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Acts
4:23-37
 | Reading the Text:
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| Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
 | Primary texts (Pseudepigrapha, Targum, Midrash, Targum) about Messainic Expectation from
(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. |
|
III.XII.5,
Adversus Haereses,
Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180) |
|
Concerning Flight in Persecution
(paragraph 12)
Tertullian (c. 212) |
|
VIII.XII,
Against Celsus,
Origen. (c.246) |
|
XIV.1,
Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew,
Origen. (c.247) |
|
Epistle VII
--
Cyprian of Carthage (c. 250) |
|
On
the Unity of the Church,
Cyprian of Carthage (c. 250) |
|
Concerning Works and Almsgiving
--
Cyprian of Carthage (c. 254) |
| From the Geneva Notes.
 | "True charity helps the need
of the poor with its own loss, but in such a way that all things are
done well and orderly." |
|
| From
Matthew
Henry's Commentary.
| "The disciples loved one
another. This was the blessed fruit of Christ's dying precept to his
disciples, and his dying prayer for them. Thus it was then, and it
will be so again, when the Spirit shall be poured upon us from on
high." |
|
| From
Wesley's Notes.
| "So long as that truly
Christian love continued, they could not but have all things
common." |
|
| From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871). |
| From The People's
New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
| "It does not describe a
community of goods, but a miraculous benevolence: (1) the goods were
not a common fund, but each one had goods that he possessed;
(2) he did not say that his goods were his own; (3) they used
all as if it belonged to all; (4) there were none that lacked, for
(5) those that had houses and lands sold them and brought the
proceeds to the apostles" |
|
|
| Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
|
Commentary,
Acts 4:32-35, F. Scott Spencer, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
|
"It is all too
easy, then, for us not simply to pity the early church's practice,
but to dismiss it altogether. But we thereby also run the risk of
dismissing their vibrant resurrection faith that ignited their
extraordinary common-fellowship (koinonia) in the first place." |
|
|
Comments
(commentary) and
Clippings
(technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican
Diocese of Montreal. |
|
"The Call for a Living Wage,"
Resources for Prophetic
Worship, Speaking to North Carolina Justice Issues, North Carolina Council
of Churches. |
|
"'They
Enjoyed the Favor of All the People,' Christian Generosity of Community
and Compassion,"
The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey
with Jesus Foundation, 2009.
| "I wish
that we Christians could somehow recapture the witness of those first
believers who, because 'great grace was with them all,' demonstrated
overflowing generosity to their neighbors, and who consequently 'enjoyed
the favor of all the people.' Let that be what Tertullian called 'our
distinctive mark.'" |
|
|
"The Missing "FOR" and the Risen Life,"
The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself, Daniel B. Clendenin, Journey with
Jesus Foundation.
| "The power of apostles' testimony, the
experience of grace in community, even the unity of the Body of Christ has
a direct and, dare I say, CAUSAL relationship with the extent to which all
of those of us who call ourselves Christians share what we have with those
who don't have it." |
|
|
Join the Feast,
Acts 4:32-25, Greg Bolt, Union PSCE,
2009.
| "...based on further reflection
on this passage, it is more about grace than a vow of poverty." |
|
|
Acts 4:23-33, Acts and the Easter Season, Donald
Juel, Word & World Texts in Context, Luther Northwestern
Theological Seminary, 1985. |
|
"The Life
of the Early Christians,"
Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible
Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed
textual notes. |
| "Profession
or Possession (Acts 4:32 - 5:11)," by Robert Deffinbaugh at the Biblical Studies Foundation.
| "From a purely human point of
view, to sell their possessions to meet the needs of others was
folly, certain future economic disaster. Surely one must be
financially prepared for the future. With one heart and soul, the
saints continued to give of their resources to meet the needs of
others." |
|
|
| Articles & Background:
|
"Global Poverty: Beyond Utopian Visions," Thomas E. Phillips, (other resources at)
"Global Wealth," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian
Ethics at Baylor University, 2007.
| "The crisis of
poverty in the world’s largest cities, which is growing
exponentially worse in the new era of globalization, should
overwhelm us. However, it should not paralyze us. Scripture may not
offer an easy answer, but it does provide a consistent moral
imperative." |
|
|
"Global Inequality," Douglas A. Hicks,
(other resources at)
"Global Wealth," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian
Ethics at Baylor University, 2007.
| "Are the world’s rich and poor
growing closer together or farther apart? Why should we care either
way? The Christian story expands our moral vision to see every
person not as a potential consumer in a global market, but as a
reflection of God’s image." |
|
|
"Reflections on the Priority of Belonging," Mark Thomsen,
Currents in
Theology and Mission, 2004. |
|
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| Finger, Reta
Halteman, "Cultural Attitudes in Western Christianity toward the
Community of Goods in Acts 2 and 4," Mennonite Quarterly Review,
2004.
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| Hamm, Dennis,
"Acts 4:23-31 - A Neglected Biblical Paradigm of Christian Worship
(Especially in Troubled Times)," Worship, 2003.
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| Juel, Donald, "Acts and the Easter
Season," Word & World, 1985. (Section on this text begins on p.
210)
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| Mitchell, Alan C.,
S.J., "The Social Function of Friendship in Acts 2:44-47 and 4:32-37,"
Journal of Biblical Literature, 1992.
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| Olsen, Glenn W.,
"One Heart and One Soul (Acts 4:32 and 34) in Dhuoda's 'Manual',"
Church History, 1992.
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| Parsons, Mikeal C.,
"The Character of the Lame Man in Acts 3-4," Journal of Biblical
Literature, 2005.
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| Sölle, Dorothee, "Church: They Had
Everything in Common," Theology Today, 1985.
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| Sterling, Gregory E., "'Athletes
of Virtue': An Analysis of the Summaries in Acts (2:41-47; 4:32-35;
5:12-16)," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1994.
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| Thomsen, Mark, "Reflections on the
Priority of Belonging," Currents in Theology and Mission, 2004.
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| Wieser, Thomas, "Community - Its
Unity, Diversity and Universality," Semeia, 1985.
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| Drama: |
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| Hymns and Music:
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| Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's
Art Index:
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| Movies/scenes 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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