Read Acts 8:2-16.

The outreach to Gentiles (a term that includes all non-Jews) begins with Philip, one of the Greek-speaking Jewish Christians in Jerusalem who was appointed to oversee the daily distribution to the widows of the Greek-speaking members of the community. In chapter 8 of Acts we read that Philip went to Samaria to escape the persecution in Jerusalem, which followed Stephen's death. Philip heals, casts out demons, and teaches the Samaritans the "good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ." Acts tells us that men and women are baptized, but that they did not receive the Holy Spirit until Peter and John came up from Jerusalem and laid their hands on them. Philip also converts an Ethiopian official and baptizes him, before leaving Samaria.

In the gospel of Matthew Jesus commissioned his twelve disciples "to drive out unclean spirits and to cure every kind of illness and infirmity," he instructed them: "Do not take the road to Gentile lands, and do not enter any Samaritan town." They are, instead, to go "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Mt. 10:1, 5-6) The gospel of Luke presents a different account. For instance, Jesus sends disciples into a Samaritan village to make arrangements for him to stay there. He and his disciples are denied accommodations, however, because the Samaritans resent their exclusion from Jerusalem and the Jewish condemnation of worship on Mount Gerizim in Samaria. (Luke 9:52-53) Nonetheless, in the gospel of Luke a Samaritan is the hero of a parable Jesus tells to illustrate what it means to be a good neighbor.

The gospel of John relates that Jesus asks a Samaritan woman outside the town of Sychar to draw water for him. When she questions why he, a Jew, would request a drink from her, as Jews do not drink from vessels used by Samaritans, Jesus engages her in a conversation about "living water." After Jesus demonstrates to her his powers as a prophet, she goes to town to tell others. Samaritans come from the town and invite Jesus to stay with them, which he does for two days. By the time Jesus leaves, the gospel of John reports, many Samaritans had come to have faith in him. (John 4:7-30, 39-42)

As the gospel of Mark has no account of Jesus visiting Samaritans, and as the gospel of Matthew records that Jesus expressly forbid his disciples to go to Samaritan villages, we may assume that Jesus restricted his ministry to Jews. The author of the gospel of Luke, however, knows that Samaritans were baptized early in the life of the church. Therefore, he reports that Jesus tried to visit a Samaritan community in order to show that Jesus had no bias against them. For the same reason, the author of the gospel of Luke has Jesus relate a parable about a good Samaritan. The author of the gospel of John goes even further by constructing a conversation between Jesus and a Samaritan woman and by reporting that, after Jesus stayed in a Samaritan town for two days, many Samaritans affirmed their faith in him as the "Savior of the world." (John 4:42) These stories about the ministry of Jesus actually present the faith of the early church.

Acts 8 reports that Philip converts Samaritans and an Ethiopian, who was traveling through Gaza, thus extending the church beyond the Jewish community. It is primarily the ministry of Paul, however, that carries the gospel message of the church beyond Palestine. Acts 9 relates how Saul is looking to arrest followers of Jesus when he is blinded on the road to Damascus. A disciple named Ananias is directed to go to him and restore his sight. Acts records that God also tells Ananias, "this man is my chosen instrument to bring my name before the nations and their kings, and before the people of Israel." When Paul's sight is restored, he is baptized, and soon he begins proclaiming publicly in the synagogues of Damascus that Jesus is the Son of God. Acts says that "the Jews of Damascus" planned to kill Paul, but he escapes and flees to Jerusalem. There, Paul begins preaching among the Greek-speaking Jews, but when "they" seek to kill him he flees to Tarsus.

Acts does give credit to Peter for bringing the good news to Gentiles even before Paul begins his ministry outside Judaea. Acts relates the story of the encounter in Caesarea, a Roman city in Galilee, between Peter and Cornelius, a Roman centurion. Peter's vision, in which God tells him to eat food that is prohibited by Jewish law, prepares him to receive Cornelius into the Christian community through baptism. Acts reports that Peter says to a gathering of Gentiles in Caesarea, "I need not tell you that a Jew is forbidden by his religion to visit or associate with anyone of another race. Yet God has shown me clearly that I must not call anyone profane or unclean." In speaking with Cornelius, Peter describes Jesus Christ as "Lord of all" and as the one designated by God as judge of the living and the dead." After the Holy Spirit comes upon the centurion and the other Gentiles gathered in his home, Peter baptizes them all "in the name of Jesus Christ."

When Peter returns to Jerusalem he is accused of violating Jewish law by "visiting with men who are uncircumcised" and by "sitting at table with them." After Peter tells his story, however, the other apostles in Jerusalem seem to be convinced. They then understood, Acts relates, "that God has granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles also." When reports of other Gentile conversions are received, the church in Jerusalem sends Barnabas out to investigate. Acts says that when Barnabas met these Gentile converts, "he rejoiced and encouraged them all to hold fast to the Lord with resolute hearts, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith." Barnabas then goes looking for Paul and joins him in Antioch, where they minister together for two years.

