Acts Flashcards
(18 cards)
Major themes in acts
Spread of the Gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit
Growth and unity of the early Church
The mission to the Gentiles
Role of the Apostles, especially Peter and Paul
Persecution and martyrdom as part of Christian witness
Acts as a sequel to luke’s gospel
Acts was written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke.
It picks up where Luke left off, beginning with the Ascension of Jesus.
Acts continues the story of Jesus’ mission through the Apostles, especially Peter and Paul.
When acts was written
AD 70-90, some schools believe AD 62
Pentecost
The day the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles (Acts 2).
Considered the “birthday” of the Church.
persecutions in early church
Early Christians faced opposition from Jewish authorities and later from Romans.
Examples: Stoning of Stephen, arrests of Peter and Paul.
civil disobedience
Apostles often defied orders from authorities when those orders conflicted with God’s will.
Antioch
Major center of early Christianity.
First place where the term “Christian” was used (Acts 11:26).
Base for Paul’s missionary journeys.
Martyr
someone who died for their faith
Saul of Tarsus
Pharisee who persecuted Christians.
Witnessed the stoning of Stephen.
Later converted and became Paul the Apostle, a key figure in spreading Christianity.
silversmith riots
Took place in Ephesus (Acts 19).
Silversmiths, who made idols of Artemis, started a riot because Paul’s preaching hurt their business.
Shows the impact of Christianity on pagan practices.
St. paul’s conversion
Occurred on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).
He was blinded by a light and heard Jesus asking, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
He was healed by Ananias, baptized, and became a Christian missionary.
Council of Jerusalem
First Church council (Acts 15).
Decided that Gentile converts did not need to follow all Jewish laws (like circumcision).
Marked a turning point in welcoming non-Jews into the Church.
Dietary restrictions of the jewish people
Jewish law forbade eating certain foods (e.g., pork, shellfish).
Peter’s vision showed all foods as clean, symbolizing that Gentiles were not unclean either (Acts 10)
circumcision as mark the convenant
Traditional sign of the Jewish covenant with God.
St peter’s stranger dream and baptism of cornelius
Peter had a vision of unclean animals and was told to “kill and eat.”
Meant that Gentiles were now welcome in the Church.
Cornelius, a Roman centurion, became the first Gentile convert (Acts 10).
St. paul’s speech in Athens at the areopagus
Paul addressed Greek philosophers (Acts 17).
Spoke about the “unknown god” and used it to introduce the Christian God.
Some mocked him, but others became believers.
Ichthys
greek word for fish and was a christian symbol
Council of Jerusalem:
When did the Council of Jerusalem meet? What was the MAIN issue it sought to resolve? What were the 2 sub-issues? What did the Pharisees argue? What did Peter and Paul argue? Explain the grounds for Peter and Paul’s position. How did the Council resolve these matters? Why was the Council significant - 3 reasons discussed in class?
In the council of Jerusalem they met around 49-50 ad and it settles whether is the Gentile converts needed to follow Jewish laws or not. Two sub issues they had was where they had to follow the mosaic law or if they had to be circumcised. Some may have said yes, but as we know St. paul and Peter had both argued that they did not need to follow these Jewish laws and that salvation comes by faith. Finally the council had agreed with them saying they didn’t need to follow certain laws. This was a significant moment because it showed us the opening of the church to Gentiles.
