Class Assignment: Exegesis of Acts 2:41-47

  The King’s University (TKU)

Exegesis of Acts 2:41-47

Research Paper submitted to Professors Reed Metcalf and Jason Moraff for Luke-Acts in Jewish Context (BIBL4310)

By Darrell Wolfe

Southlake, Texas, Online Via North Pole, Idaho

Due October 9, 2022

Acts 2:41-47 Outline

A chiasm with a center highlighting common fellowship: koinonia/koinos

2:41 – Luke transitions from Peter’s speech to the results of the speech with the phrase, “So…” (starting a new line of thought) and the fact people were “added” to the church.

2:42 – Activities: what this new sect did; they devoted themselves to Teaching, Fellowship (koinonia), Breaking of Bread, and Prayer(s).

2:43 – Results: The outward result was fear, wonders, and signs.

2:44 – The Community Result: Everyone was in the same place and shared everything in common (koinos).

2:45 – Results: Giving additional details about how they shared, through selling and distributing to anyone who had a need.

2:46 – Activities: Restating what this new sect did but with more detail. Repeating the phrase "devoting themselves", the author expands his earlier explanation (v42) to say that they met in the temple courts and broke bread in the homes.

2:47 – Luke concludes by restating that the Lord was “adding” people who were "being saved" because of these activities and events.

 

Observations about the Way, a Koinonia-culture community

Luke-Acts serves as a single work, in two volumes, outlining the work of a Galilean Jewish Rabbi, Yeshua of Nazareth (Hebrew: יֵשׁוּעַ yēšûaʿ; Greek: Ἰησοῦς Iēsous; English: Jesus), also called Jesus the Christ (Anointed One); and the effects of that work in the community built on his legacy. Luke’s Acts begins with a transition from the story of Yeshua’s work in Israel to the story of the early Jewish Yeshua community, the Way. Luke’s Yeshua hands the reigns of his fledgling community to the work of the Holy Spirit. Just as Yeshua was a Jewish prophet filled with and anointed by the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:21-22; 4:1), so too his followers would become his spirit-filled representatives multiplying his work everywhere they spread “to Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest part of the earth” (Luke 11:13; 12:1; Acts 1:5-8, 8; 2:4, 33, LEB). While it is often called Acts of the Apostles, one Acts scholar quipped that we may be entitled to call the book, "the Acts of the Holy Spirit, for from first to last it is the record of his advent and activity."[1] Yahweh, through Ezekiel, promised, “a new heart” and “a new spirit” (Ezekiel 36:23-32, LEB).[2] Ezekiel then goes on to describe a vision of a community living in abundance within the land of promise, “I will cause the fruit of the tree and the crop of the field to increase” (Ezekiel 36:30). Joel picks up on this theme by saying, “I will pour out my spirit” (Joel 2:28-29). In Acts, Luke portrays the Holy Spirit’s arrival as a fulfillment of the promise (Acts 2:16-21).

Green summarizes Luke-Acts as, "a panoramic mural of God's activity."[3] This early movement, the Way, began as a Jewish sect. Moraff observes that various sects existed within Second Temple Judaism (Essenes, Pharisees, Sadducees, and Fourth Philosophy) and that "the Way" became a new Jewish sect within Judaism.[4] Yet, participation with the Way did not mean one would stop identifying with the sub-group or sect they came from; Paul continued to identify as a Pharisee after joining the Way.[5]

As the Way expanded into gentile territories, they became increasingly multi-ethnic; but, Acts always retains Jerusalem, as the “center” of the movement. Bauer provides a discussion with graphics showing the progression of Acts from Jerusalem, then to Judea and Samaria, and then to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).[6] Throughout these movements, Jerusalem plays a repeating role; and occurs twice as often in Acts as in Luke (almost 60 times in Acts);[7] which shows that Jerusalem never loses its place of primacy in Acts even as the progression moves towards, “the ends of the earth” ending at Rome.

Sterling describes Luke’s work in Acts: “The presentation of the earliest Christian community appears in two forms: five extended narratives and three summaries.”[8] We find the first of these summaries in Acts 2:41-47. Bauer notes that, "In narrative-critical terms” Peter’s sermon forms, “the basis for the life of the community in 2:42-47."[9] Knowles summarizes this section by saying, “Luke gives us a glimpse of the everyday life of the first Christians.”[10] When Luke curates the words with which he will describe this spirit-filled group of early Yeshua followers, he chooses four primary themes: Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread, and Prayers. In the following sections, we will explore these four words which Luke uses to show the qualitative nature of this community. The following definitions are a brief synopsis from Mounce, including the Goodrick/Kohlenberger numbers, followed by an analysis of their thematic usage in Luke-Acts (in the order in which Luke provided them).

