Acts, Vol. 1 (International Critical Commentary Series | ICC)

by C. K. Barrett

Publisher:

T&T Clark

, 1994

Overview

For over one hundred years, the International Critical Commentary series has held a special place among works on the Bible. It has sought to bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis—linguistic and textual no less than archaeological, historical, literary and theological—with a level of comprehension and quality of scholarship unmatched by any other series.

No attempt has been made to secure a uniform theological or critical approach to the biblical text: contributors have been invited for their scholarly distinction, not for their adherence to any one school of thought.

Editors at the Time of Publication: John Adney Emerton, Charles E. B. Cranfield, Graham Norman Stanton

Original Series Editors: Samuel Rolles Driver, Alfred Plummer, Charles Augustus Briggs

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The depth of analysis found in the International Critical Commentary (ICC) Series has yet to be surpassed in any commentary collection. One of the best features of this series is the extensive amount of background information given in each volume's introduction, where all of the analysis is provided before the actual commentary begins. Each volume packs more information into the introduction than you will often find in the body of most commentaries! Also consider that with the electronic versions of each volume, you will never need to leaf through the hundreds of pages in each volume searching for the passage you are studying.

Contents

Top Highlights

“According to Begs. 4:27 there are four ways in which the word κοινωνία may be taken: (1) it may refer to fellowship with the apostles; (2) it may mean the ‘communism’ of verse 44; (3) it may be equivalent to the breaking of bread; (4) it may be almost equivalent to almsgiving.” (Page 163)

“It is not denied (see the quotation from Bengel on v. 6) that there will be a time when the kingdom is restored to Israel, though the book as a whole makes clear that Israel, the people of God, is receiving a new definition.” (Page 77)

“The gathering at Troas however in ch. 20 shows that the expression had become, or was on the way to becoming, a technical term for a specifically Christian meal. Benoit (Ex. et Th. 1:221f.) is right to infer from v. 46 (μετελάμβανον τροφῆς) that the meal was a real and not merely a symbolic meal. Some (Stählin 56; Schneider 286) think that the passage refers to daily common meals; others see a specific reference to the eucharist (so Schille 116; Bauernfeind 54—the latter adding, with some exaggeration, ‘Die Gemeinschaft war ihrem Wesen nach Abendmahlsgemeinschaft’). Weiser (104) and Pesch (130) are right in seeing that the one description covers both a common meal and the Lord’s Supper.” (Pages 164–165)

“The attempt to reconstruct the original text, or perhaps one ought to say the original texts,² of Acts is perhaps the most difficult of all textual problems in the NT, and the most important of the witnesses must be mentioned here.” (Page 2)

“What follows may be regarded as in a sense the apodosis to vv. 1, 2; it expresses the content of Luke’s second volume. The apostles are to be witnesses, μάρτυρες. Witnessing is a major theme in Acts and will be frequently discussed. The apostles are specifically witnesses to the fact of the resurrection (1:22), that is, to the divine vindication of Jesus, the proof that he was what he had claimed to be, what the apostles now claimed that he was. Witness to the resurrection thus includes witness to all the other propositions of the Christian proclamation; cf. 26:22 (the suffering and resurrection of Christ); 10:39 (the whole story of Jesus), 13:31; 26:16. Cf. Isa. 43:10. What takes place in the life of the church is the valid continuation and fruit of the work of the historical Jesus.” (Page 79)

Endorsements

The commentary proper, which is on the Greek text, engages with a wide range of scholarship; readers will find much to argue with and - hesitantly - dissent from, but they will certainly find themselves indebted to its richness and clarity. This is essentially a work for the scholar's library, and institutions serious about New Testament study will ensure that they have it on their shelves.

— Peter Doble, University of Leeds, Theological Book Review

The discussion of textual variants is careful and detailed. Again and again, Barrett provides valuable insights on the grammar and syntax of Luke's Greek, and students who read Acts in intermediate or advanced Greek classes will have frequent occasion to bless the author for his help.

— Anvil

Product Details

• Title: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, Volume 1
• Author: C. K. Barrett
• Series: International Critical Commentary
• Publisher: T&T Clark
• Print Publication Date: 1994
• Logos Release Date: 2005
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. N.T. Acts › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9780567083852, 0567083853
• Resource ID: LLS:ICC_AC1
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T20:03:50Z

About C. K. Barrett

C. K. Barrett (1917–2011) was emeritus professor of divinity at the University of Durham in England, and a determined Methodist. His work is held in very high regard and is featured prominently in many contemporary publications.

C. K. (Charles Kingsley) Barrett first studied at Shebbear College but soon transferred to Pembroke College to study theology. Barrett then trained for the Methodist ministry at Wesley House in Cambridge. In 1945, he was appointed lecturer in divinity at the University of Durham where he was eventually elected professor in 1958.

Barrett was especially known for having authored numerous scholarly articles and books, including commentaries on The Epistle to the Romans, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, and The Second Epistle to the Corinthians in the Black’s New Testament Commentary (BNTC) series, as well as On Paul: Essays on His Life, Work, and Influence in the Early Church and the titles in Select Works of C. K. Barrett (7 vols.).