The Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles
Technical
Roman Catholic
Critical

The Acts of the Apostles

in Anchor Yale Bible

by Joseph A. Fitzmyer

4.17 Rank Score: 5.55 from 9 reviews, 6 featured collections, and 10 user libraries
Pages 864
Publisher Yale University Press
Published 1998
ISBN-13 9780300139822
For anyone interested in the origins of Christianity, Joseph A. Fitzmyer's The Acts of the Apostles is indispensable. Beginning with the Ascension of Christ into heaven, and ending with Paul proclaiming the kingdom of God from a prison in Rome, this New Testament narrative picks up where the Gospel of Luke left off. The Acts of the Apostles is indeed a journey of nearly epic proportions--and one that requires a guide as adept as Fitzmyer. Since Acts was most likely written by the same person who composed the Gospel of Luke, it is only fitting that the Anchor Bible Commentaries on these New Testament books should be written by the same author. With The Acts of the Apostles, Fitzmyer gives readers the long-awaited companion to his two-volume commentary on the Gospel of Luke.

The Four Gospels recount the life and teachings of Jesus, but only the book of the Acts of the Apostles tells the story of what happened after Jesus’ departure. In this second of St. Luke’s two-volume work, he picks up with Jesus saying farewell to his followers; then Luke tells the fast-paced story of the birth and growth of the early church. This narrative reads like a major breaking news story, with the apostles Peter and Paul as the main characters.

The interpretation of Acts requires a scholar of the highest quality. As he demonstrates in The Acts of the Apostles, Joseph Fitzmyer not only is up to the task but establishes once again why he is ranked among the world’s top biblical scholars. Far from being a rehash of old ideas and well-rehearsed theories, Fitzmyer’s commentary distinguishes itself as the capstone of his career, with a new synthesis of all the relevant data from the Roman world to the present. He provides a thorough introduction to the background, text, and context of the book, as well as chapter-by-chapter notes and comments in which are offered insights and answers to questions that have long plagued preachers and parishioners, teachers and students. This commentary is destined to join Fitzmyer’s Anchor Bible commentaries on the Gospel According to Luke and the Epistle to the Romans as the most authoritative commentary available on Acts.

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G Ware G Ware February 15, 2018
This volume and Ben Witherington's SRC are the best resources for in depth analysis of Acts. It's somewhat unfair to compare it to the more often used volumes (by preachers at least) by Bruce and Marshall, which are expository commentaries written for preachers. The AYB's purpose of providing a detailed analysis of the Greek text, with theological interpretation which pays close attention to intertextuality (biblical and non-biblical), historical context/setting, etc. is capture extremely well in this volume, which is among the best in the series. I'd recommend this one ahead of Bruce or Marshall.
Phillip J. Long Phillip J. Long July 29, 2017
As a companion to his two-volume Luke commentary, Fitzmyer’s Acts commentary is readable and useful for scholar, pastor or layman. The Anchor Bible format begins with a fresh translation followed by a comment on the text and then a “notes” section for exegetical detail. All Greek is transliterated and all citations are in-text. What is remarkable to me is how efficient Fitzmyer’s commentary is. He is able to cover the necessary issues in the text in a few paragraphs, despite having an encyclopedic knowledge of the Greco-Roman world! While the commentary is 800+ pages, it is not overly burdensome. For each section there is a bibliography covering secondary literature in English, German, and French. This makes the commentary invaluable for the scholar.
John Philip John Philip December 10, 2010
This is way way better than Bruce and Marshall! Not too sure why its got such a low rating so far. Very happy with this purchase.
Scot McKnight Scot McKnight April 21, 2009
Then I go to J.A. Fitzmyer's volume in the Anchor Bible Commentary [Full Review]