Preface and Acknowledgments
Preface and Acknowledgments
When my friend Michael Thomson suggested publishing a collection of my prior essays on Acts, I readily agreed. Some of these essays are difficult to obtain, and some of them include material not found even in my four-volume Acts commentary, and certainly not arranged as the material is arranged in that commentary. These essays span a range of time and topics related to Acts, although most involve its historical setting in some respects. Some address contemporary questions such as postcolonialism, Pentecostal theology or African history; most are grounded exegetically and address issues relevant to the text of Acts. I have adapted some of these essays, editing and occasionally updating; others appear here as they originally appeared, except for light editing for the purposes of inclusion in this volume.
Here I gladly acknowledge the permission of publishers of the original articles, in connection with the following chapters:
1. Luke-Acts and the Historical Jesus: from “Luke-Acts and the Historical Jesus.” Pages 600–623 in Jesus Research: New Methodologies and Perceptions. The Second Princeton-Prague Symposium on Jesus Research. Ed. James Charlesworth with Brian Rhea and Petr Pokorny. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014. Reprinted by permission of William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
2. First-Person Claims in Acts and in Ancient History: from “First-Person Claims in Some Ancient Historians and Acts.” Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 10 (2014): 9–23. Reprinted by permission from Sheffield Phoenix.
3. Apologetic for Paul in Acts: from “Paul and Sedition: Pauline Apologetic in Acts.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 22 (2, 2012): 201–24. Reprinted by permission from Penn State University Press.
4. The Church’s Disputed Growth Rate in Acts: from “The Plausibility of Luke’s Growth Figures in Acts 2.41; 4.4; 21.20.” Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 7 (2010): 140–63. Reprinted by permission from Sheffield Phoenix.
5. A Novel Official in Acts 8:27? Comparing Acts and Ancient Novels: from “Novels’ ‘Exotic’ Places and Luke’s African Official (Acts 8:27).” Andrews University Seminary Studies 46 (1, 2008): 5–20. Reprinted by permission from Andrews University Seminary Studies.
6. Were Troops Really Stationed in Caesarea During Agrippa’s Rule?: from “Acts 10: Were Troops Stationed in Caesarea During Agrippa’s Rule?” Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 7 (2010): 164–76. Reprinted by permission from Sheffield Phoenix.
7. Dionysius or Stephanas: Did Paul Reach Athenians?: from “Note on Athens: Do 1 Corinthians 16:15 and Acts 17:34 Conflict?” Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 7 (2010): 137–39. Reprinted by permission from Sheffield Phoenix.
8. Interethnic Marriages in Acts 7:29 and 16:1–3: from “Interethnic Marriages in the New Testament (Matt 1:3–6; Acts 7:29; 16:1–3; 1 Cor 7:14).” Criswell Theological Review n.s. 6 (2, Spring 2009): 25–43. Reprinted by permission from Criswell Theological Review.
9. Irony and Figurative Language: Inverted Guilt in Acts 7:55–60 and Paul’s Vote in Acts 26:10: from “Three Notes on Figurative Language: Inverted Guilt in Acts 7:55–60, Paul’s Figurative Vote in Acts 26:10, Figurative Eyes in Galatians 4:15.” Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 5 (2008): 41–49. Reprinted by permission from Sheffield Phoenix.
10. Turning from Idols in Acts 14:15–17: from “The Exhortation to Monotheism in Acts 14:15–17.” Pages 47–70 in Kingdom Rhetoric: New Testament Explorations in Honor of Ben Witherington III. Edited by T. Michael W. Halcomb. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2013.
11. Between Asia and Europe: Postcolonial Mission in Acts 16:8–10: from “Between Asia and Europe: Postcolonial Mission in Acts 16:8–10.” Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 11 (1–2, 2008): 3–14. Reprinted by permission of the Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies, APTS Press.
12. How were Asiarchs Paul’s friends (Acts 19:31)?: “Paul’s ‘Friends’ the Asiarchs (Acts 19.31).” Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism 3 (2006): 134–41. Reprinted by permission from Sheffield Phoenix.
13. One New Temple: Acts 21 as the backdrop for Eph 2:11–22: from “One New Temple in Christ (Eph 2:11–22; Acts 21:27–29; Mk 11:17; Jn 4:20–24).” Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 12 (1, January 2009): 75–92. Reprinted by permission of the Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies, APTS Press.
14. Some Rhetorical Techniques in Acts 24: from “Some Rhetorical Techniques in Acts 24:2–21.” Pages 221–51 in Paul’s World. Ed. Stanley E. Porter. PAST 4. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 2008. Reprinted by permission from Brill.
15. Insanity, Inspiration or Intellect: Paul’s Madness in Acts 26:24–25: from “Paul’s Positive Madness in Acts 26:24–25.” Pages 311–20 in Goldene Anfänge und Aufbrüche: Johann Jakob Wettstein und die Apostelgeschichte. Arbeiten zur Bibel und Ihrer Geschichte. Edited by Manfred Lang and Joseph Verheyden. Lepizig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, 2016. Reprinted by permission from Manfred Lang on behalf of the publisher.
16. Fever and Dysentery in Acts 28:8 and Ancient Medicine: “Fever and Dysentery in Acts 28:8 and Ancient Medicine.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 19 (3, 2009): 393–402. Reprinted by permission from Penn State University Press.
17. Miracles and History in Acts and the Jesus Tradition: from “Miracle Reports and the Argument from Analogy.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 25 (4, 2015): 475–95. Reprinted by permission from Penn State University Press.
18. Power of Pentecost: Luke’s Missiology in Acts 1—2: from “Power of Pentecost: Luke’s Missiology in Acts 1—2.” Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 12 (1, Jan. 2009): 47–73. Reprinted by permission of the Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies, APTS Press.
19. Tongues as Evidence of the Character of the Spirit’s Empowerment in Acts: “Tongues as Evidence of the Character of the Spirit’s Empowerment in Acts.” Pages 227–38 in A Light to the Nations: Explorations in Ecumenism, Missions, and Pentecostalism. Foreword by Byron D. Klaus. Eugene, Ore.: Pickwick, 2017.
20. Acts 16:16–18, 19:12–16, and Spirit Possession in Modern Anthropology: from “Spirit Possession as a Cross-Cultural Experience.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 20 (2, 2010): 215–36. Reprinted by permission from Penn State University Press.
21. A Spirit-Filled Teaching Ministry in Acts 19:9: “A Spirit-Filled Teaching Ministry in Acts 19:9.” 46–58 in Trajectories in the Book of Acts: Essays in Honor of John Wesley Wyckoff. Ed. Jordan May, Paul Alexander, and Robert G. Reid. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2010.
22. Anticipating Ancient African Christianity: from “The Aftermath of the Ethiopian Eunuch.” The A.M.E. Church Review 118 (385, January 2002): 112–24. Reprinted by permission from Dr. Teresa L. Fry Brown, Historiographer of the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Finally, as a sort of appendix, I include sample reviews (i.e., my own reviews) of a few other works on Acts.