Harding University – BNEW 213 – Acts of the Apostles – Bruce McLarty – Spring 2006
Reading Guide #5
(Fanning the Flame, 4.3 – “O Brother, Who Art Thou?” – pages 306-324)
1. What event does Dr. Neller consider to be the climax of the Book of Acts?
2. The word “dispute” in Acts 15:2 is from the Greek word which, in other places, is translated “______” or “______.”
3. What was the reason for the “dispute” in Acts 15:2?
4. According to Genesis 12:3; 22:18; Malachi 1:10-14, God always intended for Israel to be what two things for the rest of the nations?
5. Was Judaism a “missionary” religion? Explain.
6. What two things drew many Gentiles to the Jewish religion in the first century?
7. What is the apparent distinction between proselytes and God-fearers?
8. What three things were required of a Gentile in order to become a proselyte?
9. How many years following the Resurrection of Jesus did the elders of the Jerusalem church declare that all the Christians in Jerusalem were “zealous for the law” (Acts 21:20)?
10. Who was the only Gentile to write part of the Bible?
11. How far back did Luke trace the genealogy of Jesus? How far back did Matthew trace the genealogy of Jesus? Why is this significant for Luke’s message?
12. What was the response of the majority of the Jews toward the preaching of Paul?
13. What was the distinction between the two groups of Jewish Christians who opposed each other in the Jerusalem Council?
14. What four restrictions were placed on the Gentiles as a result of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15?
15. Witherington believed that the four prohibitions of the Jerusalem Council could be boiled down into what one prohibition?
16. Generally speaking, how did Jews and Gentiles respond to Paul’s message of the racial reconciliation that has been brought about in Jesus Christ?
17. James wrote that showing favoritism is what?