Questions tagged [acts]
The second half of Luke's history of the church, which was commissioned by Theophilus. It covers the actions of the Apostles from Christ's ascension to heaven to Paul's imprisonment in Rome.
260
questions
0
votes
0answers
22 views
Why/How Peter and James didn't know about Paul but Barnabas knew it?
From this link
Who are those apostles in Jerusalem? Paul himself states that during
his visit to Jerusalem, he saw only Peter and James, the Lord’s
brother, but none of the other apostles (Gal. ...
0
votes
1answer
24 views
Would men include boys in the New Testament?
"Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation
under heaven"
- Acts 2:5, NASB
Men translates Aner (Strong G435) which means Male according to Greek lexicons.
"So then, ...
1
vote
2answers
54 views
Should οἰκοδομέω be interpreted literally or metaphorically?
οἰκοδομέω (oikodomeō), with the lexical entry STRONG NT 3618, is the Greek verb for "edify." In the gospels it often has the normal meaning of building a physical structure.
But in Acts and the rest ...
1
vote
1answer
57 views
Why has μετανοήσατε been translated as “repent” in Acts 2:38?
So far as I can tell, this Greek word means something like a change of mind, or a change of heart.
Then the Vulgate says "pœnitentiam agite" which seems to mean do penance, something like a punitive ...
0
votes
1answer
54 views
In Galatians 2:11 what is meant by “I opposed him to his face”?
[Gal 2:11 NASB] (11) But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
[Gal 2:11 MGNT] (11) ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν Κηφᾶς εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτῷ ...
2
votes
1answer
46 views
In Galatians 2:11 what does Paul mean when he says that Peter “stood condemned”?
[Gal 2:11 NASB] (11) But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.
[Gal 2:11 MGNT] (11) ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν Κηφᾶς εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτῷ ...
5
votes
1answer
81 views
According to Acts 21:17-26 are the Jews who are under the New Covenant bound to keep the law of Moses for any reason?
1. According to Acts 21:17-26 are the Jews who are under the New Covenant bound to keep the law of Moses for any reason?
2. Did this incident in verse 26 happen before or after writing the epistles ...
3
votes
2answers
85 views
In Acts 15:13-21 who is James and why does he seem to be the one who needs to be convinced about the gentiles?
Who is James in Acts 15? What authority if any did he have in this ad hoc consultation with the apostles?
[Act 15:13 NASB] (13) After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, "Brethren, ...
0
votes
2answers
71 views
What does the anointing with power mean in Acts 10:38?
δύναμις (from 1410 /dýnamai, "able, having ability") – properly, "ability to perform" (source).
In the New Testament, Jesus is shown to have His own divine power (δύναμις) (2 Peter 1:2-3, 16, ...
0
votes
3answers
113 views
In Acts 15:12-19 what in Amos convinces James about the gentiles not needing Torah?
[Act 15:12-19 CSB] (12) The whole assembly became silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describe all the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. (13) After they stopped ...
0
votes
2answers
49 views
In Acts 15:17 are the “remnant of men” and the “gentiles who are called by name” identical?
In the CSB it appears that they are:
[Act 15:17 CSB] (17) "so the rest of humanity may seek the Lord -- even all the Gentiles who are called by my name -- declares the Lord who makes these things
...
0
votes
1answer
44 views
What are the interpretive options for Acts 15 and Galatians 1-2?
In Acts 15 a dispute between Paul and Peter is described. Here are the details, as I understand them:
Peter was denying table fellowship to new Christian converts who were not circumcised and who did ...
2
votes
3answers
87 views
In Acts 26:23 what does it mean that the Messiah will “proclaim light”?
[Act 26:23 ASV] (23) how that the Christ must suffer, and how that he first by the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles.
[Act 26:23 MGNT] (23) εἰ ...
0
votes
0answers
24 views
Does Acts 2:7 suggest that all of the 120 of Pentecost were part of the lost sheep of the northern kingdom of Israel?
Galilee was "the northern kingdom" of Israel though that kingdom was no longer God's people. The scattered sheep were referred to as "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" aka "Ephraim".
[Acts 2:7 ...
1
vote
1answer
76 views
Who are “them” and “the brothers” in Acts 22:5?
