Acts (New Cambridge Bible Commentary)

✍ Scribed by Craig S. Keener

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Year: 2020
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 719
• Edition: Abridged
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

As the earliest narrative source for the origins of Christianity, Acts is of unrivalled importance for understanding early Christianity and the mission that originally brought it from Judea and Galilee to gentiles, and even the heart of the Roman Empire. This volume is an abridged version of Keener's monumental, four-volume commentary on Acts, the longest and one of the most thorough engagements with Acts in its ancient setting. Sensitive to the work's narrative unity, Keener's commentary is especially known for its direct engagement with the wide range of ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman sources. The original commentary cited some 45,000 references from ancient extrabiblical sources to shed light on the Book of Acts. This accessible edition, aimed at students, scholars, and pastors, makes more widely available the decades of research that Keener has devoted to one of the key texts of Early Christianity.

✦ Table of Contents

Acts: New Cambridge Bible Commentary / Craig S. Keener
Contents
Supplementary sections
Acknowledgments and Explanatry Preface
I. Introduction
Proposed Genres for Acts
Acts as a Historical Monograph
What Does It Mean for Acts to be Ancient Historiography?
Acts and History
Luke's Historical Period
Comparing Luke with Other Sources
Comparisons with Paul
The Final Quarter of Acts: Paul in Roman Custody
Speeches in Acts
Signs Reports and Historiography
Acts' Date
Authorship
Acts' Audience
Purposes of Acts
Theology and Message of Acts
Unity of Luke-Acts
II. Acts Bibliography
More Academic Commentaries
Less Technical Commentaries
Multiauthor Volumes (Listed by Editors)
Sample Acts Studies
Other Often-Cited Studies
III. Commentary
1:1–2 Preface
Recapitulation
Preface
1:3–8: Promise of the Holy Spirit
Promise of the Spirit (1:4–5)
Power for Mission (1:8)
1:9–11: Jesus’s Ascension and Promise to Return
A Closer Look: Ascension Narratives
1:12–14: Praying Together
1:15–26: Restoring the Leadership
Gathering and Judas’s Fate
A New Apostle (1:21–26)
2:1–4: Signs of Pentecost
A Closer Look: Tongues
2:5–13: The Crowd’s Responses to Signs
A Closer Look: The Peoples of Acts 2:9–11
Bridging Horizons: Pentecost and Global Christianity
A Closer Look: Alcohol in Mediterranean Antiquity
2:14–21: Prophecy of Pentecost
Bridging Horizons: Prophesying Daughters (Acts 2:17–18)
A Closer Look: The Revival of Prophecy
2:22–36: The Risen Lord
Jesus’s Death and God’s Plan (Acts 2:23)
Jesus, Not David, Is the Exalted King (2:29–36)
2:37–41: Response and Promise
Bridging Horizons: Repentance (Acts 2:38)
2:42–47: The Life of the Empowered Community
Bridging Horizons: The New Community (Acts 2:42–47)
Bridging Horizons: Sharing Possessions (Acts 2:44–45)
3:1–10: Power of Jesus’s Name
3:12–26: Inviting Israel’s Repentance and Salvation
4:1–7: The Authorities Arrest God’s Servants
A Closer Look: The Power Groups in 4:1, 5–6
4:8–12: Salvation in Jesus’s Name
4:13–22: Confounding the Authorities
