ACTS

DARRELL L. BOCK

Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

©2007 by Darrell L. Bock

Published by Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakeracademic.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bock, Darrell L.

Acts / Darrell L. Bock.

p. cm.—(Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament)

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN 10: 0-8010-2668-7 (cloth)

ISBN 978-0-8010-2668-3 (cloth)

1. Bible. N.T. Acts—Commentaries. I. Title.

BS2625.53.B63 2007

226.4′077—dc22

2007010840

To my colleagues at Dallas Theological Seminary, Talbot Theological Seminary, Tyndale House, Bengelhaus, and the universities of Aberdeen and Tübingen for their friendship, fellowship, encouragement, and instruction

And, most especially, to Sally Bock, whose life defines faithfulness

Contents

Series Preface

Author’s Preface

Abbreviations

Transliteration

Map

Introduction to Acts

I. Introduction: Jesus Ascends to the Father and Gives a Mission (1:1–11)

A. Review of Book 1 to the Ascension (1:1–5)

B. The Ascension and Final Testament: A Promise for the Disciples Now and a Promise to Return (1:6–11)

II. The Early Church in Jerusalem (1:12–6:7)

A. Community Life: Replacing Judas by Depending on God and Reconstituting the Twelve (1:12–26)

B. Pentecost (2:1–41)

C. Summary: Community Life (2:42–47)

D. The Healing of the Lame Man and the Arrest of Peter and John (3:1–4:31)

E. Community Life and Problems (4:32–5:11)

F. Summary: Signs and Wonders (5:12–16)

G. More Persecution (5:17–42)

H. Community Life: The Appointment of the Seven to Help Hellenist Widows (6:1–6)

I. Summary of the Jerusalem Community (6:7)

III. Persecution in Jerusalem Moves the Message to Judea and Samaria as a New Witness Emerges (6:8–9:31)

A. The Arrest, Speech, and Martyrdom of Stephen (6:8–8:1a)

B. Saul the Persecutor and the Spread of the Word (8:1b–4)

C. Philip in Samaria and with a Eunuch from Ethiopia (8:5–40)

D. The Conversion and Early Reception of Saul (9:1–30)

E. Closing Summary (9:31)

IV. The Gospel to the Gentiles and More Persecution in Jerusalem (9:32–12:25)

A. Peter Performs Two Miracles at Lydda and Joppa (9:32–43)

B. Peter and Cornelius: The Gospel to the Gentiles (10:1–11:18)

C. The Church at Antioch: Barnabas, Saul, and Agabus (11:19–30)

D. Persecution in Jerusalem (12:1–23)

E. Summary (12:24–25)

V. The Mission from Antioch and the Full Incorporation of Gentiles (13:1–15:35)

A. The First Missionary Journey (13:1–14:28)

B. Consultation at Jerusalem (15:1–35)

VI. The Second and Third Missionary Journeys: Expansion to Greece and Consolidation amid Opposition (15:36–21:16)

A. The ...