A Bible Study on the Book of Acts Session 1
The Church of the Holy Apostles;
Based upon the Homilies of St John Chrysostom (SJC)
How to Study the Holy Scriptures:
1. Purchase a quality Bible. I personally recommend the Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) but many quality translations exist. In choosing a translation, you should pay close attention to WHO is the publisher or sponsor. Since there is ALWAYS something lost in translation, how an edition chooses to handle “difficult” words will affect the theology presented. (REF 2 Thess 2.15)
Original Greek Ἀρα ουν, αδελφοί, στήκετε και κρατείτε τας παραδόσεις
NKJ Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions
NIV So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings
BBE So then, brothers, be strong in purpose, and keep the teaching
NLT With all these things in mind, dear brothers and sisters, stand firm and keep a strong grip on everything we taught you
GNB So then, our friends, stand firm and hold on to those truths
AB So then, brethren, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions and instructions
There are several FREE online bibles which easily switch among a variety of translations.
www.BibleGateway.com(includes FREE APP)
www.eBible.com(includes FREE APP)
You can purchase the OSB for Kindle or on GooglePlay
2. Purchase a bilingual Bible. Anyone serious with studying the Holy Scriptures will want an edition that has the original and their own language. Neslte/Aland has become the “standard” Greek-English edition for “lay-scholarship” and is what I use. I also have a Greek-Greek edition with the original AND modern Greek. I have found it helps to see how the Greek scholars have translated their own original since there “less lost” in cultural nuances etc. SJC in his homily “On the Obscurity of the Old Testament” also spoke of the difficulty inherent in translations, so this is not a new struggle in understanding the Holy Scriptures.
3. Read on a regular basis. You should find a good time during which you can sit and read long enough to “absorb” something, but not so long that you don’t want to do it. Daily is always better. There are two ways to read: for content and for context. When reading for CONTEXT do not stop to analyze words and phrases. Just read to absorb the story. When reading for CONTENT stop, take notes, write down questions, flip back and forth etc. BOTH are needed for quality study.
4. Notes/Highlights/References. Some write so much you can’t see the actual text, while others would ‘NEVER’ write in their Bible. I keep two Bibles: one for CONTEXT reading and one for CONTENT reading. I make notes, highlights, questions etc in the CONTENT edition. This way, when I am reading just for context, I don’t get ‘confused’ by all my previous notes. As you grow, you comments will grow/change with you. While the meaning of the Holy Scriptures doesn’t change, the application in YOUR life will always change. The new “e-books” editions are a great solution for this. You can highlight/add notes/ without having them clutter your text.
How will we proceed? This study will be based upon the homilies of St John Chrysostom which were preached during the Pentecost Period (between Pascha and Pentecost) in 400/401 CE. In preparation for our weekly study, I suggest the following:
1. Read Acts in its entirety every week. It will accomplish two main objectives.
a. You will begin to see the “whole pictures” and better understand the connections Luke makes throughout.
b. You will begin to internalize the Scriptures so you can recall its contents for life applications. If you can’t remember where something resides, you can’t call upon its wisdom.
2. Read the Homilies of SJC on Acts. They can be found free online at:
a. Christian Classics Ethereal Library www.ccel.org
b. New Advent Fathers www.newadvent.org
c. Christian Book Distributors www.Christianbook.com(FOR PURCHASE)
Author and Date: It is commonly accepted that Acts was written 75-85CE by Luke as a “second part” of the Gospel According to Luke. In fact it has become common to refer to “Luke-Acts” when referring to either in study circles.
Evidence for Luke Authorship as explained by SJC:
1. “The greater part, however of this work is occupied with the acts of Paul” (REF 2 Tim 4.11)
2. “Only Luke is with me.” (2 Tim 4.11)
3. “According to Gospel which you received.” (REF 1 Cor 15.1) For SJC this refers to Luke. Although scholars disagree with this interpretation of 1 Cor 15.1, they DO agree on Luke’s authorship.
4. “The former account I made, O Theophilus…” (REF Acts 1.1)
Content of Acts:
1. The story of what was to come to pass in the life of the Disciples that had been foretold in the Gospel by Christ.
2. Transformation of the Apostles and their life witnesses
3. Doctrines relating to our salvation
4. Acts of St Paul
Themes in Acts:
1. As Christ condescended to the level of humanity to later raise them up, the Apostles condescended to the level of their “hearers” to THEN gradually bring them to higher levels of the truth.
2. “For the first thing required in the first instance was this that it should be believed that He was risen, and ascended into Heaven.” SJC
Life Application:
Christ condescended – Apostles Condescended – St Paul Condescended – Acts Condescended – WE should also condescend. When we encounter others on behalf of Christ, we should follow the same method. We should begin at their level and gradually bring them to higher truths.
How do we accomplish this? Acts demonstrates the Resurrection so that once believed, greater truths could be bared especially by those who had just converted. = Theosis