Ben witherington iii, asbury theological seminary and st. The holman christian standard bible is one of the most accurate and readable translations of the scriptures, and the book of acts is one of the most fundamental books in the new testament scriptures. The importance of the book of acts the importance of this second of lukes two. He is particularly strong in giving careful attention to the exegetical payoff of the meanings of words and syntax. Wagner has won me over and has stirred in me a fire to spread the gospel of jesus christ. Its subject and intention is nicely summarised by the words of the lord in chapter 1. Further, this volume also contains informative notes from the editor. Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. Provide language edition bibles so students can read the focal passage in their native languages.
Read acts commentary using commentary critical and explanatory on the whole bible. Acts free bible commentary on the book of acts in easy english. God took a christianhating murderer and transformed him into historys greatest christian evangelist, the author of almost half the books of the new testament. Bruce rylands professor of biblical criticism and exegesis, university of manchester, england introduces this exellcent commentary on the book of acts with a fitting discussion on the canonicity of the new testament, aptly noting that marcions canon did not compel them to create the canon of holy scripture which has ever since, with minor variations, been accepted. Doughty southside christian church january 2014 introduction.
The beheading of james and the imprisonment of peter. An immense amount of apostolic service is left unrecorded, and mention is made of just a few incidents which serve to show the way the spirit of god operated in bearing witness to the risen and exalted jesus, and in conducting the disciples into the fulness of christian blessing. Written in the late 19th century, commentary on the acts of the apostles is a versebyverse look at acts, which mcgarvey believed many theologians had misunderstood before. Peter is not mentioned in acts after the account of the council. Classic commentaries and studies on the acts of the. Class attendance for campus students, due to the concentrated nature of the lectures, one unexcused class absence will reduce final grade by a letter. The message of acts is the church of jesus christ is divinely established and spiritually empowered to proclaim the gospel and plant believing communities locally, regionally, and globally. Commentary on acts is an impressive commentary, containing some of calvins most important views. Bibl4371 book of acts tyndale theological seminary and. If you love the adventure and drama of acts as i do then this is a must read.
But stephen reminded the jews that god was bigger than any temple. Let professional voice artist dale mcconachie, author of over 100 audiobooks, take you on a narrated. You can find the best commentary on acts for you using the tools on the right side. The book of acts 3 goals this course is designed for christians who have already studied one or more bible courses. An easyenglish bible version and commentary 2800 word vocabulary on the book of acts.
The book of acts, also called acts of the apostles, does not specifically identify its author. Calvin is regarded as one of the reformations best interpreters of scripture. Everyone was filled with the holy spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the spirit enabled them. While there are some areas of great detail of the acts of the apostles, many times you must use cross references to the gospels of matthew, mark, luke and john as well as some other epistles in the new testament to get the full picture of what was.
Classic commentaries and studies on the acts of the apostles. Calvins commentary on acts should not be ignored by anyone interested in the book of acts or calvin himself. Andrews university acts provides an enormous challenge to commentators, and we must be thankful to darrell bock for this fine, accessible commentary on the book. Commentary on the book of acts of the apostles by matthew. He cites an encyclopedia entry which he believes best. Acts provides an enormous challenge to commentators, and we must be thankful to darrell bock for this fine, accessible commentary on the book. In this new commentary for the belief series, awardwinning author and theologian willie james jennings explores the relevance of the book of acts for the. By its opening words the acts of the apostles is linked in the clearest way with the gospel of luke. The holy spirit speaks, leads, and guides in the book of acts. Acts overview james burton coffman commentaries on the bible.
A failure to understand and to appreciate this book has been. Amazing grace leads to amazing growth suggestions for teaching general suggestions 1. Bock provides a substantive yet highly accessible commentary on acts in this latest addition to the acclaimed becnt series. This commentary is based upon my personal devotional notes and reflections on the book of acts. The book of acts provides a bridge for the writings of the nt. The classic commentaries and studies on the acts of the apostles collection 30 vols. This article shows that these references are integral elements in the narrative of acts, presenting the holy spirit as an active character or participant in the events it reports. A commentary on acts of the apostles semantic scholar. We read of the evangelistic methods and message of the early apostles and preachers 3. 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. A word list at the end explains words with a star by them.
An overview of the book of acts the life of the early church is recorded and preserved for us in the book of acts and the epistles. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. The tradition from the earliest days of the church has been that luke, a companion of the apostle paul, wrote the books of luke and acts colossians 4. It is intended to help you better understand some of the background and issues in lukes second volume. May 29, 2012 this commentary is one of the best for cultural background material for reading acts and has been the first off the shelf for me for several years. Authorship it is generally held that luke, the physician and traveling companion of paul wrote both the gospel of luke and the book of acts. The book of acts is the link between the gospels and the epistles. A history of the early church gene taylor2an outline of the book i. Acts overview mcgarveys original commentary on acts. Actus apostolorum, often referred to simply as acts, or formally the book of acts, is the fifth book of the new testament. Stephen said some words from the book by the prophet isaiah isaiah 66. The unity of the spirit felt by the first christians when the. Our general aim is for you to become acquainted with the book of acts and some of its main teachings.
This commentary has been through advanced checking. What started out as a hard read continued in blessing after blessing. The bible prophesied that jesus christ, the son of god, would come to our earth. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at jerusalem. Acts of the apostles introduction new testament matthew. Acts overview, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this one.
