Table of Contents
General Editor's Preface 11
Author's Preface 13
Abbreviations 15
Bibliography 23
Table of Sidebars 39
Introduction 41
A Authorship 42
B Addressee or Audience 44
C Date of Composition 44
D Genre of Acts 46
E Sources and Intertextuality 48
F Textual-Critical Issues 48
G Literary Features 49
H Theology and Acts 51
I Engaging Acts in a New Day 53
Commentary 57
I Preface: Continuity, Commission, and Promise (Acts 1:1-11) 57
II God and the People of God: Restoration and Division in Jerusalem (Acts 1:12-8:3) 65
A Gathering and Preparations (1:12-26) 65
B Pentecost and the Fulfillment of God's Promises to Israel (2:1-47) 71
1 The Coming of the Holy Spirit (2:1-13) 71
2 Peter Speaks to the Gathered Crowd (2:14-41) 78
3 The Spirit-Created Community of Believers (2:42-47) 93
C A Healing that Leads to Opposition (3:1-4:31) 99
1 The Healing of a Crippled Man at the Temple (3:1-26) 99
a The Account of the Healing (3:1-10) 101
b Peter Explains What Happened (3:11-26) 104
2 Religious Leaders Oppose Peter and John (4:1 -22) 111
3 The Believers' Response to Opposition (4:23-31) 122
D Additional Images of the Community of Believers (4:32-5:11) 127
1 Unity and Sharing among the Believers (4:32-37) 127
2 The Violation of Unity and Sharing-Ananias and Sapphira (5:1-11) 131
E Intensified Opposition from Religious Leaders (5:12-42) 136
1 The Church's Mission Continues in Jerusalem (5:12-16) 136
2 Hostile Reaction by Jewish Leaders (5:17-42) 138
F Internal Struggles and Caring for Widows (6:1 -7) 147
G The Persecution of Believers in Jerusalem (6:8-8:3) 153
1 Stephen's Arrest and Murder (6:8-7:60) 154
a Stephen's Arrest (6:8-15) 154
b Stephen's Speech before the Jewish Council (7:1 -53) 156
c Stephen's Murder by the Jewish Council (7:54-60) 166
2 Persecution Extends to All Believers (8:1-3) 168
Excursus: God and the People of God (Acts 1:12-8:3)-The Narrative Portrait of the Church in Jerusalem 171
III God and the Spreading Gospel: The People of God and Other "Peoples" (Acts 8:4-14:28) 173
A The Ministry of Philip (8:4-40) 174
1 Philip and the Samaritans (8:4-25) 174
2 Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (8:26-40) 180
B The Transformation of Saul-from Persecutor to Persecuted Preacher (9:1-31) 186
1 The Healing and Call of Saul (9:1-19a) 186
2 The Initial Ministry of Saul in Damascus (9:19b-25) 191
3 The Introduction of the Transformed Saul in Jerusalem (9:26-31) 193
C The Extension of Peter's Ministry outside Jerusalem (9:32-11:18) 197
1 Peter's Miracles among Some Believers (9:32-43) 198
a Peter's Healing of Aeneas (9:32-35) 198
b Peter's Raising of Tabitha (9:36-43) 199
2 Peter, Cornelius, and the Salvation of Gentiles (10:1-48) 202
a An Angel Appears to Cornelius (10:1-8) 202
b Peter's Heavenly Vision (10:9-16) 205
c Cornelius' Representatives Meet Peter (10:l7-23a) 206
a Peter at Cornelius' House (10:23b-48) 208
3 Peter's Response to Questions from Jerusalem Believers (11:1-18) 214
D The Beginnings of a New Church in Antioch (11:19-30) 220
E Politics and Persecution of the Church (12:1-25) 224
F The Ministry Journey of Barnabas and Saul/Paul (13:1-14:28) 233
1 Call, Commission, and Contention (13:1-12) 233
2 Proclamation in Antioch of Pisidia (13:13-52) 238
3 Continuation and Confirmation of Ministry (14:1-28) 248
Excursus: God, the People of God, and Other "Peoples" (Acts 8:4-14:28)-The Developing Narrative Portrait of the Church 255
IV God and the Expanding Mission: Tension and Reconstitution of the People of God (Acts 15:1 - 19:41) 257
A The Jerusalem Council (15:1-35) 257
1 The Problem (15:1-5) 259
2 The Debate and Evidence (15:6-12) 261