This account in Acts is inconsistent with Paul's account in his letter to the Galatians of the resistance by the leaders of the church in Jerusalem to his ministry among Gentiles. As Paul was writing in the midst of the fray, so to speak, he may well have overstated his argument with Peter and James, the brother of Jesus, who Paul says are the leaders in Jerusalem. But Paul is probably accurate in describing how the apostles in Jerusalem were opposing his ministry.

Acts was written after the death of Paul in Rome and after Gentile communities had come to dominate the Christian movement. The author of Acts told the story of Peter's vision and baptism of a Roman centurion to verify that Peter gave his blessing to the ministry to the Gentiles. Setting this story early in the life of the church, even before Paul began his work, was a way of offsetting the criticism of Peter contained in the letters written by Paul. The author of the gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles created a narrative that minimizes the conflicts dominating the first several decades of the Christian movement.

The story of the centurion who comes to Jesus seeking healing for his servant is in the gospel of Luke and the gospel of Matthew. In these gospel accounts, which seem to have been written for Christian communities including Gentiles, this story shows that Gentiles may have "great faith." The story of Cornelius in Acts fits this same pattern. It is impossible to know whether or not these three accounts of a faithful centurion all refer to a story that was originally told to confirm the spread of the church to the Gentiles. All three accounts, however, serve the same purpose.

Acts tells us that, in Antioch, the followers of Jesus are first named "Christians." It is remarkable that in the Revised Standard Version of the New Testament this reference in Acts 11:26 is the only time that the word "Christians" appears in the Bible. Similarly, the word "Christian" appears only twice in the RSV of the New Testament, in Acts 26:28 and 1 Peter 4:16. Nowhere in his letters does Paul use the word "Christian" or "Christians." In Acts on five occasions the followers of Jesus Christ refer to their movement as "the Way." Those who follow the Way are usually called "brethren" or sometimes "believers." Twice in the latter part of Acts those following the Way are identified as "the congregation." Apparently, the followers of Christ do not refer to themselves as Christians until after most of the New Testament materials have been written.

In Acts 12 we learn that King Herod beheaded the apostle James, the brother of John. When Herod realized that "the Jews" approved of his move against leaders of the Way, he also arrested Peter. As Acts reports the expansion of the church beyond the temple and Jewish synagogue, we begin to hear about "the Jews" who oppose the church. Clearly, the church at this point in its history includes both Jewish and Gentile Christians, but the story of Paul marks the beginning of a split between Jews and Gentiles. The phrase, "the Jews," will come to designate the enemies of the church for the author of Acts, as it did for the author of the gospel of John and also, at times, for Paul.

Acts 13 begins the account of Paul's ministry to the Gentiles. Paul first went to synagogues in Gentile cities with Greek-speaking Jews. On a sabbath in Pisidian Antioch, Paul preaches in a synagogue to "men of Israel and you others who worship God." This statement verifies that some Gentiles were attending the Greek-speaking synagogues in their cities and joining in the worship. Acts reports that Paul proclaims God has fulfilled his promise to the people of Israel "by raising Jesus from the dead." Paul argues that this is foretold in Psalm 2:7, which says: "You are my son; this day I have begotten you." Furthermore, Paul asserts that the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is prophesied in Isaiah 55:3, which says: "I will give you the blessings promised to David, holy and sure." Finally, Paul claims that this promise is confirmed in Psalm 16:10, which reads: "You will not let your faithful servant suffer corruption." The result of the sermon, Acts states, was that "many Jews and Gentile worshippers" went with Paul afterwards to hear more.

A week later Paul addresses a much larger gathering that includes many Gentiles. On this occasion Paul says that the Jews have, for the most part, rejected the gospel, and therefore he begins to address his message to the Gentiles. Paul claims he is called to take his ministry to the Gentiles by a text from the Jewish scriptures, and he quotes Isaiah 49:6 as his authority: "I have appointed you to be a light for the Gentiles, and a means of salvation to earth's farthest bounds."

In this presentation of Paul there are echoes of the words of Jesus, as related in Acts 1 at the time of the commissioning of the disciples. Moreover, the prophecy of Simeon in the gospel of Luke before the birth of Jesus also quotes Isaiah 49:6. In Acts Paul understands his calling by applying the worlds of Isaiah to himself rather than to Israel, as most Jews would. Similarly, the author of the gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles affirms that the gospel story and the apostolic mission are directed to extend the good news of salvation through faith to the Gentiles.

