Sárospataki Füzetek 16. (2012)
2012 / 3-4. szám - TANULMÁNYOK
P.H.fl. (ROB) VAN HOUWELIMGEN church of Jerusalem extends across a much larger area than the holy city itself, for it can be found in Judea, Samaria and even in the previously unmentioned Galilee.15 Jerusalem is the mother church, spread over the country of Israel, as the result of the testimony of the apostles (Acts 1:8). In addition, Christian Jews travelled abroad, to bear witness across the diaspora of what God had brought about in Jerusalem (they are recorded as travelling to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch; Acts 11:19). It is to these people that James, the brother of the Lord, wrote his diasporic letter, to be followed later by the letter of his younger brother Jude. James’ address says: “To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations” (James 1:1). Peter’s apostolic work is often underrated, according to Hengel. Not only was he a passionate preacher; he also capably organized the church and acted as a missionary strategist. Unlike Paul, Peter does not revisit churches he has already planted. Instead, his journey to Samaria is followed by a circuit through the plain of Sharon and visits to the chief Jewish cities of the region: Lydda and Joppa.16 There, he meets ‘the saints’ (Acts 9:32,41), an expression generally used for the believers in Jerusalem, sanctified by the Spirit (Acts 9:13; 26:10, cf. Revelation 20:9 and Paul’s reference in Romans 15:25-26, 31). Peter, then, was visiting the outlying districts of the one church of Jerusalem. Within the church, there was great encouragement, thanks to the healings he performed in Lydda and Joppa. Outside the church, the effect of Peter’s visit was that those who lived in Sharon turned to the Lord. This provides an interesting early example of missionary activity among Jewish people.17 8. Antioch, the daughter church The second Christian church only comes into existence when the people of Antioch become acquainted with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This happens when men from Cyprus and Cyrene, some of those who had been scattered by the persecution in Jerusalem, come into contact with the Greek inhabitants of Antioch (probably beginning with those among them who were ‘God-fearing’). Again, the church in Jerusalem keeps a close eye on this development. When the news of what has happened reaches them, they wish, just as in Samaria, to retain control of events. This time, it is Barnabas, a bridge-builder par excellence,18 who is sent to investigate. Barnabas, tells Luke, was a good man and full of faith, 15 In reading the plural churches’ along with plural verb forms, the Majority Text differs from all other textual sources, with the exception of a small number of early translations. The singular form is used throughout Acts (Acts 5:11; 8:1,3; 11:22; 12:1; 15:4,22; 18:22; cf. James 5:14). See K.N. Giles, “Luke’s Use of the Term ‘EKKAHZIA’ with Special Reference to Acts 20.28 and 9.31,” New Testament Studies 31 (1985): 135-142. The preferred reading by Giles himself, however, is a subject in the singular and the last verb in the plural. 16 Martin Hengel, “The Geography of Palestine in Acts.” In The Book of Acts in its First Century Setting. Volume 4: Palestinian Setting, ed. Richard Bauckham (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1995), 27- 78; idem, Der unterschätzte Petrus. Zwei Studien (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2006), 148. 17 Joachim Gnilka, Petrus und Rom. Das Petrusbild in den ersten zwei Jahrhunderten (Freiburg: Herder, 2002), 86-88. 18 Markus Öhler, Barnabas. Die historische Person und ihre Rezeption in der Apostelgeschichte (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2003), 486: “Barnabas war damit die vermittlende Persönlichkeit des frühen Christentums”. 20 SÁROSPATAKI FÜZETEK 2012/3-4
