ApostelgeschichteKapitel 2

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See what happenedThe coming of the Holy Spirit

Fifty days after Easter, the promise of the Holy Spirit was fulfilled. This is the birthday of the church - when the disciples were equipped with power from on high.

Gathered in one place

[Acts 2:1-2]

v.1, 2

Tongues of fire

[Acts 2:3]

v.3

Filled with the Spirit

[Acts 2:4]

v.4

Everyone heard their own language

[Acts 2:5-8] [Acts 2:11]

v.5, 6, 7, 8, 11

Peter's speech

[Acts 2:14] [Acts 2:16] [Acts 2:36]

v.14, 16, 36

What shall we do?

[Acts 2:37-38]

v.37, 38

3,000 baptized

[Acts 2:41]

v.41

The first Christians

[Acts 2:42] [Acts 2:44] [Acts 2:46-47]

v.42, 44, 46, 47

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

Suddenly a sound came from heaven like a rushing, violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

Tongues as of fire appeared to them, dividing, and one came to rest on each of them.

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Now there were devout Jews living in Jerusalem, from every nation under heaven.

When this sound was heard, the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.

They were astounded and amazed, saying, "Look, are not all these who are speaking Galileans?

Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?

Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome,

both Jews and converts to Judaism; Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the mighty works of God in our own tongues!"

They were all astounded and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?"

But others mocked them and said, "They are full of new wine."

Then Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them: "Fellow Jews and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen carefully to my words.

These people are not drunk, as you suppose—it is only nine in the morning.[fn: Greek: the third hour of the day.]

No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

"'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.

Even on my male and female servants I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below—blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.

And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'

"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth was a man attested to you by God through mighty works and wonders and signs that God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.

This man, handed over by God's set purpose and foreknowledge, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and killed.

But God raised him up, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to hold him in its grip.

For David says of him: 'I kept the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my body also will rest in hope,

because you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor let your Holy One see decay.

You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with gladness in your presence.'

"Brothers, I can say to you with confidence that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here among us to this day.

But he was a prophet, and he knew that God had sworn an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne.

Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ: that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see decay.

This Jesus God has raised up, and of that we are all witnesses.

Exalted therefore to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out what you now see and hear.

For David did not ascend into the heavens, yet he himself says: 'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand

until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'

Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond doubt: God has made him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified."

When they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

Peter said to them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God calls to himself."

With many other words he bore witness and urged them, saying, "Be saved from this crooked generation."

So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and about three thousand souls were added that day.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.

Awe came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

All the believers were together and had everything in common.

They sold their property and possessions and shared with everyone, as anyone had need.

Day by day they continued to meet with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they shared their food with glad and sincere hearts,

praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Nachschlagen

Zusammenfassung2

Kapitel 2

Main Theme: Pentecost marks the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Christian church.

Content: On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples with a sound like a mighty wind and tongues as of fire, and they began to speak in other languages. Peter proclaimed that this fulfilled Joel's prophecy and testified about Jesus as crucified, raised from the dead, and exalted to God's right hand as Lord and Messiah. About 3,000 people repented, were baptized, and formed the first Christian community, characterized by the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer.

Key Words/Images:

Tongues as of fire: A visible sign of the Spirit's coming upon each believer.
Other languages (glossolalia): The miraculous ability to proclaim God's mighty works so that all nations could understand.
Repentance and baptism: Peter's call to respond—repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.
Fellowship (koinonia): The life of believers together, marked by shared possessions, meals, and prayer.

Historischer Kontext

Historical and Cultural Context for Acts 2

Events and Customs

Pentecost (Shavuot)

The chapter opens with the disciples gathered on Pentecost (Greek: ἡμέρα τῆς πεντηκοστῆς, v. 1). This was the Jewish festival of Shavuot, which fell fifty days after Passover. Originally a harvest festival for wheat, by Jesus' time it had also come to celebrate the giving of the law at Sinai. This made the festival one of the three major pilgrimage feasts where Jewish men were required to travel to Jerusalem. Josephus confirms that the city could swell to several times its normal population during such festivals, explaining the international crowd described in verses 5–11.