The same theophilus is addressed, and in the first chapter the story is resumed just at the point where the gospel left off, save that a few extra details are given of the lords words. Bruce rylands professor of biblical criticism and exegesis, university of manchester, england introduces this exellcent commentary on the book of acts with a fitting discussion on the canonicity of the new testament, aptly noting that marcions canon did not compel them to create the canon of holy scripture which has ever since, with minor variations, been accepted by the church. The acts is an historical book, but it is not mere history. It worked in the early church, and it works in the postmodern world. The book of acts new international commentary on the new.
Personal repentance and new life through baptism must lead to a committed group of believers who share their property and wealth, and take care of each other. In the first verse of the book of acts the author mentions the fact that he has. Acts baker exegetical commentary on the new testament. The offering sent by barnabas and saul to the jerusalem elders. The holy spirit as an active character in the book. Luke records many examples of conversion in the book of acts e. Study the bible online using commentary on acts and more. But ye will receive power, the holy spirit having come upon you, and ye shall be my witnesses both in jerusalem and in all judaea and samaria and to the end of the earth. He frequently offers his own translations of a passage, explaining the subtleties and nuances of his translation.
Tim perrine ccel staff writer this volume contains commentary on the first chapters of acts. Acts is the only biblical book that chronicles the history of the church immediately after jesuss ascension. With extensive research and thoughtful chapterbychapter exegesis, bock leads readers through all aspects of the book of actssociological, historical, and theological. The book of acts is a letter addressed to one man, theophilus. Acts one provides a brief, but powerful look at christs ascension into heaven. Beginning students may require three sessions to complete one lesson. Acts 18 commentary matthew henrys complete commentary. Witherington provides some exegetical commentary, although the general reader will have no problem reading the commentary since this is not the main thrust of the book.
Ed rickards commentary on acts is a work on several levels, designed to give the. The apostles were commanded to go to jesus was presented alive acts 1. This commentary is one of the best for cultural background material for reading acts and has been the first off the shelf for me for several years. Mal couch, a bible handbook to the acts of the apostles, kregel, 1999, 0825423910 2.
Acts 18 commentary matthew henrys complete commentary on. Its a fine commentary on the book of acts, one useful to scholars and preachers or bible teachers. The following outline is intended to be used while studying the book. The acts of the apostles by ben witherington iii goodreads. Sssh the book of acts misunderstood, maligned, mistreated, and often reviled, paul nevertheless pressed on in faith. Vaughan, classic commentaries and studies on acts 30 vols. While there are some areas of great detail of the acts of the apostles, many times you must use cross references to the gospels of matthew, mark, luke and john as well as some other epistles in the new testament to get the full picture of what. The readers study of acts in the book of acts will bring new intimacy with the spirit and new joy in doing his will. Bruces revised study on the book of acts is a contribution to the new international commentary on the new testament. Verses 3237 verses 3237 we have a general idea given us in these verses, and it is a very beautiful one, of the spirit and state of this truly primitive church. David guzik commentary on acts 1 describes the ascension of jesus into heaven and the appointing of matthias as a replacement for judas. Prepared by some of the worlds leading scholars, the series provides an exposition of the new testament books that is thorough and fully abreast of modern scholarship yet faithful to the scriptures as the infallible word of god. It will help to keep the whole of the book before you as you work your way through each section. Acts free bible commentary on the book of acts in easy.
He designed it to be read more as a narrative than simply as a reference book, and encourages readers to use it so. A commentary on the acts of the apostles by pastor galen l. Top 5 commentaries on the book of acts ligonier ministries. May 02, 2020 the book of acts shows how god essentially took a group of fisherman and commoners and used them to turn the world upside down acts 17. Acts 18 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, filling six volumes, provides an exhaustive look at every verse in the bible. Verses 3237 matthew henrys commentary bible gateway. Acts was designed to be gods training manual for christians. Trace the major sections of the book, consider the purpose and historical context of the book and study the major events in acts of the apostles, early church and the holy spirit. Book of acts overview insight for living ministries. Witherington focuses on historical matters, the rhetorical form. Many scholars believe that in rome, luke wrote both the gospel of luke and the book of acts, also known as the acts of the apostles, to assist in pauls defense. With authors such as joseph addison alexander, frederick denison maurice, william owen carver, and c.
Acts syllabus and course overview ministry development. As a second volume to lukes gospel, it joins what jesus began to do and to teach 1. In only three decades, a small group of frightened believers in jerusalem transformed. When you finish this course you will be acquainted with all the important stories in acts. The start of christianity as a sequel to the four gospels is examined. In acts, he told how the good news about jesus christ spread. The temple in this book called acts was the third temple. T he book of acts in the bible, written around 6263 a. Jesus had shown himself alive by many proofs for 40 days. Let professional voice artist dale mcconachie, author of over 100 audiobooks, take you on a narrated journey through acts, where you will discover. Ed rickards commentary on acts is a work on several levels, designed to give the reader an opportunity to pursue his own path of learning. Horatio hackett, commentary on acts, kregel, 1992, 0825427487. Matthew henry 18 october 1662 22 june 1714 was an english commentator on the bible, who published his works in 1706, sixvolume exposition of the old and new testaments 17081710 or complete commentary, provides an exhaustive verse by verse study of the bible, covering the whole of the old testament, and the gospels and acts in the new testament.