The “Pentecost of the Gentiles” as Presented in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 10 : 1–11 : 18): The Case of Cornelius and His Home

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21906/rbl.248

Keywords:

New Testament, Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke, baptism, history of Christianity, myth

Abstract

Research on the beginnings of Christianity using the historical method brings about many difficulties, mainly due to the scarcity of sources. One of the most interesting is the canonical book of the Acts of the Apostles, which is unique among the New Testament books, also with regards to genology and its content. It provides us with a unique image of the beginnings and growth of the Church. The author asks if this is a historical, mythical, theological, or theological-polemical image. In his research, he focuses on only one theme presented in this book: the historical watershed moment of directing the mission of evangelization towards the pagans. First, he situates the pericope in question in the conception of the entire book. Next, he summarizes the history of its exegesis and subjects it to historical criticism, finally finding within it an important chapter of early Christian mythology. While not negating its historical roots, he notes its theological message, which was especially important for the Christian community of the early second century.

Author Biography

Krzysztof Pilarczyk, Uniwersytet Jagielloński

Krzysztof Pilarczyk – profesor zwyczajny w Instytucie Religioznawstwa Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego w Krakowie, kierownik Pracowni Historii Relacji Chrześcijańsko-Żydowskich, członek Komisji Historii i Kultury Żydów Polskiej Akademii Umiejętności, Stowarzyszenia Biblistów Polskich oraz Towarzystwa Studiów Interdyscyplinarnych „Fides et Ratio” we Wrocławiu. Autor ponad 250 publikacji naukowych. Zainteresowania koncentruje na historii judaizmu, literaturze biblijnej i apokryficznej, początkach chrześcijaństwa, gnozie starożytnej, dialogu międzyreligijnym, kulturze książki żydowskiej oraz turyzmie religijnym (Bliski Wschód).

Published

2018-09-30

How to Cite

Pilarczyk, K. (2018). The “Pentecost of the Gentiles” as Presented in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 10 : 1–11 : 18): The Case of Cornelius and His Home. The Biblical and Liturgical Movement, 71(3), 257–272. https://doi.org/10.21906/rbl.248

Issue

Vol. 71 No. 3 (2018)

Section

Articles

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License Licencja Creative Commons that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).