Course Description
The Acts of the Apostles is the second volume in Luke’s two-volume account of the arrival of the reign of Israel’s God in Jesus, the Son of David, and its establishment and extension through Jesus’ witnesses to the ends of the earth. Our study of Acts will focus on Luke’s narrative shaping of early Christian identity and mission in the wake of “the Way’s” rupture with the synagogue and its relationship to the rival claims of ultimacy by the gods of first-century, Mediterranean culture.
Course Objectives
After completing this course, you will be able to:
- To articulate Luke’s primary purposes for writing the Acts of the Apostles, and to outline its structure and main themes in significant detail.
- To illustrate Luke’s various uses of the Septuagint for characterizing Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah of Israel and Lord of all, as well as, for characterizing “the Way” as the eschatological people of God.
- To analyze and explain the inter-cultural, communal, networked and missional character of the earliest churches, resulting from a multi-directional, multi-centered movement of God’s Word & Spirit through human witnesses.
- To mimic Luke’s practices of contextualization by acquiring enough knowledge of cultural resources, communication styles and practices in your congregation, the neighborhood and/or region it serves to re-evaluate and adjust the ways you, your family and congregation proclaim and embody the gospel.
Moodle Login and Syllabus
Course Materials & Tuition
| Video Lecture Series | Free |
| Bock, D. L. (2007). Acts (Edition Unstated). Baker Academic. ISBN: 978-0801026683 | $34.99 |
| Flemming, Dean. “Paul and the Athenians: Articulating the Gospel in a Pluralistic World,” unpublished paper, delivered at IBR/SBL | Available as a free pdf |
|
Perry, Gregory R. (2009). “Paul in Acts and the Law in the Prophets.” HBT 31. |
Available as free pdf |
| Tuition | $375.00 |
| Total Cost of Course | $409.99 |