ACTS—NOTE ON ACTS 11:2 The CIRCUMCISION PARTY was a group of strict Jewish Christians. They probably held the position that Gentiles who wished to become Christians must first become converts to Judaism. This included circumcision and living by the ritual laws. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElemen... [ Continue Reading ]
ACTS—NOTE ON ACTS 11:3 On eating with UNCIRCUMCISED MEN, see Acts 10:28. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
ACTS—NOTE ON ACTS 11:12 Peter was to make NO DISTINCTION between Jews and Gentiles. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
ACTS—NOTE ON ACTS 11:15 JUST AS ON US refers to Pentecost. See also Acts 10:44 and note on 10:47. That the Spirit came to Cornelius and other Gentiles settled matters as far as Peter was concerned. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
ACTS—NOTE ON ACTS 11:18 On repentance, see note on 2:38. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
ACTS—NOTE ON ACTS 11:19 With the establishing of a church at Antioch and its outreach to Gentiles, the focus in Acts 1:1 shifts from Jerusalem to Antioch. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]
ACTS—NOTE ON ACTS 11:20 MEN OF CYPRUS AND CYRENE. Diaspora Jews, natives of the nearby island of Cyprus and of the northern African region of Cyrene. HELLENISTS here means Greek-speaking Gentiles. (This term can refer to a variety of groups; see note on 6:1.) ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElements... [ Continue Reading ]
ACTS—NOTE ON ACTS 11:22 THEY SENT BARNABAS TO ANTIOCH. When the “mother church” in Jerusalem heard of Antioch’s witness to the Gentiles, they sent Barnabas to confirm the faithfulness of the new outreach (compare Acts 8:14). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len... [ Continue Reading ]
ACTS—NOTE ON ACTS 11:25 Paul had gone to TARSUS after his conversion (Acts 9:30). As a Diaspora Jew, he was particularly suited for the Gentile outreach. The fact that THE DISCIPLES were first called CHRISTIANS in Antioch probably reflects a label applied by the unbelieving public in Antioch. It sho... [ Continue Reading ]
ACTS—NOTE ON ACTS 11:27 Paul and Barnabas represented the Antioch church by bringing its offering to the Jerusalem church in a time of need (see chart). Paul says in Galatians 2:1 that this second visit to Jerusalem (Acts 11:30) took place “after fourteen years” (presumably 14 years after his conver... [ Continue Reading ]
ACTS—NOTE ON ACTS 11:28 A GREAT FAMINE. Historians believe this famine took place in A.D. 45–46 or 47. OVER ALL THE WORLD is a general prediction of the many regional famines that took place during Claudius’s reign. ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.l... [ Continue Reading ]
ACTS—NOTE ON ACTS 11:30 The reference to ELDERS marks a transition in day-to-day leadership of the Jerusalem church (see Acts 4:35; Acts 6:1). ⇐ ⇔ ⇒ var images = document.getElementsByTagName("img"); for (var i=0, len=images.length, img; i [ Continue Reading ]