The Gospels and Acts: Fortress Commentary on the Bible Study Edition

388 Pages·2016·3.3 MB·English

by  Margaret Aymer

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This volume from ForTress CommenTary on The BiBle: The neW TesTamenT includes commentary on matthew– y thmr
acts, introductions to Jesus and the Gospels0804 and acts as a history of the early Church, and general articles on ede entr
reading the new Testament through the lenses of the contemporary world, the Jewish heritage of early Christianity, itBites
the ancient and modern contexts of diaspora, and the apocalyptic legacy of early Christianity. ioBlars
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The ForTress CommenTary on The BiBle: The neW TesTamenT sets each book of the new Testament in its his-
torical and cultural context, discusses the themes in each book that have proven most important for the Christian
interpretive tradition, and introduces the most pressing questions facing the responsible use of the Bible today. The
result is a commentary created by renowned biblical scholars that is comprehensive and useful for gaining insights
on the texts for preaching, teaching, and research. Contains introductions, notes, and comprehensive bibliogra-
phies for each book.
Praise for Fortress Commentary on the BiBle: the new testament
“Very impressive—the best one-volume scholarly commentary on the new Testament available today.”
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Marcus J. Borg h
oregon state University
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“While most biblical commentaries of the past have focused either on the text in its original context or in contem- G
porary interpretation or attempted to combine the two with very little in between, this new approach takes on the
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three aspects of ancient context, contemporary discussion, and the middle ground of the interpretive tradition.
in response to recent interest in the history of interpretation, this represents a welcome new approach that gives
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readers an introduction to the rich interpretive tradition that has happened over the centuries between the biblical
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writings and our own interaction with them.”
caroLYN osIEK, rscJ e
Brite Divinity school l
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“Unlike many commentaries, this one is more interested in stimulating a critical encounter with the biblical text than
in providing a set of answers about what it once may have meant. it offers to be particularly useful to intelligent
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modern readers of the Bible, who respect its role as a formative text in the development of the Christian tradition,
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but who also approach the text sensitive to its potential dysfunction. The commentary not only invites but insists on
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a thoughtful response to the text. it promises to be a welcome tool for pastors and teachers seeking to encourage
a thoughtful but critical engagement with the Bible.”
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HaroLD W. aTTrIDgE
yale Divinity school c
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marGareT aymer, austin Presbyterian Theological seminary
CynThia BriGGs KiTTreDGe, seminary of the southwest
DaViD a. sanChez, loyola marymount University
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The Gospels and Acts

The Gospels
and Acts
FORTRESS COMMENTARY ON THE BIBLE
STUDY EDITION
Margaret Aymer
Cynthia Briggs Kittredge
David A. Sánchez
Editors
Fortress Press
Minneapolis
THE GOSPELS AND ACTS
Fortress Commentary on the Bible Study Edition
Copyright © 2016 Fortress Press. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles and reviews, no part of this book
may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Visit http://www.augsburgfortress.org/
copyrights/contact.asp
or write to Permissions, Augsburg Fortress, Box 1209, Minneapolis, MN 55440.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of
Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Excerpted from the Fortress Commentary on the Bible: The New Testament
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014); Margaret Aymer, Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, David A. Sánchez, volume editors.
Fortress Press Publication Staff:
Neil Elliott and Scott Tunseth, Project Editors
Marissa Wold, Production Manager
Laurie Ingram, Cover Design.
Copyeditor: Jeffrey A. Reimer
Typesetter: PerfecType, Nashville, TN
Proofreader: David Cottingham and Linda Maloney
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is available
ISBN: 978-1-5064-1589-5
eISBN: 978-1-5064-1590-1
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—
Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z329, 48-1984. Manufactured in the U.S.A.
CONTENTS
Publisher’s Note about Fortress Commentary on the Bible Study Editions vii
Abbreviations ix
Series Introduction 1
Reading the Christian New Testament in the Contemporary World
Kwok Pui-lan 5
Negotiating the Jewish Heritage of Early Christianity
Lawrence M. Wills 31
Rootlessness and Community in Contexts of Diaspora
Margaret Aymer 47
Th e Apocalyptic Legacy of Early Christianity
David A. Sánchez 63
Jesus and the Christian Gospels Raymond Pickett 83
Matthew Warren Carter 127
Mark Raquel S. Lettsome 173
Luke Robert L. Brawley 217
John Adele Reinhartz 265
Acts as a History of the Early Church Demetrius K. Williams 309
Th e Acts of the Apostles Michal Beth Dinkler 327
v

PUBLISHER’S NOTE
About the Fortress Commentary on the Bible Study Editions
In 2014 Fortress Press released the two-volume Fortress Commentary on the Bible. See the Series
Introduction (pp. 1–3) for a look inside the creation and design of the Old Testament/Apocrypha
and New Testament volumes. While each comprehensive commentary volume can easily be used in
classroom settings, we also recognized that dividing the larger commentaries into smaller volumes
featuring key sections of Scripture may be especially helpful for use in corresponding biblical stud-
ies courses. To help facilitate such classroom use, we have broken the two-volume commentary into
eight study editions.
Pleas e note that in this study edition the page numbers match the page numbers of the larger
Fortress Commentary on the Bible volume in which it fi rst appeared. We have intentionally retained
the same page numbering to facilitate use of the study editions and larger volumes side by side.
Th e Gospels and Acts was fi rst published in Fortress Commentary on the Bible: Th e New
Testament.
vii

ABBREVIATIONS
General
AT Alpha Text (of the Greek text of Esther)
BOI Book of Isaiah
Chr Chronicler
DH Deuteronomistic History
DI Deutero-Isaiah
Dtr Deuteronomist
Gk. Greek
H Holiness Code
Heb. Hebrew
JPS Jewish Publication Society
LXX Th e Septuagint
LXX B Vaticanus Text of the Septuagint
MP Mode of production
MT Masoretic Text
NIV New International Version
NRSV New Revised Standard Version
OAN Oracles against Nations (in Jeremiah)
P. papyrus/papyri
P Priestly source
PE Pastoral Epistles
RSV Revised Standard Version
TI Trito-Isaiah
Books of the Bible (NT, OT, Apocrypha)
Old Testament/Hebrew Bible
Gen. Genesis
Exod. Exodus
Lev. Leviticus
Num. Numbers
Deut. Deuteronomy
ix