Acts - Introduction(1)

Introduction

Bibliography

Here are my primary sources of information:

Acts - I H Marshall, Tyndale New Testament Commentary (1980)

The Gospels and Acts (The Holman Apologetics Commentary on the Bible) - Michael Wilkins, Craig A. Evans, Darrell L. Bock, Andreas J. Köstenberger, Jeremy Royal Howard, Holman (2013)

TNIV Zondermann Study Bible

Acts was written by Luke (we will deal with questions of authorship later), and it is important to see it as part of a two book set, ie it is a continuation of the work started in Luke’s Gospel. The style of the Greek in Luke’s writings is very similar to that of the Greek in the Septuagint (LXX), this indicates that Luke saw himself as writing sacred history, or even salvation history. One of the striking features of the Bible, and the New Testament in particular, is how tied in to real events and places it is. As a contrast, read part of the Koran and you will appreciate the enormous difference. Indeed, this is one reason why there are so many arguments about the Bible, because it sets itself firmly in history. The Bible is not just a book of ideas, but of God’s actions in history.

There are some who argue that Acts is primarily an evangelistic book, others see it as an apologetic, defending the church against the charges made against it by the Romans. However, Luke and Acts state at the outset that they were written initially for Theophilus, who it makes sense to regard as a believer. So while Acts can be used evangelistically and does provide ammunition to defend the church against the Roman authorities, it seems best to take its primary purpose as to instruct and encourage Christians.

The gospels, especially Matthew 28:19,20, set out the global mission for the gospel and the church, but are of course almost entirely Israel based. In Acts we see how the gospel first impacted Israel, and Jerusalem in particular, then spread to Samaria, and then into the Graeco-Roman world. The universal nature of the gospel is clear in Scripture from the beginning. In Genesis God is presented as the creator of the whole world, and well before the creation of Israel. Throughout the Old Testament God and His interest is not limited to Israel, though, of course, most of the action takes place with regard to Israel. However, God’s commission to mankind in Genesis is to fill the earth and subdue it (Gen 1:28). In Genesis 12:3 God tells Abraham that all peoples on earth will be blessed through him. There are prophecies about the nations surrounding Israel, not just Israel itself. While many of these are bad news for the nations, there are “good news” prophecies as well. But reaching the nations is a messy business, and in Acts Luke describes how this happened. There is a clear continuity with the Old Testament, with several references to Old Testament prophecy. Then there is Peter’s vision where God tells him to go to the Gentiles. The Council of Jerusalem is a key event, explaining how the church dealt with the practical problems of bringing Jews and Gentiles together. There is also explanation of how the Jewish religion had failed to obey God, and was in opposition to the church.