Between history and Spirit : the apostolic witness of the Book of Acts

517 Pages·2020·16.506 MB·English

by  Craig S. Keener

4
CRAIG S. KEENER
Between History and Spirit
Between History and Spirit
Between History and Spirit
The Apostolic Witness of the Book of Acts
CRAIGS. KEENER
BETWEEN HISTORY AND SPIRIT
The Apostolic Witness of the Book of Acts
Copyright © 2020 Craig S. Keener. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical pub­
lications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written
permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave.,
Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.
Cascade Books
An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers
199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3
Eugene, OR 97401
www.wipfandstock.com
PAPERBACK ISBN: 978-I-5326-84IO-4
HARDCOVER ISBN*. 978-I-5326-8411-1
EBOOK ISBN*. 978-I-5326-8412-8
Cataloguing-in-Publication data:_____________________________________________
Names: Keener, Craig S.
Title: Between history and spirit: the apostolic witness of the book of acts. / Craig S. Keener.
Description: Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: isbn 978-1-5326-8410-4 (paperback) | isbn 978-1-5326-8411-1 (hardcover) | isbn 978-1-
5326-8412-8 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Bible. Acts—Criticism, interpretation, etc. | Bible. Acts—Theology. | Holy Spirit.
Classification: BS2625.2 K44 2020 (paperback) | BS2625.2 (ebook)
Manufactured in the U.S.A. 03/05/20
For David and Grace Keener, in honor of their wedding, June 15, 2019

Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments | ix
Abbreviations | xiii
PART 1: A QUESTION OF HISTORY
1 Luke-Acts and the Historical Jesus | 3
2 First-Person Claims in Acts and in Ancient History | 20
3 Paul and Sedition: Pauline Apologetic in Acts | 33
4 The Church’s Disputed Growth Rate in Acts (Acts 2:41; 4:4; 21:20) | 55
5 A Novel Official in Acts 8:27? Comparing Acts and Ancient Novels | 72
6 Were Troops Really Stationed in Caesarea During Agrippa’s Rule? | 87
7 Dionysius or Stephanas: Did Paul Reach Athenians? | 97
PART 2: A QUESTION OF CONTEXT
8 Interethnic Marriages in Acts 7:29 and 16:1-3 | 103
9 Irony and Figurative Language: Inverted Guilt in Acts 7:55-60 and Paul’s Vote
in Acts 26:10 | 114
10 Turning from Idols in Acts 14:15-17 | 119
11 Between Asia and Europe: Postcolonial Mission in Acts 16:8-10 | 138
12 How were Asiarchs Paul’s friends (Acts 19:31)? | 148
13 One New Temple: Acts 21 as the backdrop for Eph 2:11-22 | 154
14 Some Rhetorical Techniques in Acts 24:2-21 | 158
15 Insanity, Inspiration or Intellect: Paul’s Madness in Acts 26:24-25 | 183
16 Fever and Dysentery in Acts 28:8 and Ancient Medicine | 191
PART 3: A QUESTION OF SPIRIT
17 Miracles and History in Acts and the Jesus Tradition | 203
18 Power of Pentecost: Luke’s Missiology in Acts 1-2 | 222
19 Tongues as Evidence of the Character of Spirit’s Empowerment in Acts 2:4 | 239
20 Acts 16:16-18,19:12-16, and Spirit Possession in Modern Anthropology | 246
21 A Spirit-Filled Teaching Ministry in Acts 19:9 | 264
22 Anticipating Ancient African Christianity | 274
23 Reviews of Some Acts-focused Works | 283
Bibliography | 299
Ancient Documents Index | 379
Scripture Index | 437
Subject Index | 453
Author Index | 455
Preface and Acknowledgments
hen my friend Michael Thomson suggested publishing a collection of my prior
essays on Acts, I readily agreed. Some of these essays are difficult to obtain,
and some of them include material not found even in my four-volume Acts com­
mentary, and certainly not arranged as the material is arranged in that commentary.
These essays span a range of time and topics related to Acts, although most involve
its historical setting in some respects. Some address contemporary questions such
as postcolonialism, Pentecostal theology or African history; most are grounded ex-
egetically and address issues relevant to the text of Acts. I have adapted some of these
essays, editing and occasionally updating; others appear here as they originally ap­
peared, except for light editing for the purposes of inclusion in this volume.
Here I gladly acknowledge the permission of publishers of the original articles, in
connection with the following chapters:
1. Luke-Acts and the Historical Jesus: from “Luke-Acts and the Historical Jesus.” Pages
600-623 in Jesus Research: New Methodologies and Perceptions. The Second Princeton-
Prague Symposium on Jesus Research. Ed. James Charlesworth with Brian Rhea and
Petr Pokorny. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014. Reprinted by permission of William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company.
2. First-Person Claims in Acts and in Ancient History: from “First-Person Claims in
Some Ancient Historians and Acts.” Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism
10 (2014): 9-23. Reprinted by permission from Sheffield Phoenix.
3. Apologetic for Paul in Acts: from “Paul and Sedition: Pauline Apologetic in Acts.”
Bulletin for Biblical Research 22 (2, 2012): 201-24. Reprinted by permission from
Penn State University Press.
4. The Churchs Disputed Growth Rate in Acts: from “The Plausibility of Lukes Growth
Figures in Acts 2.41; 4.4; 21.20.” Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 7
(2010): 140-63. Reprinted by permission from Sheffield Phoenix.
IX
Preface and Acknowledgments
5. A Novel Official in Acts 8:27? Comparing Acts and Ancient Novels: from “Novels
‘Exotic’ Places and Luke’s African Official (Acts 8:27).” Andrews University Seminary
Studies 46 (1, 2008): 5-20. Reprinted by permission from Andrews University Semi­
nary Studies.
6. Were Troops Really Stationed in Caesarea During Agrippa’s Rule?: from “Acts 10:
Were Troops Stationed in Caesarea During Agrippa’s Rule?” Journal of Greco-Roman
Christianity and Judaism 7 (2010): 164-76. Reprinted by permission from Sheffield
Phoenix.
7. Dionysius or Stephanas: Did Paul Reach Athenians?: from “Note on Athens: Do 1
Corinthians 16:15 and Acts 17:34 Conflict?” Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and
Judaism 7 (2010): 137-39. Reprinted by permission from Sheffield Phoenix.
8. Interethnic Marriages in Acts 7:29 and 16:1-3: from “Interethnic Marriages in the
New Testament (Matt 1:3-6; Acts 7:29; 16:1-3; 1 Cor 7:14).” Criswell Theological Re­
view n.s. 6 (2, Spring 2009): 25-43. Reprinted by permission from Criswell Theologi­
cal Review.
9. Irony and Figurative Language: Inverted Guilt in Acts 7:55-60 and Paul’s Vote in
Acts 26:10: from “Three Notes on Figurative Language: Inverted Guilt in Acts 7:55—
60, Paul’s Figurative Vote in Acts 26:10, Figurative Eyes in Galatians 4:15.” Journal
of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 5 (2008): 41-49. Reprinted by permission
from Sheffield Phoenix.
10. Turning from Idols in Acts 14:15-17: from “The Exhortation to Monotheism in
Acts 14:15-17.” Pages 47-70 in Kingdom Rhetoric: New Testament Explorations in
Honor of Ben Witherington III. Edited by T. Michael W. Halcomb. Eugene, OR: Wipf
& Stock, 2013.
11. Between Asia and Europe: Postcolonial Mission in Acts 16:8-10: from “Between
Asia and Europe: Postcolonial Mission in Acts 16:8-10.” Asian Journal of Pentecostal
Studies 11 (1-2, 2008): 3-14. Reprinted by permission of the Asian Journal of Pente­
costal Studies, APTS Press.
12. How were Asiarchs Paul’s friends (Acts 19:31)?: “Paul’s ‘Friends’ the Asiarchs (Acts
19.31 )!* Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 3 (2006): 134-41. Reprinted
by permission from Sheffield Phoenix.
x