Teaching

Teaching (1439): διδαχή didachē, means, “instruction, the giving of instruction, teaching”[11] Luke mentions that people were “astounded” at Jesus’ teaching (Luke 4:32), and provides an intimate example in the story of Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to his “teaching” (Luke 10:39). Now, in Acts, the apostles carry this tradition forward (examples: Acts 2:14-47; 5:42; 6:4; 13:12; 17:19). Nässelqvist’s entry in the Lexham Bible Dictionary explains, “In the Greek world, philosophers, religious leaders, and mystery cults attracted disciples. A person became a disciple as he sought out a teacher and followed him and his principles. Similarly, in the rabbinical tradition, a “learner” or “student” (תלמיד, tlmyd) attached himself to a rabbi (literally “my great one,” with the additional meaning of “teacher” or “master”) or to a movement.”[12] Spangler and Tverberg expand on this concept showing that, “Jesus lived transparently in front of his disciples to teach them how to live. They, in turn, were to live transparently before others, humbly teaching them the way of Christ. This approach involves not just information but transformation.”[13] This became the basis for the earliest self-moniker of early Yeshua followers, The Way (of Messiah/Christ).

What was the content and form of the Apostle’s teaching? Acts explains, “Every day, both in the temple courts and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming the good news that the Christ (Hebrew: Messiah) was Jesus (Hebrew: Yeshua)” (Acts 5:42, LEB, parenthetical inserts my own). It is interesting to note that Acts does not provide many examples of the Apostles teaching the believing community, most of the messages Acts records are polemic sermons from the Apostles, Elders, and Deacons to the leadership within Israel (see Acts 2:14-40; or Peter and Paul before the Sanhedrin in Acts 4; or Steven’s defense in Acts 7). From these examples, we can guess the content of the teaching within the believing community likely, at least, involved showing that Yeshua was Messiah from the Tanakh. However, Acts does not stand on its own but as the second of a twin collection. Luke already provided the teaching and parables of Jesus, including the blessings and woes, love for enemies, judging, and building one’s house on the right foundation (Luke 6:20-49), the parable of the Sower (Luke 8:11-15), and others. Since we have Luke’s first record, we can conclude that the Apostles also likely repeated the sayings and teachings of Yeshua as part of their teaching. Later, epistles developed additional teaching as required to live within an ever-growing community in new contexts.

Fellowship

Fellowship (3126): κοινωνία koinonia, means “fellowship, partnership”.[14] This is a word we do not often use in modern English except in religious settings. Koinonia implies a shared sense of community bondedness that is often absent in modern western American contexts where the phrase ends up being used in sentences such as, “we went to Bible study and fellowshipped” or “we went to Denny’s and fellowshipped.” While these can be occasions for Koinonia, the actual term has deeper roots than merely meeting together and having a decent time. Mounce explains that Koinonia also carries the inferred meaning of “participation and sharing”, and he cites this passage in Acts: 2:42 as an example of a community living koinonia with each other. Mounce also notes that Paul uses this word thirteen times, and most often it is used to refer to the “sharing of material things”.[15] Due to the frequency of Acts 2:41-47 as citation in political discourse, a side note would be worth mentioning. Wright provides a short explanation for why this passage certainly has a focus on taking care of the poor, but it is not an endorsement for the government structure called socialism as people retain private property and give willingly, with no government force or involvement.[16]

In the summary chiasm (2:41-47), the center is built on the phrases, “same place” and “everything in common” (Acts 2:44). This word, “common” (3123) is κοινός koinos, which means “common, belonging equally to several”.[17] The followers of Jesus were devoted to koinonia and had everything in koinos. This word is the center of the chiasm, and the pairing of these words (koinonia v42, koinos v44) indicates Luke felt that this koinos/koinonia-culture was the most important factor to share about this fledgling community.  While teaching was important it was not the central factor, koinonia was primary. This stands in stark contrast to the de-Judaized Christianity that developed only a few hundred years later with its emphasis on “doctrine”.

Toward the end of his life, the Apostle John reflected on the movement that began with Yeshua and summarized Yeshua’s hope that they were “one, just as we are one” (John 17:20-26). In Luke’s first account, Yeshua tells the story of a man who was a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers (Luke 10:29–37). In Acts 2:41-47, we see a snapshot summary of what it means to live out this kind of ethic, and it is encapsulated in the terms koinonia/koinos.

