Acts 1 is the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

of the Christian

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

. The book containing this chapter is anonymous but early Christian tradition affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ. Together with the Acts of the Apostles, it makes up a two-vol ...

. This chapter functions as a transition from the "former account" (that is, Gospel of Luke) with a narrative prelude ( verses 1–5), repeated record of the ascension of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

with more detail (verses 6–11) and the meeting of

' followers (verses 12-26), until before Pentecost.

Text

The original text was written in

Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

and is divided into 26 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: *

Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), designated by siglum B or 03 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 1 ( von Soden), is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old ...

(AD 325–350) *

Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus ( Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), designated by siglum [Aleph] or 01 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 2 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscript ...

(330–360) *

Codex Bezae The Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis, designated by siglum D or 05 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 5 (in the von Soden of New Testament manuscript), is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century writ ...

(~400) *

Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII), designated by the siglum A or 02 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 4 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a manu ...

(400–440) * Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450; extant verses 3–26) *

Papyrus 56 Papyrus 56 (in the Gregory- Aland numbering), signed by 𝔓56, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Acts of the Apostles, it contains only Acts 1:1.4-5.7.10-11. The manuscript palaeographically has ...

(5th/6th century) *

Codex Laudianus Codex Laudianus, designated by Ea or 08 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), α 1001 ( von Soden), called ''Laudianus'' after the former owner, Archbishop William Laud. It is a diglot Latin — Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, palae ...

(~550)

Old Testament references

* :

Psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

; Psalm 109:8

New Testament references

* Acts 1:1-3: Luke 1:1-4

Locations

This chapter mentions the following places: *

Bethany Bethany ( grc-gre, Βηθανία,Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p152/ref> Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܥܢܝܐ ''Bēṯ ʿAnyā'') or what is locally known as Al-Eizariya or al-Azariya ( ar, العيزرية, " laceof Lazarus"), is a Palestinian town in the West B ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Judea Judea or Judaea ( or ; from he, יהודה, Standard ''Yəhūda'', Tiberian ''Yehūḏā''; el, Ἰουδαία, ; la, Iūdaea) is an ancient, historic, Biblical Hebrew, contemporaneous Latin, and the modern-day name of the mountainous sou ...

Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( he, הַר הַזֵּיתִים, Har ha-Zeitim; ar, جبل الزيتون, Jabal az-Zaytūn; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jeru ...

Samaria Samaria (; he, שֹׁמְרוֹן, translit=Šōmrōn, ar, السامرة, translit=as-Sāmirah) is the historic and biblical name used for the central region of Palestine, bordered by Judea to the south and Galilee to the north. The first ...

Introduction (1:1–5)

The beginning of the book follows a conventional opening statement containing the name of the addressee,

Theophilus Theophilus is a male given name with a range of alternative spellings. Its origin is the Greek word Θεόφιλος from θεός (God) and φιλία (love or affection) can be translated as "Love of God" or "Friend of God", i.e., it is a theoph ...

, and a brief reminder of the content of the "former account" (

) by the same author.

Verses 1–3

:''The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.'' * "Former account" (from

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

: , '' '', lit. "first book"): refers to

. * "

" (written in Greek in vocative word form): the intended reader of this book, as well as the previous one ( Luke 1:3), might be a "patron" who is already informed about "things which have been fulfilled among us", but still needs "assurance" to "know the certainty of those things" ( Luke 1:1-4).

Ascension of Jesus (1:6–12)

This section records that forty days after the

resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...

, Jesus commands the disciples during a meal to await the coming of the Holy Spirit, then a cloud takes him upward from sight, and two men in white appear to tell them (the disciples) that he will return "in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

Verse 8

: esus says:''"But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."'' Before Jesus left, he charged the disciples with the task of acting as 'witnesses' to him, in the locations that can be read as a 'geographical program' for the whole book of Acts: * The first 7 chapters set in Jerusalem * Chapter 8—11 record the spread of the gospel to the surrounding areas within Syria-Palestine ('Judea and Samaria') * Chapter 13 onwards following Paul's mission ever farther places. Luke

chapter 24 "Chapter 24" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1967 album ''The Piper at the Gates of Dawn''. This song was one of several to be considered for the band's "best of" album, ''Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd''. It was the second song recorded for the album ...

