CHALLENGE OF GROWTHLUKE 6

THE EARLY CHURCH AS EXAMPLE

•The early years of the church were exemplary

•Evil had not yet entered, or if it did (e.g., Ananias & Sapphira), it was swiftly excluded by supernatural means.

•Christians of his own day should find here an example to follow

THE AUTHORITY OF THE APOSTLES

• There were many leaders, but only some had authority to initiate change

• The unity of the ideal church was rooted in the (twelve) apostles who were personally linked with Jesus Himself

• Whatever was rightly done, therefore, was done under their authority

ORGANIC GROWTH

Various developments of CHURCH LIFE contributed to its extension in 3 ways:

• Numerically

• Socially

• Geographically

NEW HISTORICAL SOURCE?

• Fresh Subject Matter

• Narrative moves from Jerusalem to Antioch

• First use of maqhthV (mathētēs) for Christians

• Only use of oi dwdeka (hoi dōdeka) “The Twelve”

• Luke did not invent Hllhistai(Hellenists)Greek speaking Jews who had seven men leading them

WHO WERE THE HELLENISTS?

HbraioV (Hebrews)

• Does not occur in Old Testament

• Not primarily linguistic

• Paul uses HbraioV to describe himself

• Philo contrasts himself with

HbraioV and did not speak Hebrew

Hllhistai (Hellenists)

• Does not occur in Old Testament

• Primarily linguistic (people who speak the Greek language)

• Hellenists Josephus, Philo, and Paul do

not use the word Hllhistai

• Does this term imply not only language, but also adoption of Greek ways of thinking and habits?

DIASPORA JEWS (HELLENISTIC)

A wide variety of strains of Hellenistic Judaism is attested by Philo

• Extreme literal “letter of the law”

• Middle-of-the-road (practiced “letter of the law” but used allegory to interpret (often favoring the Greek sense)

• Extreme allegory “spirit of the law”

ASSIMILATION VS. EXCLUSIVITY

•Some were able to assimilate themselves almost entirely to their heathen environment

•Others (e.g., Paul’s family) seem to have preserved the exclusiveness of their faith AND their language

WERE ALL HELLENISTS GENTILES?

ARGUMENTS FOR

• It’s counterpart is used with the meaning Jew, so this could mean “One who is not a Jew”

• 11:19 is obviously referring to Gentiles

ARGUMENTS AGAINST

• Strong linguistic implications

• Less cultural implications

• Development of the narrative in Acts

PROGRESSION OF NARRATIVE

Had there been Jewish and Gentile elements in the Jerusalem church from Acts 6:1 forward, why would Luke have emphasized the following:

• Peter’s preaching to Cornelius

• Founding a mixed church in Antioch

• Paul’s break with the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch

• Jerusalem Council in Chapter 15C.K. Barrett, p. 309

MAIN RESOURCES QUOTED/USED

• Movie clip from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”

• Achtemeier, Paul J., Joel B. Green, Marianne Meye Thompson. Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology Hardcover. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001.

• Archer, Gleason. Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing Company, 1982.

• Aymer, Margaret. “The Acts of the Apostles.” Women’s Bible Commentary, edited by Carol A. Newsom, Sharon H. Rindge, Jacqueline E. Lapsley, 536-546. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012.

• Bruce, F.F. The Book of the Acts. The New International Commentary of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1984.

• Gentz, William, General Editor. Dictionary of Bible and Religion. New York: Abingdon Press, 1986.

• Longenecker, Richard N. “Acts,” in John and Acts. Vol. 9 of The Expositor’s Bible Commentary with the New International Version, edited by Frank E. Gæbelein, 205-573. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981.

• MacGregor, G.H.C. and Theodore P. Ferris. “The Acts of the Apostles,” in Acts and Romans. Vol. 9 of The Interpreters Bible, edited by George Arthur Buttrick, 3-354. New York: Abingdon Press, 1954.

• Marshall, I, Howard. Tyndale Commentary of the New Testament: The Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1980.

• Martin, Ralph P. New Testament Foundations: Volume 2. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1978.

• McGarvey, J.W. New Commentary on Acts of Apostles, Volume 1. Lexington: Gospel Light Publishing Company, 1892.

• Packer, J.W. The Acts of the Apostles. The Cambridge Bible Commentary, edited by P.R. Ackroyd, A.R.C. Leaney, J.W. Packer. Cambridge: University Press, 1966.

• Robertson, Archibald Thomas. Word Pictures in the New Testament, Volume III. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1930.

• Stott, John R. W. The Message of Acts. Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1990.

• Willimon, William H. Acts. Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, edited by James Luther Mays. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010.

• Witherington, Ben. The Acts of the Apostles : A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Eerdmans, 1997.