In Acts, Paul is giving a defense before the people of Jerusalem. In verse 5 Paul says "from them I received letters to the brothers" (ESV). I've seen two understandings of this.
The first is that "...
0
votes
1answer
84 views
Why does Jesus say Judas had perished when he was still alive?
It seems that Jesus is suggesting that Judas had already died before he commits suicide, which we know happens after the betrayal.
For some context let me start the quotation from John 17:6.
“I ...
3
votes
1answer
70 views
Did Paul quote Habakkuk 1:5 out of context in Acts 13:41?
Acts 13:40 - 41 (NKJV)
"Beware therefore, lest what has been spoken in the
prophets come upon you: "Behold, you despisers, Marvel and perish!
For I work a work in your days, A work which you ...
1
vote
2answers
51 views
Why do some translations of the Bible say 'Spirit of Jesus' in Acts 16:7?
Whilst comparing a number of different versions I noticed that in Acts 16:7, some translations like the NIV, NLT, ESV say 'Spirit of Jesus', where as Young's Literal and the KJV just say 'Spirit'.
...
0
votes
2answers
150 views
How does the author of Acts say Moses was a man of power in words and deeds in Acts 7:22?
Acts 7
[22]Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds.
But when had been called upon to go to Egypt to proclaim God's message Moses ...
2
votes
2answers
68 views
I know that you acted in ignorance. Acts 3:17
Whilst giving a sermon in the temple, Peter said to people:
Acts 3:17 NASB
“And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your
rulers did also."
Why did the Jews act in ...
6
votes
2answers
425 views
How did authorities know that Paul was really a Roman citizen?
A previous answer to a different question ventured into the territory of my question here, quoting from The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (which in turn, cited from some commentaries) that ...
3
votes
4answers
341 views
How does Acts 15:21 link to Acts 15:20?
Acts 15:19-21 (NIV) “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food ...
1
vote
1answer
55 views
Translating & interpreting the text of Acts 2:41
The text of Acts 2.41. The verse has two independent statements: They were baptized ... and Souls were added. Seems to me that this verse says nothing about how many actually received Peter's message ...
2
votes
2answers
41 views
In Acts 11:17 is Peter referencing when he and the 120 believed or Cornelius?
I'm confused about how to interpret Acts 11:17, especially because of Bible translation differences.
The Bible in Basic English (translation)
If then God gave them, when they had faith in the Lord ...
-1
votes
2answers
408 views
Acts 18:17: Why did the Greeks start beating the ruler of the synagogue?
Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue,
and beat him before the judgment seat (Acts 18:17, KJV)
Why did the Greeks start beating the ruler of the synagogue? Does the ...
1
vote
1answer
206 views
In Acts 13:22, does “a man after my own heart” refer to David or Jesse?
After comparing 1 Samuel 13:14 with Acts 13:22, I have often wondered if Acts 13:22 means that Jesse rather than David was a man after God’s own heart.
1 Samuel 13:14
14 But now thy kingdom shall ...
1
vote
2answers
339 views
In Acts 26:1 why does Paul stretch out his hand before beginning his defense?
In a courtroom setting and facing serious charges before King
Agrippa II Paul is permitted by the king to make his defense. Luke says "Paul stretched out his hand" and began his defense:
[Act 26:1-...
1
vote
1answer
27 views
In Acts 1:6, what is the significance of the particle εἰ?
In Acts 1:6, it is written,
Ϛʹ Οἱ μὲν οὖν συνελθόντες ἠρώτων αὐτὸν λέγοντες· κύριε, εἰ ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ ἀποκαθιστάνεις τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Ἰσραήλ; NA28, ©2012
What is the function/meaning of εἰ in ...
3
votes
3answers
162 views
Is it a written law or an oral law that Peter says is violated when a Jew associates with a non-Jew?
"You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, (Acts 10:28 ESV)
Can someone offer a citation from Torah or other Jewish works that may have ...
7
votes
1answer
297 views
Was the power they received in Matthew 10 different from the one they received in Acts 2?
Christ gives power to the disciples to cast out demons and heal the sick which was prior to the giving of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 10:1 KJV
1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, ...
2
votes
1answer
101 views
Who is this “Unknown god” that Paul talked about in Acts 17:23?
What was the Unknown God did Greeks had and if it is unknown God, why it is written in Capitel Letters in the Acts?(Acts. 17.23) "I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you ...
