Background on the book of acts

Study basics about bible books, people, dates, places, and content, and take webbased selftests. General resources for the book of acts check the scripture index for links and study resources pertaining to specific pericopes. The story of the ethiopian eunuch in acts 8 is a marvelous depiction of gods role in evangelism. Lesson 1 investigates the author, historical setting, and the theological background of the book of acts. Acts niv jesus taken up into heaven in my bible gateway.

If luke, pauls companion wrote the book, then we are looking at a fairly early date around 65 ad. In the absence of overwhelming evidence, we will refer to author of acts as luke, pauls companion. Stephen said some words from the book by the prophet isaiah isaiah 66. The temple in this book called acts was the third temple. The book begins with jesus promise of the holy spirit, which is later fulfilled in reference to the jews, and then for the gentiles.

The book begins with the ascension of jesus and goes on through pauls jail time in rome, which opens his ministry to the church at rome. The title as we know it comes from the second century and only partially discloses the theme of the document. Jesus followers received the holy spirit on pentecost and became filled and equipped to spread the good news that would restore gods kingdom over the world. And throughout the book of acts we see the church proclaiming the gospelworking together with a shared mission that helped unify them. Relevance of acts for today in a sense, the book of acts is an unfinished book. Normally, an author has a specific goal in mind, and luke was no exception. The acts of the apostles often referred to simply as acts, or formally the book of acts, is the fifth book of the new testament. The book of acts or the acts of the apostles bartleby. A second purpose in writing acts was to give a written defense of christianity. This post is adapted from darrell bocks theology of luke and acts online course to determine when acts was written, we need to evaluate the evidence from both luke and acts, because the two books were written together, with luke appearing slightly before acts at first glance, it seems that the book of acts was written around the same time of the last events it describes. Commentary critical and explanatory on the whole bible acts acts 12. As a second volume to lukes gospel, it joins what jesus began to do and to teach 1. This is the story of christianitys beginnings and how evangelism played. And this kind of blessing continued throughout the book of acts.

The book of acts ends with paul in house arrest waiting to. Biblical literature biblical literature the acts of the apostles. When we compare the book of acts with the third gospel, two types of evidence emerge that strongly suggest one person wrote both books. Study the bible online using commentary on acts 12 and more. Religious, cultural, and educational uses of the bible presented by ph.

The book of acts shows modern day christians how the church took shape in the wake of jesus death and resurrection, and how the holy spirit changed everything. Shmoop bible guide analysis of how acts of the apostles is used in practice. Understanding the book of acts in the bible thoughtco. Acts 12 commentary commentary critical and explanatory on. The book of acts is an important book for understanding the actions of the apostles, mostly paul and peter, after jesuss ascension into heaven. We find this important background information on the book of james in acts.

After you open the file in powerpoint, choose the slide show tab, and from the menu bar from beginning. Herod the kinggrandson of herod the great, and son of aristobulus. All of this reading should enable you to write a 12 page section on the historical, cultural, and literary background of your passage. The acts of the apostles, fifth book of the new testament, a valuable history of the early christian church. Read acts 12 commentary using commentary critical and explanatory on the whole bible. In galatians paul clearly considers them not to be part of the church 4. It alone presents an extensive picture of early church life and history. Before reading any book, it is helpful to ask the question. More than likely, luke completed the book before either of these events occurred, sometime between ad 60 and ad 62, while paul sat in prison, awaiting the resolution of his appeal. To download a file to a home computer, rightclick your mouse on the lesson number and choose save link as. There is no guarantee that a specific passage will have important elements in each of these categories, but there will definitely be at least general historical, cultural, or literary aspects to your passage. It is an important book in understanding how we can be directed by the holy spirit and the role of jesus lessons in our lives.

