Interpreting the Book of Acts (Guides to New Testament Exegesis)

By Walter L. Liefeld

Tools to help students understand the purpose, structure, themes, and cultural background of the book of Acts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
• Release date: Sep 1, 1995
• ISBN: 9781441206497

Walter L. Liefeld

Walter L. Liefeld is distinguished professor emeritus of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and is the author of Luke in the Expositor's Bible Commentary series.

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© 1995 by Walter L. Liefeld

Published by Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakeracademic.com

Ebook edition created 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

ISBN 978-1-4412-0649-7

Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations labled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

To my students over three decades

at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and

to my colleagues in the New Testament Department

Guides to New Testament Exegesis

Scot McKnight, General Editor

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Introducing New Testament Interpretation

Interpreting the Synoptic Gospels

Interpreting the Gospel of John

Interpreting the Book of Acts

Interpreting the Pauline Epistles

Interpreting the Book of Hebrews

Interpreting the Book of Revelation

Contents

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Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Series Page

Editor’s Preface

Preface

List of Abbreviations

Introduction

1. The Purpose of Acts

2. The Structure of Acts

3. Narrative as Theology

4. The Speeches in Acts

5. Major Themes in Acts

6. The Background of Acts

7. From Exegesis to Application

Selected Bibliography

Notes

Editor’s Preface

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The New Testament is composed of four literary types (genres): the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the Letters, and the Apocalypse. Each genre is distinct, and, as has been made abundantly clear by contemporary scholars, each requires different sensitivities, principles, and methods of interpretation. Applying the same method to different genres will often lead to serious misunderstandings. Consequently, students need manuals that will introduce them both to the specific nature of a particular genre and to basic principles for exegeting that genre.

The Guides to New Testament Exegesis series has been specifically designed to meet this need. These guides have been written, not for specialists, but for college religion majors, seminarians, and pastors who have had at least one year of Greek. Methods and principles may change, but the language of the New Testament remains the same. God chose to speak to people in Greek; serious students of the New Testament must learn to love that language in order better to understand the Word of God.

These guides have a practical aim. Each guide presents various views of scholars on particular issues. Yet the ultimate goal of each is to provide methods and principles for interpreting the New Testament. Abstract discussions have their proper place, but not in this series; these guides are intended for concrete application to the New Testament text. Various scholars, specializing in particular areas of New Testament study, offer students their own methods and principles for interpreting specific genres of the New Testament. Such diversity provides a broader perspective for the student. Each volume concludes with a bibliography of essential works for further study.

Although different genres require different methods and principles, a basic exegetical approach that can be adapted to various genres is also essential. Therefore, an introductory volume to the series covers the general methods and principles applicable to any genre. The individual exegetical guides will then introduce the student to more specific procedures for a particular genre.

The vision for this series comes from Gordon Fee’s introduction to New Testament exegesis.[1] Without minimizing the important contribution Fee has made to New Testament study, this series goes beyond what he has presented, by providing exegetical handbooks for each of the genres of the New Testament.[2]

Finally, this series is dedicated to our teachers and students, in thanksgiving and hope. Our prayer is that God may use these books to lead his people into truth, love, and peace.

Scot McKnight

Preface

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The hotel room where I am writing this preface offers a beautiful view of Pikes Peak towering just west of Colorado Springs. The expansiveness of this view, including the long stretch of foothills, stands in striking contrast to the narrowness of the pages of biblical text on which I have been focusing over the past week. I am part of the NIV translation committee that has been meticulously working over the biblical text in the interest of accuracy, contemporary clarity, and fidelity to its meaning. The narrow focus of this demanding and delightful task stands not only in visual contrast to the surrounding expanse of scenery but also in literary contrast to the broader field of biblical studies.

My book begins where translation and detailed textual study taper off and the peaks of larger interpretive issues emerge. It provides an aerial view of the mountains of exegetical insight that arise from a detailed study of Acts. Fresh perspectives on the biblical text—its literary features, historical and cultural background, doctrinal teaching, and practical application—are presented to the non-specialist who reads this guide. Just as in the case of Bible translation, however, these approaches to the text call for careful study, personal devotion, and dependence on the Holy Spirit as we seek to apply personally what we learn from Scripture.

