Criswell
Theological Review 5.1 (1990) 93-97.
Copyright © 1990 by The
COMMENTING ON
COMMENTARIES ON ACTS
GERALD
COWEN
In
preparation for a thorough study of the Book of Acts, it is worth-
while to take stock of the resources available. For a
book which is as
pivotal as Acts to our practice of NT
Christianity, it is deplorable that
there are so few really exceptional commentaries
available. Hopefully,
this situation is beginning to improve. There are
two new books which
have just been completed on Acts. The first, by J.
Stott (InterVarsity,
1990)
is already available. It is written primarily in narrative form and
deals with the material by paragraph rather than
verse by verse. The
second, which will be out in December, is by S. Kistemaker in the New
Testament Commentary (Baker, 1990). We look forward to this
one
because of the thorough approach and careful
scholarship. E. Ellis calls
it a "’meat and potatoes’ book with solid
exposition."
Perhaps the best two commentaries
available on Acts are those by
F.
F.Bruce (Eerdmans, 1954)
and
Bruce
in fact, has two commentaries on Acts: one for the student of
Greek and one for the English reader (NIC). The NIC volume is now
available in a newly revised edition (Eerdmans, 1989). This work is
valuable not only because of its solid exposition
and theological insight,
but because of its attention to historical details
which are helpful to the
Similarly,
is part of the Tyndale
New Testament Commentary series and
E.
M. Blaiklock's work in that series, which was too
brief to
justice to a lengthy book such as Acts.
Other current works which are worthy
of note include E. F.
good introduction to Acts which would be appropriate
for an inter-
mediate student of this subject. This commentary,
however, deals with
94 CRISWELL
THEOLOGICAL REVIEW
the material by paragraphs, and lacks something in
detail as a result. If
one desires a more in-depth treatment of Acts,
another good work is
that by R. N. Longenecker,
in the Expositor's Bible Commentary
(Zondervan, 1981). Longenecker
uses a verse by verse approach and
stops to discuss the theological interpretations of
controversial passages
such as Acts 2:38. Also included in each section and
set apart for easy
reference are notes on the Greek text.
Older works which one should obtain
if the opportunity arises
include R. B. Rackham,
The Acts of the Apostles (Baker,
1978; reprint
of the 1901 edition). This is considered by many
to be a classic on Acts,
and was called by W. Smith the greatest of all the
commentaries on
Acts (in Profitable
Bible Study).
This work includes an extensive intro-
duction, including articles on
the theology of Acts, and a verse by verse
commentary. Another classic work on Acts is the
five volume study by
F.
J. Foakes-Jackson and K.
(Baker, 1979 repr). This may include more
than many want to know
about the subject; for instance, volumes 1 and 2 deal
only with pro-
legomena such as background
studies and critical matters, and volume
3 deals only with the problem of the text of
Acts.
Volume 4 contains a
full commentary, and the final volume has additional
notes and studies
relating to the interpretation of Acts, such as
roman law, chronology,
and titles of Jesus.
If one is looking for a homiletical work on Acts, the best one
available is W. H. Griffith Thomas' Outline Studies in Acts (Eerdmans,
1956).
This volume contains 133 outlines with brief comments
on the
text interspersed. A brief commentary for Sunday
school teachers or
other such use is Acts,
in The Bible Study Commentary, by C. Vaughan.
Although
it is concise,
insightful observations.
When it comes to works that comment on
the Greek text, it is hard
to improve on the older works by R. J. Knowling (Expositor's
Greek
Testament) and A. T. Robertson,
who has an entire volume devoted to
Acts in his Word
Pictures in the Greek New Testament. A more recent
work of this type is that of F. F. Bruce (The Acts of the Apostles, 1951).
Do
not confuse this volume with the commentary on the English text in
the NIC.
One other category which should be
included are works dealing
primarily with critical issues. While there are
many works which deal
with critical issues, there is one which definitely
deserves attention. It is
the work by W. Gasque (A History of the Criticism of the Acts of
the
Apostles). This work is a valuable
contribution on the history of inter-
pretation. It focuses primarily
on the 19th and 20th centuries, and
provides information on the scholars involved as
well as the material
discussed in the Book of Acts.
Gerald
Cowen: COMMENTING ON COMMENTARIES ON Acts 95
While none of us need consult all of
the works mentioned in order
to prepare to teach Acts, it is hoped that this
will help guide one to the
books that will be most beneficial. Acts is a pivotal
work which relates
to us the early days of the church, and its
development and spread
throughout the
zeal that those early believers had, and give us
insight into ways we can
apply the same principles they used to spread the
faith of Jesus the
Christ
to all the world.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alexander,
A. J. Commentary on the Acts of the
Apostles. Scribner, Arm-
strong
& Company, 1875.
Arnot, W. Studies in Acts.
Barclay,
W. The Acts of the
Apostles. The Daily Study Bible.
Andrew, 1953.
Barrett,
C. K. Luke the Historian in Recent Study.
Bartlett,
J. V. The Acts.
The Century Bible, ed. W. F. Adeney.
Claxton, n.d.
Blaiklock, E. M. The Acts of the Apostles. Tyndale New Testament Commen-
tary. .Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1963.
_______.
Cities of the New
Testament.
Bruce,
F. F. Commentary on The
Book of The Acts. New International
Commentary.
