The Catena Manuscripts on Acts: A Revised Classification

Earlier scholarship faced a number of limitations in classifying catena manuscripts on the Acts of the Apostles. This study makes a comparison of exegetical scholia in selected text passages (Acts 2:1–16, 8:9–25, 28:19–31) in order to determine the different types of catena and how they relate to each other. This survey reveals the diversity of the tradition: some manuscripts are merely copies, which repeat the same text with only small variations, but others are unique and cannot be directly identified with a particular catena type. It is therefore necessary to expand the classification of catenae on Acts in the Clavis Patrum Graecorum so as to mark subdivisions within the individual types.

Narrative summaries in Acts of the Apostles Reading of the third summary account

This article presents the reading of the first summary narrative account in the Acts of the Apostles by adopting Point of View Analysis with the Intertextual Reading of the Isaianic prophecies. The article thus sheds light on the nascent christian community that enjoys God’s blessing through the healing works of the apostles and caring for their sick ones.

Comments upon the sources of the Church Slavonic–Ruthenian Lexicon by Pamvo Berynda

The article examines some of the sources of Pamvo Berynda’s Church Slavonic–Ruthenian lexicon. Identifying the sources of the dictionary and all the hidden quotes is an important task for the correct presentation of the content of this lexicographical monument. The quoted content presented in the Lexicon is divided into two groups: material that did not indicate the source (an example is the Interpretation of words difficult to understand) and materials that indicated the source. For the second case, a non-exhaustive list of such examples is provided. Such quotations show that, for his Lexicon, Berynda mainly used works in the printing of which he himself participated. These are the Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles and the Homilies on the 14 Epistles of the Holy Apostle Paul, both belonging to John Chrysostom, along with the Didactic Gospel. The use of dictionary entries in the Interpretation of words difficult to understand, a lexicon based on the vocabulary from the Ladder of Divine Ascent, and from Interpretation of words in alphabetical order by Maximus the Greek confirms Berynda’s interest, indicated by other researchers as well, for the previous lexicographic tradition.

The Remaining New Testament Books as Sacred

In attempting to make the case that the defining reason the books of the New Testament are considered sacred is because of their focus on the unique identity of Jesus Christ, we have explored the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and writings of Paul. We turn now, with the same conviction, to some of the remaining New Testament books. Our goal here is not to consider every book of the New Testament but to make the case that in the vast majority of them, their proclamation of Christ is central and defining. The books we will focus on in this chapter include Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 1 John, and Revelation, taken in the order in which they appear in the canon. Despite the evident literary diversity of these texts, there is a commanding unity—a unity grounded in their focus on the figure of Jesus Christ. It is that varied but unifying portrayal found in these books which will command our attention in this chapter.

From Jesus to the Writings of the New Testament

While Jesus is not the author of any of the New Testament writings, the link between the mission and identity of Jesus viewed from the perspective of faith and the content and purpose of the New Testament books is essential for their sacred character from a Christian perspective. This chapter reviews the evolution of the traditions about Jesus in early Christianity, tracking the impact of this tradition on the writings of Paul, on the Four Gospels, and on the Acts of the Apostles and the other New Testament books. The chapter also considers some of the essential elements in the transmission of the New Testament and their writings, including their composition in Greek, the nature of early manuscripts of the New Testament, and the question of translation.

Christopher Stroup. The Christians Who Became Jews: Acts of the Apostles and Ethnicity in the Roman City

No abstract is available.

Kingdom Graph: Mengapa Gereja-Gereja di Iran Dan Tiongkok Berkembang Pesat walau dalam Tekanan atau Aniaya

Among the Pentecostal / Charismatic circles, a distinctive hermeneutic understanding has developed, which Menzies wrote in his book: This story is our story. This means an understanding that the story of the early church that we read in the Acts of the Apostles is also the story of the churches today in various places, which also experienced various pressures and persecutions. This is especially so in Iran and China, but what is strange is that the seeds of God's Word, which seemed to fall on rocky ground, did not immediately die out, but instead found unique ways to grow. This article notes some things that churches in other places need to listen to and learn about their tenacity and perseverance and zeal. In the second part, the authors present a graph model to understand church growth as an endogenous process. We hope that these observations and mathematical models are useful for church leaders in developing a more dynamic ecclesiology.

