http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=5308
Apologetics and the Growth of the Early Church
To
say that the first-century church was a growing church would be a major
understatement. The early church did not merely grow; she exploded onto
the scene and continued multiplying in number for many years. About
3,000 souls obeyed the Gospel the very day the church was born in
Jerusalem almost 2,000 years ago (Acts 2:41). To that number, “the Lord
added…daily those who were being saved” (2:47). Despite attempts to
stifle the preaching of Jesus and the growth of His church, “many of
those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men
1
came to be about five thousand” (Acts 4:4). “Believers were
increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women”
(5:14). In Jerusalem, “the disciples multiplied greatly;” even “a great
many” of the Jewish priests were “obedient to the faith” (6:7). In
Samaria, “the multitudes with one accorded heeded the things spoken by
Philip” (8:6); “both men and women were baptized” (8:12). Indeed, “the
church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria…continued to
increase” (9:31, NASB).
After Paul’s conversion to Christ, He took the Gospel to Cilicia where
the young “churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in
number daily” (16:5). Later, “all who dwelt in Asia [Minor] heard the
word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (19:10). Even Paul’s
enemies testified to how “throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has
persuaded and turned away many people” from idolatry (19:26). Paul and
his companions also carried the Gospel to Europe, where “a great
multitude of the devout Greeks, and not a few of the leading women”
joined them (17:4). And what did Paul learn upon his return to Jerusalem
following his third missionary journey? That “
many myriads of Jews” had come to believe in Jesus (21:20). That is, within less than 30 years, the Lord’s church had increased to become
many tens of thousands of Christians strong.
2
Causes of Growth in the Early Church
The early church increased in number so dramatically in a relatively
short period of time for a variety of reasons. First, the church of
Christ was not established at “just anytime” in history. “Before time
began” God purposed to offer salvation to the world through Christ Jesus
(2 Timothy 1:9). God planned for Jesus to come to Earth and for His
church to be established
at a special and specific point in time in human history,
which God chose and foretold. So, “when the fullness of time had come”
(Galatians 4:4), that is, “the time which God in His infinite wisdom
counted best,”
3 Jesus came to Earth and subsequently established His promised, prophesied, and prepared-for church.
4 Thus, a rapidly growing early church should come as no surprise.
Still, human beings have free will. Simply because God foreknew that
the early Christians would multiply in number throughout the world does
not mean He overrode their ability to reject the Gospel or to reach out
to others with it (even if they did initially obey it). The early church
grew so rapidly because the apostles, evangelists, and early Christians
were courageous in their constant teaching and preaching of the Word of
God. The Christians increased in number because they put a priority on
souls and eternal salvation rather than upon materialism and temporary,
earthly matters. Despite negative peer pressure, poverty, and
persecution, the early church grew because so many disciples were
committed (individually and collectively) to telling the world that the
Savior, the promised Messiah, had died and risen from the dead, and
“commands all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). They were a
praying and preaching people
who would not be stopped.
5 In fact, for so many early Christians, death was the only thing that would keep them from spreading the Good News of Jesus.
6 Ironically, it was the death of Stephen and the great persecution that arose against the church in Jerusalem which actually
assisted
in the spread of the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Phoenicia, Cyprus, and
many other places around the world (Acts 8:1-4; 11:19-20).
A Major (Yet Often-Overlooked) Contributing Factor to the Early Church’s Growth
Indeed, the kingdom of Christ grew so rapidly in the first century for a
number of noteworthy reasons (which, incidentally, Christians in every
generation desperately need to emulate in their work for the Lord). Yet,
one reason for the rapidly expanding early church often gets ignored in
today’s shallow, better-felt-than-told religious environment: the
first-century Christians’
commitment to apologetics.
What Is Apologetics?
Sometime ago a Christian lady e-mailed our offices at Apologetics
Press, saying, “I am leery of your name...apologetics…. I am a servant
of the Living God and have no need to apologize for anything. But I am
seeking an answer and saw your site. So please if you may, answer me
this....” In truth, we were happy to respond to Jennifer and let her
know that apologetics is, in fact, all about giving answers (and not
“apologizing,” as so many think of it in 21
st-century America). The English word apologetics is derived from the Greek
apologia, meaning, “defense.”
