Acts 4 | |
---|---|
Book | Acts of the Apostles |
Category | Church history |
Christian Bible part | New Testament |
Order in the Christian part | 5 |
Acts 4 is the fourth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The book containing this chapter is anonymous but early Christian tradition affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke.[1] This chapter records the Sanhedrin's arrest and subsequent release of the apostles in the aftermath of a healing by Simon Peter and his preaching in Solomon's Portico in the Temple in Jerusalem.[2]
The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 37 verses.
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:
Peter's speech (Acts 3) was interrupted by the temple authoritiess who come to silence the apostles, but behind the scenes, more people join the church.[7]
The suddenness of the arrival of this group of officials is noted by Heinrich Meyer,[9] and in "The Voice" translation (2012): Suddenly, the head of the temple police and some members of the Sadducean party interrupted Peter and John.[10] The priests were those of the temple guard:[9] a strict watch was maintained over the temple by three priests and 21 Levites, whose activities were overseen by the captain of the guard.[11] The Westcott-Hort Greek text refers instead to "the chief priests" (οι αρχιερεις, hoi archiereis).[12] Meyer notes and criticises the view put forward by Bishop Lightfoot and others that the commander of the Roman garrison is referred to in this passage.[9]
The approach of evening follows from Acts 3:1, which states that the apostles were entering the temple at "the hour of prayer": three o'clock in the afternoon.[14]
Luke's estimate in Acts 2:41 was that 3,000 were baptised in response to Peter's Pentecost sermon, so an addititonal 2,000 men would appear to be indicated here. The Expanded Bible notes that men probably refers "to adult males and so household units".[16] Wilhelm de Wette includes women within the 5,000.[9] Robert Witham treats the 5,000 as a measure of the additional conversions that day, rather than a cumulative total.[17]
The apostles spent a night in jail (verse 5) and were brought before a full session of the Sanhedrin the next morning.[18]
Peter replies to the question of the council (verse 7) on the origin of the healing power by identifying it with Jesus Christ of Nazareth.[18]
Citing Psalm 118:22.[18]
In his last sentence, Peter "goes further than anything he has yet said: Christ is the only mean of salvation."[18]
Here Luke gives a glimpse of "the inner workings of the Sanhedrin", especially their elitist perspective: they perceive the apostles in verse 13 to be "uneducated and untrained men".[22] This may not mean that they were totally illiterate, but that they lacked the level of education shared by the elders and the scribes. Alexander refers to the Sanhedrin's "'us' and 'them' attitude [towards] 'the people'" seen in verses 16, 17, and 21.[18]
This section gives a glimpse of "the apostolic circle at prayer", and this particular prayer provides a "theological framework" for "legitimate exercise of free speech in the face of a tyrannical abuse of authority" (verse 29).[18]
A slightly more detailed than in 2:44-45, it notes how money raised from the property sale was "channelled through the apostles" (verse 35) to emphasize "the sense of centralized authority".[18]