@conradgempf
Author of *How to Like Paul Again*, *Jesus Asked*, and other books & articles. Consultant for: NIV Translation Committee (Acts), BBC Bible dramatisation, Siku's Manga Bible, & Rob Lacey's paraphrases. Retired lecturer in New Testament, LST.
Morning #Bible — Acts 17:12 — The author notes the “prominent” women (in this chapter alone see also: 17:4, 17:34). Is he is that impressed by status, or does he expect his readers to be? | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 17:11 — This characteristic—of TESTING a message against the Scriptures—is the ideal—not a Simon Magus, bowled over by displays of power, or those who don’t ask about truth. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 17:11-13 — Some see Acts as anti-semitic. But passages like this show that although there ARE corporate “personalities”, they are local communities rather than simply races. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 17:5-9 — This is not anti-semitism. These early believers saw themselves as still Jews. They find it sad & ironic that so often it is THEIR OWN PEOPLE leading the opposition. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:40 — Peter Oakes taught me to imagine the jailer, the slave girl, & Lydia as members of the community who will later hear & process the Epistle to the Philippians. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:37-40 — I once thought 16:37 was just Paul being contrary. But when the bosses ask him to leave (39) he doesn’t stick around (40). V 37 was about treatment of Christians. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:22-40 — Much changed for me when I started thinking how I’d dramatize the Bible—who I’d cast, how they’d talk. Try re-creating the jailer’s character & arc, you’ll love it. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:20-40 — Paul’s “Get Out Of Jail Free” card was Roman citizenship. He didn’t use it to escape flogging. He waited for leverage—set a precedent for how Christians were treated. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:16-19 — To Paul the spiritual health of a young female slave takes priority over the financial health of this small business. Such values can land you in prison today, too. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:18-19 — Luke can’t resist a little humour at the expense of the slave’s owners. We see the demon “exit” dramatically; they only perceive their profits “exit”—same verb. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:16-18 — This is such positive publicity for the gospel! But when Paul realizes the truth about the medium, it has to stop, positive or not. A lesson for our era, to be sure. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:14-16 — What a contrast between these two ‘business women’. One well-off & a god-fearer, the other a slave & pagan fortune-teller. The good news of Jesus frees both. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:14-15 — ‘HER household’—she’s single, probably widowed, carrying on her husband’s trade. She persuaded these men stay at her house, unworried about her reputation. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:13-15 — Ironically, this woman who becomes important to the church at Philippi seems to be originally from one of the areas that Paul & co were turned away from visiting. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:10-13 — There are only a few explanations for this shift to “we.” The best is that Luke, the author of Acts, actually joined Paul’s group at this point. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:7-11 — A minor (but to a historian, significant) shift. Look how vv 7-8 talk about Paul’s party as “they”. In 16:10-11, for the first time, the narrative shifts to “we”. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:6-10 — Probably Paul’s journeys weren’t as carefully planned as most missionary voyages today. But THIS level of volatility was likely an exception. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:4 — This again reinforces the earlier reference to Paul as someone who took the Jerusalem Council decision rules around to the congregations. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:3 — You’d think Luke would have written that Timothy had to be circumcised because everyone knew his MOTHER was Jewish. Maybe it’s this way because people would accuse. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 16:1 — Both this verse & 2 Tim 1:5 mention Timothy’s mother was a believer. This overlap doesn’t bother those scholars who think both documents are fiction. Maybe it should. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 15:37-40 — Barnabas, who’d brought unwanted Paul into the fold (9:26-27) is unable to reconcile John Mark & Paul. How ornery to have a fight with ‘the son of encouragement’! | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 15:37-41 — Completely unnecessary to his story except to exemplify that, as with the widows back in ch 6, even among those who believed, things there was friction. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 15:36 — This is how the “mission journeys” of Paul tend to start—not as mission journeys, but visits which turn into mission journeys (16:6-10). | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 15:22 — Paul is one of those who’ll carry the letter (16:4). Later, he’ll write 1 Cor. which, in part, explains this stance on idol meat—it’s not the stuff, but the paganism. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 15:28-29 — These prohibitions are not for us; they concern markers of first-century paganism. WE need to steer clear of whatever are the markers of 21st-century paganism. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 15:28-29 — Adherents of mystery religions would bathe in & consume ox blood, use the meat for sacrifices & banquets with cultic prostitutes. None of those vibes, please! | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 15:28-29 — This is not a case of “not ALL of it, but you must keep THIS MUCH of the Jewish Law.” If it were, we’d have the 10 commandments here. This prohibits pagan practices. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 15:19-29 — This compromise is genius: Gentiles do not need to act like Jews, but they may not continue to act like pagans. The points in 15:29 are not pro-law, but anti-pagan. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 15:9-11 — As a result of his experiences with Samaritans & Cornelius in chs 8 & 10-11, Peter comes to a conclusion that very neatly anticipates the first half of Paul’s Romans. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...
Morning #Bible — Acts 15:7-11 — Peter here reminds everyone of their negative reaction to Cornelius in ch 11. He goes further, though: not only can non-Jews enter, but they can stay, AS non-Jews. | www.bibleportal.com/verse-topic?...