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Acts 6–12: The Christian Mission beyond Jerusalem

Acts outlines the steps by which the church gradually broke with the synagogue and became an independent movement. In fact, one of the central motifs in Acts is the explanation of how a small group of Jews in Jerusalem, basically indistinguishable from their Jewish milieu, became a Gentile fellowship in the capital city of the empire, distinct from Jewish practices.' In this article we address the issues and events surrounding the martyrdom of Stephen, the evangelistic ministry of Philip, the conversion of Paul, and Peter's ministry to Cornelius. Each of these events enables us to see the significant steps taken by the church as the Christian mission expanded beyond Jerusalem. Obviously in an article of this length we cannot deal extensively with any issue. Our purpose will be to survey the entire section and highlight significant interpretive and theological issues.