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The New Testament
History
Acts of the Apostles
Addressed to a certain
Theophilus, about whom nothing is known (1:1), the Book of Acts records
the
early history of the Apostolic Church. Beginning with the Ascension of
Jesus to
heaven, it traces the growth of Christianity in Palestine and its
spread to
Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, and eventually to Rome. The leading figure
in the
first chapters is Peter, who delivered the stirring sermon on the day
of
Pentecost. The greater part of the book, however, is devoted to the
experiences
of Paul and his companions during their missionary endeavors.
1. Acts of the Apostles, portray the church as
God's instrument of redemption on Earth in the interim between the
death of
Christ and the Second Coming.
2.
Acts tells the story of the Early
Christian
church, with particular emphasis on the ministry of the Twelve Apostles
and of
Paul of Tarsus.
3. The early chapters, set in Jerusalem,
discuss
Jesus's Resurrection, his Ascension, the Day of Pentecost, and the
start of the
Twelve Apostles' ministry.
4. The apostles, along with other of
followers
of Jesus, meet and elect Matthias to replace Judas as a member of The
Twelve.
On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends on them. The apostles hear a
great wind
and witness "tongues of flames" descending on them. Thereafter, the
apostles have the miraculous power to "speak in tongues" and when
they address a crowd, each member of the crowd hears their speech in
his own
native language. Peter, along with John, preach to many in Jerusalem,
and
perform many miracles such as healing, the casting out of evil spirits,
and the
raising of the dead. As a result, thousands convert to Early
Christianity and
are baptized. As their numbers increase, the Christians begin to be
increasingly persecuted. Some of the apostles are arrested and flogged,
but
ultimately freed. Stephen, one of the first deacons, is arrested for
blasphemy,
and after a trial, is found guilty and executed by stoning, thereby
becoming
the first known Christian martyr. Peter and the apostles continue to
preach,
and Christianity continues to grow, and begins to spread to Gentiles.
Peter has
a vision in which a voice commands him to eat a variety of impure
animals. When
Peter objects, the voice replies, "Do not call anything impure that God
has made clean." When Peter awakes from his vision, he meets with a
centurion, who converts. Peter baptizes the centurion, and later has to
justify
this decision to the other Christians.
5. The later chapters discuss Paul's
conversion,
his ministry, and finally his arrest and imprisonment and trip to Rome.
Paul of Tarsus, also known as
Saul, is the main character of the second half of Acts. He is
introduced as a
persecutor of the Christian church (8:1:3), until his conversion to
Christianity later in the chapter when he encounters the resurrected
Christ.
The conversion of
Paul on the
road to Damascus is told three times. While Paul was on the road to
Damascus,
near Damascus, "suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He
fell
to the ground" (9:3-4), the light was "brighter than the sun"
(26:13) and he was subsequently blinded for three days (9:9). He heard
a voice
in the Hebrew language (probably Aramaic): "Saul, Saul, why do you
persecute me? ... I am Jesus" (26:14-15). In Damascus, St. Ananias
cured
his blindness, "something like scales" fell from his eyes, and
baptized him (9:17-19). It is commonly believed that Saul changes his
name to
Paul at this time, but the source of this claim is unknown, the first
mention
of another name is later, (13:9), during his first missionary journey.
Several
years later, Barnabas and Paul set out on a mission (13-14) to further
spread
Christianity, particularly among the Gentiles. Paul travels through
Asia Minor,
preaching and visiting churches throughout the region. Paul travels to
Jerusalem where he meets with the apostles, a meeting known as the
Council of
Jerusalem (15). Members of the Jerusalem
church have been preaching that circumcision is required for salvation.
Paul
and his associates strongly disagree. After much discussion, James the
Just,
leader of the Jerusalem church, decrees that Gentile Christian converts
need
not follow all of the Mosaic Law, and in particular, they do not need
to be
circumcised. Paul spends the next few years traveling through western
Asia
Minor and founded his first Christian church in Philippi. Paul then
travels to
Thessalonica, where he stays for some time before departing for Greece.
