The Acts of the Apostles: Spreading the Word

by Lawrence R Farley

Overview

Fr. Lawrence Farley explores the Acts of the Apostles as St. Luke's sequel to his Gospel--an apology for the Christian Faith as the fulfillment of Judaism, a gospel for all peoples, and a faith that poses no threat to Roman government or society. It's also the greatest adventure story of all time.

About the Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series: This commentary series was written for the average layperson. Working from a literal translation of the original Greek, the commentary examines the text section by section, explaining its meaning in everyday language. Written from an Orthodox and patristic perspective, it maintains a balance between the devotional and the exegetical, feeding both the heart and the mind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781936270620
Publisher:	Ancient Faith Publishing
Publication date:	09/10/2018
Series:	Orthodox Bible Study Companion
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.79(d)

About the Author

Archpriest Lawrence Farley is the pastor of St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church (OCA) in Langley, B.C., Canada. He received his B.A. from Trinity College, Toronto, and his M.Div. from Wycliffe College, Toronto. A former Anglican priest, he converted to Orthodoxy in 1985 and studied for two years at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Seminary in Pennsylvania.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Series / 9

A Word about Scholarship and Translation / 9

Key to the Format of This Work / 11

Introduction to the Acts of the Apostles / 13

I. Opening: The Ascension and the Promise of the Spirit (1:1–11) / 17

II. The Church in Jerusalem (1:12—8:1a) / 25

1. The Gathering of the Disciples (1:12–26) / 25

2. Pentecost (2:1–47) / 30

3. Healing in the Temple and the First Arrest of the Apostles (3:1—4:31) / 44

4. Great Grace upon the Church: All Share Their Goods (4:32—5:16) / 59

5. Second Arrest of the Apostles (5:17–42) / 65

6. Jerusalem Ministry of Stephen (6:1—8:1a) / 72

III. The Church Spreads to Judea and Samaria (8:1b–40) / 93

1. Persecution Spreads the Church to Judea and Samaria (8:1b–3) / 93

2. Samaritan Ministry of Philip (8:4–8) / 94

3. Philip and Simon the Magus (8:9–24) / 95

4. Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (8:25–40) / 100

IV. The Church Spreads to the Gentiles (9:1—11:18) / 105

1. The Conversion of Saul (9:1–31) / 105

2. Peter Preaches to the Gentiles (9:32—10:48) / 114

3. Jerusalem Blesses the Gentile Mission (11:1–18) / 129

V. The Church Founded at Gentile Antioch (11:19—15:35) / 133

1. Jerusalem Blesses the Church at Antioch (11:19–26) / 133

2. Antioch Sends Aid to Judean Poor (11:27—12:25) / 136

3. First Missionary Journey of Paul (13:1—14:28) / 145

4. Jerusalem Council Vindicates Gentile Mission (15:1–35) / 168

VI. Paul’s Further Journeys (15:36—21:16) / 179

1. Second Missionary Journey of Paul (15:36—18:22) / 179

2. Third Missionary Journey (18:23—21:16) / 217

VII. Paul in Jerusalem (21:17—26:32) / 255

1. Arrival (21:17–26) / 255

2. Arrest (21:27–36) / 261

3. Paul’s Address to Jerusalem Jews (21:37—22:30) / 265

4. Paul’s Address to the Sanhedrin (23:1–30) / 275

5. Paul’s Address to Felix at Caesarea (23:31—24:27) / 283

6. Paul Appeals to Caesar (25:1–12) / 293

7. Paul’s Address to Agrippa (25:13—26:32) / 297

VIII. Paul and the Gospel in Rome (27:1—28:31) / 313

1. Voyage to Rome and Shipwreck on Malta (27:1–44) / 313

2. Malta (28:1–10) / 324

3. Voyage to Rome (28:11–15) / 328

4. Paul at Rome (28:16–31) / 329

A Postscript / 335

Luke’s Narrative and Paul’s Subsequent Fate / 335

“Acts 29”: The Ongoing History of the Orthodox Church / 336

Appendix

A Chronolgy of Acts / 339