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The End of Acts 28 and the Fate of the Historical Apostle Paul

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The End of Acts 28 and the Fate of the Historical Apostle Paul The End of Acts 28 and the Fate of the Historical Apostle Paul A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Theology Acadia Divinity College, Wolfville Nova Scotia In (Partial) Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree Master of Arts by Rev. Karl L. Armstrong B.Comm., Saint Mary’s University, 1997 M.Div., Acadia Divinity College, 2006 April 2013 © Karl L. Armstrong, 2013 This thesis by KARL L. ARMSTRONG was defended successfully in an oral examination on 9 April 2013. The examining committee for the thesis was: ________________________ Dr. Robert Wilson, Chair ________________________ Dr. Stanley Porter, External Examiner ________________________ Dr. Allison Trites, Internal Examiner ________________________ Dr. Craig Evans, Supervisor & MA Director This thesis is accepted in its present form by Acadia Divinity College, the Faculty of Theology of Acadia University, as satisfying the thesis requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Theology). ii I, KARL L. ARMSTRONG, hereby grant permission to the University Librarian at Acadia University to provide copies of my thesis, upon request, on a non-profit basis. Karl L. Armstrong Author Dr. Craig Evans Supervisor 9 April 2013 Date iii Acknowledgements There are several individuals I would like to thank who helped me with this research project. First of all, I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Craig Evans for his guidance this year along with his valuable insights and recommendations that I have incorporated along the way. Surely, some of his scholarly zeal has impacted my own approach to New Testament studies. I am also thankful for Dr. Robert Wilson for his own inspiring love of history but especially for the level of professionalism that he brought to my defence. Furthermore, I am grateful for my external examiner, Dr. Stanley Porter, whose superior editing skills and scholarly insights have greatly improved the quality of my thesis. Similarly, I am indebted to my internal examiner, Dr. Allison Trites, whose scholarly advice has further reinforced my research. I am also grateful for the regular encouragement I received from Dr. Jeremiah J. Johnston and Dr. Carol Anne Janzen who encouraged me throughout a tough academic year in so many ways (1 Thess. 5:11). Also, I would like to extend a special thanks to Dr. Troy Troftgruben from the University of North Dakota who was kind enough to send me a free copy of his book that was essential to my research. Many of his thoughtful insights are found throughout this study. I would also like to recognize the support of my friends: Officer Cadet Hugh Pineault, David Myers, Jake Chitouras and Dr. David Watt – thanks for all your timely help and encouragement along the way. I am also grateful for the support of my father Leslie, mother Sally, and my mother-in-law Laura for their support of my academic pursuits. For my wife Beth, thanks for your hard work this year which allowed me to pursue another academic year – but especially your love and support during my defence. Most importantly, I am grateful to God for his incredible wisdom and strength He gave me iv throughout this year. Finally, I commend this simple work in honour of the Apostle Paul and his beloved friend Dr. Luke the historian, who stayed with him to the end (2 Tim. 4:11). v Abstract The purpose of this study will be to investigate the end of Acts 28 and the fate of the historical Apostle Paul. The primary reason for this study is due to the famous historical ambiguity associated with Paul’s fate following Acts 28. Initially, this thesis examines the widespread ambiguity and assumptions concerning Paul’s fate that exist among both modern and ancient writers. Accordingly, the various theological and literary explanations advanced by these scholars are examined in light of Acts and the significant historical events that shaped Christian, Jewish and Roman history. Consequently, this study proposes that Luke was completely unaware of Paul’s death at the time of his writing Luke-Acts. This proposition is supported both internally by examining the language of Acts in the context of Rome, and externally by investigating the epic events that occurred in A.D. 64 and beyond. Furthermore, this study also proposes that Paul’s situation at the end of Acts is not a literary fabrication, but an authentic historical account that reflects the contemporary legal and business language of Rome in Paul’s day. Simultaneously, while addressing the critical issue of chronology, this study further proposes that Luke-Acts was written no later than A.D. 64. Finally, the historic tradition of Paul’s trial, martyrdom, and burial in Rome is summarily discussed and affirmed. vi Table of Contents Introduction: “What Happened to Paul?” 1 Primary Review of Contemporary Scholarship 3 Conclusions and Implications 21 Chapter I: The