4:23–30: Prayer for More Boldness
4:31–35: Second Outpouring of the Spirit
4:36–5:11: Positive and Negative Examples of Sharing
Bridging Horizons: Holiness
5:12–16: Apostolic Signs and Honor
5:17–28: Arrest, Release, Rearrest
5:29–33: Obeying God Rather than the Elite
5:34–40a: Gamaliel’s Defense
5:40b–42: Continued Obedience
6:1–7: The Hellenist Leaders
A Closer Look: Hebrews and Hellenists
Bridging Horizons: Minority Voices
6:8–7:1: Ministry and Opposition
A Closer Look: Synagogues
7:2–8: Abraham the Alien
7:9–16: Joseph the Rejected, Alienated Deliverer
A Closer Look: Precedents and Narrative Typology
7:17–28: Moses the Rejected Deliverer
7:29–34: Moses the Alien
7:35–43: Moses, Prototype of the Rejected Deliverer
7:44–50: God Needs No Temple
7:51–53: Returning the Charge: Undermining the Law
7:54–8:1a: Stephen Follows His Martyred Lord
8:1b–4: Persecution Disperses Jerusalem’s Church
A Closer Look: Stephen’s Burial
8:5–13: Philip’s versus Simon’s Signs
A Closer Look: Samaritans
8:14–17: The Samaritans’ Conversion Confirmed
8:18–25: Confronting Simon’s Syncretism
8:26–33: Divinely Arranged Encounter
A Closer Look: Narrative Patterns in Acts 8:26–40
A Closer Look: Africa
8:34–40: Eagerly Embracing the Message
9:1–9: Jesus’s Theophany to Saul
A Closer Look: Conversion and/or Call
9:10–19a: Paired Visions Confirm Saul’s Call
9:19b–31: Saul’s First Ministry and Conflicts
A Closer Look: Gal 1:17–2:1 and Acts 9
A Closer Look: Gal 1:18–19 and Acts 9:26–30
9:32–43: Healings on the Coastal Plain
10:1–8: A Roman Officer’s Vision
A Closer Look: Caesarea and Soldiers
10:9–16: No Longer Unclean: Peter’s Vision
10:17–33: Apostle and Occupier Meet
10:34–43: Peter Recounts Jesus’s Story
10:44–48: The Spirit Confirms the Gentiles’ Acceptance
11:1–18: Peter Defends Welcoming Gentiles
Bridging Horizons: Divided Loyalties
11:19–30: Antioch Serves Gentiles and Jerusalem
A Closer Look: Antioch
A Closer Look: ‘‘Christians’’
12:1–5: Herod’s Persecution
12:6–11: God’s Angel Releases Peter
12:12–17: Visiting the Prayer Meeting
A Closer Look: House Churches
12:18–24: The Proud King’s Death
12:25–13:3: Consecrated for the New Mission
A Closer Look: Paul’s Mission in Acts 12:25–19:41
Bridging Horizons: Outreach
13:4–12: Mission in Cyprus
A Closer Look: Travel in Antiquity
13:13–15: Journey and Setting
13:16b–22: Proem and Biblical Narratio
13:23–31: Narration about Jesus
13:32–41: Proofs and Peroratio
13:42–52: Response
14:1–7: Mixed Results in Iconium
14:8–13: Lystra Misunderstands a Healing
14:14–20: Rejected for Rejecting Deification
14:21–28: Completing This Mission Journey
A Closer Look: Elders
15:1–5: Conflict over Circumcising Gentiles
A Closer Look: The Jerusalem Council and Galatians?
A Closer Look: Circumcision
15:6–12: Appealing to God’s Confirmations
15:13–21: James’s Biblical Proposal
A Closer Look: The Decree’s Prohibitions
15:22–29: The Consensus Decree
Bridging Horizons: Finding Common Ground
15:30–35: Delivering the Message in Antioch
15:36–41: Conflict with Barnabas over Mark
16:1–5: Revisiting Churches
16:6–10: God’s Leading to Macedonia
A Closer Look: The Troad and Asia
A Closer Look: Luke’s ‘‘We’’ Material
16:11–15: Lydia and Her House Church
A Closer Look: Women and Prayer
