Reading Acts (Cascade Companions)
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
The book of Acts tells the story of what happened after the death and resurrection of Jesus. The book is filled with adventure and entertainment as Acts narrates God’s activity among his people and the world. In this book I explore one way of reading Acts that attends closely to the plotline of the book and seek to invite readers into the story that Acts tells. Along the way, I examine some of the most important themes of Acts, including divine activity, the extension of the gospel to surprising people in surprising ways, conflict and congruence between the gospel and the broader world, and the ongoing importance of Israel as God’s people. While there are many excellent reasons to read Acts, I reflect too upon the theological and ethical vision of Acts for those who read this book as Christian Scripture.
- Reflects upon the theological and ethical vision of Acts
- Explores divine activity and the extension of the gospel
- Focuses on the plotline of the book of Acts
- Reading Acts: Narrative, History, and Canon
- God as the Subject of Acts
- Israel’s Restoration and the Messiah’s Resurrection
- The Messiah and the People of God
- Surprising Expansions in the People of God
- Paul—Missionary to the Gentiles
- Paul—Missionary to Israelites and Kings
- Reading Acts as the People of God: A Brief Postscript
Top Highlights
“One of the primary ways that humans discern the ways” (Page 27)
“Third, Peter’s proclamation challenges the temple authorities to recognize their ignorance in crucifying Jesus of Nazareth lest they be found to be judged by God.” (Page 59)
“Second, the authorities cannot control or stand against the continuing activity of the resurrected and enthroned Messiah.” (Page 58)
“Acts 1:1–11 Luke is transitioning to a development of a new stage within the same story begun by the Gospel.21” (Page 12)
“continuing the work of Jesus of Nazareth in proclaiming God’s word to his people Israel,” (Page 62)
Joshua Jipp crafts a careful, readable, and engaging introduction into the many complexities readers face in the Book of Acts. Attuned to exegesis and theology alike, this book is a reliable and ideal entry point for students encountering Acts and its significance today.
—Eric Barreto, Princeton Theological Seminary
It is difficult to fit this helpful volume into one particular genre: it is at once an introduction to Lukan studies through a close interaction with the narrative of Acts . . . and a bold call to provide a proper response to this part of the Christian Scripture that challenges the social, political, and ecclesiological identities of individual believers within their own communities. Beginning students will benefit from Joshua Jipp’s wise and reliable guidance in navigating through Acts, while advanced readers will appreciate the power of his careful yet creative reading of Acts.
—David W. Pao, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
We need more books like this one! From the first page to the last, Joshua Jipp demonstrates his profound regard for the Acts of the Apostles, as well as his intimacy with its narrative progression and theology. The result is a wonderful entryway into the study of Acts that takes seriously its importance to the church and its mission.
—Joel B. Green, Fuller Theological Seminary
- Title: Reading Acts
- Author: Joshua W. Jipp
- Series: Cascade Companions
- Publisher: Wipf & Stock
- Publication Date: 2018
- Pages: 168
- Resource Type: Introduction
- Topic: Acts
Dr. Joshua Jipp has taught New Testament in a variety of settings, including as a teaching fellow at TEDS, before joining the faculty at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys baseball, basketball, hiking outdoors, and spending time with his wife, Amber, and their two sons. His most recent scholarly work includes Paul’s Areopagus Speech of Acts 17:16–34 as Both Critique and Propaganda in theJournal of Biblical Literature, and Divine Visitations and Hospitality to Strangers in Luke–Acts: An Interpretation of the Malta Episode in Acts 28:1–10 (Brill). He’s currently working on a book on Pauline Christology for Fortress Press and the Two Horizons Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles for Eerdmans.