This work is the fruit of an appreciation for the Book of Acts that began to grow when I was a student of Greco-Roman literature and has matured through successive phases of teaching and pastoral ministry. Acts excites me because it vibrates with the thrill of adventure, conflict between good and evil, vivid travel scenes comparable to National Geographic, characters more real than those that flicker from our TV screens, and, above all, the direct activity of the Holy Spirit. All this is found in a document that is divinely inspired, historically real, and personally relevant. May it speak to you, the reader, as it has to me.

I am delighted to acknowledge the special part the following friends have had in the research and writing of this book:

Douglas S. Huffman added valuable bibliographical research for this book to the list of reasons for which I have appreciated him as my doctoral student and friend. My other students in doctoral seminars in Acts and in New Testament backgrounds also provided companionship and stimulation in my studies.

The congregation of Christ Church Lake Forest, recognizing the importance of biblical research and writing as part of my ministry among them, generously allowed me time to finish this project.

Scot McKnight, former student, professional colleague, and editor of the series, encouraged me to undertake this book. Jim Weaver and Wells Turner of Baker Book House contributed both editorial expertise and personal encouragement to the value of its contents.

You, the implied reader of this book, were always in mind as I wrote, providing motivation for the task. May this study help us all to increase in our love for the Lord and his Word.

Walter L. Liefeld

Abbreviations

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Introduction

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If the Book of Acts could have (anachronistically) been published as an independent volume with an attractive cover and a secular title, it might have made the bestseller list. It would have had appeal because of its stories of life in various parts of the Empire, its entertaining adventures (travel stories with a shipwreck), its vivid characters (especially that highly motivated, controversial individual, Paul) and its impressive speeches. Although it was a historical writing, it had attractive features often found in good novels—except for a heroine.

The Book of Acts has a number of characteristics that make it a unique and fascinating part of the New Testament. Some of these same features also make it a difficult book to interpret. Since its dominant literary form is narrative, there is less explanatory material than in other New Testament books. In contrast, the Epistles contain direct exposition of the author’s thought. While such thought may at times be difficult to penetrate, its meaning can be drawn out by careful exegesis. The most detailed exegesis of a narrative, however, does not turn it into a doctrinal declaration. In the Gospels, although there is narrative (including parabolic narrative), this is closely interwoven with teachings of Jesus that help explain its significance. Hence, the Book of Acts is different even from other New Testament narratives.

This does not mean that narrative in itself cannot teach theology. It means rather that in certain respects more is demanded of the reader of narrative than of the reader of an Epistle (and perhaps even of a Gospel). We are faced with a challenge: How do we detect and interpret the theological message of narrative? The disciplines of narrative criticism and narrative theology impact Acts more than any other New Testament book. In this introduction to the Book of Acts, we will need to discuss several important features of Acts, including the speeches, the purpose of Acts, the structure of the book as a whole, its major themes, and some important dimensions of its background.

The Speeches in Acts

The speeches that are interspersed throughout the narrative of Acts are clearly evangelistic and didactic. In themselves they convey teaching. But they are not to be studied in isolation from the surrounding narrative. Even though the connection between teaching and event may not be as close as in the Gospels, the speeches of Acts are intended to be understood within the narrative framework and not as isolated oral treatises. In turn, although the speeches of Acts are not necessarily commentaries on the supporting narrative, they certainly provide help in understanding the purpose, direction, and meaning of that narrative.

The Purpose of Acts

Narrative material can be understood better when its purpose is kept in mind. But here the reader faces a dilemma. The purpose of Acts is not as clearly discernible as that of most of the Epistles and the Gospels. It is obviously not written merely for the sake of recalling names and dates. Religious narrative can simply be inspirational and uplifting. Some of the ancient secular Lives fulfill this purpose, as do some of the apocryphal works. Surely Acts rises above that level. The purpose of Acts has received much attention, and rightly so. Even if we cannot identify a single main purpose with certainty, the very attempt and the identification of at least secondary purposes is helpful for interpretation.

The Structure of Acts

There are several significant aspects to the literary structure of Acts. Acts is written with significant transitions to ever broader groups of those who hear and receive the gospel, proceeding from the Jerusalem church to Rome (Acts 1:8 sets the ends of the earth as the ultimate goal). These transitions—beyond the mere succession of scenes and events—and the repeated summary statements at judicious points in the narrative give some discernible structure that, in turn, contributes to interpretation. The dual focus on Peter and Paul in itself gives shape to the whole book.

One aspect of the literary structure of Acts is the proportion of space devoted to various scenes and events. Some examples are the use of two chapters