2
votes
2answers
91 views
Could the symbolic gesture of shaking off dust in Matthew 10 and Acts 13 have been steeped in some Jewish culture?
Matthew 10:14 NASB
14 Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet.
Acts 13:51 NASB
51 But they shook off the dust ...
2
votes
3answers
124 views
In Acts 11:26 what were the disciples called in Antioch?
Acts 11:26 - It was in Antioch that the disciples were first given the name of “Christians”.
Disciples and Christians are both accusative masculine plural. If the disciples are the subject of the ...
2
votes
2answers
160 views
What does it mean that “the Lord stood near Paul” in Acts 23:11?
Acts 23:11 (NIV) says the following:
The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”
What does ...
1
vote
4answers
67 views
What tone was Paul intending to convey in Acts 23:5?
In Acts 23:3-5 (NIV):
2 At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth.
3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You ...
2
votes
5answers
555 views
Per Mark 1:4, Luke 3:3 why did John the Baptist preach the “baptism of repentance” and not “repent” for the forgivness of sin?
John the Baptist never told any one to directly repent of their sin. He preached the "baptism of repentance" for the forgiveness of sin. Is there a significant difference in the two concepts?
...
2
votes
6answers
173 views
Per Acts 3:19, to whom or to what does Peter say to “return”?
Acts 3:19 (ESV)
19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted
out...
According to Dr. Charles P. Bayliss of Dallas Theological Seminary in an article published in the ...
2
votes
2answers
102 views
Per Acts 5, Acts 11 and 2 Timothy 2, is repentance a gift?
Acts 5:31 (KJV)
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a
Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 11:18 (KJV)
When they heard these ...
2
votes
5answers
409 views
Is the anointing of Jesus mentioned in Acts 10:38 an anointing as king, priest or what?
When I think of an "anointing" I primarily think of a prophet marking a person off as king in the same way that Samuel anointed David:
KJV 1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and ...
9
votes
2answers
931 views
Why did the apostles not adhere strictly to the instructions of the Lord concerning water baptism?
In Matt 28:19, Jesus commanded the apostles to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, but we see in Acts of the Apostles that they baptized in the name of Jesus ...
4
votes
5answers
265 views
Is Jesus’ response to worship in John 9:38 only consistent with him being God?
ὁ δὲ ἔφη· πιστεύω, κύριε· καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ.(John 9:38, NA27)
He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. (John 9:38, ESV).
The apostle Peter in Acts (10:26-27), similar incident with ...
3
votes
1answer
57 views
Can Luke's use of κράτιστε be taken as his way of acknowledging someone who held the office of High Priest?
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of ...
3
votes
2answers
150 views
The time of restoration of the Kingdom asked in Acts 1:6? Why didn't Jesus answer plainly?
It does not seem that Jesus gave a direct answer when the disciples asked him about the Kingdom in Acts 1:6.
So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at
this time restore ...
1
vote
0answers
35 views
The Book of Acts and the Elamites
The Elamites are the most curious group of people in the entire Bible. They first appear in the Book of Genesis where they are the sovereign kings over the vassal-states of the cities of the plain.
...
0
votes
2answers
189 views
Does Paul contradict what he said in Acts 17:29-30 in Romans 1:18-25?
Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
30 And the times of this ignorance God ...
1
vote
1answer
86 views
Did Aeneas turn to the Lord with all the others in Lydda and Sharon?
In Acts 9:32-35
32 Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was ...
2
votes
1answer
118 views
Into how many parts is the cloven tongue parted in Acts 2:3?
Acts 2:3 KJV
And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
The word DIAMERIZO is interpreted as "cloven" or split in the KJV. I had always "assumed" that ...
2
votes
3answers
236 views
How possible is it that the Gospel of Luke and Acts were written for Paul’s defense?
The abrupt stop of the historic information in the book of Acts leads to the conclusion that the history stops because that was when Luke wrote Acts and his Gospel. Note where the history stops:
...
2
votes
5answers
830 views
Why were Peter and John needed to lay hands on Samaritans when Philip was there?
Acts 8 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached
Christ unto them. 6 And the people with one accord gave heed unto
those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the ...
2
votes
2answers
274 views
Is Acts 1:8 a promise or command?
The render of the famous Acts 1:8:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you
will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and
to the ends of the ...
