Transcript of Classes on The Acts of the Apostles by John W. Welch, Sept 2010 to Dec 2010
Acts 20, 1 Timothy, and Titus
Report on the Conference of the London Temple Studies Group
The main reasonI went was to present a paper at the Temple Church, which is the old Knights Templar Church.I will mention a couple of things because one of the one of texts I focused on was in 1 Timothy,and we will get to that in a few minutes. It was an interesting experience.The whole conference was on seeing Eden, the Garden of Eden as a sacred place, and therefore, as a temple, and looking at all of the different temple imagery.This was a conference put together by people who do a lot with temple studies, but they have no idea how important the creation account, Adam and Eve, and the whole story of the fall of Adam and Eve that sets up the need for the atonement, is to us in our temples.However, they have picked up many details and developed them in the papers in some ways that were very interesting.
One of the papers dealt a lot with how Adam should be understood as a priest.There is a strong Jewish tradition that Adam must have been a high priest, some texts have been discovered (these are texts in the Dead Sea Scrolls) relating that as soon as Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden, the first thing Adam does is build an altar and make sacrifices. That is not in the Bible.It is in the Book of Moses, but this text that I am talking about was not discovered until 1947.Based on that information, there was a lot of talk about how Adam must have had the priesthood, and all the implications that follow from that. The Garden of Eden, after all, was a sacred place; God could walk and talk in that garden, and the terminology that is used in Genesis for that is only found in places in the Old Testament in which it talks about God being present in and walking in the tabernacle or in the temple.So lots of little details like that were fun to hear and fun to be a part of.
(Student) What was your paper on?
Adam in the New Testament.I was assigned a topic, and I was to talk about Adam in the New Testament.One of the texts that I had to deal with was seeing Adam as the first man, and in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul talks about Jesus being the last Adam, or the second man.This was just one part of the paper.Here is a stained glass window from Leon, France and it is called, “The two Adams window,” and it is a circle with 12 vignettes on it and coming down this side you have scenes from the life of Adam and Eve, and coming down this side you have scenes from the life of Jesus and how they coordinate.They line up so the first one is the creation of Adam and that lines up with the annunciation where the Holy Spirit overshadows Mary.Just as in Adam’s case, the Holy Spirit or the spirit of life is breathed into Adam so the conception of Christ through the Holy Spirit is used as a parallel. In the bringing of Eve out of the body of Adam; you have a woman coming out of man, and the parallel for that is the birth of Jesus out of Mary.Both relate of man coming out of woman.By the way, the word for side, when it talks about coming out of the rib or the side, it really just says the side.It is an unusual word, that is used when the disciples thrust their hand into the side of Jesus, which is viewed as an allusion back to the way in which Eve was created out of the side of Adam, just as the faith of the disciples is created by their hands being put into the side of Christ. Anyway, little verbal echoes like that.
(Student) When were those done?
These are 13th Century.
(Student) Symbolism is very important …unity between human beings …
That is right, and when it says they shall be one flesh, the word flesh also can mean family or kin, which implies that they shall leave father and mother and become now a new family unit.
Discussion on the Marriage of Adam and Eve.There was also a lot of talk about the marriage of Adam and Eve at the conference, and in what way that might have to do with something sacred.Of course, for us eternal marriage belongs in the temple, so here are these Protestant and Catholic scholars wondering.It was interesting to watchthe Catholic scholars wonder about how marriage could be so important as to be a part of a sacred setting. A celibate deacon was wondering about this— a good friend of mine too.Another interesting part of my paper was to talk about how, in the New Testament, Paul emphasizes that the man is “not without the woman, nor the woman without the man” in the Lord.When Paul talks about man,and when God creates Adam, itsaysman[meaning mankind] was created in the image of God.This word man refers to Adam, to mankind, so we know that Adam was not without Eve in the Lord, and Eve was not without Adam in the Lord.
That then raises the question, what about the high priest? If Adam is a high priest, does he have to have a wife? The answer to that is “yes” under Jewish law.The high priest had to be married.How was the high priesthood handed down? By lineage. So the high priest was obligated to have children.Thus, one of the Jewish texts, a Talmudic text, says that they were concerned that the high priest had to be married, since Leviticus says that he should atone for the sins of himself, he has to purge himself so that he is pure, and also for his household.They said, “How can he atone for the sins of his household if he does not have a household, and therefore, if he is not a whole man he cannot perform the unification of the atonement.So they went so far as to have a woman standing by at all times, so that if the wife of the high priest were to die, the standby would be ready to step in and be married to him, so there would never be a day when he would officiate in the temple and not be married.
