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Reflection on the book of Acts
Reflection on the book of Acts
Reflection on the book of Acts
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Responsibility of elders, pastors or overseers
According to the Holy Bible in Acts 20:17,28 the terms elders, pastors or overseers all refer to a single office. Therefore, in this paper I will be using the single term pastor. In the discussion of 21st century ideology vs biblical thought I am choosing the New Testament book of Acts. I will be discussing what this historical book says about the first century church and how does my church Bethel Gospel Tabernacle function in comparison. Is my church living up to the ideals of the first century church as laid out in the Book of Acts?
The Acts of the Apostles (Ancient Greek: Praxeis), often referred to as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian church
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Scottish New Testament archaeology scholar William M. Ramsay did pioneer work that bore on the accuracy of Luke’s narratives. Among the more useful of his voluminous works is The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament. Subsequently, A.T. Robertson made an important contribution with his work, Luke the Historian in the Light of Historical Research. In 1981, Jack Finegan published the second volume of his The Archeology of the New Testament, which bears particularly on the narrative of Acts. A multitude of excavations and explorations has now been conducted at places mentioned in the book of Acts. Besides being accurate in detail, Luke gives a remarkably vivid account of many phases of first-century life in the Mediterranean world, for example, the philosophical inquisitiveness of the Athenians (Acts 17:17-18) and the commercial monopoly of the silversmiths at the temple of Artemis in Ephesus (19:24-34). His picture of modes of travel of the day is far clearer than that set forth in the Odyssey. Whether on land by foot or horse (23:24,32) or chariot (8:27-38), or on sea by coastal freighter (21:1-3;27:1-5), Luke’s account is filled with local color. The story of the wreck of Paul’s ship is the most exciting and dramatic narrative of sea adventure in ancient literature (Acts
Jerusalem or Zion, is where the church of Jesus Christ got their stard. But in apostolic time a different city came to overshadow Jerusalem in some respects. The city of Antioch, capital of the Roman province of Syria.
... of now and then and to see how things have changed and what things have remained the same. Also another intriguing topic was that of religion and its practices. This section displayed many different viewpoints and illuminated to me that in any period different beliefs on religion and its practice and different interpretations of them can be seen. As previously stated another aspect of this book that I appreciate is that it gave me an understanding of our studies of the Mediterranean and it was helpful to see real life examples and testimonies of individuals who lived through it.
Homer. ?The Odyssey,? World Masterpieces: Expanded Edition. Maynard Mack ed. Ed. Coptic St.: Prentice, 1995. 219-503.
The book of Acts is known as 'the birth of the church'. Acts recounts the story of
There has long been a fashion among critics and historians, including Sir James Frazier and Graham Hancock, to insist upon taking the account of Odysseus' voyage to Hades in Book XI of the Odyssey at near face-value as a description of people and places familiar to a Greek audience of Homer's day. Both linguistics and comparative history have been employed to discover exactly how accurately this originally oral epic conveys this gritty realism. Something, however, is not right with this purely empiric approach. What is missing is an examination through the lens of ancient religious practices. Surely a literary work so teeming with deities-wise Athena, spiteful Poseidon, impish Hermes, omnipotent Zeus-deserves such study.
A ship’s primary function parallels those of Aeneas on his journey to Latium. On the surface level, a ship is an efficient means of transportation for people and goods between one point and another. However, on a symbolic level, a ship represents escape from oppression and death; it carries hopes of new beginnings to the disheartened. This second interpretation perfectly defines Aeneas: a human ship. Just as his vessels, Aeneas gives asylum to and protection for the remainder of the Trojan civilization. He transports his people from the ashes of Troy to “rise again” on the grounds of Latium (I.282). A ship gives its passengers new life; equally, Aeneas gives his Trojan people a new civilization. Using The Aeneid, Virgil creates the perfect analogy between a man and his vessel.
The Odyssey, the name in itself embodies a tale of vast exploration to which fortune may change at any moment’s notice. In Homer’s poetic epic, we primarily follow the story of Odysseus, king of Ithaca, who after the Trojan War disappeared for ten years on a voyage to make it home safely to his family. The tale is a hybrid between historical accounts and Greek mythology, utilizing physical manifestations of gods to fill in for the loss of technological prowess as a result of the Greek Dark Age that spanned from the 11th-9th century B.C.E. As much as The Odyssey is a tale of godly intervention, it also serves as a tool to analyze ancient Greek civilization; whether it is from the cultural customs that were prominent in its population, to the
Lawall, Sarah N. “The Odyssey.” The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. 8th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 206-495. Print.
Tracy, Stephen V., The story of the Odyssey. Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c1990. PA4167 .T7 1990
The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has been hailed by people of many religious and cultural backgrounds as the greatest discovery of manuscripts to be made available to modern scholars in our time and has dramatically altered our understanding of the origins of Christianity. Perhaps the most fundamental reexamination brought about by the Scrolls is that of the Gospel of John. The Fourth Gospel originally accepted as a product of second century Hellenistic composition is now widely accepted as a later first century Jewish writing that may even contain some of the oldest traditions of the Gospels . The discovery of the scrolls has led to the discussion of undeniable and distinct parallels between the ideas of the society at Qumran and those present in the Gospel of John.
We have read two myths of great heroes this semester, Virgil’s The Aeneid and Homer’s The Odyssey. In both of these tales we get to go along with two great heroes on their journey home and all of the troubles that they face. Although these stories tell us about two great heroes and their journey there are a lot of differences. In this paper I will compare and contrast scenes from both myths and suggest a reason that this borrowing was appropriate for what Vergil was trying to do with his version of the myth.
The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. Eds. Michael D. Coogan, et al. 3rd Ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
The Book of Acts was written to provide a history of the early church. Acts emphasis the importance of the day of Pentecost and being empowered to be effective witnesses for Jesus Christ. Acts sheds light on the ministry gift of the Holy Spirit, which empowers, guides, teaches, and serves as our Counselor. When reading the Book of Acts many of the readers will be enlightened and encouraged by the many miracles that were being performed during this time by the disciples Peter, John, and Paul. The Book of Acts emphasizes the importance of obedience to God’s Word and the transformation that occurs as a result of knowing Christ. There are also many references to those that rejected the truth that the disciples preached about in Jesus Christ. Power, greed, and many other vices of the devil or evidenced in the book of Acts. Acts 1:8 serves as a good summary of the Book of Acts. Acts records the apostles being Christ's witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the rest of the surrounding world.
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem that tells the story of Odysseus and the story of his many travels and adventures. The Odyssey tells the main character’s tale of his journey home to the island of Ithaca after spending ten years fighting in the Trojan War, and his adventures when he returns home and he is reunited with his family and close friends. This literary analysis will examine the story and its characters, relationships, major events, symbols and motifs, and literary devices.
A response to the interpretation of Acts 4:32–36 as an endorsement of a type of communal living as being normative for the Christian church.