Acts 1:15-26

Acts 1:15-26 Acts 1:15-17, 21-26

Acts 1:15-26
With thanks to page sponsor:
Rev. Susan B. Snook

Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary & sermons.
Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
- Comparative texts about Baptism: Water & Spirit from DSS, Josephus, Babylonian Talmud. At (Rutgers University Dept of Religion) Mahlon H. Smith's Into His Own: Perspective on the World of Jesus companion to the historical study of Christian texts.
- II.XX.2, III.XII.1, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
- Chapter XX, The Prescription of Heretics, Tertullian (c. 200)
- Epistle LXVII -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 257)
- II.1, III.39, Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius of Caesarea, (c. 320).
- From the Geneva Notes.
  - "The Apostles do not deliberate at all, but first they consult and take guidance from God's word: and again they do nothing that concerns and is incumbent upon the whole body of the congregation, without making the congregation a part of the decision."
- From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
  - "It is fit that God should choose his own servants; and so far as he, by the disposals of his providence, or the gifts of his Spirit, shows whom he was chosen, or what he has chosen for us, we ought to fall in with his will. Let us own his hand in the determining everything which befalls us, especially in those by which any trust may be committed to us."
- From Wesley's Notes.
  - "So far the faithful could go by consulting together, but no further. Therefore here commenced the proper use of the lot, whereby a matter of importance, which cannot be determined by any ordinary method, is committed to the Divine decision."
- From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
  - ".--"The word 'Lord,' placed absolutely, denotes in the New Testament almost universally THE SON; and the words, 'Show whom Thou hast chosen,' are decisive. The apostles are just Christ's messengers: It is He that sends them, and of Him they bear witness. Here, therefore, we have the first example of a prayer offered to the exalted Redeemer; furnishing indirectly the strongest proof of His divinity" [OLSHAUSEN]."
- From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
  - "These verses set forth the necessary qualifications of an apostle. In order to be a witness, he must have been a disciple of John, left him in order to follow Jesus, attended his ministry, and seen him after his resurrection. He must be able to testify of all these as an eye witness."
Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
- Commentary, Acts 1:15-17, 21-26, Jacob Myers, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2012.
  - "Our lection today is the first recorded faith crisis of the Early Church: What to do with the betrayer, Judas."
- "The Politics of Acts 1:15-17; 21-26," Timothy F. Simpson, Political Theology, 2012.
  - "The point of this text, as well as with many other texts in Acts, such as the selection of deacons and the acceptance of gentiles is that the community is given the capacity of discernment to chart its course and that there isn’t any way to guarantee the success of it’s life together other than these given means."
- "Judas and Matthias: Human Decisions and Divine Destiny," The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey with Jesus Foundation, 2012.
  - "Patience, humility, availability, and even resignation to the inscrutabilities of divine designs all serve us well."
- "Matthias and His Slick Resume," Rick Morley, 2012.
- Commentary, Acts 1:15-17, 21-26, Richard Jensen, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
  - "All the decisions we make about our lives ought to be framed within these two great commandments. Our lives are not our own to do with as we please. We are called to love God by loving our neighbor. This is the framework in which our lives ought to be lived."
- Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
- "Witnesses to the Resurrection," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
- Acts 1:15-26, Acts and the Easter Season, Donald Juel, Word & World Texts in Context, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, 1985.
- "Getting Ahead of God (Acts 1:1-26)," by Robert Deffinbaugh at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
  - "To be perfectly honest, I believe many of the decisions we make and actions we take are of this same kind?they are based on our best understanding of the Scriptures and the situation, based on the best decision-making process we know, and done as though this were the will of God for us. Often times it will not be until much later that we will either see the hand of God at work in the matter, or we will not see it."
Articles & Background:
- "How to Be a Disciple," Dallas Willard. Adapted from The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering our Hidden Life in God. Reprinted in The Christian Century, 1998. At Religion OnLine.
  - "...It is almost universally conceded today that you can be a Christian without being a disciple. And one who actually is an apprentice and co-laborer with Jesus in his or her daily existence is sure to be a "Christian" in every sense of the word that matters."
- "Judas' Red Hair and the Jews," by Ruth Mellinkoff, at Jewish Heritage Online Magazine's Topic of the Month: Colors. Mellinkoff explores artistic representations of Judas and antipathy toward red hair.
Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices. Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
- Brown, Raymond E., S.S., "EPISKOPĒ and EPISKOPOS: The New Testament Evidence," Theological Studies, 1980.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- "Homiletical Helps," Concordia Journal, 2010. (Section on this text begins on page 164)
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Juel, Donald, "Acts and the Easter Season," Word & World, 1985. (Section on this text begins on p. 212)
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Killinger, John, "Missing the Resurrection," The Christian Century, 2006.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Maile, John F., "The Ascension in Luke-Acts," Tyndale Bulletin, 1986..
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Novick, Tzvi, "Succeeding Judas: Exegesis in Acts 1:15-26," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2010.
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Raj, Victor, "Homiletical Helps on LW Series C - Old Testament," Concordia Journal, 2007. (Section on this text begins on p. 188)
  EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
  EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
Reviews:
- Review: Dennis R. Macdonald, Does the New Testament Imitate Homer?: Four Cases from the Acts of the Apostles. Yale University Press, 2003. Review by Stan Harstine in SBL's Review of Biblical Literature.
- Review: Arie W. Zwiep, Judas and the Choice of Matthias: A Study on Context and Concern of Acts 1:15-26. Mohr Siebeck, 2004. Review by Loveday Alexander, Review of Biblical Literature, 2007.
Sermons:
- 7 Easter, AKM Adam, Flesh and Bones, 2001. (Download is one long PDF file for book of sermons.)
- It's Never Mission Impossible, Richard E. Gribble, SermonSuite.
With Children:
- "Children's Literature: A Resource for Ministry," May 20, 2012, Union Presbyterian Seminary. Connections: Acts 1:15-17, 21-26 and What Will You Be, Sara Mee?
- Worshiping with Children, Easter 7B, Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2012.
- Acts 1 Word Search, Don Crownover's Bible Puzzles.
Drama:
Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
- Images for this week's readings, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
Hymns and Music:
- Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
- Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Acts 1:26. The Cyber Hymnal.
Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Prayer
Movies Listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
- Prayer
Study Links and Resources for the Book of Acts