Acts
in New Cambridge Bible Commentary
Pages
714
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Published
5/28/2020
ISBN-13
9781108468688
As the earliest narrative source for the origins of Christianity, Acts is of unrivalled importance for understanding early Christianity and the mission that originally brought it from Judea and Galilee to gentiles, and even the heart of the Roman Empire. This volume is an abridged version of Keener's monumental, four-volume commentary on Acts, the longest and one of the most thorough engagements with Acts in its ancient setting. Sensitive to the work's narrative unity, Keener's commentary is especially known for its direct engagement with the wide range of ancient Jewish and Greco-Roman sources. The original commentary cited some 45,000 references from ancient extrabiblical sources to shed light on the Book of Acts. This accessible edition, aimed at students, scholars, and pastors, makes more widely available the decades of research that Keener has devoted to one of the key texts of Early Christianity.
Reviews
DavidH
August 9, 2026
August 9, 2026
Keener’s commentary offers an exceptional combination of historical-cultural research, narrative sensitivity and accessible exposition. He is particularly valuable for explaining the Jewish, Greek and Roman settings of Acts, including matters such as Roman law and citizenship, public assemblies, travel, ethnic boundaries, magic, exorcism, prophecy and ancient attitudes toward miracles. His numerous background discussions often provide information that cannot readily be found in more conventional commentaries, while his exposition still attends to Luke’s literary connections and theological purposes. At times the sheer amount of contextual material can make the commentary less direct than Peterson, but Keener repeatedly clarifies difficult passages and corrects modern assumptions by placing Acts within its first-century world. For originality of research combined with practical usefulness, this is one of the strongest commentaries on Acts.