"Acts of the Apostles": the interpretation of the book

The book "Acts of the Apostles" was written in the I century on the Nativity of Christ. It contains historical facts describing the development of the Christian Church in the period after the Resurrection. It is generally believed that the authorship of the book belongs to the holy apostle Luke, one of the 70 disciples of the Savior.

A few words about the book

"Acts" are a direct continuation of the Gospel. The style features of the letter directly testify to the indisputable authorship of the apostle Luke, which is also confirmed by many holy fathers of the church, such as Irenaeus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, and others.

The "Acts of the Apostles" is the only book in which the chronology of historical events is observed. Many actors described in the book are real historical figures. The main actors here are the holy apostles Peter and Paul, Matthias and Luke. The book describes their preaching work in order to spread the teaching of Christ throughout the world.

Among the actors are many political figures of the time: the Jewish kings Herod Agrippa I and his son Agrippa II, a member of the Sanhedrin Gamaleil, Roman senator Junius Annie Gallio, Roman procurators Felix and Porcius Festus, and many other historical characters. Therefore the book "Acts of the Apostles" is of great interest not only as one of the parts of the Holy Scripture, but also as a reliable historical source.

The book contains 28 chapters, which are conventionally divided into two parts. The first part (chapters 1-12) describes the creation of the Christian Church and its distribution in the Palestinian territory, and the second part (chapters 13-28) describes the travels of the apostle Paul through the Mediterranean, Greece and East Asia with missionary sermons. According to the traditional version, the time of writing the book refers to the 60 years of the I century, which is confirmed by many facts.

Interpretation on the "Acts of the Holy Apostles"

From the first centuries this book was considered to be canonical - its texts are still used in worship for the purpose of edifying Christians. In addition to reading in the temple, all believers are also encouraged to study the book "Acts of the Apostles" on their own. The following authors cite and explain many of the events described in this literary work:

• St. John Chrysostom.
• Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria.
• The Monk Isidore Pelusiot.
• The Monk Maximus the Confessor.
• Saint Lion the Great and other holy fathers of the Orthodox Church.

Why read the interpretation of the books of the Holy Scriptures

According to the teachings of the holy Orthodox Church, misunderstanding of the Holy Scriptures can lead to the emergence of various heretical currents and directions, which is confirmed by the history of the church itself. Many believers, because of their lack of literacy, are not able to explain all the events described in the book of Acts on their own. Therefore, the clergy are advised to study the patristic interpretation of these books, designed to guide the right path of pious Christians.

Often reading the Scriptures can encourage a person to reconsider their lives and repent of their sins. Therefore, such reading is simply necessary for all believing people. Knowledge and understanding of Scripture is extremely useful for the formation of a proper Christian worldview.

God gave all people, without exception, the ability to understand and understand the events taking place around. But because of the fall, human nature was deeply damaged, which affected the ability to correctly understand and perceive the events surrounding it. The Word of God is infallible - it brings light and peace to human life, but it is inherent in sin to distort many facts and truths. Therefore, without exception, all people need some guidance, which should be checked against the Divine will. It is precisely these guidelines that are interpreted by the Holy Fathers.

Conclusion

Some interpreters of the book "Acts of the Holy Apostles" believed that the apostle Luke in the writing of the book sought to prove to the Roman authorities the security of a new Christian religious trend. Nevertheless, the most important and primary goal of writing this book is the evangelism of Christ, which is reflected in the content of the book. The apostle Luke had an intention not only to tell about the accomplished events of the first 30 years of the existence of the church, but also to gather facts illustrating his main idea: extending from Jerusalem to Rome, the church turns into the Universal, open to the East and West.