Watch our overview video on the book of acts, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of acts tells how the multiethnic, international. In only three decades, a small group of frightened believers in jerusalem transformed. Without this historical record, little would be known about the expansion of the church. Reference to the holy spirit comes in a variety of ways. Besides linking the gospel narratives on the one hand and the apostolic letters on the. Jun 12, 2017 lesson 1 investigates the author, historical setting, and the theological background of the book of acts. Only with knowledge of this background can we understand the writing of the gospels, as well as the other new testament literature that followed. Liberal critics of the bible have frequently alleged that acts is not a reliable document from the standpoint of history. They continued to preach, and the church at antioch. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. This powerful reference tool is a book by book, chapterbychapter, detailed look at the historical, geographical, cultural, and economic background of acts and the pauline epistles acts philemon. Acts 1 new international version niv jesus taken up into heaven. In the book of acts, god blessed the apostles by giving them converts almost every time they preached the gospel.

He appears to have had a number of reasons for writing luke acts. It is useful to make some preliminary points on acts in order to highlight the importance of this book in the new testament. In volume ii acts he told the story of the words and works of christ that were done through his apostles. As indicated by both its introduction and its theological plan see the gospel according to luke, acts is the second of a twovolume work compiled by the author of luke. The story starts with philip, one of the seven original deacons, who had just preached the gospel in samaria acts 8. The background of acts third millennium ministries. More and more chapters will be added to that story of the spread of the gospel until the day of jesus return.

In any case, they were jewish and thought that the code of moses should be followed by believers in jesus. The acts of the apostles is a unique and therefore crucial book of the new testament. An introduction to the book of 1 peter related media. He was also the author of its companion work, the gospel of luke. Background the book of acts or the acts of the apostles is also referred to as the book of the holy spirit or just the acts of the holy spirit because of the numerous cases it portrays the work of the holy spirits. Only with the background can you grasp the authors original concerns and purposes. The main theological emphasis of the book of acts is the holy spirit. In acts we see basic principles being applied to specific situations in the context of problems and. Luke is uniformly identified as the author acts by the second century a. All through august, get a free commentary on the book of acts.

This title accurately reflects the contents of the book, which is a series of. Was the church being persecuted when the book of acts was written. In this book we see the first mention of the dispensation of the holy spirit and jesus command to take his gospel to all the world. Acts 2 background information with maps and images. The book of acts sheds light on the gift of the holy spirit, who empowers, guides, teaches, and serves as our counselor. The offering sent by barnabas and saul to the jerusalem elders. It is important to remember that, in the previous gospel books, jesus had lived, jesus had died. The title of the book of acts comes from the greek word praxis, a word often used in. Was christianity attractive to the socially disenfranchised. The differences can be accounted for in style, and context. The theme of the book is mission how the gospel spread from jerusalem to judea to samaria and then to the ends of the world. As a second volume to lukes gospel, it joins what jesus. Acts intro to acts biblica the international bible society. But stephen reminded the jews that god was bigger than any temple.

He was one of the seven chosen to care for the poor of the christian community in jerusalem. This course is based on the lecture series, the book of acts, produced by third millennium ministries and presented by dr. Acts and historical narrative, at luther seminarys bible tutor. That peter, the head of the twelve, was the author of this letter is not only strongly supported by the external and internal evidence, but is more logical than any of the objections raised against it.

Bible study of acts join us for an inspiring study on the. Luke acts makes up 28% of the new testamentmore than that written by either paul or john. The purpose of the book of acts is governed by the jews response to peter and paul. Here is a summary and overview of the book of acts. Luke recorded three rejections by the jews to peter and the apostles associated with him to the message of repentance and proclamation of the kingdom. As such, it provides us with a valuable account of how the church was able to grow and spread out from jerusalem into the rest of the roman empire. Acts in the picture study bible the book of acts with. The author of the acts of the apostles is the same author of the gospel of luke. The book has been called the acts of the apostles, really a misnomer because acts has very little to say concerning most of the original twelve apostles. Both books are addressed to theophilus, and the latter acts refers. We find this important background information on the book of james in acts 8. Oct 04, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of acts, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The new testament its background, growth, and content, pp. At the end of the gospel of luke jesus says that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in.