Magic and Christianity: An Exegesis on Magical Passages in the Acts of the Apostles

Magic is a significant theme in The Acts of the Apostle but is undermined by scholars. The significance of this theme is obvious in the so-called five episodes or passage of magic. Thus, how does Christian understand of magic particularly in the Acts of the Apostles is also prominent. This article aimed to re-examine all five episodes of magic in The Acts of the Apostles that Christian may have a more comprehensive understanding of magic and able to conquer the reality of magic which is still very relevant in our contemporary ministry in Indonesia. The method of this article was literature study. By the study it was concluded that the magic in Acts is best understood to further its apologetical purpose, because the passages clearly demonstrate evil as the reality behind magic, thus the confrontation between God’s power and magic is inevitable for it is between God and evil.

Review of: Schmid G., Fr. Introduction to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Textbook. St. Petersburg, 2020. 184 с. ISBN 978-5-906627-72-8

В 2017 г. издательство Санкт-Петербургской духовной академии выпустило в свет учебное пособие протоиерея Георгия Шмида «Введение в книгу Деяний апостолов». Уже в 2020 г. вышло второе переработанное и дополненное издание, которое и будет рассмотрено ниже. Протоиерей Георгий является кандидатом богословия и доцентом кафедры библеистики СПбДА. В основу издания положен курс лекций по книге Деяний апостолов, читаемый автором пособия в Духовной академии Северной столицы. Издание посвящено вопросам исагогики книги Деяний апостолов в свете современных научных исследований в этой области. Учебное пособие имеет целью воссоздать историческую и культурную обстановку, в которой появилась книга апостола Луки, и продемонстрировать направления и выводы дискуссий западных академических библеистов по исагогическим вопросам. Для этого привлечены исследования из области библейской текстологии, истории и патристики. In 2017 the publishing house of the St Petersburg Theological Academy published Archpriest Georgy Schmid's textbook Introduction to the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. Already in 2020 a second revised and enlarged edition was published, which will be discussed below. Archpriest Georgy is a Candidate of Theology and Associate Professor in the Department of Biblical Studies at St. Petersburg University of Applied Sciences. This book is based on a course of lectures on the Book of Acts of the Apostles which the author delivers at the Spiritual Academy of the Northern Capital. This book deals with the esagogy of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles in the light of current research in this area. The textbook aims to recreate the historical and cultural context in which the Book of Luke appeared and to show the directions and conclusions of the discussions of Western academic biblical scholars on isagogical issues. For this purpose, studies from the fields of biblical textology, history and patristics are drawn upon.

Paul as a Character in Early Christian Narratives

The apostle Paul is featured as a character in a wide variety of early Christian narratives. This chapter considers first how Paul is portrayed in a number of different story-style narratives, including the Acts of the Apostles, the Acts of Thecla, the Ephesus Act, and two different accounts of Paul’s martyrdom. Attention is drawn to the creative energy storytellers poured into telling tales about the famous apostle. The chapter argues that many storytellers seem to have felt free to shape their stories according to their own ingenuity and interests, rather than being preoccupied with producing ‘historically accurate’ accounts. It also highlights a range of factors that may have influenced how Paul is portrayed in any given narrative, including plot concerns, pre-existing traditions about other characters with whom Paul shares the stage, and recourse to stock motifs and story templates. In addition to this exploration of story-style narratives, the chapter examines how Paul functions as an authoritative voice in two narratives of slightly different genres, a fictional letter exchange known as 3 Corinthians or the Corinthian Correspondence, and a tour of the afterlife known as the Apocalypse of Paul.