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.
324
questions
2
votes
4answers
60 views
Does God show favoritism?
Acts 10:34
Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism
Genesis 18
1The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was ...
4
votes
1answer
55 views
Which Caesar did Paul see?
Acts 27:24a
and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar.'
5
votes
3answers
50 views
What exactly were the formal charges against Paul?
Acts 25:27
For I [Festus] think it is unreasonable to send a prisoner on to Rome without specifying the charges against him [Paul]."
What was the nature of these charges? Religious? Seditious? ...
3
votes
1answer
35 views
Was being baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus not enough in order to receive the Holy Spirit?
Acts 8:14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they ...
4
votes
3answers
105 views
Is eating blood a sin according to Acts 15:20?
Acts 15:20
Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.
In 1 Corinthians 8:9, Paul ...
3
votes
1answer
88 views
What is blasphemy against Moses?
Acts 6:11
Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God."
What was an example of blasphemous words against ...
8
votes
7answers
2k views
Are those Jesus' half brothers mentioned in Acts 1:14?
Acts 1:14
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Are these sons of Mary and Joseph?
2
votes
1answer
27 views
In Acts 24:15, how should μέλλειν ἔσεσθαι be rendered?
It is generally translated as "going to be", with Young's Literal Translation being the Minority Report:
https://biblehub.com/acts/24-15.htm
https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/nwt/books/...
1
vote
1answer
17 views
In his sermon, Peter accuses the huge crowd of being guilty of - “nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles”. "Why?
Acts 2:23 NASB
23 This man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and
foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the
hands of Gentiles.
Many people in this huge crowd of ...
4
votes
3answers
130 views
Is Acts 2:17 applicable today?
Acts 2:17
"'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.
Was this ...
5
votes
6answers
194 views
What is “the gift” of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:38?
Acts 2:38. And Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." ...
1
vote
4answers
84 views
Angels touching humans in the Bible
How is it possible for angels (heavenly hosts not merely human messengers) to touch humans?
Do they have bodies? Are these bodies temporary? What proof is there that they are temporary?
New Testament
...
8
votes
3answers
994 views
What was the name given in Acts 4:12? Was it the Tetragrammaton or the name ''Jesus''?
"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other
name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be
saved." Acts 4:12 (NASB)
Was it referring to the name of ...
1
vote
1answer
105 views
Is there a conflict between these 3 verses - Galatians 1:18-20 & 2:1-2 & Acts 9:26-32?
background
Paul asserts Galatians 1:18-20 that he saw none of the apostles except Cephas and James the Lord's brother. Acts 9:26-30 (27) But Barnabas brings Paul to the apostles and brought to the ...
2
votes
1answer
23 views
In Acts 13:34, what are the “sure mercies of David” and how do they relate to the Messiah?
[Act 13:34 NASB] (34) "[As for the fact] that He raised Him up from the dead, no longer to return to decay, He has spoken in this way: 'I WILL GIVE YOU THE HOLY [and] SURE [blessings] OF DAVID.'
...
2
votes
2answers
102 views
Acts 5:31 - Does any reputable manuscript suggest that Jesus is God's Chief Agent
While doing research to answer a question on Christ Jesus being our Saviour, I noticed something strange in the New World Translation while reading Acts 5:31.
The King James Version, New International ...
1
vote
1answer
31 views
Is the James of Galatians 2:12 the same James as in Acts 15:13?
[Gal 2:12-13 NLT] (12) When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile Christians, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn't eat with the Gentiles anymore....
1
vote
1answer
21 views
Did Luke practise his physician skills in Acts 28:9?
Acts 28:7 There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. 8His father was sick in ...
3
votes
2answers
35 views
Does παρατίθημι mean “prove” in Greek geometry?
The scientifically minded Luke wrote in Acts 17:3
διανοίγων καὶ παρατιθέμενος ὅτι τὸν χριστὸν ἔδει παθεῖν καὶ ἀναστῆναι ἐκ νεκρῶν, καὶ ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ χριστός, ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὃν ἐγὼ καταγγέλλω ὑμῖν.
...
8
votes
5answers
300 views
Do Ephesians 1:13 and Acts 8:14-17; 19:1-7 contradict each other?
On the one hand Ephesians 1:13 appears to state that Christians receive the Holy Spirit upon the moment of conversion:
Ephesians 1:13 (NIV)
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the ...
2
votes
1answer
68 views
What is the intended meaning of the word “power” as used in Acts 1:8?
Acts 1:7-8 (NIV):
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you ...
2
votes
2answers
88 views
Is the promise of “power” in Acts 1:8 only for the apostles or for Christians in all ages?
Acts 1:7-8 (NIV):
7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you ...
2
votes
1answer
148 views
Did Jesus first appear to the 11 disciples in Jerusalem or Galilee?
There seems to be a disagreement between the gospels of Luke and Matthew regarding the location of the first appearance of the resurrected Jesus to the eleven disciples.
The author of Luke states, ...
1
vote
3answers
61 views
What's the etymology for the Greek word ἐκκλησία (church)? [closed]
Acts 5:11
New International Version
Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.
church
ἐκκλησίαν (ekklēsian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's Greek 1577: ...
1
vote
1answer
41 views
Was Moses a powerful speaker? [duplicate]
Exodus 4:10
Moses said to the LORD, "Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
...
1
vote
1answer
92 views
Was Philip teleported to Azotus by the Holy Spirit in Acts 8:38-40?