tells how Jesus leads the eleven disciples "as far as"

, a village on the

, where he instructs them to remain in Jerusalem until the coming of the Holy Spirit: "And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he parted from them, and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy" (). The

Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...

has three references to ascension in Jesus' own words: "No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the son of man" (); "What if you (the disciples) were to see the son of man ascending where he was before?" (); and to Mary Magdalene after his resurrection, "Do not hold me, for I not yet ascended to my father..." (). Various epistles (, , , , 1 Timothy 3:16, and ) also refer to an ascension in relation to the post-resurrection "exaltation" of Jesus to the right hand of God. Gospel of Mark () contains the brief ascension account, but it is considered by a broad consensus among scholars to be a later addition to the original version of that gospel.

Verse 12

:''Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city.'' *"The hill called the

" (ESV: "the mount called Olivet"): This geographical site is mentioned by Luke alone in the narrative of Jesus' last entry into

() and as a place to rest during Jesus' final ministry of teaching (). names

as the site of ascension, which is identified in as a location at the Mount of Olives. *"A Sabbath day's walk" (Greek: ): 2000 cubits (= 5 furlongs),Bengel, Johann
''Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament''. Acts 1.
Accessed 22 April 2019. about 5/8 mile or about 1 kilometer, showing a proximity to Jerusalem (fulfilling Jesus' command in ), as well as portraying the disciples as faithful Jews (cf. ). The distance seems differ significantly with the Bethany in , but the ascension site, according to

Lightfoot Lightfoot may refer to: * Lightfoot (surname) * Lightfoot (lacrosse), Native American lacrosse player * Lightfoot, Virginia, an area of York County that is west of Williamsburg, VA * Operation Lightfoot, part of the Second Battle of El Alamein * ...

, "was from the place where that tract of the

ceased to be called

Bethphage Bethphage ( grc, Βηθφαγή, Bēthpagḗ; arc, בֵּית פַּגִּי, Bêt̲ Paggî, lit=house of unripe figs) or Bethsphage, is a Christian religious site on the Mount of Olives east of historical Jerusalem. Bethphage is mentioned in t ...

and began to be called

", not inside the village (15 furlongs far in

).Expositor's Greek Testament. Acts 1
Accessed 22 April 2019.

Election of Matthias (1:13–26)

As the disciples waited obediently in the upper room in Jerusalem for the promised coming of the Holy Spirit, they devoted themselves "with one accord" in prayer (verse 14), underlying the unity of the group which surprisingly now includes Jesus' mother, brothers, and some women. Verse 13 lists the names of the apostles with some differences compared to the apostolic list in (cf. ; ): *

Andrew Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in List of countries where English is an official language, English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is freq ...

was moved down from the second place to the fourth place after

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

was moved up from the eighth place to the sixth place following Philip *

Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betraye ...

is no longer listed. The omission of Judas Iscariot motivates the narrative of his final fate and

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

's call to find his replacement. The process begins by Peter's appeal to the Scripture (verse 20), and the requirements for the candidate (verses 21–22). With this, Peter reinforces the identity of the group and exerts his ''de facto'' authority in the group.

Verse 14

:''These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.'' *"

Mary the mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

": was mentioned by name for the first time in Luke-Acts since the infancy narrative in

Luke 2 Luke 2 is the second chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, traditionally attributed to Luke the Evangelist, a companion of Paul the Apostle on his missionary journeys. It contains an account of Jesus's birth and an incident from his ...

. *"

Brothers A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

": or "brothers and sisters", translated from the plural Greek word ''adelphoi'', which, depending on the context in New Testament usage, may refer either to "brothers" or to "brothers and sisters" (also verse 1:15 in some versions).

Verse 15

:''In those days Peter stood up among the disciples (the number of people together was about a hundred and twenty), and said,'' *"Stood up": from Greek: : adding a participle to a finite verb ("to stand") to indicate the posture or position of a speaker is a characteristic of Luke as this word is found in the

17 times, and in Acts 19 times, only twice in Matthew, six or seven times in Mark.

