Acts from Scratch: The New Testament for Beginners

By Donald L. Griggs and Paul W. Walasky

Building on the foundation of the popular volumes The Bible from Scratch: The Old Testament for Beginners and The New Testament for Beginners, Donald Griggs and Paul Walaskay offer a new study on the book of Acts.

In seven chapters, Griggs and Walaskay tell the story of this popular New Testament book, with its stories of the works of Jesus' disciples after his death, resurrection, and ascension. A leader's guide and participant section are included, making this volume an excellent resource for group or individual study.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
• Release date: Sep 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781611645309

Donald L. Griggs

Donald L. Griggs is a respected Christian educator, author, and former teacher at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, where he is currently a member of the Board of Trustees. Griggs also served for many years as a consultant to The Kerygma Group.

Book preview

Acts from Scratch

Also available in the Bible from Scratch series

The Bible from Scratch: The Old Testament for Beginners

Genesis from Scratch: The Old Testament for Beginners

Exodus from Scratch: The Old Testament for Beginners

The Bible from Scratch: The New Testament for Beginners

Matthew’s Gospel from Scratch: The New Testament for Beginners

Mark’s Gospel from Scratch: The New Testament for Beginners

Luke’s Gospel from Scratch: The New Testament for Beginners

Acts from Scratch

The New Testament for Beginners

Donald L. Griggs

Paul W. Walaskay

© 2014 Donald L. Griggs and Paul W. Walaskay

First edition

Published by Westminster John Knox Press

Louisville, Kentucky

14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23—10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Westminster John Knox Press, 100 Witherspoon Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-1396. Or contact us online at www.wjkbooks.com.

Worksheets from the Leader’s Guide may be reproduced for one-time use.

Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible are copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and are used by permission.

Scripture quotations from the Common English Bible are copyright © 2011 Common English Bible.

Book design by Teri Kays Vinson

Cover design by Dilu Nicholas

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Griggs, Donald L.

 Acts from scratch/Donald L. Griggs, Paul W. Walaskay. -- 1st edition.

     pages cm. -- (Bible from scratch)

 Includes bibliographical references.

 ISBN 978-0-664-23793-6 (alk. paper)

1. Bible. Acts--Textbooks. 2. Bible. Acts--Study and teaching. 3. Bible. Acts--Commentaries. I. Title.

 BS2626.G75 2014

 226.6'07--dc23

2014001712

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1992.

Most Westminster John Knox Press books are available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, and special-interest groups.

For more information, please e-mail [e-mail].

Contents

Part 1

Participant’s Guide

Preface to Part One

1  The Birth of the Christian Community: A Study of Acts 1:1–5:42

2  The Church Reaches Out to Hellenistic Jews and Samaritans: A Study of Acts 6:1–8:40

3  The Church Reaches Out to Gentiles: A Study of Acts 9:1–12:25

4  Paul’s First Missionary Journey and the First Church Council: A Study of Acts 13:1–15:41

5  Paul’s Second and Third Missionary Journeys: A Study of Acts 16:1–21:16

6  Paul’s Arrest and Court Appearances: A Study of Acts 21:17 – 26:32

7  Paul’s Odyssey: A Study of Acts 27:1–28:31

Part 2

Leader’s Guide

Guidelines for Bible Study Leaders

1  The Birth of the Christian Community: A Study of Acts 1:1–5:42

2  The Church Reaches Out to Hellenistic Jews and Samaritans: A Study of Acts 6:1–8:40

3  The Church Reaches Out to Gentiles: A Study of Acts 9:1–12:25

4  Paul’s First Missionary Journey and the First Church Council: A Study of Acts 13:1–15:41

5  Paul’s Second and Third Missionary Journeys: A Study of Acts 16:1–21:16

6  Paul’s Arrest and Court Appearances: A Study of Acts 21:17–26:32

7  Paul’s Odyssey: A Study of Acts 27:1–28:31

Appendix

Part One

PARTICIPANT’S GUIDE

PAUL W. WALASKAY

For Jinx

Preface to Part One

What Kind of Book Is Acts?

Luke, a first-century Christian author, wrote two volumes that take up about one quarter of the New Testament. In his first book, the Gospel of Luke, he wrote a biography of Jesus from his humble birth in Bethlehem to his tragic death and ascension in Jerusalem. Luke’s second book, the Acts of the Apostles, is our earliest historical account of the Christian movement from its birth in Jerusalem to its expansion into major cities of the Roman Empire.

The Acts of the Apostles is unlike any other book in the New Testament. The title of the book says something about its content. Think about words associated with acts: activities, actions, actors. Acts is the earliest-known written history of the Christian movement,¹ which covers the activities, actions, and actors in the Christian community from the ascension of Jesus (about 33 CE²) to the arrival of Paul³ in Rome (about 60 CE). The first half of Acts deals primarily with the early days of this Christian sect of Judaism.⁴ The locus of activity is in and around Jerusalem, and the main actors are Jesus’ principal apostles Peter and John, and James the brother of Jesus. The second half of Acts focuses on Paul and his mission to Gentiles living in major urban centers of the Roman Empire. By the time we reach the end of Luke’s two volumes it becomes clear that his goal was to describe the epic journey of the Gospel from its humble beginnings in the backwaters of the eastern Roman Empire, the town of Bethlehem, to the heart of the empire, the city of Rome. Toward the end of his narrative he writes: And that’s how we got to Rome (28:14, author’s translation).

