RSV ~ Acts 2 Notes
Acts 2:1 | ISB Notes
Pentecost: One of three pilgrim feasts that required the adult men of Israel to travel to Jerusalem (Deut 16:16). It was a harvest festival celebrated 50 days after Passover, when the first loaves of bread from the spring wheat crop were dedicated as a firstfruits offering to the Lord (Lev 23:15-17). Over time, theological significance was added to its agricultural focus: Pentecost became a celebration of the Torah given to Israel on Mt. Sinai, with lectionary readings taken from Ex 19-20. For Christians, Pentecost celebrates the new law of the Spirit (Rom 8:2), written on the hearts of believers (Jer 31:31-34; 2 Cor 3:4-6), which surpasses the Law of Moses, inscribed on stone tablets (Ex 31:18).
Acts 2:2-3 | ISB Notes
The sound of a mighty wind (2:2) and the visible fire (2:3) dramatize the coming of the Spirit (CCC 696).
• The loud and fiery descent of the Spirit here on Mt. Zion (Jerusalem) recalls the loud and fiery descent of Yahweh on Mt. Sinai during the Exodus (Ex 19:16-19).
Acts 2:4 | ISB Notes
filled with the Holy Spirit: The miracle of Pentecost is anticipated by isolated instances in Luke (Lk 1:15, 35, 41, 67), and its effects are noted several times in Acts (4:8, 31; 9:17; 13:9). The Spirit is the founding gift of the New Covenant and the soul that animates the body of the Christian community (1 Cor 12:12-13). He directs the missionary efforts of the Church (1:8; 13:2), guides her leadership into truth (Jn 16:13), and sanctifies her life through the sacraments (2:38; 8:17; Jn 20:22-23; CCC 1287, 2623).
other tongues: Foreign languages.
• Echoes can be heard of the tragedy of Babel, where God used multiple languages to confuse and scatter the family of man (Gen 11:19). Here, the Spirit uses multiple languages to communicate the gospel and gather together the family of God (2:11).
Acts 2:5 | ISB Notes
devout men: Pilgrims staying in the city to celebrate Pentecost.
from every nation: The international gathering of Jews in Jerusalem, with many accepting the gospel (2:41), foreshadows the international acceptance of the gospel by Gentiles from all over the world (1:8; Lk 24:47).
Acts 2:10 | ISB Notes
proselytes: Gentile converts to Judaism.
Acts 2:14 | ISB Notes
Peter assumes the leadership in public. In this discourse we have the earliest form of the apostolic preaching.
Primacy of Peter
The sheer breadth and depth of this evidence is staggering. In passage after passage in the Gospels we see Jesus grooming Peter for a unique mission of leadership and service. In passage after passage in Acts we see Peter engaged in leadership as a spiritual father caring for the family of faith. The testimony of Catholic tradition is thus merely an echo of biblical tradition. No other apostle appears so prominently in NT history. No other apostle receives such honors and is asked to shoulder such responsibilities. Among the apostles, only Simon Peter holds a position of primacy.
• When the Spirit rained down upon the apostles at Pentecost, it was Peter who delivered the inaugural sermon of Church history to the throngs in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14-36).
• Soon after Jesus ascended into heaven, it was Peter who initiated and oversaw the replacement of Judas Iscariot with another longtime disciple, Matthias, to complete the number of the Twelve (Acts ).
• When the crowds accepted his testimony and wondered how to respond, it was Peter who urged them to repent and receive Baptism (Acts 2:37-41).
• It was Peter who performed the first recorded healing in Church history (Acts 3:1-10).
• When Peter and John were arrested and asked to account for their actions, it was Peter who addressed the Sanhedrin and gave powerful witness to the gospel (Acts ).
• It was Peter who handled the first recorded case of ecclesial discipline exercised in Church history (Acts 5:1-11).
• When the gospel first spread beyond Judea into the neighboring region of Samaria, it was Peter who brought the Spirit to endorse this new missionary development (Acts 8:14-17).
• When God arranged for the first Gentile conversions in Church history, he sent Peter to preach and administer Baptism (Acts 10:1-48).
• Lastly and most importantly, when the first recorded council in Church history convened in Jerusalem, it was Peter who stood up to end the debate with a solemn proclamation of Christian doctrine (Acts ).
Acts 2:15 | ISB Notes
the third hour: About 9 A.M. Jewish pilgrims normally fasted the morning of Pentecost, a fact that makes drunkenness an unlikely explanation for the excitement.
Acts 2:17-21 | ISB Notes
Pentecost confirms the arrival of the messianic age.
• The text for Peter’s first sermon is Joel 2:28-32, which envisions an outpouring of the Spirit upon men and women, young and old, slaves and free. Signs and wonders would abound in this new age and salvation would come through the name of the Lord. Peter links the “wonders” and “signs” (Acts 2:19) with the mighty deeds of Jesus (2:22) and identifies him as the saving “Lord” (2:36) whose “name” is invoked in Baptism (2:38). It is significant in this context that Joel was speaking of the saved remnant of Israel rescued from Jerusalem (Joel 2:32). Other prophecies corroborate his vision of the Spirit poured out at the turn of the ages (Is 32:15; 44:3; Ezek 36:26-27; 39:29).
