Acts as Theological History
Question
Give an explanation of the genre of the book of Acts as theological history. What are the implications for this particular genre on the interpretation of the book? How does the reader differentiate between the theology and the history in the book? What kinds of things should an interpreter look for in Acts so as to understand properly the message of the book? In your opinion, should Acts be read for doctrinal purposes? Why or why not? Please give examples from the book of Acts.
Response
The book of Acts is often referred to as theological history. William Klein, Craig Blomberg, and Robert Hubbard define theological history as “a narrative of interrelated events from a given place and time, chosen to communicate theological truths.”[1] The key to understanding the genre is recognizing the author as both a historian who records the facts of the early church and a theologian who records the Christian beliefs of the early church. Accordingly, Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard suggest that the implications for interpretation revolve around a balanced emphasis on the history, theology, and even the adventure of Acts without setting any one characteristic in opposition with each other.[2]
Differentiating between the theology and history of Acts can be challenging. Scott Duvall and Daniel Hays suggest the interpreter use the same principles to differentiate between the theology and history of Acts as were suggested for the interpretation of the Gospels, which include asking basic narrative questions and looking to the author for instructions regarding interpretation.[3] Furthermore, Duvall and Hays state, “Perhaps the single most helpful guideline for grasping the theological truths of Acts is to look for repeated themes and patterns.”[4] The key to deploying these suggestions is to slow the pace of reading in order to ask the appropriate questions of the text and not miss the patterns.
According to Duvall and Hays, the interpreter should look for five items to properly understand the message of Acts. First, look for the author’s intention, and then look for distinctions between characters, followed by reading the verse in light of its literary context, which includes both the local and extended context.[5] Finally, look to the entire book of Acts to identify the normative passages while keeping an eye out for repeated patterns.[6]
In my opinion, it is possible to read Acts for doctrinal purposes, but much care must be extended. Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart provide an important principle regarding the normative reading of Acts, “Unless Scripture explicitly tells us we must do something, what is only narrated or described does not function in a normative (i.e. obligatory) way – unless it can be demonstrated on other grounds that the author intended it to function in this way.”[7] The reason care must be taken is due to the potential abuse of passages that are not normative as well as the potential of ignoring normative texts that are relevant at all times. A few examples are in order. In Acts 1:26, lots were drawn to select Matthias to add to the eleven apostles. However, the act of drawing lots is not repeated in the New Testament, thus it is likely not normative. Alternatively, Luke states, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8, NASB). In light of the entire pattern of Acts that narrates Peter’s witness in Jerusalem and Paul’s witness to the Gentiles via numerous missionary journeys, it would be difficult to deny the normative impact of the Great Commission.
Bibliography
Duvall, J. Scott, and J. Daniel Hays. Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012.
Fee, Gordon, and Douglas Stuart. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014.
Klein, William W., Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard. Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004.
References
[1] William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 418.
[2] Ibid., 419.
[3] J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 275–77.
[4] Ibid., 294.
[5] Ibid., 300–3.
[6] Ibid., 303–4.
[7] Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2014), 124.