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The Bible Year

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 16, 1916

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 93, No. 57.

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The Bible Year

Assignment for November 19 to 25

November 19: Luke 23, 24.
November 20: Acts 1 to 3.
November 21: Acts 4 to 6.
November 22: Acts 7, 8.
November 23: Acts 9, 10.
November 24: Acts 11 to 13.
November 25: Acts 14 to 16.

To Think About as You Read

November 19: What the risen Christ means to me.
November 20: He will come again.
November 21: The effect of being with Jesus.
November 22: Reviewing God’s dealings brings strength.
November 23: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?”
November 24: God is able to deliver.
November 25: Am I ready to endure persecution?

The Acts of the Apostles

“This book derives its name from its being a record of the ministry and actions of the apostles. It gives the history of the progress and spread of the gospel in Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth. It may be considered as introductory to the epistles and supplementary to the Gospels, especially to the Gospel by Luke; for the narrative is carried on continuously from the one to the other.
“The early part of the book records the transactions of the church when it was composed exclusively of Jewish converts; afterward when comprising Gentile as well as Jewish believers, while the largest portion of the book comprises that period when the members of the church consisted mainly of Gentile heathen converts to Christianity. Although the name of the author is not absolutely mentioned, there is no doubt the book was written by Luke, the physician, about A. D. 63. It comprises the history of about thirty-three years, from the ascension of our Lord to Paul’s imprisonment at Rome. It is not to be regarded as a complete record of the church during that time, but rather a narrative of facts, illustrating the reality, power, and divine origin of Christianity. The doctrines enunciated are in perfect harmony with the important truths revealed in the Gospels and amplified in the epistles, the whole forming a most valuable and instructive record of sacred church history. . . .
“The style of this book is very forcible, fresh, and graphic; the events are narrated in a clear and dignified manner; the peculiarities of each speaker are well preserved, and the Greek, in which the whole is written, is much purer than most of the other books of the New Testament. Notice especially the account of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit; Peter’s discourse, and the formation of the early church; Stephen’s address and martyrdom; the vision of Peter by which the Gentiles were to partake of the blessings of Christianity; the conversions of Saul of Tarsus, the Philippian jailer, and Lydia, typically considered; the wonderful results of Paul’s ministry and labors; the tenderness of the apostle’s address and conduct at Miletus, his powerful eloquence before Felix and Agrippa, the graphic account of the shipwreck, and the unshaken confidence of the apostle amid all his dangers and trials in the faithfulness of the Lord and Master, whom he delighted to honor and serve.”—J. Anderson.

Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles

Saul, afterward called Paul, was born at Tarsus, the metropolis of Cilicia. It was distinguished for its culture in letters and philosophy, being at one time the rival of Athens and Alexandria.
Paul was a Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin; but along with this position, he received from his father, so it is supposed, his Roman citizenship. Though in an alien city, surrounded by the seducing influences of heathenism, and subjected to the allurements of pagan culture and philosophy, Paul was carefully taught the religion of his fathers. He was, to use his telling phrase, “a Hebrew of the Hebrews.”
Paul’s father was a Pharisee, and according to the strict rules and laws of this dominant party of the Jews, Paul was brought up. “At a suitable age he was sent to Jerusalem to complete his education in the school of Gamaliel, the most distinguished rabbi of that age. It does not appear that he was in Jerusalem during the ministry of Christ; and it was perhaps after his return to Tarsus that he learned the art of tent making, in accordance with the general practice among the Jews and their maxim, ‘He that does not teach his son a useful handicraft teaches him to steal.’”
Besides being the possessor of a liberal education according to Jewish standards, Paul seems to have been a master of the Greek language, and familiar with its literature. But all this, with all worldly honor and position, he gladly counted loss for the cause of Christ. He seems to have been the first “to regard Christianity in its true light, as a universal religion. While others were for Judaizing all those who embraced the new religion, by imposing on them the yoke of Mosaic observances, it was Paul’s endeavor to break down the middle wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles, and show them that they were all ‘one in Christ.’”
It was the dissolute Nero, relentless persecutor of the early Christians, who “pronounced the decision that condemned Paul to a martyr’s death. Inasmuch as a Roman citizen could not be condemned to torture, he was sentenced to be beheaded. . . . Few spectators were allowed to be present; for his persecutors, alarmed at the extent of his influence, feared that converts might be won to Christianity by the scenes of his death. But even the hardened soldiers who attended him, listened to his words, and with amazement saw him cheerful and even joyous in the presence of death.”