Page 33 - Acts Student Textbook

Luke takes us back to the life of the primitive church

“One who sold his property was Barnabas” (4:36,37). These verses tell of a specific example of one
who gave generously. No doubt he is introduced here because he later played a prominent role in
the work recorded in Acts. The man was Joses, a Levite from Cyprus. The apostles gave him the name
Barnabas, which means “Son of Encouragement.” Pratte notes that, “Here, as often in the Bible,
“son” does not refer to physical off -spring or that which brings something else into existence.
Rather, it simply refers to one who possesses some characteristic or quality of character, as a son’s
character is often similar to that of his father.” Joses was characterized by exhorting or encouraging
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others. We will later see him often doing that work. Other passages referring to Barnabas are: Acts
11:22ff; 13:1-3; chap. 13-15; Gal. 2:13.

Who were the Sanhedrin?

5. 4 Let’s Practice…

1. What could be the underlying reasons for the arrest of Peter and John?

2. What does the author mean when he talks about the rulers, elders and Scribes?

3. We all know that our sin is the cause for Jesus to die at the cross. In what sense was Peter
accusing the religious leaders of being guilty of Jesus’ death?

4. According to this section’s discussion, who raised Jesus from the dead?

5. Explain the exclusivistic scandal of Christianity?

6. Even though we know that all Jewish children (including Jesus, Peter, and John) attended
synagogue school as a requirement, in what sense were the religious leaders claiming that Peter and
John were uneducated and untrained?

22 Pratte, (p. 80).
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