5.0 The History of the Apostolic Church
Questions for Study 

         #. (5.1) List the two basic types of materials used to write the story of Acts, and include the two subcategories of materials under each of the two basic types of materials(genre).

1)

a)

b)

2)

a)

b)

____ #. (5.1.1.3.1) The book of Acts contains no miracle narratives.
             a) True                             b) False

          #. (5.1.1.3.2) Define the essential nature of a commissioning narrative:
 
 

____ #. (5.1.1.3.2) Which of the following texts is a commissioning narrative?

a) Acts 6:7. "And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith."

b) Acts 13:1-3. "Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, `Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off."

____ #. (5.1.2.1) Peter's speech at Pentecost (2:1-47) is a _____ speech.
             a) missionary                       b) defense

____ #. (5.1.2.2) Stephen's speech before the Sanhedrin (6:8-8:1a) is a ____ speech.
              a) missionary                       b) defense


____ #. (5.3.1) What do the words "the first book" in Acts 1:1 refer to?

Acts 1:1-2. "1:1 In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 1:2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandment through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen."

a) The Acts of Paul and Theleca                   b) The Gospel of Luke            c) The Gospel of Matthew

____ #. (5.4.1) The two central characters in the book of Acts are
             a) Paul and Barnabas           b) Peter and John                      c) Paul and Peter

____ #. (5.4.1) The dominate character in Acts 1-12 is
             a) Paul                                b) Peter                                     c) John

____ #. (5.4.1) The dominate character in Acts 13-28 is
             a) Paul                               b) Peter                                      c) John

____ #. (5.4.2) The geographical strategy in Acts is to trace the Christian movement from its originating city, Jerusalem, to the imperial capital of the ancient world, Rome.
             a) True                               b) False

____ #. (5.4.2) One major historical insight provided by the book of Acts is understanding of the transitioning of Christianity from an exclusively Jewish movement to a dominate Gentile movement.
             a) True                               b) False

____ #. (5.4.2) Who played the primary role in the transitioning of Christianity from an exclusively Jewish movement to a dominate Gentile movement.
             a) Peter                              b) James                               c) Paul

____ #. (5.4.4) The author of Luke-Acts is unique among New Testament writers, manifesting a breadth of historical vision comparable to that shown in the sweeping narrative of Israel's history.
              a) True                               b) False

____ #. (5.4.4) One of the prominent themes in Acts is that Christianity represents a 'new way' to salvation for all humanity.
             a) True                               b) False

____ #. (5.4.4) Luke's theological vision of Jesus' ministry is that Christ stands in the center period of human history divided into three segments: OT covenant of God with Israel, Jesus, the work of the Spirit in and through the church. This theological vision is referred to as
             a) Redaction Criticism         b) Heilsgeschichte                  c) Formgeschichte

____ #. (5.4.4) In Luke's view of Heilsgeschichte, Acts describes God's redemptive activity at the beginning of the age of
             a) Israel                              b) Jesus                                 c) the church

Jerusalem:¹
    15:4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 15:5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up, and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the law of Moses."

Peter:
    15:6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 15:7 And after there had been much debate, Peter rose and said to them, "Brethren, you know that in the early days God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 15:8 And God who knows the heart bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us; 15:9 and he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith. 15:10 Now therefore why do you make trial of God by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 15:11 But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will."

Paul:
    15:12 And all the assembly kept silence; and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

James:
    15:13 After they finished speaking, James replied, "Brethren, listen to me. 15:14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. 15:15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, as it is written,²

15:16 `After this I will return,
      and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen;
      I will rebuild its ruins,
      and I will set it up,
15:17 that the rest of men may seek the Lord,
      and all the Gentiles who are called by my name,
15:18 says the Lord, who has made these things known from of old.'
15:19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 15:20 but should write to them to abstain from the pollutions of idols and from unchastity and from what is strangled and from blood. 15:21 For from early generations Moses has had in every city those who preach him, for he is read every sabbath in the synagogues."

Decision:
15:22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsab'bas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, 15:23 with the following letter:³
 

"The brethren, both the apostles and the elders, to the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cili'cia, greeting.
15:24 Since we have heard that some persons from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 15:25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 15:26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15:27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 15:28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 15:29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.⁴
Farewell."
 

    15:36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Come, let us return and visit the brethren in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are." 15:37 And Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 15:38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphyl'ia, and had not gone with them to the work. 15:39 And there arose a sharp contention, so that they separated from each other; Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 15:40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. 15:41 And he went through Syria and Cili'cia, strengthening the churches.

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¹Compare the Jerusalem visit here with Paul's description of it in Gal. 2:1-10.