Breaking of Bread

Breaking (3082) κλάσις klasis (breaking, the act of breaking)[18] of Bread (788) ἄρτος artos (bread; a loaf or thin cake of bread).[19] The “breaking of bread” is another phrase we do not often use in modern western American English. One might assume it means to eat together. Textually and contextually, however, the following observations can be made to fill-out our understanding of the practice. The phrase “breaking of the bread” is used in Acts 2:42 and Luke 24:35. Luke makes a point of noting that the feast of “Unleavened Bread” is also called “Passover” (Luke 22:1). Later in this same section, in what has become known as The Lord’s Supper, Jesus “took bread, and after giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:14, LEB). Post resurrection, Jesus met two of his followers as they traveled to Emmaus, Luke makes a point of mentioning that “he was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread” (Luke 24:35, LEB). The summary provided by Luke for the activities of the early church was “they were devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers.” (Acts 2:42). These facts lead one to conclude that this was not as simple as a meal but did include a meal (not a thimble of juice and a tiny wafer). Bauer agrees saying that the ‘breaking of bread’, “emphasizes the close relationship between common meals among believers and the Eucharist."[20] These meals also served as reminders of Jesus’ last supper and what it came to represent.

The “Agape Meal” (as Sturdevant called it), “functioned to help feed the poorer members of the church.”[21] This sense of community koinonia through sharing of food was part of the larger context in which they “had everything in common” (Acts 2:44) and there were “not even anyone needy among them” (Acts 4:34). Within the wider Ancient Near East context, Shirokov, notes that, “Shared meals often expresses the universal Near Eastern value of hospitality (Gen 18:1–8; Heb 13:2).”[22] Jipp also observes that Luke-Acts combined tell a story of the community putting action to Jesus’ “teachings on food, possessions, and hospitality”.[23] Harrington shows that one of Jesus’ “most certain and controversial matters” was “his custom of sharing meals with tax collectors and sinners”.[24] Reflecting on this, Manning states, "Nowhere in the New Testament is the privileged position of turkeys, nobodies, and marginal people on the fringes of society disclosed more dramatically than in Jesus' ministry of meal sharing."[25] Another important observation about the meal motif in Luke-Acts is made by Chilton, “The last public act of Jesus before his crucifixion was to declare that his meals were the center of the kingdom” and also “the conviction that the light of the kingdom radiated from that practice went hand in hand with the conviction that the true master of the table, the rabbi who began it all, remained with their fellowship.”[26] While breaking of bread was one aspect of this koinonia, Toussaint observes that perhaps “breaking of bread” and “prayer” should be considered descriptions of “fellowship”. He states, “The omission of ‘and’ between ‘fellowship’ and ‘to the breaking of bread and to prayer’ indicates the last two activities are appositional to fellowship.”[27]

Prayers

Prayers (4666): προσευχή proseuchē, means “prayer”.[28] Mounce notes that, “proseuchē is always prayer to a deity; in the NT, it is used for prayers to Jesus (Eph. 1:16–17; Rev. 5:8; 8:3–4) or to God (Rom. 15:30), never to pagan deities.”[29] He also notes that the Hebrew cognate for this concept is “תְּפִלָּה (tepillâ)… a common word in the OT for ‘prayer, intercession, petition’.”[30] But beyond this basic definition, it helps to contextualize the concept of prayer in its own Ancient Near East and Second Temple Judaism contexts. Spangler and Tverberg note, “Unlike our tendency to focus on our own individual needs, Jewish prayers tend to involve community prayer for the needs of the whole people.”[31] Further, Penner claimed that the Jewish community knew two ways of praying; (1) “spontaneous” prayers that involved the “will, emotion, and particular circumstances of the one praying” but (2) Judaism had developed a second form of prayer that was “governed by formality” in which the prayers were “fixed in an attempt to regulate or ritualize in some way the religious experience of praying to the divine, and to transform continually and regularly the worshipper's perspective to the liturgical worldview.”[32] Some modern non-denominational protestants may find this second form “stuffy”; however, some (such as the Catholics, Anglicans, and Episcopalians, and others) find liturgy provides them with a sense of meditative depth, historical longevity, and shared community. One associate of mine referred to these written prayers as “dipping into a 2,000-year-old tradition”. As Penner noted (above) the formal prayers have the effect of bringing the community together, as the group forms a type of hive-mind. Two famous community prayers are the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-5) and the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4). That this second form of prayer was continued by, the Way, is shown by the very next story after the summary chiasm; “Now, Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour” (Acts 3:1).

