Acts 4


Acts 4 is the fourth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The book containing this chapter is anonymous but early Christian tradition affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Luke. This chapter records the aftermath of a healing by Simon Peter and his preaching in Solomon's Portico, that Sanhedrin arrested the apostles, but had to let them go.

Text

The original text was written in Koine Greek and is divided into 37 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:
Peter's speech was interrupted by the temple authorities who come to silence the apostles, but behind the scenes, more people join the church.

Arrest and Trial (4:5–12)

The apostles spent a night in jail and brought before a full session of Sanhedrin the next morning.

Verse 10

Peter replies to the question of the council on the origin of the healing power by identifying it with Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Verse 11

Citing.

Verse 12

In his last sentence, Peter "goes further than anything he has yet said: Christ is the only mean of salvation."

Deliberation of the Council (4:13–22)

Here Luke gives a glimpse of "the inner workings of the Sanhedrin", especially the elitist perspective: perceiving the apostles in verse 13 as 'uneducated and untrained' as well as displaying 'us' and 'them' attitude toward 'the people'.

A Prophetic Prayer (4:23–31)

This section gives a glimpse of "the apostolic circle at prayer", and this particular prayer provides a "theological framework" for "legitimate exercise of free speech in the face of a tyrannical abuse of authority".

The Common Life (4:32–37)

A slightly more detailed than in 2:44-45, it notes how money raised from the property sale was "channelled through the apostles" to emphasize "the sense of centralized authority".

Verses 32–35

Verses 36–37