Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture: Acts
Digital Verbum Edition
Overview
What message was the author of Acts seeking to convey, and what would the original audience have understood? How is God using Acts to speak to believers today? In this addition to the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture series, respected New Testament scholar William Kurz offers a close reading and explanation of the entire narrative of Acts, grounded in the original Greek but keyed to the NAB for liturgical use.
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- Offers detailed exposition and commentary on the text
- Provides introductions to authorship, literary unity, historical context, theological themes, and contemporary relevance
- Includes a glossary, indexes, and a list of suggested resources
Top Highlights
“Jesus’ ascension does not imply his absence from the Church. Rather, as Acts will show, he will be present and active in a new way through the Holy Spirit (see John 14:18). As his disciples speak and act ‘in his name,’ Jesus himself will be at work through them (see Acts 3:5–16).” (Page 35)
“Perhaps the principal theme in Acts is that Jesus’ followers are his witnesses, who like him are filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered to speak and act in his name.” (Page 18)
“Throughout Scripture, wind is often a sign of the Spirit, since the same word (pneuma in Greek) means both wind and spirit. The loud noise, wind, and fire evoke the †theophanies on Mount Sinai to Moses (Exod 19:16–19) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:11–13). The sign of fire especially recalls the Baptist’s prophecy that the One to come ‘will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire’ (Luke 3:16). Yet Luke most emphasizes the sign that they were all filled with the holy Spirit so that they began to speak in different tongues. In this context the Greek word glossai, literally, ‘tongues,’ is better translated as ‘other languages’ (NRSV), since it was the ordinary word used for languages.” (Pages 44–45)
“The fact that Jews from many different nations all heard the disciples speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God portends that the ancient tragedy of Babel (Gen 11:1–9) is now being reversed. The people at Babel had arrogantly tried to ‘make a name’ for themselves by building a tower to the heavens—symbolizing the human attempt to seek power, wealth, and security without any reference to God.” (Page 45)
William S. Kurz earned his PhD at Yale University. He has been a professor at Marquette University for more than 35 years and is the author of Reading Luke–Acts: Dynamics of Biblical Narrative.