Acts 8:38-40 reads:
38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of ...
3
votes
3answers
138 views
Do Matthew 5:17-20 and Acts 15 contradict each other?
Matthew 5:17-20 (NKJV)
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one ...
4
votes
8answers
332 views
Are Christians being licensed not to keep the Sabbath according to Colossians 2:16-17, Romans 14:5-8 and Acts 15?
Is Paul giving Christians license to omit Sabbath observance in Colossians 2:16-17 and Romans 14:5-8? Is this corroborated by Acts 15?
Below the passages:
Colossians 2:16-17
16 Therefore let no one ...
3
votes
2answers
234 views
Why are centurions featured so frequently in the New Testament?
Healing the centurion's servant in Matthew 8:5–13.
Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became ...
1
vote
1answer
46 views
How does the NASB render καρδίαν as quick in Acts 7:54?
Ὡς δὲ ἐπληροῦτο αὐτῷ τεσσαρακονταετὴς χρόνος, ἀνέβη ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ ἐπισκέψασθαι τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτοῦ τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραήλ.
Most translations render καρδίαν as heart but the NASB chose to translate ...
3
votes
3answers
62 views
How far into the temple did the Ethiopian eunuch worship? [closed]
Deuteronomy 23:1
No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the LORD.
Acts 8:27
So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important ...
0
votes
2answers
35 views
Explain why it is believed that Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles?
What proofs are there to support “evidence that Luke is the writer of the Book of Acts?”
7
votes
3answers
898 views
In Acts 28:31 sudden ending [closed]
The last verses of Luke's record in Acts appear to end the book very suddenly and unexpectedly. Does anyone have any information about whether there might be more to the book that is now lost? Or ...
2
votes
2answers
58 views
Does Peter personify water in Acts 10:47?
As Peter spoke the word to Cornelius and his household, they received the Holy Spirit:
Then answered Peter, `The water is any one able to forbid, that these may not be baptized, who the Holy Spirit ...
0
votes
1answer
34 views
Was the infanticide of the Hebrews real? [closed]
Acts 7:17-21:
“But as the time drew near for God to fulfill the promise he had declared to Abraham,[as] the people increased greatly in number[at] in Egypt, until another king who did not know about[...
4
votes
3answers
62 views
What is intended by, “God raised him and …granted that He become visible”? Acts 10:40
What do we understand from the word 'visible' or the meaning of this action?
The context is:
Acts 10:40-41 God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He
become visible, not to all the people,...
6
votes
2answers
551 views
Does Acts 2:33 demonstrate that 'Father' is not equivalent in meaning to 'God'?
Typically the question over the divinity of Jesus which leads to the belief in the Trinity, or denial thereof, is focused on verses which could indicate Jesus is God (e.g. John 1:1, 20:28, Acts 20:28, ...
1
vote
1answer
30 views
Why did ESV translate Ἄνδρες in Acts 27:10 as “Sirs” and in Acts 27:21 as “Men”?
English Standard Version Acts 27:10
saying, “Sirs [Ἄνδρες], I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives.”
Only 11 verses ...
2
votes
1answer
116 views
What were the legal consequences of “I appeal to Caesar!” in Acts 25:11?
In https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/68291/in-acts-2510-paul-appeals-to-caesar-what-aspect-of-roman-law-citizenship-was-h:
About two decades before the birth of Christ, Rome passed a ...
5
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3answers
671 views
3
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2answers
50 views
Did NIV overplay the word παρατίθημι in Acts 17:3 “explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead”?
New International Version Acts 17:2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had ...
5
votes
1answer
170 views
Did Paul perform the circumcision himself in Acts 16:3?
Acts 16:3
Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.
Who actually did the operation?...
7
votes
4answers
95 views
Which law did Peter allude to in Acts 10:28?
Luke 7:2 There a centurion’s servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. 3The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his ...
0
votes
3answers
94 views
When did Jesus recieve the spirit in the context of Acts 2:32-33?
Acts 2:32 This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all
witnesses. 33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God,
and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, ...
0
votes
0answers
27 views
How old was Paul when Jesus died?
Acts 22:3 (NRSV)
“I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated strictly according to our ancestral law, being zealous for God, just as all of ...
0
votes
1answer
20 views
2 Corinthians 1:12, “simplicity” or “simplicity of heart”?
2 Corinthians 1:12, (DRB):
For our glory is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity of heart and sincerity of God, and not in carnal wisdom, but in the grace of God, we have ...
1
vote
3answers
227 views
In Acts 7:38 Moses spoke to the angel on Mt Sinai and received oracles from the angel
“This is the one (Moses) who was in the congregation in the wilderness with the angel who spoke to him at Mount Sinai, and with our fathers. He received living oracles to give to us.”
Acts 7:38
...
7
votes
4answers
1k views
Acts 4:26, isn't the Christ himself the Lord?
Acts 4:26 (DRB):
The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes assembled together against the Lord and his Christ.
The question is so simple:
Isn't the Christ himself the Lord?, How to say (...
4
votes
2answers
66 views
Acts 1:5 versus Acts 2:4: Being baptized versus being filled with the Holy Spirit
Luke uses βαπτισθήσεσθε (NASB: “you will be baptized”) in Acts 1:5 and then uses ἐπλήσθησαν (“and they were filled”) in Acts 2:4. Is there a reason for the change in verbs used to describe the baptism ...
2
votes
3answers
76 views
Acts 15:28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit?
Act 15:28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat ...