________.
The Acts of the
Apostles.
Scribner's Sons,
1895.
Cadbury,
H. J. The Making of
Luke-Acts.
Calvin,
J. The Acts of the
Apostles. Calvin's New Testament Commentary,
2 vols.
Carter, C. W. and R. Earle. Acts.
Carver,
W. O. The Acts of the
Apostles.
Criswell,
W. A. Acts: An Exposition. 2 vols.
Cullmann, O. The Early Church.
Dibelius, M. Studies
in the Acts of the Apostles.
Easton,
B. S. Early Christianity.
S.P .C.K., 1955.
Eddleman, H. L. An Exegetical and Practical Commentary on
Acts.
TX: Books of Life, 1974.
Filson, F. V. Three
Crucial Decades: Studies in the Book of Acts.
John Knox, 1963.
Findlay,
J. A. The Acts of the
Apostles.
1934.
Foakes-Jackson,
F. J. and K.
Foakes- Jackson, F. J. The Acts of the Apostles.
1931.
96
CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL
REVIEW
Gaebelein, A. C; The Acts of the Apostles.
1961.
Gasque, W.
W. and R. P. Martin. Apostolic
History and the Gospel.
Paternoster, 1970.
Gasque, W. W. A History of the Criticism of the Acts of the Apostles.
Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans,
1975.
Gloag, P. J. A
Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles,
2 vols.
Green, M. Evangelism
in the Early Church.
Griffith- Thomas, W. H. Outline Studies in Acts.
1956.
Gutzke, M. G. Plain
Talk on Acts.
Guy,
H. A. The Acts of the
Apostles.
Hackett,
H. B. A Commentary on
the Acts of the Apostles. An American
Commentary on the
New Testament.
cation Society, 1882.
Hanson,
R. P. C. The Acts.
The New Clarendon Bible.
1967.
Harrison,
E. F. Acts: The Expanding Church.
Hull,
J. H. E. The Holy
Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles.
1967.
Kelso,
J. L. An Archaeologist Follows the
Apostle Paul.
Kistemaker, S. J. Acts. New Testament Commentary.
Knowling, R. J. The Acts of the Apostles. The Expositor's Greek Testament.
Krodel, G. A. Augsburg
Commentary on the New Testament: Acts. Minne-
apolis:
Ladd,
G. E. The
Lange, J. P. John
and Acts.
A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures. Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1884.
LaSor, W. S. Church
Alive.
Lenski, R. C. H. The Interpretation of the Acts of the
Apostles.
Longenecker, R. N. The Acts of the Apostles. The
Expositors Bible Commen-
tary.
________.
The Ministry and
Message of Paul.
Luccock, H. E. The Acts of the Apostles in Present-Day
Preaching.
Harper &
Brothers, 1942.
Lumby, R. J. The Acts of the Apostles.
Macgregor,G. H. C. and T. Ferris. Acts-Romans.The Interpreter's Bible.
New
tary.
_______.
Luke: Historian and Theologian.
Meyer,
H. A. W. Critical and Exegetical Handbook
to the Acts of the Apostles.
Gerald
Cowen: COMMENTING ON COMMENTARIES ON Acts 97
Morgan,
G. C. The Acts of the
Apostles.
Munck, J. The Acts of the Apostles. The Anchor
Bible. Garden City, NY:
Doubleday, 1967.
Neil,
W. The Acts of the
Apostles. New Century Bible.
Morgan, &
Scott, 1973.
Ogilvie, L. J. Acts. Commentators Commentary.
O'Neil,
J. C. The Theology of
Acts in its Historical Setting.
1961.
Packer,
J. W. The Acts of the
Apostles. The
the New
English Bible.
Rackham, R. B. The Acts of the Apostles.
Ramsay,
W. M. St. Paul the Traveller
and the Roman Citizen.
Baker, reprint
edition 1949.
Ridderbos, H. N. The Speeches of Peter in the Acts of the
Apostles. Tyndale
New Testament Lecture,
Robertson,
A. T. The Acts of the
Apostles. Word Pictures in the New Testa-
ment.
_______.Epochs
in the Life of
Scroggie, W. G. The Acts of the Apostles. The Study Hour
Series.
Marshall, Morgan,
& Scott, 1931.
Smith,
J. The Voyage and
Shipwreck of
Reprint of the
1880 edition.
Smith,
R. H. Acts. Concordia Commentary.
Smith,
T. C. The Broadman Commentary.
Stagg, F. The Book of Acts.
Stiller, J. M. The Acts of the Apostles.
Stokes,
G. T. The Acts of the
Apostles. The Expositor's Bible.
Armstrong &
Sons, 1003.
Stott,
J. The Spirit, The
Church and the World.
Varsity, 1900.
Thomas, D. The Acts of the Apostles.
Vaughan,
C. Acts. Bible
Study Commentary.
van Ryn, A. Acts of the Apostles: The Unfinished Work of
Christ.
Loizeaux, 1961.
Williams,
C. S. C. The Acts of
the Apostles. Black's New Testament Com-
mentaries.
Williams,
R. R. The Acts of the
Apostles. The
Torch Bible Commentaries.
SCM, 1953.
Winn,
A. C. The Acts of the
Apostles. Layman's Bible Commentary.
Knox, 1962.
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