Acts 1:1

Maori Bible

1 ¶ Ko te pukapuka tuatahi ra he mea tuhituhi naku, e Tiopira, mo nga mea katoa i timata ai a Ihu te mahi, te ako.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

former: Luke 1:24

O Theophilus: Luke 1:3

of: Acts 2:22, Matthew 4:23, Matthew 4:24, Matthew 11:5, Luke 7:21-23, Luke 24:19, John 10:32-38, John 18:19-21, 1 Peter 2:21-23

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 17:7 - to teach Ezra 7:10 - and to teach Matthew 5:19 - do Mark 1:1 - beginning Mark 6:30 - both Luke 1:1 - those Luke 14:22 - it is 1 Timothy 3:16 - received

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ver. 1. The former treatise have I made,.... Meaning the Gospel written by him the Evangelist Luke, for from that he makes a transition to this, beginning here where he there left off; namely, at the ascension of Christ; see Luke 24:51.

O Theophilus; Luke 24:51- :

of all that Jesus began both to do and teach. This is a summary of his former treatise, his Gospel, which gave an account of what Christ began to do, and did; not of the common and private actions of his life; or of what was done, either in public, or private, throughout the whole of his life; for excepting that of his disputing with the doctors at twelve years of age, no account is given by him of what he did, till he was about thirty years of age; but of his extraordinary actions, of the miracles he wrought; and these not all, and everyone of them; but many of them, and which were sufficient to prove him the Messiah; and particularly of all things he did relating to the salvation of his people; of the whole of his obedience; of his compliance with the ceremonial law; of his submission to baptism; of his holy life and conversation, and entire conformity to the law; of his sufferings and death, how that thereby he made full atonement for sin, brought in an everlasting righteousness, and obtained eternal redemption for his people: and not only Luke, in his Gospel, gave an account of these his actions, but also of many of his excellent discourses, his parables, and his sermons, whether delivered to the people in common, or to his own disciples: and now, as this was the subject of his former book, he intended in this latter to treat, as he does, of what the apostles of Christ began to do and teach.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The former treatise - The former book. The Gospel of Luke is here evidently intended. Greek: the former λόγος logos, meaning “a discourse,” or “a narrative.”

O Theophilus - See the notes on Luke 1:3. Since this book was written to the same individual as the former, it was evidently written with the same design to furnish an authentic and full narrative of events concerning which there would be many imperfect and exaggerated accounts. See Luke 1:1-4. Since these events pertained to the descent of the Spirit, to the spread of the gospel, to the organization of the church, to the kind of preaching by which the church was to be collected and organized, and as the facts in the case constituted a full proof of the truth of the Christian religion, and the conduct of the apostles would be a model for ministers and the church in all future times, it was of great importance that a fair and full narrative of these things should be preserved. Luke was the companion of Paul in his travels, and was an eye-witness of no small part of the transactions recorded in this book. See Acts 16:10, Acts 16:17; Acts 20:1-6; Acts 27:0; Acts 28:0. As an eye-witness, he was well qualified to make a record of the leading events of the primitive church. And as he was the companion of Paul, he had every opportunity of obtaining information about the great events of the gospel of Christ.

Of all - That is, of the principal, or most important parts of the life and doctrines of Christ. It cannot mean that he recorded all that Jesus did, as he had omitted many things that have been preserved by the other evangelists. The word “all” is frequently thus used to denote the most important or material facts. See Acts 13:10; 1 Timothy 1:16; James 1:2; Matthew 2:3; Matthew 3:5; Acts 2:5; Romans 11:26; Colossians 1:6. In each of these places the word here translated “all” occurs in the original, and means “many, a large part, the principal portion.” It has the same use in all languages. “This word often signifies, indefinitely, a large portion or number, or a great part” (Webster).

That Jesus - The Syriac Version adds, “Jesus our Messiah.” This version was probably made in the second century.

Began to do ... - This is a Hebrew form of expression; meaning the same thing as that Jesus did and taught. See Genesis 9:20, “Noah began to be a farmer,” that is, was a farmer. Genesis 2:3, in the Septuagint: “Which God began to create and make”; in the Hebrew, “which God created and made.” Mark 4:7, “began to send them forth by two and two,” that is, sent them forth. See also Mark 10:32; Mark 14:65, “And some began to spit on him”; in the parallel place in Matthew 26:67, “they did spit in his face.”

To do - This refers to his miracles and his acts of benevolence, including all that he did for man’s salvation. It probably includes, therefore, his sufferings, death, and resurrection, as a part of what he has done to save people.

To teach - His doctrines. As the writer had given an account of what the Lord Jesus did, so he was now about to give a narrative of what his apostles did in the same cause, that thus the world might be in possession of an inspired record respecting the establishment of the Christian church. The record of these events preserved in the sacred narrative is one of the greatest blessings that God has conferred on mankind; and one of the highest privileges which people can enjoy is that which has been conferred so abundantly on this age in the possession of the Word of God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

-Usherian year of the world, 4033.

-Alexandrian aera of the world, 5531.

-Antiochian year of the world, 5521.

-Constantinopolitan year of the world, 5537.

-Year of the aera of the Seleucidae, 341.

-Year of the Spanish aera, 67.

-Year of the Christian aera, 29.

-Year of the Paschal Cycle, 30.

-Year of the Jewish Cycle, 11.

-Golden Number, 8.

-Solar Cycle, 10.

-Dominical Letter, B.

-Jewish Passover, April 15.

-Epact, 20.

-Year of the reign of the Emperor Tiberius Caesar, 18.

-Year of the CCII. Olympiad, 1.

-Year of Rome, 782.

-Consuls, from Jan. 1, to July 1, L. Rubellius Geminus, and C. Rufius Geminus; and, for the remainder of the year, Aulus Plautius and L. Nonius Asprenas.

For an explanation of these aeras, see the Advertisement prefixed to the Comment on the Gospel of St Matthew.

CHAPTER I.

St. Luke's prologue, containing a repetition of Christ's

history from his passion till his ascension, 1-9.

Remarkable circumstances in the ascension, 10, 11.

The return of the disciples to Jerusalem, and their employment

there, 12-14.

Peter's discourse concerning the death of Judas Iscariot, 15-20,

and the necessity of choosing another apostle in his place,

21, 22.

Barnabas and Matthias being set apart by prayer, the apostles

having given their votes, Matthias is chosen to succeed Judas,

23-26.

NOTES ON CHAP. I.

Verse Acts 1:1. The former treatise — The Gospel according to Luke, which is here most evidently intended.

O Theophilus — Luke 1:3.

To do and teach — These two words comprise his miracles and sermons. This introduction seems to intimate that, as he had already in his Gospel given an account of the life and actions of our Lord, so in this second treatise he was about to give an account of the lives and acts of some of the chief apostles, such as Peter and Paul.