A Review of The Acts of the Apostles

Luca Signorelli, Communion of the Apostles, 1512, panel 232 x 220 cm, Museo Diocesano, Cortona

     The Acts of the Apostles is a unique part of biblical writing because it is the bridge between Holy Scripture, the life of Christ, the ministry of the Apostles, and the early Church. That same early Church is the one that would eventually blossom into the Church we know and love today. Upon reading the Acts of the Apostles, one is struck with awe in the vast amount of information of the early Church. From the moment Jesus said in the gospel of Matthew, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt 16:19 RSVCE) the Church had its beginnings. Now, when we read the Acts of the Apostles, we see the unfolding of those very same beginnings.

     Father William S. Kurtz of the Jesuit Order describes the Acts of the Apostles as “more than [a framework and information] for Christians today.” Like the rest of Sacred Scripture, the Acts of the Apostles are divinely inspired and give to use not just a historical framework of a newborn Church. Every single story written out in Acts gives us as Christians a model and example by which to imitate and live out our lives as disciples of Christ. Furthermore, they show how God works in our every day lives. According to Kurtz, this is how Luke, the apostolic author of the book, intended Acts to be.

     Before I get into the various elements of the book itself, it is important to describe the historical facts and framework I alluded to earlier. The Acts of the Apostles is the fifth book of the New Testament. It follows the four gospels and “contains an account fo some of the missionary activities of Peter and Paul.” The first community to which the Church was ministering was the Jewish community of Jerusalem and the surrounding regions. The various acts of the two apostles, Peter and Paul, are described in the letter to show how the Church effectuated the transition from the Old Law to the new law that was promised through Christ in the divine plan laid out by God for our salvation. This was very important to be taught to the Jewish community as they fervently followed the Old Law to its very letter at times. And this is, in essence, the first part of the book. This part, culminates with a description of the persecuted Church early on in its existence and with the arrest and subsequent stoning of Stephen (Acts 6, 7).

     The second and third parts of the Acts of the Apostles deal with the Church and the Gentiles. They begin with the conversion of the Samaritans and the Ethiopian official right after a gloomy depiction of the persecution of the Church: “Saul laid waste the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison” (Acts 8:3). It is ironic to read this first and then read on to see Saul’s conversion and later ministry to the Gentiles. The famous call from Christ is present in the 9th chapter where it is asked of Saul, why do you persecute me? It is interesting to note that this is repeated two other times in the book. The second repetition of this call is in the 22nd chapter and the subsequent 3rd repetition is in the 26th chapter. Why would this be done? Father Kurtz describes this repetition as a signal to its “special importance for understanding the rise and spread of Christianity.” This is not the only story told multiple times. The story of the Gentile Cornelius is told three times. We can see this as an attempt by the writer, Luke, to explain how the Church of the Gentiles “can legitimately claim to be heirs of the Jewish promises through the Jewish Messiah.” Basically, it is important to show how the shift from Jew to Gentile took place.

     Finally, there are several narrative themes that are both theological and biblical in nature. The first of these themes is the fulfillment of God’s saving plan. This idea focuses on the works of the spirit which works in conjunction within the ministry of the Church as her source. Furthermore, as described by Father Kurtz, “The Spirit is the ultimate realization of the promises to Abraham.” This furthers the point to make a connection between Jew and Gentile. One of the results of this theme is the incorporation of God’s people into the Church without the need for circumcision.          The second theme is the idea that Christ works through his disciples. After having ascended into heaven, Christ gave the apostles the gift of the Holy Spirit. This gift enables them and us today to “proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:23). The next theme that is explored in the acts is the promise keeping God himself. The Acts of the Apostles demonstrates that God has not abandoned his people even though Christ’s ministry on earth was over. The ball is in our court, so to speak. And, the Acts shows us how God is still with us even in the midst of changes, just like those experienced by the Jews and Gentiles.

     The themes presented by the writer of the Acts of the Apostles help all Christians alike understand the purpose of the Church. This is accomplished through a narrative of her early origins. In addition to this, Luke gathers together the necessary stories to convey a message of the triumph of the Church and Christianity even amongst many obstacles (Acts 6:7). This is a message of hope that is desperately needed today in this world. Through the usages of speeches, letters, repetitions of stories, and some humor, Luke constructed an great and important piece to the New Testament.

Bibliography

Bergant, Dianne and Robert Karris, editors. The Collegeville Bible Commentary. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1989.

Kurtz, William. “Commentary on Acts of the Apostles.” In The Collegeville Bible Commentary.

Steinmueller, John and Kathryn Sullivan. Catholic Biblical Encyclopedia: New Testament. New York: Joseph F. Wagner, Inc. Publishers, 1956.