"2:1 Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 2:2 I went up by revelation; and I laid before them (but privately before those who were of repute) the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, lest somehow I should be running or had run in vain. 2:3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. 2:4 But because of false brethren secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage 2:5 to them we did not yield submission even for a moment, that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for you. 2:6 And from those who were reputed to be something (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality) those, I say, who were of repute added nothing to me; 2:7 but on the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 2:8 (for he who worked through Peter for the mission to the circumcised worked through me also for the Gentiles), 2:9 and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised; 2:10 only they would have us remember the poor, which very thing I was eager to do."

²Taken from Amos 9:11-12.

9:11    "In that day I will raise up
        the booth of David that is fallen
        and repair its breaches,
        and raise up its ruins,
        and rebuild it as in the days of old;
9:12    that they may possess the remnant of Edom
        and all the nations who are called by my name,"
        says the LORD who does this.

³Praescriptio: 15:23

            Body of letter: 15:24-29a

    It seemed good to us...24-27
    It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us...28-29a

⁴Compare this letter to Paul's statement in Galatians 2:7-10. "2:7 but on the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 2:8 (for he who worked through Peter for the mission to the circumcised worked through me also for the Gentiles), 2:9 and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised; 2:10 only they would have us remember the poor, which very thing I was eager to do."

Answer the following questions from the above text of Acts 15:

____ #. (5.5) Acts 15 stands as a watershed of all Christian history because:

a) it was the first major confrontation between opposing views within Christianity.
b) it represents a victory for Gentle Christians to come into the faith without first having to become proselyte Jews.
c) it comes almost in the middle of the book of Acts.

a) it was there where the issue over Gentile's conversion came to the surface.
b) it was a center of strong anti-gentile feeling among Jewish Christians.
c) it stood as the gateway of Christian missions into the Gentile world.

____ #. (5.5) At Jerusalem Paul and Barnabas found no opposition in the church there to their preaching of the gospel to Gentiles.
              a) True                   b) False

____ #. (5.5) Paul's description of his visit to Jerusalem has used Acts 15:4-29 as the quoted source of his information.
              a) True                    b) False

         #. (5.5) Who was the source of vigorous insider opposition to Gentiles becoming Christians without first becoming proselyte Jews in 15:1,5?
 

____ #. (5.5) According to Acts 15:1,5, the opposition to Paul's preaching of the gospel came from Pharisees who were

a) a part of the Christian community in Jerusalem.
b) outsiders condemning the entire Christian movement from the Jewish synagogues.

a) he accepted these individuals as fellow Christians.
b) he considered these individuals as phony believers.
c) he thought their position was totally false.

____ #. (5.5) Peter speaks as the representative for the ______ in his speech in 15:6-11.
             a) apostles                             b) elders                   c) Gentiles

____ #. (5.5) James speaks as the representative for the _____ in his speech in 15:13-21.
             a) apostles                            b) elders                     c) Gentiles

____ #. (5.5) James quotes Amos 9:11-12 in Acts 15:15-18 exactly the way it is in the Hebrew Bible.
             a) True                           b) False

____ #. (5.5) The Jerusalem church's letter (15:23b-29) to Antioch basically follows the form of ancient letters.
            a) True                            b) False

____ #. (5.5) The body proper of the Jerusalem church's letter (15:23b-29) to Antioch makes ____ basic points of emphasis.
             a) two                             b) three                          c) four

        #. (5.5) Summarize the two essential points of the body of the Jersulaem church’s letter (15:23b-29):

a) It seemed good to us (24-27):

b) It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us (28-29a):

        #. (5.5)  Compare and contrast the terms of the agreement between Paul and Barnabas with the Christian leaders in Jerusalem in both Acts and Galatians:

Acts 15:23 with the following letter:
 “The brethren, both the apostles and the elders, to the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and  Syria and Cilicia, greeting.
15:24 Since we have heard that some persons from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 15:25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 15:26 men who have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ. 15:27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 15:28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 15:29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from unchastity. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.
Farewell.”

Gal. 2:6 And from those who were reputed to be something (what they were makes no difference to me; God shows no partiality) — those, I say, who were of repute added nothing to me; 2:7 but on the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised 2:8 (for he who worked through Peter for the mission to the circumcised worked through me also for the Gentiles), 2:9 and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised; 2:10 only they would have us remember the poor, which very thing I was eager to do.”

____ #. (5.5) The church at Antioch reacted ____ to the letter and delegation from the church in Jerusalem (15:30-35).
              a) angrily                        b) joyfully                      c) indifferently

____ #. (5.5) Paul and Barnabas remained close friends who continued working together after returning to Antioch from Jerusalem as Acts 15 indicates.
             a) True                            b) False

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