Teaching Documents by Peter Irvin Smith
Chronology of Acts of the Apostles, 2023
The following cannot, of course, be certain of total accuracy but the point in this context is to... more The following cannot, of course, be certain of total accuracy but the point in this context is to demonstrate that the narrative of Acts, comments in the letters of the Apostle Paul, and known and relevant events in the secular world can all be coordinated without any need to assume a late Author nor to question the historical reliability of Acts.
This investigation was provoked by a Wikipedia Article which became a battle between two very pre... more This investigation was provoked by a Wikipedia Article which became a battle between two very prejudiced groups who spent their days replacing other post with their own. As of November 2023 there have been at least 500 revisions since 2009, making the whole article of no value whatsoever. An impartial and through investigation was obviously needed. Overview There are some matters of controversy in which two groups may generate considerable heat over a lengthy period of time, producing numerous arguments to support their differing views, and yet never mention the true point of departure between their positions. Probably there is no subject in which this is more true than that of the dating, and therefore the presumed historical reliability, of the three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and the sequel to Luke, The Acts of the Apostles. Many articles, books, and wordy tomes have been written on this subject but usually from one point of view or the other. However, the only approach that is worthy of the designation "encyclopaedic" in such a matter is to inform the reader in a balanced way of the true underlying dispute and to lay out the arguments provided by both sides. Such is the approach taken here. The pivot upon which the whole controversy turns is the alleged prophecy by Jesus Christ of the then future destruction of the city and Temple at Jerusalem as recorded by the three writers of the Synoptic Gospels. The writer of "Luke's" Gospel actually provides us with the prophecy given with varying details in three separate passages (Luke 19:41-44; 21:5-6; 21:20-21) and they include further detail, specifically of an "embankment" being thrown up around the city during a siege. This siege and Temple destruction actually took place in AD 70 and the eye-witness participant and historian Josephus refers many times to the role of the embankments thrown up against the city walls by the Roman army. (Wars: 5.4.4 ; 5.9.2 and 5.11.1) There are those who, for whatever reason, cannot accept that Jesus Christ could have made such detailed and accurate prophecies 37 years before the event and are therefore deeply committed to the the view that the Gospel of Luke-and therefore "Acts" (for almost all commentators agree that the two books were written in rapid succession by the same author)-was written after AD 70. Many who share this view add that Josephus' two books "The Wars of the Jews" and "The Antiquities of the Jews" provided the source material for the prophecy "falsely" placed into the mouth of Jesus and for references to a number of other events mentioned in the two volume history often known as "Luke-Acts." Josephus' first book "Wars" is believed to have been written in Rome in the late 70's or early 80's and he tells us at the end of Antiquities that it was written in "our language", by which he meant Aramaic, and distributed "in the east" where that was still the lingua-franca. He explains that it was later translated into Greek by himself but that seems unlikely. Take in also the need for manual copying of individual manuscripts, the costs of the finished articles, and the methods of distribution
An Investigation into The Historical Accuracy of "The Acts of The Apostles", 2023
This investigation was provoked by a Wikipedia Article which became a battle between two very pre... more This investigation was provoked by a Wikipedia Article which became a battle between two very prejudiced groups who spent their days replacing other post with their own. As of November 2023 there have been at least 500 revisions since 2009, making the whole article of no value whatsoever. An impartial and through investigation was obviously needed.
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Teaching Documents by Peter Irvin Smith