1:1 I wrote 3 the former 4 account, 5 Theophilus, 6 about all that Jesus began to do and teach
15:1 Now some men came down from Judea 20 and began to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised 21 according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
Now when the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they summoned the Sanhedrin 49 – that is, the whole high council 50 of the Israelites 51 – and sent to the jail to have the apostles 52 brought before them. 53
1 tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
2 tn See BDAG 326-27 s.v. ἐν 1.d. However, it is also possible that ἐν (en) followed by the dative here stands for the ordinary dative (“to them”).
3 tn Or “produced,” Grk “made.”
4 tn Or “first.” The translation “former” is preferred because “first” could imply to the modern English reader that the author means that his previous account was the first one to be written down. The Greek term πρῶτος (prwtos) does not necessarily mean “first” in an absolute sense, but can refer to the first in a set or series. That is what is intended here – the first account (known as the Gospel of Luke) as compared to the second one (known as Acts).
5 tn The Greek word λόγος (logos) is sometimes translated “book” (NRSV, NIV) or “treatise” (KJV). A formal, systematic treatment of a subject is implied, but the word “book” may be too specific and slightly misleading to the modern reader, so “account” has been used.
6 tn Grk “O Theophilus,” but the usage of the vocative in Acts with ὦ (w) is unemphatic, following more the classical idiom (see ExSyn 69).
5 tn Or “greatly annoyed,” “provoked.”
6 tn Or “proclaiming.”
7 tn Or “commanded.”
8 sn In the name of Jesus. Once again, the “name” reflects the person. The person of Jesus and his authority is the “troubling” topic that, as far as the Jewish leadership is concerned, needs controlling.
9 tn Grk “temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper and has been translated accordingly.
10 tn Grk “teaching and evangelizing.” They were still obeying God, not men (see 4:18-20; 5:29).
11 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
11 tn Or “declaring.”
12 tn Or “profitable.” BDAG 960 s.v. συμφέρω 2.b.α has “τὰ συμφέροντα what advances your best interests or what is good for you Ac 20:20,” but the broader meaning (s.v. 2, “to be advantageous, help, confer a benefit, be profitable/useful”) is equally possible in this context.
13 tn Or “openly.”
13 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
14 tn Or “openness.”
15 sn Proclaiming…with complete boldness and without restriction. Once again Paul’s imprisonment is on benevolent terms. The word of God is proclaimed triumphantly and boldly in Rome. Acts ends with this note: Despite all the attempts to stop it, the message goes forth.
15 sn That is, they came down from Judea to Antioch in Syria.
16 tc Codex Bezae (D) and a few other witnesses have “and walk” here (i.e., instead of τῷ ἔθει τῷ Μωϋσέως [tw eqei tw Mwu>sew"] they read καὶ τῷ ἔθει τῷ Μωϋσέως περιπατῆτε [kai tw eqei tw Mwu>sew" peripathte]). This is a decidedly stronger focus on obedience to the Law. As well, D expands vv. 1-5 in various places with the overall effect of being “more sympathetic to the local tradition of the church at Jerusalem” while the Alexandrian witnesses are more sympathetic to Paul (TCGNT 377). Codex D is well known for having a significantly longer text in Acts, but modern scholarship is generally of the opinion that the text of D expands on the original wording of Acts, with a theological viewpoint that especially puts Peter in a more authoritarian light. The expansion in these five verses is in keeping with that motif even though Peter is not explicitly in view.
17 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia).
18 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
19 sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in v. 36; Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 16:32; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.
19 tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.
20 sn Obeying God (see v. 29), the apostles were teaching again (4:18-20; 5:20). They did so despite the risk.
21 tc ‡ The majority of
22 tn Grk “We commanded you with a commandment” (a Semitic idiom that is emphatic).
23 sn The name (i.e., person) of Jesus is the constant issue of debate.
24 tn Grk “And behold.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
25 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
26 sn To bring this man’s blood on us is an idiom meaning “you intend to make us guilty of this man’s death.”
23 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
24 tn Grk “So it happened that” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
25 tn Grk “year they”; the referents (Barnabas and Saul) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 tn Grk “a significant crowd.”
27 sn Antioch was a city in Syria (not Antioch in Pisidia). See the note in 11:19.
28 sn The term Christians appears only here, in Acts 26:28, and 1 Pet 4:16 in the NT.
25 tn Or “had been taught.”
26 tn Grk “and boiling in spirit” (an idiom for great eagerness or enthusiasm; BDAG 426 s.v. ζέω).
27 tn Grk “the things.”
28 tn Grk “knowing”; the participle ἐπιστάμενος (epistameno") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.
27 tn BDAG 511 s.v. κατά B.1.a has “τοὺς κ. τὰ ἔθνη ᾿Ιουδαίους the Judeans (dispersed) throughout the nations 21:21.” The Jews in view are not those in Palestine, but those who are scattered throughout the Gentile world.
28 tn Or “to forsake,” “to rebel against.” BDAG 120 s.v. ἀποστασία has “ἀποστασίαν διδάσκεις ἀπὸ Μωϋσέως you teach (Judeans) to abandon Moses Ac 21:21.”
29 sn That is, not to circumcise their male children. Biblical references to circumcision always refer to male circumcision.
30 tn Grk “or walk.”
29 tn Grk “the temple.” See the note on the same phrase in the preceding verse.
30 tn The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκον (edidaskon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
31 tn Or “the council” (the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
32 tn A hendiadys (two different terms referring to a single thing) is likely here (a reference to a single legislative body rather than two separate ones) because the term γερουσίαν (gerousian) is used in both 1 Macc 12:6 and Josephus, Ant. 13.5.8 (13.166) to refer to the Sanhedrin.
33 tn Grk “sons of Israel.”
34 tn Grk “have them”; the referent (the apostles) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
35 tn The words “before them” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
31 tn Or “Israelite men,” although this is less natural English. The Greek term here is ἀνήρ (anhr), which only exceptionally is used in a generic sense of both males and females. In this context, it is conceivable that this is a generic usage since “the whole crowd” is mentioned in v. 27, although it can also be argued that these remarks were addressed primarily to the men present, even if women were there.
32 sn The law refers to the law of Moses.
33 tn Grk “this place.”
34 tn BDAG 400 s.v. ἔτι 2.b has “ἔ. δὲ καί furthermore…al. ἔ. τε καί…Lk 14:26; Ac 21:28.” This is a continuation of the same sentence in Greek, but due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.
35 tn Grk “into the temple.” The specific reference is to the Court of the Sons of Israel (see the note following the term “unclean” at the end of this verse). To avoid giving the modern reader the impression that they entered the temple building itself, the phrase “the inner courts of the temple” has been used in the translation.
36 tn Or “and has defiled this holy place.”