Rome of St. Paul in his day: What’s going on in Rome? 24 The Greco-Roman Context 27 Historical Origins of Rome 30 Legendary Origins of Rome 33 The Rome of St. Paul in his day 36 Nero and ‘the Great Fire of Rome’ 38 Nero: ‘Son of a Monster’ 40 The Historical Jewish and Christian Presence in Rome 44 Christian ‘Origins’ in Rome 48 The Rome of St. Paul in his day – Preliminary Observations 54 Chapter II: Critical Analysis of Acts in Light of Paul’s Roman Imprisonment – The Facts of Acts 57 External Authorship of Luke-Acts 57 Internal Authorship of Luke-Acts 60 The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts 61 Comparative Exegesis of Luke’s Double Incipit: vii Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-3 63 Re: Dating of Luke-Acts: Early, Intermediate, or Late? 71 Concluding Observations and Implications 81 Chapter III: The Trial of St. Paul – Introduction 83 Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem 85 Paul’s Arrest by Tribune Lysias in Jerusalem 89 Paul’s First Defence: before the Mob 93 Paul the Roman Citizen 96 Paul’s Defence before the Sanhedrin 100 Paul’s Defence before Governor Felix 103 Paul’s Defence before Festus 107 Paul’s Defence before King Agrippa 110 The Trial of St. Paul the Roman Citizen – Concluding Observations 113 Chapter IV: Critical-Historical Exegesis of Acts 28 114 A) Analysis of the Broad Context (Acts 27:1-Acts 28:10) 115 B) Pericope Summary and Analysis of the Immediate Context (Acts 28:11-31) 118 C) Critical Exegesis of Key Passages: (Acts 28:16, 23, 30–31) 126 D) Concluding Observations and Implications 132 Chapter V: The Martyrdom of St. Paul 135 viii Conclusion: The End of Acts 28 and the Fate of the Historical Apostle Paul: Concluding Observations 140 Concluding Implications for New Testament Scholarship 150 Bibliography 153 ix Introduction: “What Happened to Paul?” During the late 1980’s, “Unsolved Mysteries” was a popular TV show hosted by Robert Stack. The show depicted various unexplained events, crimes and missing persons – and the inexplicable events surrounding their unknown fate. Certainly, from an historical perspective, the end of Acts 28 and the events surrounding the fate of the Apostle Paul would have qualified for this show. Few people in world history have made a greater impact on religion and culture than Paul of Tarsus − and yet the details of his later life and martyrdom appear to be shrouded in mystery. Although historians are confident regarding many aspects of his life, what happened to Paul after his imprisonment in Rome in the early 60’s A.D. is a subject of great debate and speculation.1 Broadly speaking, as scholars address the details surrounding Paul’s fate and the end of Acts, obvious questions begin to surface: What were the circumstances for Paul regarding his initial trial and house arrest in Rome?2 What happened after his trial – was he released and if so where did he go next? Was he successful in venturing to Spain as he indicated in his previous letter to the Romans (Rom. 15:24) or did he simply revisit the established churches scattered across the eastern Roman Empire? Finally, what were the circumstances and events surrounding his final incarceration and martyrdom “outside the walls” of ancient Rome? After exploring a survey of scholarly views (both ancient and modern) regarding this matter, the differences in views and assumptions become self-evident. Typically, the 1 Troy M. Troftgruben, A Conclusion Unhindered: A Study of the Ending of Acts within its Literary Environment (Tubingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2010), 165, 182. See also comments by Lindsey P. Pherigo, “Paul’s Life After the Close of Acts,” JBL 70 (1951): 277. 2 Lee Martin McDonald, “Introduction to Acts,” in The Bible Knowledge Background Commentary: Acts- Philemon, ed. Craig A. Evans (Colorado Springs: Victor, 2004). McDonald asks similar penetrating questions such as this: “How could Luke focus so much attention on Paul and fail to tell the rest of the story?” 1 scholarly insights are very brief, especially when it comes to biblical commentaries.3 Furthermore, some of the latest commentaries, such as The New Interpreter’s Bible published in 2010, not only fails to address Paul’s fate at the close of Acts – there is simply no reference to this issue at all.4 Additionally, a great many books that are dedicated to Paul’s life, amazingly, offer paltry details for hungry students of history. While some writers will present an assortment of views allowing the readers to draw their own conclusions, others are quite dramatic and sometimes make sweeping assumptions regarding Paul’s fate – oftentimes with little or no research to substantiate their conclusions.5 Among some scholars, it becomes obvious that a ‘hyper-critical’ scholarship might be affecting their conclusions.6 Still others, albeit with noble intentions, attempt to explain the events purely from a theological perspective, without fully considering the necessary questions that critical scholars and historians have asked for centuries.
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