This is the seventh entry in the Bible Junkies Online Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles. The first entry covered some of the major critical,
technical and background issues that will concern us as we read through and
comment on the Acts. The second post, found here, considered the prologue to the Acts of the Apostles. In the third column, we began to examine the founding of the
Jerusalem Church. In the fourth blog post, the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost
and the beginning of Peter’s speech was discussed. In the fifth post, the bulk of Peter’s speech was examined. In
the sixth entry, Peter’s speech concludes with a successful response
according to Acts. The seventh blog post, listed below, deals with the
formation of the apostles and other disciples into a community and the practices
of the earliest community.
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3. Contents:
B) Founding of the
Jerusalem Church (1:12-2:47): v) The
Practice of the Early Church (2:42-47):
42 They devoted
themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread
and the prayers. 43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were
being done by the apostles. 44 All who believed were together and had all
things in common; 45 they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute
the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 Day by day, as they
spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and
ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and
having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their
number those who were being saved. (NRSV)
What do these newly baptized followers of Jesus, along with
the apostles and disciples who had followed Jesus prior to his death, do as a
community? Luke offers a short précis of their practices, though it is not clear
that all of the new disciples are included in all of these actions. Most
scholars and translations place Acts 2:42 at the end of Peter’s speech, but I
see it beginning the next section which outlines the practices of the community
as a whole. Certainly, it is possible that the three thousand newly baptized
are included in these practices, but it is not just them.
Acts 2:42 speaks of four things: devotion to the apostles'
teaching (didachê), fellowship (koinonia), the breaking of bread, and prayers.
The didachê must include teachings
about Jesus himself, his life and death, what he himself taught, such as
parables and prayers, and interpretation of the Jewish Scriptures in the
context of who Jesus was understood to be by the apostles. It is not clear if koinonia is simply the “being together”
of the baptized or if it implies more formal worship of the gathered community.
The breaking of bread is also difficult to determine, since
it must imply eating together, but does it also imply a Eucharistic celebration?
We know from Luke 24 that Jesus is described as breaking bread with the
apostles, by which they see him in his resurrected state, but that act too might
imply simply the act of the fellowship of a meal. It might be best to conclude
that such breaking of the bread in Acts includes meals, but that the meals
might also include the Eucharistic celebration, just as we see in 1 Corinthians
11.
The prayers would include, it seems, the prayer(s) Jesus
taught them, possibly extemporaneous Spirit-filled prayer, and also the prayers
common to the Jews of the time.
The next verse, Acts 2:43, describes the “awe” (phobos, literally “fear”) which came
upon “everyone” (pasê psyche,
literally “every soul”) because of the wonders (terata) and signs (sêmeia)
done by the apostles. It does not outline what these wonders and signs are at this
point, but Luke will begin describing some in the coming chapters. Luke, that
is, wants to impress on readers that the power of the Holy Spirit, the same
power operative in Jesus’ deeds, is now operative in the work and life of the
apostles.
Luke then moves to a description of another aspect of the
communal life of the apostles and disciples (“those who believed”): they “were
together and had all things in common” (Acts 2:44). This communal lifestyle
included a rejection of personal possessions (hyparxeis, “belongings”) and a distribution of goods to all who had
need (Acts 2:45). The Jerusalem community, it seems, was putting into practice
the rejection of goods and property which emerges from so many of Jesus’
parables which warn of the lure that wealth poses.
This community continued to see itself as a part of the life
of Judaism, though followers of Jesus, since “day by day…they spent much time
together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad
and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people”
(Acts 2:46-47a). The mention of “breaking bread” here with “and ate their food”
does indicate that we were correct earlier to assume that this must indicate
firstly the eating of community meals. The Temple remains a locus of worship, a
place to pray and gather, and to bring (or attempt to bring) other Jews into
the community.
Luke again stresses, however, that their message was received
and accepted by many people since he completes this section saying, “day by day
the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47b). The
same phrase that begins 2:46 ends 2:47, “day by day,” suggesting that the outreach
had some success as often as attempted. These passages are important to
indicate that the earliest community did find success among their Jewish
brothers and sisters. Note, though, that Luke does not attribute success to the
apostles as such, but to the Lord (kyrios).
Jesus’ disciples are the means by which the message is brought, yet they are
not the means by which salvation comes.
Next entry, Peter and John in Jerusalem.
John W. Martens
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This entry is cross-posted at America Magazine The Good Word
