Week 1.4C: Acts of the Apostles
Week 1.4C: Acts of the Apostles: Three Speeches
How do Peter, Stephen, and Paul present Jesus’ relationship to the Jews and the Jewish heritage in their speeches in Acts 2, 7, and 13? Pay particular attention to the use and interpretation of the Hebrew Bible and the interpretation of Jesus’s life and mission. I suggest that you choose ONE of these two approaches to these speeches.
1) If you see each speech as tailored specifically to its speaker, audience, and circumstances, I suggest that you focus on one or compare two and relate their presentation of aspects of the Jewish heritage to the context, audience, and results of the speech.
2) If you see the speeches as similar to one another and presenting the ideas of the author of Acts, more than of the individual speakers, you might choose one theme or subject, show how it is developed in two or three speeches, and explain its importance within Acts. This is also a good forum for an early start: it is closely related to last week’s discussion of Jesus’ debates with the Pharisees or Jesus’ relationship to Jewish traditions, and it is based on short passages in this week’s readings. If you read over the Study Guide and the relevant sections of Acts, you can make a good posting directly addressing the question and following my suggestions.