Verses 21–22

:: eter says:''"Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord

went in and out among us, beginning ('arxamenos') from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness ('martyra') with us of His resurrection."'' * "Went in and out": is a "Semitism or Septuagintalism" expression (cf. ), comparable to the English phrase "comings and goings". * "Beginning" (

: , '): The "

baptism Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

" of

" to "that day when He was taken up from us" (ascension) mark the scope for the story of Jesus, with an emphasis on "His resurrection". In

Acts 10 Acts 10 is the tenth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The book containing this chapter is anonymous but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gos ...

, Luke notes Peter preaching the gospel using "precisely the same parameters" also using ''arxamenos'' ("began") with the claim of being a witness (accusative Greek: , '; plural: ''martyres'') specifically to the resurrection (Acts 10:36-42). :: Cornelius_and_his_household:.html" ;"title="Cornelius_the_Centurion.html" ;"title="eter preaches to Cornelius_and_his_household:">Cornelius_the_Centurion.html"_;"title="eter_preaches_to_Cornelius_the_Centurion">Cornelius_and_his_household:''"The_word_which_God_sent_to_the_children_of_Israel,_preaching_peace_through_Jesus_Christ—He_is_Lord_of_all—_that_word_you_know,_which_was_proclaimed_throughout_all_Judea,_and_began_('arxamenos')_from_Galilee_after_the_baptism_which_John_preached:_how_God_anointed_Jesus_of_Nazareth_with_the_Holy_Spirit_and_with_power,_who_went_about_doing_good_and_healing_all_who_were_oppressed_by_the_devil,_for_God_was_with_Him._And_we_are_witnesses_('martyres')_of_all_things_which_He_did_both_in_the_land_of_the_Jews_and_in_Jerusalem,_whom_they_killed_by_hanging_on_a_tree._Him_God_raised_up_on_the_third_day,_and_showed_Him_openly,_not_to_all_the_people,_but_to_witnesses_chosen_before_by_God,_even_to_us_who_ate_and_drank_with_Him_after_He_arose_from_the_dead._And_He_commanded_us_to_preach_to_the_people,_and_to_testify_that_it_is_He_who_was_ordained_by_God_to_be_Judge_of_the_living_and_the_dead._To_Him_all_the_prophets_witness_that,_through_His_name,_whoever_believes_in_Him_will_receive_remission_of_sins."'' The_apostles_proceed_by_asking_God_as_the_only_resource_to_'indicate'_his_choice_through_the_casting_of_lots_(verse_26),_which_is_a_familiar_mean_to_ascertain_divine_purpose_in_both_the_Graeco-Roman_world_and_the_Bible,_to_get_ Cornelius_and_his_household:">Cornelius_the_Centurion.html"_;"title="eter_preaches_to_Cornelius_the_Centurion">Cornelius_and_his_household:''"The_word_which_God_sent_to_the_children_of_Israel,_preaching_peace_through_Jesus_Christ—He_is_Lord_of_all—_that_word_you_know,_which_was_proclaimed_throughout_all_Judea,_and_began_('arxamenos')_from_Galilee_after_the_baptism_which_John_preached:_how_God_anointed_Jesus_of_Nazareth_with_the_Holy_Spirit_and_with_power,_who_went_about_doing_good_and_healing_all_who_were_oppressed_by_the_devil,_for_God_was_with_Him._And_we_are_witnesses_('martyres')_of_all_things_which_He_did_both_in_the_land_of_the_Jews_and_in_Jerusalem,_whom_they_killed_by_hanging_on_a_tree._Him_God_raised_up_on_the_third_day,_and_showed_Him_openly,_not_to_all_the_people,_but_to_witnesses_chosen_before_by_God,_even_to_us_who_ate_and_drank_with_Him_after_He_arose_from_the_dead._And_He_commanded_us_to_preach_to_the_people,_and_to_testify_that_it_is_He_who_was_ordained_by_God_to_be_Judge_of_the_living_and_the_dead._To_Him_all_the_prophets_witness_that,_through_His_name,_whoever_believes_in_Him_will_receive_remission_of_sins."'' The_apostles_proceed_by_asking_God_as_the_only_resource_to_'indicate'_his_choice_through_the_casting_of_lots_(verse_26),_which_is_a_familiar_mean_to_ascertain_divine_purpose_in_both_the_Graeco-Roman_world_and_the_Bible,_to_get_Saint_Matthias">Matthias_"numbered_with_the_eleven_apostles"_(verse_26).

