Many Convincing Proofs: Persuasive phenomena associated with gospel proclamation in Acts
333Many Convincing Proofs: Persuasive phenomena associated with gospel proclamation in Acts
333Overview
While there have been various studies examining the contents of the evangelistic proclamation in Acts; and various studies examining, from one angle or another, individual persuasive phenomena described in Acts (e.g., the use of the Jewish Scriptures); no individual studies have sought to identify the key persuasive phenomena presented by Luke in this book, or to analyse their impact upon the book’s early audiences.
This study identifies four key phenomena – the Jewish Scriptures, witnessed supernatural events, the Christian community and Greco-Roman cultural interaction. By employing a textual analysis of Acts that takes into account both narrative and socio-historical contexts, the impact of these phenomena upon the early audiences of Acts – that is, those people who heard or read the narrative in the first decades after its completion – is determined.
The investigation offers some unique and nuanced insights into evangelistic proclamation in Acts; persuasion in Acts, persuasion in the ancient world; each of the persuasive phenomena discussed; evangelistic mission in the early Christian church; and the growth of the early Christian church.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9783110460193 |
---|---|
Publisher: | De Gruyter |
Publication date: | 03/21/2016 |
Series: | Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft , #221 |
Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
Format: | eBook |
Pages: | 333 |
File size: | 5 MB |
Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Stephen S. Liggins, Sydney, Australia.
Table of Contents
Note on references and style xiii
Abbreviations xv
Chapter 1 Introduction 1
1.1 Topic and approach 1
1.2 The key persuasive phenomena 3
Evangelistic proclamation in Acts 4
Persuasive phenomena 7
Key persuasive phenomena 8
Less prominent persuasive phenomena 13
Method of classification 13
1.3 Methodology 14
Narrative influence 15
Socio-historical influence 19
1.4 Structure 25
Chapter 2 Early audiences and their perception of Acts 27
2.1 The early audience perspective 27
2.2 The early audiences of Acts 27
The author of Acts 27
The early audiences of Acts 29
2.3 The genre of Acts 35
2.4 The credibility of Acts 38
Speeches 39
The supernatural 42
Chapter 3 Jewish and Greco-Roman persuasive religious communication 44
3.1 Preliminary matters 44
3.2 Jewish persuasive religious communication 46
3.3 Persuasive phenomena associated with Jewish proselytising and conversion to Judaism 47
Josephus' account of the conversion of the royal house of Adia-bene (Jewish Antiquities 20.17-96) 49
Josephus' Jewish Antiquities other accounts relevant to proselytising and conversion 54
Josephus' Against Apion 57
Philo's On the Life of Moses 60
Philo on the welcoming of converts 61
The Letter of Aristeas 62
The Third Sibylline Oracle 64
Horace's Satires 1.4.138 - 43 66
Other references to Jewish proselytising 66
Summary 67
3.4 Persuasive phenomena and Jewish persuasive religious communication 68
Jewish Scriptures 68
Human physical coercion (use or threat) 70
Greco-Roman cultural interaction 71
Good character 73
Jewish community 74
Witnessed supernatural events 75
Other persuasive phenomena 77
Summary 79
3.5 Greco-Roman persuasive communication 79
3.6 Persuasive phenomena associated with Greco-Roman proselytising and adoption of Greco-Roman religions 80
Lucian on Alexander's Cult of Glycon (Alexander the False Prophet) 81
Livy on the Bacchanalia (Ab Urbe Condita 39.8 - 19) 85
Plutarch on the Oracle of Mopsus (De defectu oraculorum 45) 86
Apuleius on the Cult of Isis (The Golden Ass 11) 87
Horace on Jupiter (Odes 1.34) 88
1 Maccabees 1:41 - 53 88
Acts 8:9 - 11 89
The Emperor Cult 90
Summary 96
3.7 Persuasive phenomena and Greco-Roman persuasive communication 96
Witnessed supernatural events 97
Human physical coercion (use or threat) 99
Visual/concrete phenomena 100
Greco-Roman cultural interaction 101
Greco-Roman rhetoric 101
Oracles 104
Community 104
Other persuasive phenomena 104
Summary 106
3.8 A brief comparison of Jewish and Greco-Roman persuasive religious communication 107
Chapter 4 Persuasive phenomena associated with evangelistic ministry in Acts 1 - 12 109
4.1 Introduction 109
4.2 Luke's presentation of Peter 110
4.3 Persuasive phenomena associated with evangelistic ministry in Acts 1 - 12 110