The result, Acts reports, is that the Gentiles "were overjoyed and thankfully acclaimed the word of the Lord," whereas "the Jews" began a campaign of persecution and drove Paul out of the area. We should note that those worshipping with the Jews in the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch included "women of standing" as well as "leading men of the city." (Apparently, in these Greek-speaking synagogues there were women leaders, a practice we also find in some of the early churches.) The author of Acts also recounts the division within a Greek-speaking synagogue among those who are persuaded by Paul and those who remain loyal to the Jewish law.

At Iconium there is a similar split. Because of the witness of Paul and Barnabas in the synagogue, Acts tells us, "Jews and Gentiles in large numbers became believers." Therefore, "unconverted Jews stirred up the Gentiles" and poisoned their minds. When a group consisting of both Jews and Gentiles tries to stone Paul and Barnabas, the apostles flee. At Lystra Paul heals a cripple and is then treated as a god by the Gentiles. Paul protests, as any good Jew would, that he is merely a man, and he tries to share with them his gospel message about God. Acts reports, however, that Paul is attacked by "Jews" from Antioch and also from Iconium.

In chapter 15 of Acts we read that some persons have come from Judaea to Antioch in order to enforce adherence to Jewish law upon the converts. (It seems that these are messengers from the apostles in Jerusalem, as Paul reports such visits in his letters.) Therefore, Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem to confront the apostles there. In Acts Peter again takes the lead in settling a dispute between Jewish Christians in Jerusalem and those who do not believe circumcision should be required of Gentile converts. James, the brother of Jesus, supports Peter. But Acts reports that large numbers of Pharisees have joined the church in Jerusalem, and these new members are among those pushing to extend the requirements of Jewish law to the Gentile converts.

The agreement according to Acts is that Gentile converts are only to be required "to abstain from meat that has been offered to idols, from blood, from anything that has been strangled, and from fornication." Moreover, Acts reports that this was acceptable to Paul, who carried to Antioch the message from "the apostles and elders to our brothers of Gentile origin in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia." Paul's letter to the Galatians, however, relates a somewhat different version of his agreement with "those who," Paul says scornfully, "are reputed to be pillars of the community." (Galatians 2:9)

Paul also notes in this letter a falling out with Barnabas, because at Antioch Barnabas sided with Peter against Paul. Acts, however, says that Paul and Barnabas separate because of a dispute over whether to take John Mark with them. Barnabas begins to travel with John Mark, whereas Paul begins to travel with Silas. In Lystra, Paul and Silas meet Timothy, the son of a Jewish mother and a Gentile father. Paul is so impressed with Timothy that he takes him along when he leaves. But Acts reports that Paul has Timothy circumcised first, because traveling with an uncircumcised Jew would offend other Jews.

In Philippi Paul casts a spirit out of a slave girl, Lydia, who is being used by her owner to make money by telling people's fortunes. The owners have Paul and Silas arrested, as "Jews" who "are advocating practices which it is illegal for us Romans to adopt." Paul and Silas are stripped and flogged before being thrown into prison. At midnight, while they are singing praises to God, an earthquake shakes the jail and throws open the doors. When Paul and Silas do not flee, the jailer is so impressed and grateful that he asks to be baptized with his whole family.

Upon his release, Paul demands an escort, because of his Roman citizenship. Paul, the Jew, now identifies with the people of the Roman Empire, as they become dominant in the church communities he is founding. Acts of the Apostles relates the story of this transition from a Jewish movement to a Gentile church. Paul is the person whose ministry inspires and institutionalizes this unforeseen and astonishing transformation. The author of Acts makes sure that Paul's ministry is accompanied by the same wonders as Peter's, who was also freed from prison by divine intervention. Paul goes to synagogues and explains that Jesus is the Messiah foretold in the scriptures, but the Jews in these synagogues generally reject his arguments. With Gentiles, however, Paul is more successful.

In Acts Paul seems not only to be an extraordinarily effective preacher but also to have the power to do miracles and cast out evil spirits. In his letters Paul rarely mentions any such power, so we might wonder about the evidence for the details in Acts concerning Paul's ministry. Moreover, in his letters Paul resists the gifts of the Spirit that involve healing and miracles and, instead, emphasizes the gift of teaching and prophecy. Perhaps the author of Acts relates healings and miracles by Paul as a way of verifying that Paul had all the gifts of the Spirit that Peter had, as Peter was known to have received these gifts with the baptism of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost in Jerusalem. In this way Acts confirms the decisive role played in the early church by both apostles even as it acknowledges that Paul's ministry to the Gentiles was the catalyst for the church's growth in the Roman Empire.

Questions:

1) Does it make sense that the author of Acts describes less conflict in the early church than the letters of Paul suggest?

2) Are we surprised to learn that Gentiles were attending worship with Greek-speaking Jews in urban synagogues in the Roman Empire?

3) Can we see why Gentiles and Jews in the cities Paul visited might have been upset by his preaching?