Reading Scripture with the Early Church: The Old Testament in Acts 1-8

From Peter’s reasoning about the replacement of Judas in Acts 1 to Paul’s final words in Acts 28, the book of Acts repeatedly portrays early Christians as reasoning from and with Scripture—our Old Testament—as they discern the shape of their life together and bear witness to Jesus as Lord and Christ. This class will examine selected passages from early Acts in which scriptural interpretation plays a prominent role in the plot, focusing especially on Peter’s Pentecost sermon (Acts 2), Stephen’s speech (Acts 7), and Philip’s encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8). We will notice the variety of ways in which these passages evoke Scripture—direct quotation, narrative overview, and maybe even embodied allusion—and will seek to understand how these early believers (re)interpret Scripture in relation to Jesus. Along the way, we will consider Acts’ portrayal of the role of the Holy Spirit and the church community in enabling our biblical interpretation, and we will listen for how these allusive passages in Acts might challenge and encourage us in our lives of faith today. 

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