Sárospataki Füzetek 16. (2012)
2012 / 3-4. szám - TANULMÁNYOK
JERUSALEM THE MOTHER CHURCH In other words, whether one is a Jew by birth, or joined to Israel as a proselyte, none who in any way belongs to the Jewish world can ignore Judea, with Jerusalem as its capital and its centre. Luke was only too aware, says Bauckham, that it was from the holy city that Christianity had spread in all directions. In this way, Jerusalem could be seen as the centre of the whole earth. That is where, on the day of Pentecost, it all happened! Part II: The development of Jerusalem 6. The pi ace where the first church gathered It happened, then, in Jerusalem. Where, exactly? Luke records that Jesus disciples ‘stayed continually at the temple’ (Luke 24:53). Luke begins his second book, Acts, with an account of Jesus meeting his apostles (Acts 1:2-4), and goes on to describe a subsequent meeting (1:6: auvsAQoVTE?). The implicit subject ofverse 12 is clearly the apostles, the ones who returned to Jerusalem after Jesus’ ascension from the Mount of Olives. In addition, verse 13 lists the eleven remaining apostles by name: “Peter, John, James [the sequence in the Majority Text is: Peter, James, John] and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.” The apostles had a regular meeting place in Jerusalem, an upstairs room where they usually stayed (verse 13: to VTiepätov, cf. Acts 9:37,39; 20:8). One can think of the time between the Ascension and Pentecost, days of expectation, fulfilled by the coming of the Holy Spirit. Verse 15 marks this period with the words ‘in those days’. It is quite possible that this upstairs room was also where Jesus appeared after his resurrection, on Easter Sunday and the week following. Looking back a little further, we can think of the room where Jesus celebrated the last Passover with his disciples, a guest room somewhere in the city. In the other Gospels, this room is described as a Targe upper room’ (áváycucv piya; Mark 14:15; Luke 22:12), fully furnished, containing at least three sets of couches surrounding a large table. Peter and James 2012/3-4 Sárospataki. Füzetek i 7