Those who began the process of arranging the books of the New Testament⁵ into a collection (our New Testament canon) had a problem with Acts. They knew that Luke’s Gospel and Acts belonged together, but so did the four gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They also realized that Matthew, Mark, and Luke were similar in content and structure and that the Gospel of John was distinctly different. In the final form of the New Testament Matthew, Mark, and Luke (the synoptic Gospels)⁶ were placed first in the canon followed by John (the spiritual Gospel). Next came the Acts of the Apostles. Its placement in the canon serves as a link between the Gospels and the letters. Like the double-faced Roman god Janus (think January), Acts looks backward and forward at the same time. Acts looks back on the Gospel tradition (stories about Jesus) and at the same time it looks forward to the New Testament letters (especially the letters of Paul).

What Kind of Historian Was Luke?

The answer to this question depends on who is asking the question and when. For the first seventeen centuries of church life, readers of Acts assumed that Luke chronicled events exactly as they occurred. Beginning in the eighteenth century, readers influenced by the Enlightenment began to wonder about some of the inconsistencies, exaggerations, and inaccuracies in Acts.⁷ In the twentieth century, Bible scholars concluded that Luke was more theologian than historian. Luke was engaged in writing salvation history. If his history was sometimes faulty, it was because he had more pressing concerns—theological, pastoral, ethical, and even political.

Recent scholars reaffirm that Luke was indeed a historian, and we ought to cut him some slack. He should not be measured against twenty-first-century historiography. It is clear from reading other historians of antiquity that Luke holds himself rigorously to the standards of his contemporaries. Lucian of Samosata suggested that after the historian has painstakingly collected as much material as necessary for his study, he should organize his raw materials into a series of notes, … as yet with no beauty or continuity. Then, after arranging them into [chronological] order, let him give it beauty and enhance it with the charms of expression, figure, and rhythm…. The task of the historian … is to give a fine arrangement to events and illuminate them as vividly as possible.⁸ The ancient historian was not Joe Friday who wanted just the facts. ⁹ The historian was more than a chronicler. He was also an apologist¹⁰ for the people, movements, and events he recorded.

Now read Luke’s preface to his Gospel (Luke 1:1–4)—words that describe his process for writing both the Gospel and Acts. It is clear that he intended to follow the conventions of his time regarding good historiography. It is also clear that with these two volumes Theophilus received his money’s worth.

Here is another thing to remember as we read Acts. Luke was firmly in control of the content and form of information that the reader receives. As we noted above, a historical narrative is more than just a series of events beaded on the thin thread of time. The historian is selective in what he or she chooses to convey or not convey. A historical narrative is also an interpretation of what has happened. Therefore what we know of the earliest Christian community by reading Acts has been filtered through Luke’s mind and sifted by his predilections and passions. In Acts we can see that he has stitched together stories, speeches, letters, and a travel diary. In order to add interest and color, he sometimes used hyperbole, invention, and connective commentary. His intent was not just to recount raw data of events but to convey a vibrant and convincing story—the good news—the story of God’s salvation for all creation beginning with ancient Israel and continuing within the Christian community.

Finally, there will be times in reading Acts when you will need to put the book down and remind yourself that Luke is writing from a first-century urban imperial Roman perspective and you are reading within your own very specific twenty-first-century [fill in your own cultural milieu] perspective. These are two exceedingly different worldviews. Therefore on occasion we will need to do some interpretive work to bridge that gap. This book is an attempt to aid you in that task.

Who Was Luke?

The book of Acts is an anonymous piece of New Testament literature. Since the second century, readers have deduced that the author was Luke the beloved physician and companion of Paul. They arrived at this conclusion based on two pieces of evidence. The last half of Acts contains details about Paul’s journey to Rome (16:10–17, 20:5–21:18, and 27:1–28:16) that are written from the perspective of a travel companion. The voice of the narrator has shifted from the impersonal third person (he, she, they) to the personal first person (I, we). In doing this the narrator suggests that he is part of the action as a travel companion of Paul, though we still do not know the name of this travel companion. Early readers of Acts then carefully read Paul’s letters to see if a name popped up that might fit, and voilà, in a personal letter to Philemon (24) Paul mentions Luke his fellow worker. Paul also identifies Luke as a beloved physician in his letter to the Colossians, and finally, in a pastoral letter to Timothy, Paul laments that his friends have abandoned him in a Roman prison: Only Luke is with me (2 Tim. 4:11). The evidence appears to point to Luke, a companion of Paul, as the author of the Acts of the Apostles.¹¹

The book of Acts reveals information about its characters, including the author. We can deduce that Luke was a member of the artisan class in the Roman Empire and as such was neither poor nor rich. He was on good terms with at least one member of the upper class, his patron Theophilus. He had a sophisticated literary style, able to shift dialect from the Greek of fourth century BCE (the language of Scripture¹² used in Luke’s church, analogous to our King James English Bible) to first century CE koine (common) Greek used throughout the Roman Empire. For example, Jesus speaks to Paul in the archaic biblical Greek of the Septuagint and Paul responds in contemporary koine Greek (Acts 26:14–18). Why do you think Luke had Jesus (and his earliest followers, the twelve apostles) speak like this?