Wisdom from the text of Acts 2:41-47

Fellowship koinonia was the defining characteristic of the Way. Koinonia was exemplified by a community that gathered regularly to listen to those who had been with Yeshua teach about the promises regarding Yeshua in the Tanakh, and through the stories and parables of Yeshua about the way the Kingdom of God community is to be lived out. The Way followed the ancient Jewish customs of regular rhythm of prayers and built their community around shared meals and shared resources. While not an endorsement of government socialism, this community took care of the poor among them so that nobody had any needs. Sometimes, this was facilitated by a wealthier member selling property or belongings to give to those who had less. Prayers (formal and informal) created an atmosphere that was centered on Yahweh, with Yeshua as head of the assembly, through the leading of the Holy Spirit. This community was no mere gathering of event attendees, they were “one as we are one” (John 17:20-26).

Conclusion: Theological and Practical Implications

The Way was known for their koinonia-culture and therefore modern followers of Yeshua should have the same reputation. This attribute, more than any other, should define the community. John’s gospel said that we would be known as Yeshua’s disciples by the way we loved one another (John 13:35), and Acts describes this in practice as koinonia.

While our modern contexts and cultures have changed, we may still find wisdom in making sure these elements (teaching, koinonia-culture, shared meals, and prayers) are present in our Jesus communities. However, that may look different in any given context. Modern westerners do not share the ANE culture of hospitality in the same way. We will find ways to contextualize these themes in ways that fit our modern times and peculiarities.

Anecdotally, as I was mid-stream writing this paper; my son’s best-friend’s grandmother came over to say hello. She had heard our washing machine was broken and we were washing our clothes in the bathtub until we could afford a replacement. She took her grandson and my son, headed 30 miles away to Spokane, Washington, and bought us a washing machine, “just because we love you guys so much”. If there was ever a living example of Koinonia; I may have just experienced, it myself. Now we are all encouraged, “go and do likewise” (Luke 10:29–37).

Bibliography

 

Bauer, David R. The Book of Acts as Story: A Narrative-Critical Study. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2021.

 

Chilton, Bruce. Pure Kingdom: Jesus’ Vision of God. Studying the Historical Jesus. Grand Rapids, Mich. : London: Eerdmans ; Society for Prommoting Christian Knowledge, 1996.

 

Green, Joel B. Discovering Luke: Content, Interpretation, Reception. Discovering Biblical Texts : Content, Interpretation, Reception. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2021.

 

Harrington, Daniel J. The Synoptic Gospels Set Free: Preaching Without Anti-Judaism. New York ; Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2009.

 

Jipp, Joshua W. Reading Acts. Cascade Companions. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2018.

 

Knowles, Andrew. The Bible Guide. 1st Augsburg books ed. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 2001.

 

“Logos Bible Software 8.17 SR-38.17.0.0022.” Faithlife Corporation, 2021 2000. logos.com.

 

Manning, Brennan. The Ragamuffin Gospel. 2nd Edition. Sisters, Or: Multnomah Publishers, 2000.

 

Moraff, Jason. “‘Among My Own Nation’: Reading the Way, Paul, and ‘the Jews’ in Acts within Judaism.” Dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Theology, Center for Advanced Theological Studies, 2021.

 

Mounce, William D., ed. Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2006.

 

Penner, Jeremy. Patterns of Daily Prayer in Second Temple Period Judaism. Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah, v. 104. Leiden ; Boston: Brill, 2012.

 

Pierson, Arthur T. The Acts of the Holy Spirit. University of Virginia: Gospel Publishing House, originally from University of Virginia, 1896.

 

Spangler, Ann, and Lois Tverberg. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith. Updated edition. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2018.

 

Sterling, Gregory E. “‘Athletes of Virtue’: An Analysis of the Summaries in Acts (2:41-47; 4:32-35; 5:12-16).” Journal of Biblical Literature 113, no. 4 (1994): 679–96. https://doi.org/10.2307/3266714.

 

The Lexham Bible Dictionary - Barry, J. D., Bomar, D., Brown, D. R., Klippenstein, R., Mangum, D., Sinclair Wolcott, C., … Widder, W. (Eds.). (2016). In The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. Billingham, WA: Leham Press, 2016. LexhamPress.com.

