Acts

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Dec 2008 by Strauss, Mark L

Acts. By Darrell L. Bock. BECNT. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007, xxi 848 pp., $49.99.

The relative paucity of quality commentaries on Acts makes Darrell Bock's volume a welcome addition to the Baker Exegetical Commentary series. Like the other volumes in this series, this one charts a middle course between overly technical commentaries on the Greek text and some all-too-brief expository ones, making it a helpful resource for pastor and scholar alike.

One benefit of this volume is that the same author wrote the two-volume work on Luke's Gospel in the same series (BECNT; 1994, 1996). For those who rightly affirm the theological and narrative unity of Luke-Acts, the ability to follow one author's assessment of Luke's themes consistently from the birth narrative to Paul's imprisonment in Rome in a three-volume set is a great asset. This phenomenon was almost unique until Fitzmyer's 1998 volume on Acts (Anchor Bible) supplemented his two volumes on Luke and Luke Timothy Johnson co-authored (with Daniel J. Harrington) the volumes on Luke and Acts (2006) in the Sacra Pagina series. Bock's work now joins these as an excellent comprehensive analysis of the Lukan corpus.

Bock's introduction covers basic issues of genre, author, sources, purpose, date, destination, authence, canonicity, manuscript tradition, chronology, theology, and social context. He distinguishes Acts from the Hellenistic genre "acts," which typically recount the deeds of a single individual, and links it more closely to the Hellenistic histories. Noting that it is not the human characters of Acts but God's activity that stands at the center, he defines the book as "a sociological, historical, and theological work explaining the roots of this new community, as a sequel to Luke's story of Jesus portrayed in his Gospel" (pp. 2-3). Luke is a historian in the ancient mold, "whose historiography is rooted more in Jewish models than in Greco-Roman ones" (p. 3). Although Acts is a story of origins of the Christian faith, it is a highly selective one, emphasizing themes the author wants his readers to appreciate.

Bock rejects the claim that the "we" sections are literary creations, since they appear quite haphazardly instead of at important theological junctures. He follows Fitzmyer in denying any evidence for a travel narrative or sea voyage using such a convention. While acknowledging the plausibility that Luke is using someone else's first-person material (so S. E. Porter), considering Luke's almost seamless integration of sources elsewhere, Bock argues that it seems more likely the author was present with Paul on these occasions. Bock affirms Lukan authorship, based both on these "we" sections as well as on the early and unanimous external evidence. The claims about differences in theology with Paul are overblown and can be explained by differences in theological emphases and purposes in writing.

Although Luke almost certainly had sources from the Jerusalem community and from Hellenistic Jewish communities for the material in Acts 1-12 and from Paul in Acts 13-28, the specific nature of these sources is nearly impossible to identify. The speeches in Acts are likely summaries of what was actually said on such occasions-after the model of Thucydides, who claimed to place "in the speakers' mouths sentiments proper to the occasion and to give the general import of what was actually said" (pp. 21-22). As far as the purpose of Acts is concerned, Bock affirms the view of Luke Timothy Johnson (and the general consensus of contemporary scholarship) that "the message and preaching are an extension of God's promises to Israel and that the new community is now the place where these promises are realized." "At the core of the activity and preaching stands the work of God through the now exalted Jesus, who in turn distributes the Spirit as a sign that the new era and salvation have come to both Jews and Gentiles" (p. 24).

Bock is ambivalent on the date of Acts. Presenting arguments for a date in the early AD 60s (esp. lack of resolution to Paul's imprisonment) and post-AD 70 (Luke's use of Mark in the Gospel; allusions to Jerusalem's destruction in the Gospel), he slightly favors a date in the late AD 60s, perhaps shortly before the destruction of Jerusalem. The provenance and destination of the book are even more uncertain, and Bock declines to offer an opinion.

Bock covers the theology of Acts in a brief ten pages, referring the reader to his more comprehensive analysis of the theology of Luke-Acts in his BECNT Luke commentary and elsewhere. The theology of Acts-epitomized in the speeches of Acts-centers on the plan and work of the mighty God, who is the central character of the book. God acts as Savior to reconcile humanity to himself through Jesus Christ. The inclusion of the Gentiles was always part of God's purpose and plan. For Luke, Jesus is the vindicated and exalted Savior, Christ and Lord, who mediates the long-promised Spirit from the right hand of God. Acts 2:36 does not represent an adoptionistic Christology, as some have supposed, since Jesus is Lord of all, who will judge the living and the dead, serving as mediator at God's side. Any subordinationism is strictly functional, not ontological. The Holy Spirit is the key to the renewal and mission of God's people, empowering and guiding the church and ensuring an intimate connection between the disciple and Jesus. Much of Acts concerns the progress of the inclusion of the Gentiles in the church and the nature of the new community that emerges from this. Some have argued that Luke favors law observance, but in fact the situation is more complex and nuanced. Peter's vision in Acts 10 concerning dietary laws and the Jerusalem Council's decision against the circumcision of Gentiles show that "Luke does include a critique of the law or a call for its renovation in Acts" (p. 39). Bock generally rejects the "early Catholicism" approach espoused by Käsemann and others. While the church is certainly becoming a more settled community, there is little emphasis on apostolic succession, sacramentalism, or the replacement of eschatology with salvation history. Bock summarizes the theology of Acts: "Above all, Acts is about the expansion and triumph of the gospel as it penetrates the world from Jerusalem to Rome by means of God's guidance and despite intense opposition" (p. 40).