In
Athens, Paul visits an altar with an inscription dedicated to the
Unknown God,
so when he gives his speech on the Areopagos, he proclaims to worship
that same
Unknown God whom he identifies as the Christian God. Upon Paul's
arrival in
Jerusalem, he was confronted with the rumor of teaching against the Law
of
Moses (21:21). To prove that he was "living in obedience to the law",
Paul took a biblical vow along with some others (21:26). Near the end
of the
seven days of the vow, Paul was recognized outside Herod's Temple and
was
nearly beaten to death by a mob, "shouting, 'Men of Israel, help us!
This
is the man who teaches all men everywhere against our people and our
law and
this place. And besides, he has brought Greeks into the temple area and
defiled
this holy place’ (21:28). Paul is rescued from the mob by a Roman
commander
(21:31-40) and accused of being a revolutionary, "ringleader of the
sect
of the Nazarenes", teaching resurrection of the dead, and thus
imprisoned
in Caesarea (23–26). Paul asserts his right, as a Roman citizen, to be
tried in
Rome. Paul is sent by sea to Rome, where he spends another two years
under
house arrest, proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching the "Lord
Jesus
Christ" (28:30-31).
One of the central themes of
Acts, indeed of the New Testament is the universality of Christianity,
the idea
that Jesus's teachings were for all humanity, Jews and Gentiles alike.
In this
view, Christianity is seen as a religion in its own right, rather than
a subset
of Judaism. Whereas the members of Jewish Christianity were circumcised
and
adhered to dietary laws, the Pauline Christianity featured in Acts did
not
require Gentiles to be circumcised or to obey all of the Mosaic laws. The final chapter of Acts ends with Paul
condemning non-Christian Jews and saying "Therefore I want you to know
that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will
listen!"
(28:28).
Holy Spirit
There are
numerous references
to the Holy Spirit throughout Acts. Acts features the "baptism in the
Holy
Spirit" on Pentecost and the subsequent spirit-inspired speaking in
tongues. The Holy Spirit is shown guiding the decisions and actions of
Christian leaders, and the Holy Spirit is said to "fill" the
apostles, especially when they preach. As a result, Acts is
particularly
influential among branches of Christianity which place particular
emphasis the
Holy Spirit, such as Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movement.
The Gospel of Luke and
Acts
both devote a great deal of attention to the oppressed and downtrodden.
The
impoverished are generally praised, while the wealthy are criticized.
Luke and
Acts devote a great deal of attention to women in general and to widows
in
particular. The Samaritans of Samaria, had their temple on Mount
Gerizim, and
along with some other differences, were in conflict with Jews of Judea
and
Galilee and other regions who had their Temple in Jerusalem and
practiced
Judaism. Unexpectedly, since Jesus was a Jewish Galilean, the
Samaritans are
shown favorably in Luke and Acts. In
Acts, attention is given to the religious persecution of the early
Christians,
as in the case of Stephen's martyrdom and the numerous examples are
Paul's
persecution for his preaching of Christianity.
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Prayer
Prayer is a
major motif in
both the Gospel of Luke and Acts. Both books have a more prominent
attention to
prayer than is found in the other gospels. The Gospel of Luke depicts
prayer as
a certain feature in Jesus's life. Examples of prayer which are unique
to Luke
include Jesus's prayers at the time of his baptism (Luke 3:21), his
praying all
night before choosing the twelve (Luke 6:12), and praying for the
transfiguration (Luke 9:28). Acts also features an emphasis on prayer
and
includes a number of notable prayers such as the Believers' Prayer
(4:23-31),
Stephen's death prayer (7:59-60), and Simon Magus' prayer (8:24).
Speeches
Acts features
a number of
extended speeches or sermons from Peter, Paul, and others. There are at
least
24 different speeches in Acts.
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