 

The Lexham English Bible (LEB), Fourth Edition. Logo Bible Software. Harris, W. H., III, Ritzema, E., Brannan, R., Mangum, D., Dunham, J., Reimer, J. A., & Wierenga, M. (Eds.). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2010. http://www.lexhampress.com.

 

Walvoord, John F., Roy B. Zuck, and Dallas Theological Seminary, eds. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, Ill: Victor Books, 1983.

 

Wright, N. T., and Michael F. Bird. The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians. London : Grand Rapids, MI: SPCK ; Zondervan Academic, 2019.

 
Notes:

---

[1] Arthur T. Pierson, The Acts of the Holy Spirit (University of Virginia: Gospel Publishing House, originally from University of Virginia, 1896), 18; Also cited in the following article: F. F. Bruce, “The Bible: Book of the Month: The Acts of the Apostles,” Christianity Today (Washington, D.C.: Christianity Today, 1956), 19.

[2] The Lexham English Bible (LEB), Fourth Edition, Logo Bible Software, Harris, W. H., III, Ritzema, E., Brannan, R., Mangum, D., Dunham, J., Reimer, J. A., & Wierenga, M. (Eds.) (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2010), http://www.lexhampress.com.

[3] Joel B. Green, Discovering Luke: Content, Interpretation, Reception, Discovering Biblical Texts : Content, Interpretation, Reception (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co, 2021), 112.

[4] Jason Moraff, “‘Among My Own Nation’: Reading the Way, Paul, and ‘the Jews’ in Acts within Judaism” (Dissertation, Pasadena, CA, Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Theology, Center for Advanced Theological Studies, 2021), 11–12, 86–93.

[5] Moraff, 58.

[6] David R. Bauer, The Book of Acts as Story: A Narrative-Critical Study (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2021), 51–18; Figures 3.1 & 3.2.

[7] “Logos Bible Software 8.17 SR-38.17.0.0022” (Faithlife Corporation, 2021 2000), n. Logos Word Search, logos.com.

[8] Gregory E. Sterling, “‘Athletes of Virtue’: An Analysis of the Summaries in Acts (2:41-47; 4:32-35; 5:12-16),” Journal of Biblical Literature 113, no. 4 (1994): 679, https://doi.org/10.2307/3266714.

[9] Bauer, The Book of Acts as Story, 95.

[10] Andrew Knowles, The Bible Guide, 1st Augsburg books ed (Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg, 2001), 540–41.

[11] William D. Mounce, ed., Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2006), 1123.

[12] The Lexham Bible Dictionary - Barry, J. D., Bomar, D., Brown, D. R., Klippenstein, R., Mangum, D., Sinclair Wolcott, C., … Widder, W. (Eds.). (2016). In The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. (Billingham, WA: Leham Press, 2016), sec. Dan Nässelqvist, “Disciple,” LexhamPress.com.

[13] Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith, Updated edition (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2018), 69.

[14] Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, 1192.

[15] Mounce, 247.

[16] N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians (London : Grand Rapids, MI: SPCK ; Zondervan Academic, 2019), 630–32.

[17] Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, 1192.

[18] Mounce, 1190.

[19] Mounce, 1097.

[20] Bauer, The Book of Acts as Story, 94.

[21] Lexham Bible Dictionary, sec. Jason S. Sturdevant, “Agape Meal,.”

[22] Lexham Bible Dictionary, sec. Peter Shirokov, “Meal Customs,.”

[23] Joshua W. Jipp, Reading Acts, Cascade Companions (Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2018), 49–50.

[24] Daniel J. Harrington, The Synoptic Gospels Set Free: Preaching Without Anti-Judaism (New York ; Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 2009), 155.

[25] Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel, 2nd Edition (Sisters, Or: Multnomah Publishers, 2000), 58.

[26] Bruce Chilton, Pure Kingdom: Jesus’ Vision of God, Studying the Historical Jesus (Grand Rapids, Mich. : London: Eerdmans ; Society for Prommoting Christian Knowledge, 1996), 126.

[27] John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck, and Dallas Theological Seminary, eds., The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, Ill: Victor Books, 1983), sec. Stanley D. Toussaint, “Acts,”; c. The description of the first church (2:41–47).

[28] Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, 1257.

[29] Mounce, 532.

[30] Mounce, 532.

[31] Spangler and Tverberg, Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, 89.

[32] Jeremy Penner, Patterns of Daily Prayer in Second Temple Period Judaism, Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah, v. 104 (Leiden ; Boston: Brill, 2012), 1; Introduction.

Darrell Wolfe, Storyteller at NoHiding.Faith