The way of imagination

“Paul entered the synagogue and for three months spoke out boldly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. When some stubbornly refused to believe and spoke evil of the Way before the congregation, he left them, taking the disciples with him, and argued daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.” (Acts 19.8-9)      The historian of the first century has to deal with a peculiar problem – how did the movement loyal to Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah of Israel survive the death of its leader?   Many Jewish messianic movements came and went both before and after the time of Jesus, and they all – without exception! – came to the same tragic end (cf. Ac. 5.36-37 for a few examples of movements who preceded Jesus’).   As Luke knew well, a crucified “Messiah” was a failed Messiah, a false Messiah (cf. Lk. 24.19-21).   So, the (honest) historian has to face the question – why did this movement survive (and thrive!) when all the others ended up i...

  “Now after these things had been accomplished, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia and then to go on to Jerusalem . He said, “After I have gone there, I must also see Rome.” (Acts 19.21)       In many ways, the book of The Acts of the Apostles mirrors Luke’s Gospel.   In “the first book” (cf. Ac. 1.1), Luke has Jesus “set his face” to go to Jerusalem (Lk. 9.51) and then embark on an 11-chapter-long journey to the Jewish capital.   In the sequel to his Gospel, Luke portrays Paul as “resolving in the Spirit” to go to Jerusalem, where he will – like Jesus – cause a disturbance in the Temple, be put on trial for blasphemy and be handed over to the Roman authorities before undergoing a 2-year imprisonment, interspersed by multiple hearings before different Roman governors as well as a Herodian tetrarch (Ac. chapters 21-26; cf. 9.15-16; Lk. 23.1-12).   Unlike Jesus, Paul will not be executed in Jerusalem, but will fina...