7
God does not want Christians to “apologize” (be sorry for) their
allegiance to the Lord. Rather, as Peter declared, “[S]anctify the Lord
God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a
defense (
apologian)
to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with
meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). The word apologetics can apply to
almost any subject matter, but most often it is discussed in the context
of Christian apologetics. God expects Christians to give an outward
defense of their inward hope. He wants His people, not to take up swords
in an attempt to spread Christianity with carnal warfare, but to charge
ahead with “knowledge” and “the word of truth” (2 Corinthians 6:6-7).
Disciples of Christ look to “destroy arguments and every proud obstacle
to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ”
(2 Corinthians 10:5, RSV). God desires for Christians to base their
actions upon Truth that is honestly and logically defended rather than
false doctrine, which is dishonestly or naively accepted and emotionally
driven.
Admittedly, the early Christians were full of emotions. They joyfully
recognized that the long-awaited, much-anticipated Messiah had just
recently come into the world and established His spiritual kingdom.
8
They penitently acknowledged their sins (Acts 2:37; 8:24). They
lovingly sacrificed their material possessions in order to help the poor
among them (4:32-37). They were concerned for the safety of their
brethren who preached openly in the face of their enemies (21:12). They
rejoiced “that they were counted worthy to suffer shame” for the name of
Jesus (4:41) and courageously continued “preaching the kingdom of God
and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all
confidence” (28:31). But in the end, whatever feelings they had,
whatever emotions they felt—these sensations were not the driving force
behind their allegiance to Jesus Christ. The early church grew in faith
and number, not because they had a better-felt-than-told kind of
religion, but because they sincerely believed Truth (cf. John 8:21-36),
which they were joyfully committed to spreading and defending.
Luke’s Opening of Acts
Luke, the physician and inspired writer of Acts, sets the “defense”
tone from the very beginning of his brief history of the first 30 years
of the Lord’s church. In the first sentence, He reminds his readers of
his previous account (the Gospel of Luke), where he recorded those
things that Jesus did and taught. In the very next sentence, he
concisely, yet reasonably, addressed one critical piece of evidence that
would be repeated throughout Acts
9 and that lies at the
heart of the Good News: Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. How did Luke
briefly convey the resurrection of Christ? Was it merely an unverifiable
“hope” that he communicated? Did he make an emotionally based appeal
using flowery words? Not at all. From the very outset, Luke set an
apologetic tone for the book of Acts.
Luke indicated that to the apostles Jesus “presented Himself alive
after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God” (1:3, ESV). Notice that Luke
affirms that Jesus “
presented” (
parestasen)
Himself alive. Jesus’ dead body was not stolen and buried elsewhere. He
did not just escape the tomb to leave everyone in doubt about a possible
resurrection. He “presented” or “showed” (NIV) Himself. Luke used this
term 13 times in Acts, including in Acts 9:41 where, after God raised
Dorcas from the dead, Luke noted that Peter “called the saints and
widows” and “
presented her alive” to them. He proved to
them that she was no longer dead. Likewise, the once-lifeless body of
the Lord rose from the dead, and then, over the next 40 days, Jesus
repeatedly
presented Himself alive to the apostles—offering “many proofs.”
Jesus did not offer vague, subliminal messages to His apostles in order
to convince them of His resurrection. He did not offer mere whispers in
the wind. Luke reminds his readers that Jesus offered “many
proofs” (
pollois tekmanriois). According to Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich,
tekmanriois is “that which causes something to be known
in a convincing and decisive manner.”
10 No wonder several reputable translations include the word “infallible” or “convincing” alongside “proofs” in Acts 1:3.
11 Jesus did not just offer a little support of His resurrection; He gave many “surely and plainly known,”
12 convincing proofs that He had risen from the dead.