A Closer Look: Purple
A Closer Look: Hospitality
16:16–18: Exorcism of a Powerful Spirit
A Closer Look: Pythoness Spirits
A Closer Look: Spirit-Possession Reports
16:19–24: Beaten and Imprisoned
A Closer Look: Anti-Judaism
16:25–34: Deliverance and Jailer’s Conversion
A Closer Look: Ancient Suicide
16:35–40: Paul and Silas Vindicated
A Closer Look: Paul’s Roman Citizenship
17:1–9: Ministry in Thessalonica
A Closer Look: 1 Thessalonians and Acts 17:1–9
17:10–14: Ministry in Berea
17:15–21: Beginning Ministry in Athens
A Closer Look: Epicureans and Stoics
17:22–31: Paul’s Philosophic Discourse
17:32–34: Response to Paul’s Speech
18:1–11: Ministry in Corinth
A Closer Look: Corinth
A Closer Look: Claudius’s Expulsion
A Closer Look: Paul’s Work
18:12–17: Gallio Refuses Paul’s Case
18:18–23: Prelude to Ephesus
18:24–28: Priscilla and Aquila Help Apollos
19:1–7: John’s Disciples Need the Spirit
19:8–12: Teaching and Signs in Ephesus
19:13–20: Magic Inferior to Paul’s Signs
Bridging Horizons: Nonsupernatural Christianity?
19:21–22: Plans for Jerusalem and Rome
19:23–34: Riot in Ephesus
A Closer Look: Asiarchs’ ‘‘Friendship’’
A Closer Look: Historical Information in Acts 19:23–41
19:35–41: The City Clerk Defends Paul
A Closer Look: Temple Robbers (19:37)
20:1–6: On the Move Again
20:7–12: Eutychus Raised
20:13–16: Further Travel, Avoiding Ephesus
20:17–27: Farewell to Ephesian Elders
20:28–35: Beware of Greedy Preachers
20:36–38: Tearful Parting
21:1–14: Prophetic Warnings en Route to Jerusalem
21:15–26: The Jerusalem Church’s Concerns
21:27–30: Ephesian Jews Incite a Riot against Paul
21:31–40: Paul Enters Roman Custody
A Closer Look: Paul in Roman Custody
22:1–21: Paul’s Defense in the Temple
Bridging Horizons: Ethnic Conflict
A Closer Look: Paul’s Defense Speeches
A Closer Look: Gamaliel
22:22–29: Discovering Paul’s Citizenship
22:30–23:10: The Divided Council
23:11–22: Leaking a Plot
23:23–30: Sending Paul to Felix
23:31–35: Military Escort
24:1–9: Charges against Paul
A Closer Look: Paul and Riots
24:10–21: Impressive Defense
24:22–27: Felix’s Procrastination
25:1–5: Jerusalem Authorities Denounce Paul
A Closer Look: Trials of Jesus and Paul
25:6–9: Defense before Festus
25:10–12: Appeal to Caesar
25:13–22: Discussing Paul with Agrippa
A Closer Look: Agrippa II and Bernice
25:23–26:1: Paul’s Royal Audience
26:2–23: Paul Recounts His Experience
26:24–29: Prophetic versus Manic Inspiration
A Closer Look: Positive Madness
26:30–32: Royal Verdict
27:1–8: The Voyage Begins
A Closer Look: Alexandrian Grain Ships (27:6; 28:11)
27:9–13: Ignoring Paul’s Warning
27:14–20: Disaster at Sea
27:21–26: The Angel’s Promise
27:27–38: Paul’s Leadership Approaching Land
27:39–44: Reaching Land Safely
28:1–6: Snakebite in Malta
28:7–10: Healings and Hospitality in Malta
28:11–15: Final Voyage, to Rome
28:16–22: Paul Meets Jewish Leaders in Rome
A Closer Look: Luke’s Conclusion (28:16–31)
A Closer Look: Rome’s Elite Guard
A Closer Look: Rome’s Jewish Community
28:23–28: Recalcitrance Prophesied
A Closer Look: Rejecting Israel?
28:30–31: Ministry Bold and Unhindered
A Closer Look: Release or Execution?
Bridging Horizons: What Became of Luke’s Gentile Mission?
Index of Authors
Index of Ancient Sources