Speaking in Tongues and Prophetic Speech

The expression ἑτέραις γλώσσαις (other tongues/languages, v. 4) here describes recognizable languages that the listeners understood (v. 6, 8, 11). The verb ἀποφθέγγεσθαι (v. 4, 14) is used in the Septuagint for prophetic and inspired speech (cf. 1 Chron 25:1; Ezek 13:9) and suggests solemn, inspired utterance. Some listeners accused the disciples of being full of γλεῦκος (sweet wine/new must, v. 13), which was fresh grape juice that could ferment and become mildly intoxicating.

Baptismal Practice

Peter's call to baptism (v. 38, 41) builds on an established Jewish tradition of ritual baths (mikveh) for purification. Proselyte baptism was already known as an initiation rite for Gentiles who converted to Judaism. Christian baptism "in the name of Jesus Christ" marked belonging to the new messianic movement.

The Early Community

Verses 42–47 describe four foundational practices: the apostles' teaching, fellowship (κοινωνία), the breaking of bread, and prayers. Holding all things in common (v. 44–45) has parallels with the Essene practice at Qumran, but here it was voluntary rather than mandatory. The shared meals in homes (v. 46) likely combined ordinary meals with remembrance of the Lord's Supper.

Places

Jerusalem and the Temple

The events take place in Jerusalem during the Roman occupation of Judea. The disciples gathered in a house (οἶκος, v. 2), possibly the same upper room mentioned in 1:13. The early church continued to meet in the temple (ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, v. 46), probably in Solomon's Colonnade or one of the outer courts. The temple remained the religious center for Jewish worship, and at this time Christians did not see themselves as separate from Judaism.

List of Nations and Peoples

The list in verses 9–11 covers a geographical area from Parthia in the east to Rome in the west, from Pontus in the north to Egypt and Libya in the south. This list represents the spread of the Jewish diaspora and includes both ethnic Jews and proselytes (Gentiles who had converted to Judaism). The regions are mentioned roughly from east to west and reflect the old provinces of the Persian Empire combined with Roman territories.

People

Peter and the Eleven

Peter appears as the spokesperson for the apostolic group (v. 14). The expression "Peter with the eleven" (σὺν τοῖς ἕνδεκα) refers to the apostolic college after Matthias had replaced Judas (1:26). Peter's speech demonstrates a radical transformation from the man who denied Jesus just a few weeks earlier.

David's Tomb

Peter refers to the patriarch David and notes that "his tomb is with us to this day" (v. 29). David's tomb was a well-known landmark in Jerusalem. According to Nehemiah 3:16, it lay south of the City of David, and Josephus reports that Herod the Great attempted to plunder it. Peter's point is that David himself died and remained in the grave, while the prophecy he quotes (Psalm 16:8–11, rendered in v. 25–28) pointed forward to the Messiah's resurrection.

Key Terms

"Pangs of Death" (ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανάτου)

The expression in verse 24, describing God's loosening of the "pangs of death" (ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανάτου), may play on a Hebrew wordplay between "pangs/birth pains" (חֶבְלֵי, hevlei) and "bonds/ropes" (חַבְלֵי, havlei). The Septuagint uses ὠδῖνες (birth pains) where the Hebrew text of Psalm 18:5–6 has "bonds". The image suggests that death could not hold Jesus captive.

Christ and Lord

Peter's concluding proclamation (v. 36) declares that God has made Jesus both Lord (κύριος) and Christ (χριστός). "Christ" is the Greek translation of the Hebrew "Messiah" (the anointed one). "Lord" (κύριος) was the title the Septuagint used for God's name YHWH, and applying it to Jesus therefore had enormous theological implications for Jewish listeners.

The Third Hour

Peter's defense against the accusation of drunkenness refers to the fact that it was "the third hour of the day" (v. 15), that is, about nine in the morning. This was the time of the morning sacrifice in the temple and of morning prayer, when devout Jews fasted. To be drunk at this time would have been especially inappropriate.

Personen5

Joel1 David3 God2 Jesus3 Peter3

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Schlüsselwörter

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Zeitleiste3

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Themen5

The Church - Christ's Body4 Pentecost - The Coming of the Spirit21 The Holy Spirit4 Peter - the Rock3 Baptism2

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Prophezeiungen3