So, to what exactly is Luke referring? No doubt to some of the very
proofs that he discussed in his “former account” (and that the other
gospel writers gave in their treatises). During the 40 days that Jesus
was on Earth after His resurrection and prior to His ascension, He
appeared to several individuals at different times, including on one
occasion to more than 500 disciples (1 Corinthians 15:5-8). When He
appeared to the apostles, He showed them His pierced hands and feet and
challenged them to “handle” Him in order to “see” that He was not a mere
spirit, “for a spirit does not have flesh and bones” as Jesus had (Luke
24:39). As further physical proof of His “flesh and bones” bodily
resurrection, Jesus actually ate with the apostles (Luke 24:41-43). (If
you want to prove to someone that you are a real, physical being, eating
actual food in their presence would certainly be appropriate
confirmation.) Lastly, the Master Teacher taught them the Scriptures
(Luke 24:44-49). Indeed, as Luke testified, Jesus gave an
apologia—He “
presented Himself alive after his suffering
by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3, emp. added).
Peter’s Defense on Pentecost
On the first Pentecost after the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, Peter stood before thousands of Jews and
reasoned with
them about becoming followers of the recently crucified descendant of
David. Consider that his sermon was not an emotionally based appeal for
his hearers to “repent…and be baptized” (Acts 2:38). No, in contrast to
incoherent, drunken babblers (2:15), Peter testified that what the
assembly was hearing and witnessing—the apostles miraculously speaking
in languages which they had never studied (2:6,8,11)—was a fulfillment
of Joel’s 800-year-old prophecy. Furthermore, Peter reminded his hearers
that God “attested” (
apodedeigmenon) to the miracles that Jesus worked while He was alive and in their midst. That is, God “demonstrated”
13
proof of the divine origin, message, and mission of Christ in such a
way that people could actually see the evidence and make an informed,
rational decision about Him.
The assembly on Pentecost knew that Jesus had been “put to death” only
days earlier (2:23), but unlike the tomb of King David, Jesus’ tomb was
empty only three days later. Unlike the body of David, which saw
corruption, the dead body of Christ had been raised and would never see
corruption. Notice that Peter directed the assembly to evaluate the
evidence for
Jesus’ resurrection, including the implied empty tomb (2:24,29-32), the
fulfillment of Psalm 16:8-11 (2:25-31), and the witnesses who stood
before them testifying that they had actually seen the risen Savior
(2:32).
The some 3,000 individuals who obeyed the Gospel on Pentecost were not
swayed by flowery words, phony miracles, or mere emotional appeals. They
were “cut to the heart” by reason-and-revelation-based preaching. They
reacted to a sermon filled with sensible argumentation and properly
applied Scriptures. They responded to the
apologia of Christ—to Christian apologetics.
Apologetics and the Preaching of Paul
How did the second greatest missionary the world has ever known (the
first being Jesus, of course; Luke 19:10) go about publicly and
privately proclaiming the Word of God? What did he say to people? How
did he lay out the Gospel before his hearers? Was he like so many
modern-day preachers and televangelists who appear infatuated with
entertaining audiences with emotionally based productions? Did he ramble
on about needing a mere “self-help,” feel-good religion to get through
the trials of life and onward to heaven? What did God do through Paul
that resulted in so many people in the first century hearing the Gospel
and becoming dedicated servants in the Kingdom of God?
Christians do not have to wonder or speculate what Paul did. The
inspired book of Acts details more about Paul’s work and teachings than
anyone else’s in the early church.
Just read Acts
and you will find that from the time Paul became a Christian until the
close of the book (28:30-31), he preached rational, well-argued,
truth-based, thought-provoking sermons, “
proving (
sumbibazon) that…Jesus is the Christ” (9:22). The Greek word
sumbibazon means “to present a
logical conclusion;” to “demonstrate.”
14
Paul gave evidence that lead honest-hearted people to the logical
conclusion that, indeed, Jesus is the promised, prophesied Messiah: the
Savior of mankind.
Though space will not allow for an exhaustive review of all of Paul’s
work as an evangelist, consider some of what Luke recorded about Paul’s
preaching on just his second and third missionary journeys. Pay close
attention to the words that Paul himself used in his preaching and that
Luke, one of Paul’s traveling companions (16:10-16), recorded in
describing Paul’s work.