The book of acts, also called the acts of the apostles, is the companion volume to the gospel of luke. The ending of acts plays an important role in route of determining the book s date. Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. Intro to acts biblica the international bible society. Biblical literature the acts of the apostles britannica. In the latter portion of acts, luke recorded three rejections of the jews to pauls overtures of salvation. Acts free bible commentary on the book of acts in easy english. The consensus of scholars puts the date of acts between 6580 ad. Philip was visited by an angel who told him to go south to a road that ran from jerusalem to gaza, in the desert acts 8. The book of acts will definitely stand the test of historical examination. As we have seen, peters sermon on the day of pentecost expanded the church from about 120 people to over 3,000 people. Book of acts overview insight for living ministries. Even after the apostles were arrested and severely warned not to teach in the name of jesus, the church got together and prayed for gods help to do his work acts 4.

The emphasis of the book is the fulfillment of the great commission. In this examination of the gospel of luke, my objective is to present a summary of background and introductory issues, point out some general observations, delineate the purpose, theme, unfolding and outline of the gospel. Lesson 1 investigates the author, historical setting, and the theological background of. In acts, jesus sends the holy spirit to empower his disciples as they carry. At the end of the gospel of luke jesus says that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at jerusalem.

Since luke is the author of acts, any date between ad 60 and 100 is reasonable as conzelmann points out. As the gospels end and the book of acts begins, we see a transition that men couldnt have predicted, but that god had long planned. Acts 1 background information with maps and images picture. When we study an epistle, such as the book of james, we can usually find more background information about the audience and sometimes about the authors interaction with the audience in the book of acts. Some have suggested that a better title might be the acts of the holy spirit. The other is an understanding of the cultural background of the passage youre reading. Acts records the apostles being christs witnesses in jerusalem, judea, samaria, and the surrounding world. The book of acts provides a bridge for the writings of the nt. Authorship of acts luke is the author of the book acts. John the baptist had prepared the way for the messiah by teaching repentance toward god. As we approach the book of acts, we must always keep in mind that luke wrote out of his background in the old testament and first century beliefs about the kingdom of god in christ. The effect of his preaching had been to electrify the people of judah to the point that. It is important to remember that, in the previous gospel. How does the historical setting help us understand acts.

This free course answers those questions by explaining the background, structure, and content of the book, including a study of the major themes and guidelines for applying the lessons of acts today. In the modern church, christians often turn to the book of acts to explore questions related to the charismatic. Acts 12 commentary commentary critical and explanatory. Background notes on the book of acts grace crc church. Acts is the only biblical book that chronicles the history of the church immediately after jesuss ascension. The genre of the book of acts is narrative history with several sermons. A third purpose in the writing of acts was to provide stability to the new faith. Authorship of actsluke is the author of the book acts. Mar 05, 2018 when we study an epistle, such as the book of james, we can usually find more background information about the audience and sometimes about the authors interaction with the audience in the book of acts. The recipient of the book, theophilus, is the same person addressed in the first volume, the gospel of luke see introduction to luke. This unique commentary provides, in versebyverse format, the crucial cultural background you need for responsibleand richerbible study. He preached and reportedly performed miracles in samaria, and met and baptised an ethiopian man, a eunuch, on the road from jerusalem to gaza, traditionally marking the start of the.

The dating of acts is largely determined by the author. Luke, the author of the gospel of luke, was a doctor and gentile. In the book of acts there may have been some believers among their number acts 15. The book certainly does not tell all the acts of all the apostles. Acts present the work of the holy spirit as the life line of the church. Both volumes are dedicated to theophilus presumably an imperial official, and its contents are divided into periods. The book of acts sheds light on the gift of the holy spirit, who empowers, guides, teaches, and serves as. Introduction to the book of acts study resources blue letter bible. Acts was written in greek, presumably by the evangelist luke, whose gospel concludes where acts begins, namely, with christs ascension into heaven. Jan 02, 2020 the emphasis of the book is the fulfillment of the great commission.