Acts 2:17 | ISB Notes
the last days: The first days of the New Covenant overlap with the final days of the Old (Heb 1:2).
• The expression comes, not from Joel, but from several prophetic oracles of the messianic age (Num 24:14; Is 2:2; Dan 2:28; Hos 3:5).
Acts 2:20 | ISB Notes
day of the Lord: A day of divine judgment for Israel (Zech 14:1-5). See note on 2 Pet 3:10.
Acts 2:23 | ISB Notes
the definite plan: The collaboration of Jewish and Roman authorities to execute Jesus was part of a divine program for our salvation (4:27-28; CCC 599-600).
Acts 2:25 | ISB Notes
I saw the Lord: A citation from Ps 16:8-11.
• In Ps 16 David rejoices in the Lord and prays for preservation from death. Since David eventually died, as evidenced by his tomb in Jerusalem (2:29), Peter concludes that his prayer is only fulfilled in the Messiah, who alone rose from the dead untouched by corruption (2:31). This mystery of incorruption is expressed by Jesus’ rising on the third day, since Jewish tradition held that the process of bodily decay did not begin until the fourth day after death (Jn 11:39; CCC 627).
Acts 2:30 | ISB Notes
an oath: A sworn guarantee from God that cannot be revoked.
• Peter refers to the covenant Yahweh made with David to continue his dynastic line forever (Ps 89:3-4; 132:11-12). The oath is fulfilled in Jesus, who reigns forever from the throne of David in heaven (Lk 1:32-33).
See essay: Kingdom Restoration at Acts 15.
Acts 2:34 | ISB Notes
The Lord said to my Lord: A citation from Ps 110:1, the most frequently cited psalm in the NT.
• David overhears Yahweh (Lord) inviting the Davidic Messiah (my Lord) to sit beside him in heaven while he subdues his enemies on earth. This enthronement scene is the fulfillment of Yahweh’s covenant of everlasting kingship sworn to David (2:30). The tomb of David in Jerusalem is evidence that David was prophesying of someone other than himself (2:29).
Acts 2:36 | ISB Notes
Lord: A messianic title for Jesus used in the preceding citations from Scripture (2:21, 34). It was a royal title used for the kings of Israel (1 Kings 1:37) as well as a divine title used in the Greek OT to translate the name “Yahweh” (CCC 446, 449).
Christ: The anointed Messiah. See word study: Christ at Mk 14.
Acts 2:38 | ISB Notes
Repent, and be baptized: The call for conversion is a call for Baptism, the sacrament that takes away sin and confers the Spirit (22:16; Jn 3:5; Tit 3:5). Here and elsewhere Peter insists that Baptism is the sacrament that brings us salvation (2:40; 1 Pet 3:21).
• The Council of Trent (1547) describes Baptism as the instrumental cause of our justification, i.e., the means used by Christ to cleanse us of guilt, fill us with the grace of divine life, and adopt us as children of God (Sess. 6, chap. 7; CCC 1226, 1262, 1427). in the name of Jesus: Not a complete baptismal formula like the trinitarian formula in Mt 28:19, but a thematic expression used in several ways in Acts. (1) Calling upon the name of Christ in Baptism (22:16) is linked with calling upon the name of the Lord for salvation in the earlier quotation from Joel (2:28-32). (2) The name distinguishes the Baptism of Jesus from the baptism of John (1:5; 19:2-5). (3) The name of Jesus is also invoked to work miracles and exorcisms (3:6; 4:30; 9:34; 16:18). See note on Acts 4:12.
Acts 2:39 | ISB Notes
and to your children: The benefits of Baptism are available to adults and children alike. This explains why the apostles baptized entire households (16:15, 33; 1 Cor 1:16; CCC 1252). See note on Lk 18:16.
all that are far off:Applicable to the dispersed nation of Israel (Is 57:19) and to the worldwide family of Gentiles (Eph 2:17).
Acts 2:40 | ISB Notes
this crooked generation: Peter indicts his contemporaries as Jesus had done before him (Lk 9:41) and Paul would do after him (Phil 2:15).
• The expression comes from the Song of Moses and was first applied to the faithless generation of Israel that came out of Egypt (Deut 32:5).
Acts 2:42 | ISB Notes
teaching … fellowship … bread … prayers: Essential actions of the Church’s life shown forth in the believing community of Jerusalem. They held to the doctrinal catechesis of the apostles (teaching), interpersonal communion and support (fellowship), the celebration of the Eucharist (breaking of bread), and community praise and petitions (prayers). Thus, in every aspect of life, the earliest believers were united as a family: they learned together, lived together, ate together, worshiped together, and prayed together (CCC 950, 1329, 2624).
Acts 2:46 | ISB Notes
the temple: Continued to be a venue for prayer and preaching in the earliest days of Christianity (3:1; Lk 24:53; CCC 584). Separate gatherings for the eucharistic liturgy were initially held in private homes (20:7-8; 1 Cor 11:17-22).
Acts 2:47 | ISB Notes
the Lord added: Because Christ is the true builder of the Church (Mt 16:18), he is credited with her astonishingly rapid growth (2:41; 4:4; 5:14, etc.).