy of holies• ROME DESTROYED HOLIEST JEWISH SITE

Relationship to Imperial Rome• Rome allowed many religions to thrive in

empire. Greco-Roman context was multi-religious, but Rome required subjects to recognize emperor as God

• Jews and Christians did not do this and Rome was suspicious

• Caesar Augustus was believed to be the son of God who brought peace to the world

• Christians used many of the titles reserved for Caesar for Jesus. Very inflammatory.

Theological Context of the Audience

• Religion inseparable from social, political, economic and psychological life

• Jesus does not match Messianic expectations• Growing apocalyptic expectations• Expected Jesus to return very soon• Community of Jews, God-Fearers and Gentiles

Relationship to Judaism

• Christianity not distinct from Judaism when Acts was written

• Luke/Acts not creating a new religion. Fulfilling OT with Kingdom of God

• Growing tension between traditional Jews and emerging Christianity

Theology of Acts

• Jesus takes his message from the margins (Galilee) to the center of the Jewish world (Jerusalem) in the Gospel

• Then Paul takes Jesus’ message from the center of the Jewish world/edge of the Roman Empire (Jerusalem) to the center of the known world (Rome)

• Deals with: Jesus’ identity, discipleship, nature of salvation, character of Kingdom of God, repentance

Theological Themes• God’s redemptive purpose: God’s sovereignty,

fulfill scripture, scope of Jesus’ redemptive work• Salvation for all alike: Jesus came for ALL people,

Jews, gentiles, margins, etc• Blessings of poverty/dangers of wealth: Contrary

to popular theology• Table fellowship: Inclusivity, joy

Acts, Outline• January 13– Skim the whole text– Risen Christ and Restoration of Israel in Jerusalem (1:1-

8:3)– Mission in Judea and Samaria (8:4-9:43)

• January 20– Inauguration of Gentile mission (10:1-15:35)

• January 27– Mission of Paul to whole earth I (15:36-21:40)

• February 3– Mission of Paul to whole earth II (22:1-28:31)