Between History and Spirit: The Apostolic Witness of the Book of Act

Abstract

The hermeneutical triad is best described as the process of assessing a text’s history, literary merit, and theology. The careful reader will examine each of these areas in order to assess the text’s meaning. In Between History and Spirit: The Apostolic Witness of the Books of Acts, Craig Keener takes the reader to the very heart of the book of Acts by cross-examining its history, context, and theology. Keener is no stranger to Acts scholarship, as he is the author of an extensive four-volume commentary on the book. In the current selection, Keener brings together a series of essays, some in the Acts commentary and others not, into one volume. These essays are divided into three parts. The first examines the question of history in the book of Acts. Readers will find selections dedicated to Luke’s depiction of the historical Jesus (ch. 1), the use of “we” in the book of Acts (ch. 2), Paul’s apologetic in Acts (ch. 3), the growth rate of the church (ch. 4), a comparison of Acts and ancient novels (ch. 5), the landscape and military brass of Caesarea during Agrippa’s rule (ch. 6), and an examination of Paul’s mission to the Athenians (ch. 7). Each of these essays combines Keener’s encyclopedic knowledge of primary sources and sensitivity to the historicity within Acts’ narrative. The section is especially focused on parts of Acts that commentators have struggled to reconcile with extracanonical evidence.In the second division, Keener explores the literary and contextual aspects of Acts. This section of the volume has essays on interethnic marriages in Acts 7 and 16 (ch. 8), Paul’s use of irony and figurative language in Acts 7 and 26 (ch. 9), turning from idolatry in Acts 14 (ch. 10), postcolonial missions in Acts 16 (ch. 11), Paul’s Asiarch friends in Acts 19 (ch. 12), the relationship between Acts 21 and Eph 2 concerning the temple (ch. 13), rhetorical techniques in Acts 24 (ch. 14), Paul’s madness in Acts 26 (ch. 15), and fever, dysentery, and medicine in Acts 28 (ch. 16). The ordering of this section broadly follows the order of chapters in Acts. It is also interesting to note that, whereas the last chapter consistently displayed long-form articles, the current section has three articles that are concise and punchy.The final section deals with some theological aspects of Acts with special regard to the movement of the Spirit. Essays include engagement with miracles and history in Acts (ch. 17), Luke’s missiology in Acts 1–2 (ch. 18), the use of tongues in Acts 2 (ch. 19), Spirit possession in modern anthropology and its relationship to Acts 16 and 19 (ch. 20), the Spirit-filled ministry described in Acts 19 (ch. 21), and ancient African Christianity (ch. 22). Chapter 23 concludes the essay selections with some of Keener’s reviews of Acts-focused scholarship. Keener engages the work of Bruce Winter and David Clarke, David Gill and Conrad Gempf, Richard Pervo, David Peterson, and Joshua Jipp. The volume ends with an extensive bibliography (78 pages), ancient documents index (57 pages), and scripture, subject, and author indexes.Keener opens with a short preface recounting the request of Michael Thomson to put together the following collection. In an academic world where edited volumes are becoming fewer, it is even more unusual to have an scholar who can edit a volume of their own essays. These volumes are a gift and allow the reader to avoid the hassle of finding some of Keener’s more obscure work. In many ways, the following set of essays contributes not only to ongoing research in the book of Acts but also speaks volumes about the author. Keener has continued to write intensely researched and thought-provoking scholarship on this particular book of Scripture. This quantity and quality of research is a testament to a genuine love of the subject. Keener’s work is a force to be reckoned with and will challenge the reader to reassess the historical records time and again. In the vein of Keener’s work, Ad fontes!