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Early christian religion
Reflection on the book of Acts
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Early christian religion
Reflection on the book of Acts
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Recommended: Early christian religion
Setting the Stage A. An approximate chronology of Acts: The Ascension (Acts 1) 30 AD - Matthias chosen by Lot (Acts 1:12) 30 AD - The Holy Spirit comes at Pentecost (Acts 2) 30 AD - Peter heals and preaches (Acts 3) 30 AD - Peter and John arrested and released (Acts 4) 30 AD - Believers share all (Acts 4:32) 31 AD - Deaths of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) 30 AD - Apostles preach and heal (Acts 5:11) 31 AD - Stephen’s speech, stoning, and death (Acts 6, 7) 31 AD - Saul persecutes the Church (Acts 8) 31 AD - Philip in Samaria (Acts 8:3) 31 AD - Simon the Sorcerer (Acts 8:9) 31 AD - Philip and the Ethiopian (Acts 8:26) 34 AD - Saul’s conversion (Acts 9) 37 AD - Peter preaches to the Gentiles (Acts 10, 11) 42 AD - Barnabas sent to Antioch (Acts 11:22) 42 AD - Peter led from prison by the Angel (Acts 12) 44 AD - Herod Agrippa dies (Acts 12:20) 48 AD - Paul’s First Missionary Journey (Acts 13) 48 AD - Paul preaches in Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:14) 48 AD - Paul and Barnabas in Iconium (Acts 14) 48 AD - Paul and Barnabas in Lystra and Derbe (Acts 14:8) 48 AD - Paul and Barnabas return to Syrian Antioch (Acts 14:21) 48 AD - Return to Syrian Antioch (Acts 14:24) 48 AD - The Council at Jerusalem (Acts
Some scholars think the book of Acts was written to Theophilus which means lover of God in Greek. However, because the tone of the book is apologetic, some think the book could also have been intended to present the Christian faith and church in a positive manner towards the Roman authorities (Laymon). Therefore, identification of who the book was written for is based on speculation because scholars cannot determine for certain the individuals or individual the book was addressed to (Laymon). Nevertheless, scholars do know that the work is read as an account of the life of the Christian movement (Laymon). The date of Acts is uncertain, but the remorseful tone gives clues that it could possibly be during a time when the church was under attack and enduring a lot of stress, plus, it provides encouragement for those going through stressful times as well
The Apostle Paul is most popularly known for his letters in the Bible. Paul’s early life was marked by religious zeal and brutal violence. In fact, Paul wasn’t known as Paul in the beginning, he was known as Saul. Saul was a very scary lawyer. He believed he was doing the will of the Lord by killing
The Gospel of Luke was intended for Theophilus, it has been debated who Theophilus was, whether a man, most likely a Gentile, or that the name was a general one, applied to every Christian as the name means “one who loves God”. Readers are not given much insight into this but what we do know is that the Gospel of Luke was written not just for one man but to a representative of readers to help and strengthen their faith. (Berkhof, 2004) From the style of writing and His Other features of the Gospel of Luke is that it is continued in the book of Acts, though once again the author does not identify themselves the style and language of the books is very similar and both are addressed to Theophilus.
b) Pentecost through the conversion of Cornelius the Centurion In the second section of Acts, the message of the gospel spreads beyond Jerusalem and reaches the Gentile population, including Cornelius the Centurion. This challenges the traditional boundaries of Judaism and demonstrates the extent of God's love and salvation. c) Paul's ministry around the Roman Empire In the third section, Paul embarks on multiple missionary journeys, facing opposition and persecution as he spreads the message of the gospel throughout the Roman Empire.
With this, Luke wants us to understand the importance of Jesus death. In fact, understand it as the heroic death of an emboldened philosopher. From this chapter, we get that when an individual is asked to die for Christ, he or she is also asked to die for Socrates and the Maccabees. There were Christians who are known for being martyrs who were intentionally portrayed as being like Socrates. From this chapter, we learn that the connection between Christian and pagan martyrs happen to be problematic.
Acts of the Apostles is the fifth book in the New Testament. Written around the year AD 85, this book mainly tells the history and the founding of the Catholic church. Most of these events occurred between AD 30 to 65. It is also the only book in the bible that functions as a part two. Acts of the Apostles is the part two of the Gospel of Luke.
I find Acts so interesting because mainly the book of Acts talks about Peter or Paul going and doing great works through the power of the Holy Spirit and planting churches throughout Judea and Samaria and the rest of the middle East. A man I want to focus on is Stephen.
Luke was responsible for writing both books. It is debatable if Acts was written prior to the annihilation of Jerusalem by Roman’s General Titus. Some evidence is that Stephen fails to include the ruined temple in his sermon in Acts 7. Had this sermon been written after destruction of the temple, the author would’ve included the incdent to emphasize the judgment of God on Judaism. Besides, St. Luke used the books of Luke and Acts of Apostles to end the tension between the administrative and religious frameworks in the region.
Paul persecuted many Christians throughout his early adult life. Eventually, Paul surrendered his life to God and is credited with writing thirteen books in the New Testament, including one of the most famous books ever written, Romans. Paul’s testimony is a tremendous story of how God can turn a wicked person in to a great role model and leader. This is the quite opposite story in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, however, as the main character Macbeth was a glorified warrior and battle hero.
He was a known companion of Paul and is also said to have written the Acts of the Apostles. He is also recorded to have taken into consideration a lot of eye-witness accounts and opinions. Historians say that Luke was most likely a physician
The Book of Ecclesiastes is know as Wisdom Literature, with the concern being the application of truth. The author of this book is known as Anonymous although many believe it was written by Solomon in his later years of life. It was written in the 3rd century of BC, probably around 935 BC, with dispute as to whether the book belongs to the Persian or Hellenistic periods.
There are only two major figures: Peter (one of the Twelve Apostles) is prominent in nine or ten chapters, and Paul (who is called and apostle only twice) is prominent in seventeen chapters. The only other figure in Acts who gets lengthy treatment is Stephen, who is not designated an apostle.” The Acts of the Apostles, at a glance looks like history, but Luke the author of Acts is not interested in chronological order. For Luke, God is divine chronology. Luke is interested in the involvement of God in the human experience.
Abortion is the intentional ending of a pregnancy by removing the fetus from the mother's uterus and should only be carried out by trained therapeutic recruits. Abortion was pioneer at a very early age in society. The practice of abortion was general in ancient times as a method of birth control. Later it was restricted or forbidden by most worlds’ religion, but it was not considered an offense in secular law until 19th century. Legislative action in the 21st century has been aimed at permitting the extinction of unwanted pregnancies for medical, social or private reasons.
The author is referenced several times in the New Testament starting in the book of Acts and finally in the book of Mark was probably written in Italy, and perhaps even Rome. This book has 16 chapters and is the shortest book of the four gospels. However, the details of the events and miracles of Jesus in this book are