Thessalonica
After planting the church in Philippi and being asked to depart the
city by the unjust and cowardly magistrates (16:11-40), Paul travelled
to Thessalonica and entered a Jewish synagogue (which was his
custom—17:2).
15 There he “reasoned with them from the
Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer
and rise again from the dead, and saying, ‘This Jesus whom I preach to
you is the Christ’” (17:3-4).
In contrast to his jealous, unbelieving enemies, who used intimidation
tactics and mob-like violence to bring about a chaotic scene within the
city (17:5-9), the life-changing Gospel of Christ that Paul preached was
built upon facts that he explained and demonstrated using the Old
Testament Scriptures and the historical life of Christ. To “explain” (
dianoigo) is to “open” or to “interpret.”
16
Just as Jesus “opened the Scriptures” to the uninformed disciples on
the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:32), God used Paul “to open the sense of the
Scriptures” to the Thessalonians.
17 He demonstrated (
paratithami) to them by “pointing out” what they were missing.
18 Paul was pointing out or “bringing forward in proof passages of Scripture” and making “plain to the understanding the meaning.”
19 As Wayne Jackson so capably observed:
The apostle’s method of argument, impeccably logical, was to: 1)
Appeal to the authoritative Old Testament scriptures; 2) Direct
attention to the prophecies concerning “the Christ;” 3) Introduce the
fact of history relative to Jesus of Nazareth (e.g., His suffering,
death, and resurrection); 4) Press the conclusion that Jesus fulfills
the declarations regarding the promised Messiah.
This must be the foundation of all gospel preaching. Christianity is grounded in
solid, provable history. There are
facts
to be believed or else man cannot be a Christian. No teacher who
neglects this method of instruction can be effective in producing
genuine converts.
20
Those who were persuaded to become followers of Christ 2,000 years ago
in Thessalonica responded to Truth and to the fair and reasonable
interpretation of it.
Berea
The Bereans were open-hearted, honest investigators. Rather than
immediately shut their ears at the teaching of Paul because of some
bias, or rather than naively believing everything they heard without
serious investigation, the Bereans “were more fair-minded than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and
searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so”
(17:11). The Bereans had a more noble disposition than the many envious,
strife-causing Thessalonian Jews. The Bereans listened enthusiastically
(
prothumias)
21 to the teachings of Paul and Silas and searched or examined (
anakrino) the Old Testament Scriptures daily. The Greek word
anakrino means to “engage in careful study of a question;” to “question, examine.”
22 It is to “sift up and down;” “to make careful and exact research as in a legal process.”
23 In fact, Luke used this word elsewhere in the context of “a judicial inquiry or investigation.”
24 Indeed, similar to how Pilate “examined” (
anakrino) Jesus and found no fault with Him concerning the things of which He was being accused (Luke 23:14), the Bereans
examined the Scriptures daily to see whether the things that Paul preached were true.
And how did the Bereans respond to the Word of God? “Many of them
believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as
men” (17:12). “Many” people who made a continual, careful examination of
the Scriptures came to the conclusion that what Paul preached was true.
Consider this important implication: if the Bereans were honest-hearted
individuals who seriously investigated the teachings of Paul, and yet
came to the reasoned conclusion that Paul’s word was factual, then
Paul’s preaching was of such high caliber that it could withstand a
daily, judicial-type inquiry. Yes, the early church grew out of the New
Testament apostles’ and prophets’ commitment to “testable teaching” and
“provable preaching.” Indeed, Christian apologetics played a critical
role in the spiritual and numerical growth of the early church in Berea.