3 The Assessment by James (15:13-21) 264
4 The Letter to Gentile Believers (15:22-29) 268
5 The Delivery and Reception of the Letter (15:30-35) 269
B Changes to Paul's Ministry after the Jerusalem Council (15:36-16:10) 272
1 A Serious Disagreement between Paul and Barnabas (15:36-41) 272
2 An Addition to Paul's Ministry Team (16:1-5) 273
3 The Vision of the Macedonian Man (16:6-10) 274
C The Ministry of Paul in Philippi (16:11-40) 277
1 The Conversion of Lydia (16:11-15) 277
2 The Conversion of the Philippian Jailer (16:16-40) 280
a The Conflict and Arrest over a Slave Girl (16:16-24) 280
b The Earthquake and the Conversion of the Jailer (16:25-34) 282
c The Release and Departure of Paul and Silas (16:35-40) 283
D The Ministry of Paul in Macedonia and Greece (17:1-34) 285
1 Paul and Silas in Thessalonica (17:1-9) 286
2 Paul and Silas in Berea (17:10-15) 287
3 Paul in Athens (17:16-34) 288
E The Ministry of Paul in Corinth (18:1-17) 300
F The Ministry of Paul in Ephesus (18:18-19:41) 309
1 Paul's Travels, with a Stop in Ephesus (18:18-23) 310
2 Apollos-in Ephesus (18:24-28) 311
3 Summary of Paul's Ministry in Ephesus (19:1-10) 313
4 Effects of Paul's Ministry in Ephesus (19:11-22) 316
5 Controversy: Ephesian Defenders of Artemis (19:23-41) 321
Excursus: God, the People of God, and the Expanding Mission (Acts 15:1-19:41)-The Portrait of the Church within the Roman Empire 329
V God and the Purposes of God: Scrutiny and Validation of the Reconstituted People of God (Acts 20:1-28:31) 331
A Paul's journey to Jerusalem: Revisiting the Churches (20:1-21:17) 332
1 Travels from Ephesus to Macedonia, Greece, and Troas (20:1-6) 333
2 Believers in Troas (20:7-12) 335
3 Travels from Troas to Miletus (20:13-16) 336
4 Paul's Speech to the Ephesian Elders (20:17-38) 337
5 Travels from Miletus to Caesarea (21:1 -So) 347
6 Believers in Caesarea (2l:8b-l4) 349
7 Travels from Caesarea to Jerusalem (21:15-17) 350
B Paul's Defense of His Ministry in Jerusalem (21:18-23:35) 352
1 The Meeting with the Jerusalem Church Leaders (21:18-26) 352
2 Troubles at the Temple (21:27-36) 355
3 Paul's Speech before the Jewish Crowd (21:37-22:29) 358
4 Paul's Hearing before the Jewish Council (22:30-23:11) 363
5 Jewish Plots and a Change of Venue (23:12-35) 368
C Paul's Defense of His Ministry in Caesarea (24:1-26:32) 373
1 Paul's Trial before Felix (24:1-27) 374
a The Charges against Paul (24:1-9) 374
b The Defense by Paul (24:10-21) 378
c The Response from Felix (24:22-27) 381
2 Paul's Hearing before Festus (25:1-22) 384
a Festus in Jerusalem with Jewish Leaders (25:1-5) 384
b Paul's Appeal to the Emperor (25:6-12) 385
c Festus' Recounting of Paul's Case (25:13-22) 388
3 Paul's Hearing before King Agrippa (25:23-26:32) 392
a Paul's Case Reintroduced (25:23-27) 392
b Paul's Defense (26:1-23) 393
c Paul's Exchange with Festus and Agrippa (26:24-29) 400
d Paul's Case Reviewed (26:30-32) 402
D Paul's journey to Rome: Shipwreck and Salvation (27:1-28:16) 403
1 Beginning the Journey (27:1-12) 404
2 Storms and Shipwreck (27:13-44) 407
a Storm and Despair (27:13-20) 407
b Paul's Attempt to Encourage (27:21-26) 408
c Drifting at Sea (27:27-32) 410
d Paul's Successful Attempt to Encourage (27:33-38) 411
e Shipwreck and Safety on Land (27:39-44) 412
3 Stay in Malta (28:1-10) 413
a Paul and the Snake (28:1-6) 413
b Paul's Ministry among the Maltese (28:7-10) 415
4 Final Leg over Land to Rome (28:11-16) 416
E Paul in Rome (28:17-31) 419
1 Paul's Initial Meeting with Local Jewish Leaders (28:17-22) 419
2 Paul's Second Meeting with Jewish Leaders (28:23-28[29J) 422
3 Paul's Ministry Continues (28:30-31) 425
