The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary

604 Pages·1990·26.62 MB·English

by  F. F. Bruce

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THE ACTS
OF THE APOSTLES
OTHER WORKS BY F. F. BRUCE:
nrn
BOOK OF TIIE ACTS (NICNT)
THE LEITER OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS (TNTC)
I & 2 CORINTHIANS (NCB)
THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE GALATIANS (NIGTC)
THE EPISTLES TO THE COLOSSIANS, TO PHILEMON, AND TO TIIE EPHESIANS
(NICNT)
THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS (NJCNT)
THE ACTS
OF THE APOSTLES
THE GREEK TEXT WITH
INTRODUCTION AND COMMENTARY
by
F. F. BRUCE
formerly Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis
University of Manchester
THIRD REVISED AND ENLARGED EDITION
WILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANY
GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN
Copyright © 1990 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
255 Jefferson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, Mich. 49503
First edition by Tyndale Press, London, 1951; second edition 1952
This third edition first published 1990
in the USA by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,
255 Jefferson Ave. S.E., Grand Rapids, Mich. 49503,
and in Great Britain by APOLLOS (an imprint of Inter-Varsity Press),
38 De Montfort Street, Leicester LEI 7GP, England.
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bruce, F. F. (Frederick Fyvie), 1910-
The Acts of the Apostles: the Greek text with introduction and
commentary I by F. F. Bruce.-3rd rev. and en!. ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-8028-0966-9
l. Bible. N.T. Acts-Commentaries. I. Bible. N.T. Acts
Greek. 1990. II. Title.
BS2625.3.B73 1990
226.6'077-dc20 90-35700
CIP
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
The Acts of the Apostles. - 3rd ed. rev. and en!.
l. Bible. N.T. Acts - Critical studies
I. Bruce, F. F. (Frederick Fyvie) 1910-
226.606
ISBN 0-8028-0966-9
PATRI MATRIQVE DILECTISSIMIS
IN PERPETVVM CORAM DEO VIVENTIBVS
QVI ME VSQVE A PVERO
LITTERARVM SACRARVM STVDIO IMBVERVNT
HVNCLIBRVM
GRATO PIOQVE ANIMO
D.D.D.
FILIVS

CONTENTS
Preface to the Revised Edition XVI
List ofA bbreviations xviii
INTRODUCTION
I. AUTHORSHIP OF ACTS
A. EXTERNAL EVIDENCE 1
8. INTERNAL EVIDENCE 3
1. The Author Was the Third Evangelist 3
2. The Author Was a Companion of Paul 3
3. The Author Was Luke the Physician 6
C. THE AUTHOR 7
II. DATE OF ACTS 9
A. EARLY ALLUSIONS 10
B. OTHER INDICATIONS 12
III. CANONICITY OF ACTS 19
IV. PURPOSE AND PLAN OF ACTS 21
A. LUKE'S PRIME PURPOSE 21
B. LUKE THE APOLOGIST 22
C. APOLOGETIC IN RELATION TO THE STATE 23
D. APOLOGETIC IN RELATION TO THE CHURCH 25
Y. LUKE AS A HISTORIAN 27
VI. THE SPEECHES IN ACTS 34
VII. THE SOURCES OF ACTS 40
Vil
THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
VIII. ACTS AND THE PAULINE EPISTLES 46
A. PAUL'S LETTERS AS AC HECK ON ACTS 46
B. OUTLINE OF EVENTS 47
C. LUKE'S PORTRAYAL OF PAUL 52
IX. THE THEOLOGY OF ACTS 60
X. STYLE AND LANGUAGE OF ACTS 66
XI. THE TEXT OF ACTS 69
A. THE BYZANTINE TEXT 69
B. THE ALEXANDRIAN TEXT 70
C. THE WESTERN TEXT 71
D. THE CAESAREAN TEXT 76
XII. SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 81
XIII. CHRONOLOGICAL AND GENEALOGICAL TABLES 92
A. LIST OF APPROXIMATE DATES 92
B. ROMAN EMPERORS IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES 93
C. RULERS OF JUDAEA IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES 94
D. JEWISH HIGH PRIESTS IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES 94
E. HEROD THE GREAT AND HIS DESCENDANTS 96
TEXT AND COMMENTARY 97
I. THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH (1:1-5:42) 97
A. INTRODUCTION (1: 1-26) 97
1. Prologue (1: 1-5) 97
2. The Ascension (1 :6-12) 102
3. In the Upper Room (1:13-14) 105
4. Matthias Replaces Judas Iscariot (1: 15-26) 107
B. THE DAY OF PENTECOST(2:l-47) 113
1. The Descent of the Spirit (2: 1-4) 113
2. The Crowd's Amazement (2:5-13) 115
3. Peter's Address (2:14-36) 119
a. "This is that" (2:14-21) 119
b. The resurrection of Jesus proclaimed (2:22-28) 122
c. Jesus, Lord, and Messiah (2:29-36) 125
4. Call to Repentance (2:37-40) 128
5. The First Christian Church (2:41-47) 131
C. A WORK OF HEALING AND ITS SEQUEL(3:l-4:31) 135
viii
CONTENTS
1. A Cripple Healed in the Temple Precincts (3: 1-10) 135
2. Peter's Address in Solomon's Colonnade (3:11-26) 138
3. Arrest of Peter and John; Increase of the Church (4:1-4) 147
4. Peter and John before the Sanhedrin (4:5-12) 148
5. The Sanhedrin Dismiss Peter and John (4:13-22) 152
6. Peter and John Rejoin Their Associates (4:23-31) 155
D. ALL THINGS IN COMMON (4:32-5:11) 159
1. Progress of the Church; Community of Goods (4 :32-35) 159
2. Generosity of Barnabas (4:36-37) 160
3. Deceit and Death of Ananias (5:1-6) 162
4. DeathofSapphira(5:7-ll) 165
E. THE APOSTLES BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN AGAIN (5:12-42) 166
1. Signs and Wonders (5:12-16) 166
2. Imprisonment and Escape of the Apostles (5:17-24) 169
3. The Apostles Examined (5:25-32) 171
4. Gamaliel's Counsel; the Apostles Flogged and
Dismissed (5:33-42) 173
II. PERSECUTION AND EXPANSION (6:1-9:31) 180
A. STEPHEN (6:1-8:la) 180
1. The Appointing of the Seven (6: 1-6) 180
2. Progress Report (6:7) 185
3. Stephen's Activity Arouses Opposition (6:8-10) 185
4. Stephen Charged before the Sanhedrin (6: 11-15) 188
5. The High Priest's Question (7:1) 190
6. Stephen's Reply (7:2-53) 190
a. The patriarchal age (7:2-8) 190
b. Israel in Egypt (7:9-19) 194
c. Moses' early days (7:20-29) 197
d. The call of Moses (7:30-34) 199
e. The wilderness wanderings (7:35-43) 200
f. Tabernacle and temple (7:44-50) 204
g. Personal application (7:51-53) 207
7. The Stoning of Stephen (7:54-8:la) 209
a. Stephen's final witness (7:54-56) 209
b. Death of Stephen (7:57-60) 211
c. Saul's acquiescence (8:la) 214
B. PHILIP (8:lb-40) 214
1. Persecution and Dispersion (8:lb-3) 214
ix