So the importance of marriage goes back into the story of Adam and Eve, and the covenant relationship that is there when God marries Adam and Eve, as Jesus says in Matthew 19, “What God has put together, let no man put asunder.”All of these topics were interesting points of discussion in this meeting.
(Student) So if Christ is considered the great high priest, then would they assume that he was also married?
The assumption is that he was either married or espoused to be married.At a minimum,in the New Testament.we have everything leading up in the millennial day to the wedding supper of the Lamb, so that the fulfillment of the need for him to be married, if it was not completely done while he was in his mortal ministry, it certainly will be eternally.
(Student) Was there any contention?You are saying the different points of view, was it like a forum or was it more like a debate or how…
No, it was more like just one person standing up and talking.Questions at the end, but it was not a debate or anything of that nature.
(Student) Who sponsored it?
It was sponsored by the London Temple Studies Group, a group of British scholars who get together twice a year to talk about the importance of the temple in understanding the Bible and Christian traditions.Some of them are very concerned about the way religion has become so secularized that even rock music is involved. All of the sacredness, the sense of piety, worship and even the liturgy, and all of the old high church Anglican celebration of the sacrament,seem to have fallen out of favor.It is being diminished even in the Catholic world too, and these people see the temple, and the importance of the temple in the scriptures, as a way of bringing a greater sense of devotion, reverence, spirituality back into the life of their churches today.
(Student) Do they recognize our temples?
They do, they do.This is the fourth year that this group has met and the first year they did not have a Latter-day Saint, but the second year they did; the third year they did, then this year they invited me.Ihave turned them down before because this a hard timeof the year to get away.How can I leave you and go off, and school hasso much going on.When they set the date for this one as November 6, and at first Isaid, “No, I do not think I can do that,” but then my daughter Allison called back in April to say that she was expecting on October 24. I reconsidered, thinking, “Well, I will go to your conference but you are not the reason I am coming.”
(Student) Is Margaret Barker part of this?
Margaret is a big part of this group.Yes, and she presented a paper.Hers was the opening paper in the conference.
(Student) Do you have copies of your paper?
I have hers, and I could forward that to you if you would be interested.I have not finished formalizing mine yet, but I will send you mine when it is done.
(Student) … publish later …. send out to people sooner?
They now have enough papers from the four years that they are now trying to put together a volume so we will see if a book comes out of it.But these things take a long, long time.
Acts 20. The Gathering at Miletus
Let us dive into the material for today, and I hope you have enjoyed reading the material that we have for tonight.But let us begin with Acts chapter 20, and just pick up a couple of quick points and then see what you learned or thought about Paul’s farewell words to these people that he had spent nearly 3 years with.Let us look at chapter 20 verse 4.They sail from Philippi to Mitylene. As you are coming down the coast of Turkey you can see that Island right off the coast.
How many people are traveling with Paul?There were at least seven people there.One of them is Timothy. Timothy had been the courier that carried the letter from Corinth up to Thessalonica. Paul will now leave Timothy in charge of things in Ephesus and in this whole area, as he goes off to Jerusalem not knowing really, why the Lord is taking him there, except that he knows that he has to find a way to preach the gospel to all the world.
(Br Kappas) The Greek is Timothaeus.
It means “One who honors God.”
(Student) In verse 5 there is a first person reference for us….this is the first time we have a first person … so is this where Luke joins?
That is where Luke is present. At least, that is what people think.
My guess is that Paul has brought all of these people together for a regional conference.They have probably been out proselytizing in different cities, and he is gathering this entourage as they come down for this big, final meeting in Miletus.They have probably come from up from Rhodes, and over fromSamos,and down from Sardis, and wherever Paul has been.He seems to have brought them all together.Why Miletus?I am not sure except that there is a very large river, relatively large for this area, called the Meander River.Guess what it does!It meanders its way down through that area, and so it may just have been a convenient point of access for them, but as I said before, Paul skips Ephesus.Possibly he is in a little bit of a hurry; we do not know why but the conference is held there in Miletus.