Acts 1:1 - 12: Introduction 110
Acts 1:13 - 26: Peter's leadership in the early Christian community 112
Acts 2:1 - 41: Peter's paradigmatic ministry at Pentecost 115
A paradigmatic passage 116
Persuasive phenomena 119
Acts 2:42 - 47: Peter and the paradigmatic summary of the early Jerusalem Christian community, Part 1 130
A paradigmatic passage 130
Persuasive phenomena 131
Acts 3:1 - 4:4: Peter speaks in the temple 135
Acts 4:5 - 22: Peter speaks before the Sanhedrin, Part 1 140
Acts 4:23 - 31: Peter and the Christians pray 141
Acts 4:32 - 37: Peter and the early Jerusalem Christian community, Part 2 142
Acts 5:1 - 11: Peter and community discipline 142
Acts 5:12- 16: Peter and the early Jerusalem Christian community, Part 3 143
Acts 5:17 - 42: Peter speaks before the Sanhedrin, Part 2 145
Acts 6:1 - 7: The choosing of the Seven 146
Acts 6:8 - 8:3: The arrest, speech and stoning of Stephen 147
Acts 8:4 - 25: Philip, Peter and John in Samaria 149
Acts 8:26 - 40: Philip and the Ethiopian 152
Acts 9:1 - 31: Saul's conversion and early ministry 153
Acts 9:32 - 43: Peter in Lydda and Joppa 154
Acts 10:1 - 11:18: Peter's paradigmatic ministry at Cornelius' house 154
A paradigmatic passage 157
Persuasive phenomena 158
Acts 11:19 - 30: The church at Antioch 162
Acts 12:1 - 25: Peter's escape and the death of Herod 163
Peter in Acts 13 28 164
4.4 Brief comments 164
Chapter 5 Persuasive phenomena associated with evangelistic ministry in Acts 13-28 165
5.1 Introduction 165
5.2 Luke's presentation of Paul 165
5.3 Persuasive phenomena associated with evangelistic ministry in Acts 13-28 166
Saul/Paul in Acts 1 - 12 166
Acts 13:1 - 3: Saul/Paul and Barnabas sent out 166
Acts 13:4 - 12: Saul/Paul on Cyprus 168
Acts 13:13 - 52: Paul's paradigmatic ministry in Pisidian Antioch 169
A paradigmatic passage 170
Persuasive phenomena 171
Acts 14:1 - 6: Paul in Iconium 175
Acts 14:6 - 21: Paul in Lystra and Derbe 176
Acts 14:21 - 28: Paul follows up churches, Part 1 180
Acts 15:1 - 35: Paul and the Council at Jerusalem 180
Acts 15:36 - 16:5: Paul follows up churches, Part 2 182
Acts 16:6 - 40: Paul in Philippi 183
Acts 17:1 - 9: Paul in Thessalonica 186
Acts 17:10 - 14: Paul in Berea 187
Acts 17:15 - 34: Paul's paradigmatic ministry in Athens 188
A paradigmatic passage 189
Persuasive phenomena 191
Acts 18:1 - 18: Paul in Corinth 196
Acts 18:19 - 23: Paul in Ephesus, Part 1; and Paul follows up churches, Part 3 196
Acts 18:24 - 28: Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos 197
Acts 19:1 - 20:1: Paul in Ephesus, Part 2 198
Acts 20:1 - 38: Paul follows up churches, Part 199
Acts 21:1 - 36: Paul approaches and arrives in Jerusalem 200
Acts 21:37 - 22:22: Paul speaks to the Jerusalem crowd 200
Acts 22:23 - 23:11: Paul before the Sanhedrin 202
Acts 23:12 - 24:27: Paul's transfer to Caesarea and his trial be-fore Felix 203
Acts 25:1 - 22: Paul's trial before Festus, who then consults King Agrippa 204
Acts 25:23 - 26:32: Paul's paradigmatic speech before King Agrippa and Festus 204
A paradigmatic passage 206
Persuasive phenomena 206
Acts 27:1- 28:14: Paul travels to Rome 208
Acts 28:15 - 31: Paul in Rome 209
5.4 Brief comments 210
Chapter 6 Impact upon early audiences of Acts Part 1: Phenomena, contexts and influence 211
6.1 Introduction 211
6.2 Jewish Scriptures 212
The What? 212
The Where? 213
The How? 217
6.3 Witnessed supernatural events 218
The What? 218
The Where? 221
The How? 224
6.4 Christian community 225
The What? 225
The Where? 227
The How? 229
6.5 Greco-Roman cultural interaction 229
The What? 229
The Where? 232
The How? 232
6.6 Human physical coercion (use or threat) 233
The What? 233
The Where? 233
The How? 233
6.7 Summary 234
Chapter 7 Impact upon early audiences of Acts - Part 2: The ongoing mission 235
7.1 Introduction 235
7.2 Ongoing mission 236
7.3 The early audiences' role 238
7.4 The place of key persuasive phenomena 240
Jewish Scriptures 242
Witnessed supernatural events 243
Christian community 247
Greco-Roman cultural interaction 248
Human physical coercion (use or threat) 249
7.5 Summary 250
Chapter 8 Conclusion 252
8.1 Introduction 252
8.2 Distinctive findings 252
Addendum
Tables 259
Table 1 261
Bibliography 264
A Reference works 264
A.1 Reference works General 264
A.2 Reference works Online 264
B Primary sources 265
B.1 Biblical and associated Jewish texts 265
B.2 Jewish and Greco-Roman authors 265
B.3 Other primary sources 272
C Secondary sources 273
Index of ancient texts 291
Index of modern authors 314