Freedom in the Book of Acts: Release from Prison, Bold Speech and Release from Satanic Bondage
Even though the book of Acts does not speak of freedom from the law and as an essential characteristic of Spirit-empowered Christian existence as Paul does, the concept and matter of freedom occur several times in three different contexts. (1) Acts reports several times that its protagonists (the ap...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
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| Published: |
NTWSA
2024
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| In: |
Neotestamentica
Year: 2024, Volume: 58, Issue: 1, Pages: 133-168 |
| Online Access: |
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| Summary: | Even though the book of Acts does not speak of freedom from the law and as an essential characteristic of Spirit-empowered Christian existence as Paul does, the concept and matter of freedom occur several times in three different contexts. (1) Acts reports several times that its protagonists (the apostles or Paul and Silas) are freed from the prisons of their opponents and thus can continue with their ministry. In this way, they are divinely vindicated. Even though the last quarter of the narrative gives a detailed account of Paul's arrest and imprisonment, it becomes clear that even then Paul preserved his inner freedom and proved himself a faithful witness of Jesus. (2) Moreover, the protagonists are repeatedly attested to uttering frank speech, and their speeches are presented in summary. Equipped by the Holy Spirit, they fulfilled their mission and boldly proclaimed the gospel even in dangerous situations, not mincing words. In this they serve as exempla for the readers. (3) Acts makes it clear that people are under the power of Satan from which they must be liberated. From this point of view, freedom is an important concept in Lukan soteriology. Both Jesus and the earliest Christian mission are characterised by this liberation ministry (Acts 10:38; 26:18). The necessity of this liberation accounts for Paul's controversial ministry particularly among non-Jews. In closing, aspects of the contemporary significance of the multi-layered concept of freedom in Acts are briefly discussed. |
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| ISSN: | 2518-4628 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Neotestamentica
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/neo.2024.a947415 |