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Acts Chapter 1

Acts Chapter 1

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Ages/of ages
“ages” and “of ages” are the Greek words “αἰών” (aión, noun form) and “αἰώνιος” (aiónios, adjective form) respectively.  The adjective form is typically translated “eternal”, as in “eternal life”. The noun form refers to a whole time period, (Keizer, “Life Time Entirety”) such as a person’s lifetime (an older Greek sense), an age/epoch (e.g., 2 Cor 4:4), or even time in its entirety, making its meaning similar to “forever” (e.g., John 14:16). The adjective form is similarly context-dependent, and the New Testament context often dictates a meaning similar to “forever” (but not always: e.g. 2 Tim 1:9).  Alternately or additionally, it can indicate the quality of a time period — indicating greatness/severity — like the English idiom “of ages” (e.g. “battle of the ages”). Thus, “of ages” was chosen for the adjective form so that both the time and quality senses remain visible.

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering
In the Old Testament, this is typically the Hebrew “חַטָּ֖את” (khat-tat); in the New Testament, it’s typically “περὶ ἁμαρτίας” (peri hamartias), which is what the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) used to translate the Hebrew. It’s traditionally translated “sin offering”, but that translation has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). This offering was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), for certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation.

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
Luke’s Preface
  1. The first account I authored, O Theophilus, was indeed about all that Jesus began to both do and teachfn“teach” is literally “to teach”
  2. until that day He was taken up, after having given instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom He chose,
  3. to whom He demonstrated Himself to be living after His suffering by many irrefutable proofs, throughout His forty days appearing to them and speaking things about the kingdom of God.
The Ascension
  1. And having assembled them together, He instructed them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, saying: “What you heard from Me,
  2. “because John indeed baptized you with water, but you yourselves will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days after these days.”
  3. Therefore, the men assembled were asking Him, saying: “Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?”
  4. And He said to them: “It isn’t for you to know the times or seasons that the Father appointed by His own authority.
  5. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be witnesses of Me in both Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and as far as the ends of the earth.”
  6. And having said these things, He was lifted into the air with them watching, and a cloud received Him, hiding Him from their sight.
  7. And as they were gazing into the sky with Him departing, also behold, two men in white clothes had stood beside them,
  8. men who also said: “Men,fn“men” this Greek refers to males only. Galileans, why have you been standing here looking into heaven?  This Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way that you watched Him departing into heaven.”
  9. Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called “Olivet”, which is near Jerusalem, afn“a” is literally “having a “ Sabbath day’s journeyfn“a Sabbath day’s journey” this was the distance that Rabbinic law allowed a faithful Jew to travel on a Sabbath.  The number was 2000 cubits (3000 feet), or about 0.57 miles (0.91km).  They based this number on the distance required between the people and the Ark of the Covenant in Joshua 3:4, and also on the distance of the pasture land around a city in Numbers 35:5 distant.
  10. And when they entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying, both Peter and John, and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
Replacing Judas
  1. All these men were constantly persevering in prayer in one accord with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.
  2. And having stood up in the midst of the brothers (the number of the names added together was about 120)fnThis parenthetical statement is literally: “and the multitude of both the same names added together was about 120″ Peter said in these days:
  3. “Men,fn“men” this Greek word refers to males only, never females.  Many translations remove this Greek word from their translation so that it doesn’t appear in English, even though it is present in every major version of the Greek New Testament. brothers, it was necessary for the scripture to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke previously through David’s mouth about Judas, the man who became a guide to the men who arrested Jesus,
  4. because he was numbered among us, and a divinely cast lot gavefn“a divinely cast lot gave” is one word in Greek.  It refers to the process of “casting lots”, which is similar in concept – though not necessarily in methodology – to the modern practice of drawing straws.  In the Old Testament before the Holy Spirit came, they would often cast lots, trusting that God would make the lot fall to the correct person.  This verse records the last time it was done by God’s followers, probably because the Holy Spirit came shortly afterward. him a part of this ministry.
  5. (Therefore, this man indeed purchased a field with the reward from his unrighteousness.  And having fallen headfirst, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines poured out.
  6. And it became known to all the men inhabiting Jerusalem, so that the field came to be called “Hakeldamach” in their tongue, which is translated “Field of Blood”.)
  7. “For it’s *written in the book of Psalms: “Let his residence become desolate, and let there not be a man dwelling in it.”fnPsalm 69:25 and: “Let another man take his office.”fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 109:8
  8. “Therefore, it’s necessary that from the men who accompanied us during the whole time that the Lord Jesus came in and went out among us
  9. ” — beginning from the baptism of John until the day that He was taken up from us — it’s necessary for one of these men to become a witness of His resurrection with us.”
  10. And they nominatedfn“nominated” is more literally “bid to stand by” (Thayer’s) with the idea that you tell them to step forward for consideration. two men; Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias.
  11. And having prayed, they said: “Lord, you are a knower of all hearts; show us which one of these two men you chose
  12. “to receive a place in this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas defected to leave for his own place.”
  13. And they gave lots to them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

 

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