Athens
Paul journeyed from Berea down to Athens, where he found a city “full
of idols” (17:16). Notice that he became emotionally agitated
(“provoked;”
paroxuneto) by the thoroughly idolatrous and
spiritually ignorant city. “His spirit was aroused within him (by anger,
grief, or a desire to convert them)”
25—or perhaps all
three. He was not provoked in a sinful manner (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:5),
but with righteous exasperation he was moved to preach to a thoroughly
pagan people. Interestingly, Paul’s emotional, inward stirring did not
lead to an irrational, substanceless, emotional rant. On the contrary,
upon given the opportunity to speak in the midst of the Council of the
Areopogus,
26 Paul delivered a masterful
apologia before those who questioned his beliefs and teachings.
Paul did not begin with the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah,
which was his normal approach when reasoning with the Jews.
27
Paul never even directly quoted from the Scriptures. Why? Because Paul
knew that his audience on this occasion consisted of pagan Gentile
philosophers who knew little-to-nothing about the Old Testament and
certainly did not view it as divinely inspired and authoritative. So,
Paul began with something the Greeks recognized—an altar with the
inscription “TO THE UNKNOWN GOD” (17:23).
Paul enlightened the Athenians about this Deity (the true God) Whom
they publicly acknowledged not knowing (17:18,23). He spoke powerful
truths about the foolishness of idolatry, but seemingly as inoffensively
as possible. Rather than attack the Athenians as ignorant idolaters, He
reasoned with them about the existence of “God, who
made the world and everything in it,” Who is “Lord of heaven and earth,”
and “does not dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped
with men’s hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all
life, breath, and all things” (17:24-25). The God Paul served and
preached is the omnipotent Creator of the Universe and, marvelously, all
human beings are His offspring.
28 The clear conclusion that
Paul wanted his hearers to understand is that the true Divine Nature
could not possibly be represented by anything made of gold, silver, or
stone. “God certainly must be conceived as being infinitely greater than
man whom he has made; hence he cannot be like…anything that is far
beneath man, namely metal and stone although it be worked up ever so
artistically by man’s art and thought.”
29
Although some mocked Paul when he later testified to the resurrection
of Jesus (17:32), others were convinced by his sound reasoning “and
believed,” including Dionysius the Areopagite, “one of the twelve judges
of the Athenian Court,”
30 the Council of the Areopagus (17:34). Indeed, Paul’s public
apologia
on the supremacy of the true God of the Universe (over manmade idols)
had a positive impact on those who were sincerely interested in truth.
Ephesus
Whereas on Paul’s second missionary journey he only briefly visited the
city of Ephesus (Acts 18:19-21), on his next mission trip he remained
there for the next three years.
31 He began his work by
teaching a dozen disciples of John the Baptizer “the way of God more
accurately” (cf. 18:26), which logically led to these honest-hearted
souls being “baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus” (19:1-7). Paul then
spent the next three months in the synagogue “reasoning and persuading
concerning the things of the kingdom of God” (19:8). To “reason” (
dialegomai) like Paul frequently did is “to engage in speech interchange;” to “converse, discuss, argue;”
32 “to say thoroughly;”
33 used especially “of instructional discourse.”
34
Paul was an instructor of Truth that he could (and did) defend. He
rightly divided the Old Testament Scriptures and accurately applied the
relevant prophecies to Jesus and His kingdom. However, eventually “some
were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of the Way before the
multitude” (19:9). Thus, Paul chose to take the disciples with him to
the school of Tyrannus,
35 where he spent the next two years “reasoning (
dialegomai) daily” with them, “so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks” (19:9-10).
Although Paul decimated the illogicality of idolatry in Athens on his
second missionary journey (Acts 17), perhaps nowhere in the book of Acts
is the
contrast between true, Christian apologetics
and the irrationality of idolatry made clearer than in Ephesus (Acts
19). Paul had spent months in the local synagogue and years in the
school of Tyrannus “reasoning” about Christianity. Furthermore, God
worked amazing miracles through Paul as further proof that the apostle’s
message was of divine origin and not merely a tall tale repeated in
attempts to become rich and famous (19:11; cf. Hebrews 2:3-4). Paul
“coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel” (20:20:33). His message was
true; his defense was logical; and his intentions were honorable. The
Ephesian idolaters, however, were the exact opposite. In fact, they did
not even attempt to hide their religion-for-earthly-gain mindset.
“Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no
small profit to the craftsmen. He called them together with the workers
of similar occupation, and said: ‘Men, you know that we have our
prosperity by this trade,’” and, if Paul is not silenced, “this trade of
ours” is “in danger of falling into disrepute” and “the temple of the
great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed”
(19:24-25,27). Whereas Paul reasoned that “they are not gods which are
made with hands” (19:26), the pagan Ephesians were more concerned about
money and tradition than truth and reason (19:25). They proceeded to be
driven by angry emotions as “the whole city was filled with confusion,
and rushed into the theater with one accord…. [M]ost of them did not
even know why they had come together,” yet for
two hours
“all with one voice cried out...‘Great is Diana of the Ephesians!’”
(19:29,32,34). Imagine that—repeatedly shouting the same exact
expression (“
Megala a Artemis Ephesion”) for 120 minutes. As
Lenski noted, such is “typical mob psychology. There was no leader, no
sense, no object and purpose, no consideration even of the foolishness
of its own demonstration.”
36 Can you imagine repeating the
same phrase hundreds of times for 120 minutes? Even the unbelieving city
clerk of Ephesus could see that there was no legitimate “reason which
we may give to account for this disorderly gathering” (19:40).
Again, do not miss the stark contrast between the true Gospel of Jesus
Christ that Paul defended and the repetitive, emotionally charged
nonsense that Demetrius and the pagan Gentiles preached. Paul “persuaded
and turned away” (from idolatry to the true and living God) “many
people” in Ephesus and “throughout almost all Asia” (19:26). He did it
without force or the threat of force. He did it without reverting to
dishonest, better-felt-than-told, foolish tactics (which were not only
characteristic of the Ephesians, but also of many modern-day, phony
faith-healers, covetous prosperity preachers, and the like). Paul sought
to persuade open-minded, honest-hearted people to follow the Lord Jesus
Christ with crystal-clear arguments that could withstand scrutiny, with
Scripture that was rightly divided, and with genuine love for the Lord
and lost souls.
Conclusion
The Acts of the Apostles could be titled Acts of the Apologists, for
what the apostles and early disciples did throughout the book of Acts
was repeatedly give rational defenses of the Christian faith. Though
critics of Christianity often suggest that the Bible advocates a blind
faith, the Bible writers themselves expressly noted that they “did not
follow cunningly devised fables…but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2
Peter 1:16). The apostles bore witness of things that they had actually
“looked upon” and “handled” (1 John 1:1-2). They followed the example
of the Lord, Who was (and is) the Master logician.
37 They continually offered evidence for the case of Christianity as they spoke “words of truth and reason” (Acts 26:25).
And what was the result? What effect did such unadulterated, courageous
gospel teaching, preaching, and defending have on the world? Within 30
years of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ the Gospel had
been “proclaimed in all creation under heaven” (Colossians 1:23) and
many tens of thousands of souls turned to the Lord (Acts 21:20). May God
help His church in the 21
st century to have the same passion
for lost souls and commitment to rationally defending the Way of Jesus
Christ that the early church admirably exemplified.
Endnotes
1 Though the Greek
aner may sometimes refer to both
men and women (cf. Luke 11:31), “this word here appears to be used of
men only” (R.J. Knowling [2002],
The Expositor’s Greek New Testament,
ed. W. Robertson Nicoll [Peabody, MA: Hendrickson], 2:123-124). Cf.
Matthew 14:21; Mark 6:44. Thus, only a few weeks after the Lord’s church
had been established, it seems that she consisted of 5,000 men, plus
all of the female Christians.
2 The word “myriad” is transliterated from the Greek
muriades, which may mean strictly “ten thousand” or an indefinite “very large number” (Frederick Danker, et al. [2000],
Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament
[Chicago, IL: University of Chicago], p. 661). Considering that Luke
had just used this word two chapters earlier to communicate “ten
thousand” (19:19; where
five muriadesis
understood to mean 50,000), it seems appropriate to conclude that “many
tens of thousands of Jews” had become Christians by the time Paul
returned to Jerusalem.