__Verse_26_

::_''And_they_cast_their_lots,_and_the_lot_fell_on_Matthias._And_he_was_numbered_with_the_eleven_apostles.''_NKJV *" Cornelius_and_his_household:">Cornelius_the_Centurion.html"_;"title="eter_preaches_to_Cornelius_the_Centurion">Cornelius_and_his_household:''"The_word_which_God_sent_to_the_children_of_Israel,_preaching_peace_through_Jesus_Christ—He_is_Lord_of_all—_that_word_you_know,_which_was_proclaimed_throughout_all_Judea,_and_began_('arxamenos')_from_Galilee_after_the_baptism_which_John_preached:_how_God_anointed_Jesus_of_Nazareth_with_the_Holy_Spirit_and_with_power,_who_went_about_doing_good_and_healing_all_who_were_oppressed_by_the_devil,_for_God_was_with_Him._And_we_are_witnesses_('martyres')_of_all_things_which_He_did_both_in_the_land_of_the_Jews_and_in_Jerusalem,_whom_they_killed_by_hanging_on_a_tree._Him_God_raised_up_on_the_third_day,_and_showed_Him_openly,_not_to_all_the_people,_but_to_witnesses_chosen_before_by_God,_even_to_us_who_ate_and_drank_with_Him_after_He_arose_from_the_dead._And_He_commanded_us_to_preach_to_the_people,_and_to_testify_that_it_is_He_who_was_ordained_by_God_to_be_Judge_of_the_living_and_the_dead._To_Him_all_the_prophets_witness_that,_through_His_name,_whoever_believes_in_Him_will_receive_remission_of_sins."'' The_apostles_proceed_by_asking_God_as_the_only_resource_to_'indicate'_his_choice_through_the_casting_of_lots_(verse_26),_which_is_a_familiar_mean_to_ascertain_divine_purpose_in_both_the_Graeco-Roman_world_and_the_Bible,_to_get_Saint_Matthias">Matthias_"numbered_with_the_eleven_apostles"_(verse_26).

__Verse_26_

::_''And_they_cast_their_lots,_and_the_lot_fell_on_Matthias._And_he_was_numbered_with_the_eleven_apostles.''_NKJV *"Saint_Matthias">Matthias":_only_mentioned_in_this_chapter_in_the_whole_Bible,_he_was_chosen_by_Cleromancy.html" ;"title="Saint_Matthias.html" ;"title="Saint_Matthias.html" ;"title="Cornelius the Centurion">Cornelius and his household:">Cornelius_the_Centurion.html" ;"title="eter preaches to Cornelius the Centurion">Cornelius and his household:''"The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began ('arxamenos') from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. And we are witnesses ('martyres') of all things which He did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree. Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead. And He commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead. To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins."'' The apostles proceed by asking God as the only resource to 'indicate' his choice through the casting of lots (verse 26), which is a familiar mean to ascertain divine purpose in both the Graeco-Roman world and the Bible, to get Saint Matthias">Matthias "numbered with the eleven apostles" (verse 26).

Verse 26

:: ''And they cast their lots, and the lot fell on Matthias. And he was numbered with the eleven apostles.'' NKJV *"Saint Matthias">Matthias": only mentioned in this chapter in the whole Bible, he was chosen by Cleromancy">casting lots to be included as "the Twelve" (replacing

) from then on.Jacque Eugène.
Jacquier, "St. Matthias."
''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 10 August 2014

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * *

External links

* King James Bible - Wikisource
English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Multiple bible versions at ''Bible Gateway''
(NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) {{Acts of the Apostles 01 Post-resurrection appearances of Jesus Ascension of Jesus

Text

Textual witnesses

Old Testament references

New Testament references

Locations

Introduction (1:1–5)

Verses 1–3

Ascension of Jesus (1:6–12)

Verse 8

Verse 12

Election of Matthias (1:13–26)

Verse 14

Verse 15

Verses 21–22

__Verse_26_

__Verse_26_

Verse 26

See also

Notes

References

Sources

External links