Passover is Still Important. What else do we spot here?In verse 6, when they left, they sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread.What is that? It is Passover.Isn’t that interesting; they are still observing the Jewishrules of Passover.I am sure that the Passover has now taken on all of the additional features of celebrating the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus, as they clearly now see the way in which he was the Lamb of God and the sacrificial lamb.Nevertheless, they do not call it Easter.They are still calling it the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.This is only 20 years, 22 or 23 years after the crucifixion.So a lot of those old ways of worshipping were still being sorted out as to which ones would continue and which ones would be no longer necessary.
First Day of the Week.Theninverse 7, it is the first day of the week when the disciples came together to break bread.The first day of the week was Sunday, so they are not observing the ordinance of the sacrament on the Jewish Sabbath.The Sabbath is Saturday, so here we have evidence that the Christians have switched to celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, and the day of his resurrection, on Sunday, rather than the old day.The Seventh Day Adventists, of course, do not agree with that but thank goodness we have revelation that helps us know which day is appropriate.
Paul Talks for a Long Time in Troas.Then we have this great story about Paul in Troas— how long does he talk?
(Student) Until the break of day …
That is right. This poor guy falls out of the window at midnight, and they think he is dead. Paul says, “Do not worry, his life is still in him.”The poor guy is comatose, but Paul keeps talking until the sun comes up, and then they finally go take care of this guy and he isfine.
Paul Walks to Mitylene.Then they sail on down to a little town called Assos.Beautiful little harbor there, and Paul then decides that he is going to walk.Why might he have decided to walk?He goes all the way down to Mitylene.
(Student) He was trying to avoid those Jews that kept looking for him.
He could be. He gets back on a ship and goes to Samos, and finally all the way over to Miletus.Though, for a spell there, he decides that he would rather spend a little time walking through the countryside. Maybe he is knocking on doors.He says, “I have preached the gospel house to house.”Maybe this was an area where he had not been before.Maybe he was seasick.Maybe he knows this is his last chance to walk through the land that he loves.I think Paul is very, very committed to and loves the people that he is worked with.You can feel that in the passion that he has for them as he says goodbye.How do you say goodbye to a place that you have spent 3 years working in?Walking and just enjoying the beauties of the area. I can see Paul doing that.
(Student) He could be pondering as he walked, and singing … went to mountains in preparation for the magnificent teachings that he was going to give….
Paul Knows this is a Final Goodbye. Look at verse 22.He knew that he was calling them all so he could say goodbye,and that they would never see his face again.He has a spirit of prophecy; he knows that he is not going to be back. He does not quite know what will happen in Jerusalem.He says, “I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there.”Yet he knows hemust go.At some point, and we will talk about this after Thanksgiving, he decides that he needs to go into the temple in Jerusalem where he knows that he is going to be arrested.He also knows that, as a Roman citizen, if the Jews try to do anything to him, he can take refuge by appealing to the Roman officials, who will have to give him protection.Then if the case will not be dismissed, he will have a right to appeal to Rome and to appear before the Roman Emperor who at that time was Nero.Nero has not yet gone ballistic against the Jews and the Christians, but I think at the time Paul saw this as a way of getting an audience with the emperor.It sounded like a good idea. After all, if you could convert the emperor…and that will, of course, happen 300 years later when Constantine becomes a Christian.
Paul was not timid and he had been before every governor; he had been in all these capital cities; he had spoken to senators, why not the emperor himself?That could be whathe was wondering as he ponders, “Can I pull this off?’ Or, will this cost me my life?”Yes, a very bold move.
Conference of the Elders.
Let us start with verse 17 where he brings the elders together.This is a priesthood conference, and we will see in 1 Timothy and the materials we will be looking at in a few minutes, how important the priesthood organization of the church was.Paul is a master of organizational structure of the church.We saw back in Ephesians where he talks about, he gave some apostles, some prophets, some pastors, some teachers, some evangelists, and so forth.All of these offices have their function.Paul is the one who has been putting these offices into place, giving people responsibilities.He calls a priesthood conference to be sure that the leadership of the church is sound, so that as he leaves them, they will be in good hands.