This groundbreaking commentary is the first to provide a detailed social and rhetorical analysis of the book of Acts. At the same time it gives detailed attention to major theological and historical issues.

An image rich, passage-by-passage commentary that integrates relevant historical and cultural insights, providing a deeper dimension of perspective to the words of the New Testament. Discoveries await you that will snap the world of the New Testament into new focus. Things that seem mystifying, puzzling, or obscure will take on tremendous meaning when you view them in their ancient context. With the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, you'll: Discover the close interplay between God's kingdom and the practical affairs of the church. Learn more about the real life setting of the Old Testament writings to help you identify with the people and circumstances described in Scripture. Gain a deeper awareness of the Bible's relevance for your life. In this volume, detailed exegetical notes are combined with background information of the cultural settings that will help you interpret the book of Acts. THE ZONDERVAN ILLUSTRATED BIBLE BACKGROUNDS COMMENTARY SERIES Invites you to enter the world of the New Testament with a company of seasoned guides, experts who will help you understand and teach the biblical text more accurately. Features: Commentary based on relevant papyri, inscriptions, archaeological discoveries, and studies of Judaism, Roman culture, Hellenism, and other features of the world of the New Testament. Hundreds of full-color photographs, color illustrations, and line drawings. Copious maps, charts, and timelines. Sidebar articles and insights. "Reflections" on the Bible's relevance for 21st-century living.

Recently discovered in the Durham Cathedral Library, J. B. Lightfoot's commentary on the Acts of the Apostles is a landmark event of great significance to both church and academy. Carefully transcribed and edited, these texts give us a new appreciation for Lightfoot's contributions to biblical scholarship.

A leading biblical scholar offers grounding in the interpretation of Acts that draws heavily on ancient backgrounds and attends to the theological nature of the texts.

With his work on Acts, Jaroslav Pelikan initiates the forty-volume Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible.

Concise and accessible, this one-volume edition of the New Collegeville Bible Commentary: New Testament allows readers to explore any or all of the books with just one resource alongside their Bibles. The individual commentaries collected here are written by respected scholars, and they break open the biblical texts in a lively fashion. Readers will be able to engage Scripture more deeply and reflect on its meanings, nuances, and imperatives for living a Christian life in the twenty-first century. Continuing Liturgical Press's long tradition of publishing biblical scholarship and interpretation, this commentary also answers the Second Vatican Council's call to make access to Scripture "open wide to the Christian faithful." Daniel Durken, OSB, is a Benedictine monk and priest of Saint John's Abbey. He taught Scripture and speech classes at Saint John's University for almost five decades and served as director of Liturgical Press from 1978-88. He still writes homily hints and daily reflections for the Loose-Leaf Lectionary and is the founding editor of Abbey Banner, the magazine for the relatives, friends, and oblates of the monastic community.

The experiences of the early church have much to say about issues that concern Christians today. What can Acts tell us about tongues and other manifestations of the Spirit? How should the church reach out into the world with the message of salvation? This revised BST volume from John Stott opens to us the early days of the church as recorded by Luke in the book of Acts.

The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.

Dennis Hamm stresses the unity between the Acts of Apostles and the Gospel of Luke. His section-by-section commentary (along with New American Bible translation), based on the best of recent scholarship, will appeal to teachers, preachers and Bible study groups with its non-technical, yet scholarly style. Hamm helps visualize Christianity's growth from Jewish roots and the Church as continuation of God's covenant with Israel. Paying close attention to the use of the Old Testament. Hamm demonstrates how the Acts of the Apostles--first addressed to the early Christian community--speaks to our generation today. Chapters are The Risen Christ and the Restoration of Israel in Jerusalem (1:1 -8:3)," "The Mission in Judea and Samaria (8:4-9:43)," "The Inauguration of the Gentile Mission (10:1-15:35)," and "The Mission of Paul to the Ends of the Earth(15:36-28:31)." Also includes maps and discussion questions. Dennis Hamm, SJ, PhD, since 1975 has taught Scripture at Creighton University. He is author of the various journal articles and reviews, as well as the three-volume Let the Scriptures Speak, published by Liturgical Press(1999, 2000, 2001).