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Acts 1:15-26
 | Reading the Text:
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| Historical References, Commentary and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." |
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| Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
|
Comments
(commentary) and
Clippings
(technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican
Diocese of Montreal. |
|
"Judas and
Mathias: On Mystery and Destiny,"
The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey with
Jesus Foundation.
|
"Patience, humility, availability, and even resignation to the
inscrutabilities of divine designs all serve us well." |
|
|
Acts 1:15-26, Acts and the Easter Season, Donald
Juel, Word & World Texts in Context, Luther Northwestern
Theological Seminary, 1985. |
|
"Witnesses to the Resurrection,"
Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible
Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed
textual notes. |
| "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." |
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| 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. |
|
| Articles in
ATLAS Journals. (Direct link when you are
subscribed and logged in to
ATLASerials online collection of Religion and Theology Journals.):
|
| 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. |
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| Sermons:
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| With Children:
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| Drama: |
| Graphics & Bulletin Materials: |
| Hymns and Music:
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| Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's
Art Index:
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| Movies Listed at The Text This Week's
Movie Concordance:
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| Study Links and Resources for the Book of Acts |
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