Luke 1:2-3

1:2 like the accounts ¹  passed on ²  to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word ³  from the beginning. ⁴  1:3 So ⁵  it seemed good to me as well, ⁶  because I have followed ⁷  all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account ⁸  for you, most excellent Theophilus,

Luke 2:10-11

2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, ⁹  for I proclaim to you good news ¹⁰  that brings great joy to all the people: 2:11 Today ¹¹  your Savior is born in the city ¹²  of David. ¹³  He is Christ ¹⁴  the Lord.

Acts 1:1-2

Jesus Ascends to Heaven

1:1 I wrote ¹⁵  the former ¹⁶  account, ¹⁷  Theophilus, ¹⁸  about all that Jesus began to do and teach 1:2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, ¹⁹  after he had given orders ²⁰  by ²¹  the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen.

[1:2]  ¹ tn Grk “even as”; this compares the recorded tradition of 1:1 with the original eyewitness tradition of 1:2.

[1:2]  ² tn Or “delivered.”

[1:2]  ³ sn The phrase eyewitnesses and servants of the word refers to a single group of people who faithfully passed on the accounts about Jesus. The language about delivery (passed on) points to accounts faithfully passed on to the early church.

[1:2]  ⁴ tn Grk “like the accounts those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word passed on to us.” The location of “in the beginning” in the Greek shows that the tradition is rooted in those who were with Jesus from the start.

[1:3]  ⁵ tn The conjunction “so” is supplied here to bring out the force of the latter part of this Greek sentence, which the translation divides up because of English style. Luke, in compiling his account, is joining a tradition with good precedent.

[1:3]  ⁶ sn When Luke says it seemed good to me as well he is not being critical of the earlier accounts, but sees himself stepping into a tradition of reporting about Jesus to which he will add uniquely a second volume on the early church when he writes the Book of Acts.

[1:3]  ⁷ tn Grk “having followed”; the participle παρηκολουθηκότι (parhkolouqhkoti) has been translated causally.

[1:3]  ⁸ sn An orderly account does not necessarily mean that all events are recorded in the exact chronological sequence in which they occurred, but that the account produced is an orderly one. This could include, for example, thematic or topical order rather than strict chronological order.

[2:10]  ⁹ tn Grk “behold.”

[2:10]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “I evangelize to you great joy.”

[2:11]  ¹¹ sn The Greek word for today (σήμερον, shmeron) occurs eleven times in the Gospel of Luke (2:11; 4:21; 5:26; 12:28; 13:32-33; 19:5, 9; 22:34, 61; 23:43) and nine times in Acts. Its use, especially in passages such as 2:11, 4:21, 5:26; 19:5, 9, signifies the dawning of the era of messianic salvation and the fulfillment of the plan of God. Not only does it underscore the idea of present fulfillment in Jesus’ ministry, but it also indicates salvific fulfillment present in the church (cf. Acts 1:6; 3:18; D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:412; I. H. Marshall, Luke, [NIGTC], 873).

[2:11]  ¹² tn Or “town.” See the note on “city” in v. 4.

[2:11]  ¹³ tn This is another indication of a royal, messianic connection.

[2:11]  ¹⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[1:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “produced,” Grk “made.”

[1:1]  ¹⁶ 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).

[1:1]  ¹⁷ 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.

[1:1]  ¹⁸ 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).

[1:2]  ¹⁹ tn The words “to heaven” are not in the Greek text, but are supplied from v. 11. Several modern translations (NIV, NRSV) supply the words “to heaven” after “taken up” to specify the destination explicitly mentioned later in 1:11.

[1:2]  ²⁰ tn Or “commands.” Although some modern translations render ἐντειλάμενος (enteilameno") as “instructions” (NIV, NRSV), the word implies authority or official sanction (G. Schrenk, TDNT 2:545), so that a word like “orders” conveys the idea more effectively. The action of the temporal participle is antecedent (prior) to the action of the verb it modifies (“taken up”).

[1:2]  ²¹ tn Or “through.”