3 Adam Clarke (1996),
Adam Clarke’s Commentary (Electronic Database: Biblesoft).
4 Genesis 12:1-4; Isaiah 2:2-3; Micah 4:1-2; Daniel 2:1-44; Matthew 3:1-3; Matthew 10:7; Mark 9:1; Matthew 16:18.
5 Acts 4:18-31; 5:25-32,40-42.
6 Consider the dedication of Peter and John (Acts 4-5), of
Paul (14:19-22), and the many Christians who “went everywhere preaching
the word,” even as their lives were in great danger (8:1-4).
7 Frederick Danker, et al. (2000),
Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago), p. 117.
8 Cf. John 4:25-42; Acts 2:30-47; 8:12.
9 Acts 2:24-36; 3:15; 4:10,33; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30-37; 17:3,31.
10 Danker, et al., p. 994, emp. added.
11 KJV; NKJV; NASB; etc.
12 J.H. Thayer (1962),
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan), p. 617.
13 Knowling, 2:82.
14 Danker, et al., p. 957, emp. added.
15 Cf. Acts 9:20; 13:5,14; 17:10; 18:4; etc.
16 Danker, et al., p. 234.
17 “
Dianoigoo” (2003),
Thayer’s Abridged (Electronic Database: Biblesoft).
18 Danker, et al., p. 772.
19 Knowling, 2:358.
20 Wayne Jackson (2005),
The Acts of the Apostles: From Jerusalem to Rome (Stockton, CA: Christian Courier Publications), p. 202, emp. added.
21 With “eagerness, rushing forward.” In Berea, they “joyfully welcomed” Paul and Silas (A.T. Robertson [1997],
Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
[Electronic Database: Biblesoft]). Christians today should have the
same Berean-type eagerness to study and learn the foundational truths of
Christianity. Until such serious individual investigation takes place,
one’s faith will be weak, and his defense of Christianity even weaker.
22 Danker, et al., p. 66.
23 Robertson.
24 Knowling, 2:362.
25 Danker, et al., p. 780.
26 Areopagus means “the hill of Ares,” the Greek god of war
(which corresponds to the Roman “Mars”). According to F.F. Bruce, “The
Council of the Areopagus,” was “so called because the hill of Ares was
its original meeting place. In NT times, except for investigating cases
of homicide, it met in the ‘Royal Porch’ in the Athenian market-place (
agora),
and it was probably here that Paul was brought before the Areogagus
(Acts 17:19) and not, as AV puts it, ‘in the midst of Mars’ hill’ (v.
22). It was the most venerable institution in Athens, going back to
legendary times, and, in spite of the curtailment of much of its ancient
powers, it retained great prestige, and had special jurisdiction in
matters of morals and religion. It was therefore natural that ‘a
preacher of foreign divinities’ (Acts 17:18) should be subjected to its
adjudication” (“Areogagus” [1996],
New Bible Dictionary, ed. J.D. Douglas [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, third edition], p. 79).
27 Acts 13:17-41; 17:2-4,11.
28 Paul even quoted from the Athenians’ own poets to prove his point (Acts 17:28).
29 R.C.H. Lenski (2001 reprint),
The Interpretation of the Acts of the Apostles (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson), p. 734.
30 Lenski, p. 740.
31 Acts 19:8,10; 20:31.
32 Danker, et al., p. 232.
33 “
Dialegomai: 1256” (1999),
Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon (Electronic Database: Biblesoft).
34 Danker, et al., p. 232.
35 Tyrannus “is usually supposed to have been the lecturer
who taught” in “the lecture hall of Tyrannus,” but it is possible that
he was merely the owner of the building (F.F. Bruce [1988],
The Book of the Acts [Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans], p. 366).
36 Lenski, p. 812.
37 For more information on the logic and sound argumentation
Jesus used throughout His ministry, see Dr. Dave Miller’s excellent
two-part
Reason & Revelation article titled “Is
Christianity Logical?” (2011, 31[6-7]:50-52,56-59,62-64,68-71,
http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=11&article=3869&topic=92).
