Acts: A Critical & Exegetical Commentary

By Gareth L. Reese
ISBN-10: 0971765235
ISBN-13: 978-0971765238
1017 Pages
Publisher: Scripture Exposition Books LLC
Third Edition, 2002

This is a phrase-by-phrase commentary and exposition of the New Testament book of Acts. This commentary is used as a college textbook, yet is suitable for lay church members. It is based on the NASB 1977 Text.

First published in 1966 by College Press Publishing Company, this commentary has been continually used in seminary classrooms as a staple text for students preparing for pastoral ministry. It has also been used in countless churches all across the United States. Now in its third edition (2002), it has been translated into Russian, Portuguese, and Chinese. Its enduring popularity among seminarians and lay people alike make it a must have for a serious study of the Acts of the Apostles.

Acts of the Apostles is a pivotal book in New Testament studies, giving us information about how the Church began and developed in those key years after the ascension and glorification of Jesus.

The commentary opens with a brief survey of the dates of the major events of the Gospels as well as in Acts. This examination of the way that the dates are arrived at will serve as a basic framework into which to locate the historical materials of Acts. It will also give opportunity to make a brief survey of the whole book of Acts at once, before the study begins in detail.

The second part of the introductory studies is concerned with the matters usually studied in the field of "Higher Criticism," that is, such things as authorship, purpose, trustworthiness, date and place of writing, as well as the destination to which it was addressed. Though some of these materials are difficult for college underclassmen to see the value of, still, with the great, massive attack being made on the Christian faith in these days, Dr. Reese believes that such a detailed study of the "critical" matters will prove to be a most needed source of evidence on which to build a continuing faith in the divine origin of the Christian religion.

In addition to detailed phrase-by-phrase commentary through every verse in Acts, this volume contains a series of Special Studies which gives focused and detailed attention to major topics in Acts, including:

~Diverse Opinions About the Kingdom of God
~The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit
~Speaking in tongues
~The Doctrine of Inspiration
~Predestination and Foreknowledge
~Hades and the Intermediate Place of the Dead
~What Is Repentance?
~The Sects of the Jews
~Church Discipline
~Demons and Demon Possession
~Difficulties in Acts 7
~Was Peter ever in Rome?
~The Synagogue and its Services
~The Faith that Saves
~The World of the Occult
~The Lords Supper

Since this commentary presumes the God-inspired nature of all Biblical writing, the author seeks to harmonize the teachings of Acts with other relevant Scriptures, and frequently examines the original language in which the epistle was written. An annotated bibliography is included to encourage readers to extend their own studies.

This commentary continues the author's series on the books of the New Testament. Written from a non-denominational standpoint, he can approach Scripture with no special theological doctrine or dogma to defend and explicate. This provides an unhindered freedom to listen to what the Holy Spirit would tell us within the pages of Scripture. By deliberately employing the grammatico-historical method of interpretation, God's Word is allowed to impress upon us the intent the Divine Author had in mind.

The author is Professor Emeritus of the New Testament at Central Christian College of the Bible (Moberly, MO).
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