Volume 116 THE EXPOSITORY Number 2 TIMES November 2004 Contents John J. Kilgallen, SJ, SSD, A Major Difference between Law and Faith, in Luke and his Traditions 37 Paul Ballard, Poverty and Change: The Churches’ response in South Wales, 1966–2000 43 Dennis Hamm, Praying ‘Regularly’ (not ‘Constantly’): A Note on the Cultic Background of dia pantos at Luke 24:53, Acts 10:2 and Hebrews 9:6, 13:15 50 Paul Foster, Book of the Month, Inscriptiones Judaicae Orientis (3 vols), by D. Noy et al. 53 Sermons for the Christian Year (5th December – 26th December 2004) 55 Book Reviews 63 Letters to the Editor 70 Index of Books Reviewed 71 Ian Mackenzie, And finally . Poems in a Box 72 0 82647 804 2 The Expository Times – Monthly ISSN 0014–5246 Copyright © 2004 SAGE Publications and Contributors Material may be used freely for preaching sermons or for giving public addresses. To use material in written form permission must be sought from the Publishers. Typeset by Waverley Typesetters, Galashiels. 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Subscribers elsewhere pay the appropriate individual or institutional sterling price. Prices include airmail delivery outside of the UK, and second-class delivery within the UK. Bound and fully indexed volumes are available from 1980/81 (volume 92) at £24.95 (£14.95 for subscribers) plus £1.85 postage and packing. (There remain very few copies of 1978/79, volume 90.) THE EXPOSITORY TIMES 37 Copyright © 2004 SAGE Publications and Contributors ARTICLES A Major Difference between Law and Faith, in Luke and his Traditions Y By PROFESSOR JOHN J. KILGALLEN, SJ, SSD Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome NE of the more precise accusations against faith in Jesus, not on obedience to the central system Stephen in Acts (Acts 6:14) is that he said of Jewish existence. It is faith, not the Law that turns Othat Jesus would change the ‘customs’ of the unclean into the forgiven. Israel – ‘customs’ being another way of referring to In the Cornelius story, faith purified so that God the (Mosaic) Law; eventually this ‘change of customs’ was no longer at enmity with, but was friend of the will turn to ‘customs unnecessary for salvation’, as believers. God manifested this purifying faith to Peter some insisted that gentiles, together with baptism, and others by giving to Cornelius the gift of tongues, keep the Law in order to be saved. The problem a gift from God’s Holy Spirit, thus signifying holiness of how Christianity would relate itself to the Law here. Thereupon Cornelius must be baptized, for, as continued in Acts till the major instruction of Peter’s Peter protests, ‘Who am I to obstruct the clear will speech, Acts 15. With his speech in that chapter, Peter of God?’ (Acts 11:17). Peter’s reference to ‘them resolves the debate about the necessity that the as to us’ refers to the Spirit manifested in the gift gentile converts be circumcized and made to practice of tongues, understood to expand itself into the the Law – for salvation. The ultimate reason for Spirit’s gift of prophecy in the case of Peter and his Peter’s urging was that ‘God, who knows all hearts, companions (Acts 2). witnessed on behalf of the gentiles (Cornelius and his From the above account, developed over a household) by giving them the Holy Spirit as He had number of chapters in Acts, one sees the relationship: given the Spirit to us, and His purifying their hearts purifying faith in Jesus is saving faith, to be saved one by faith (in Jesus) shows that He made no distinction needs nothing else but faith in Jesus; such faith results between us and them’ (Acts 15:8–9). in the Holy Spirit of God, a sure sign of God’s favour Faith, then, cleanses hearts, makes ‘all things on behalf of the believer. Finally, in the Cornelius clean’; in Peter’s experience faith also is witnessed story, which is the basis in Acts 15 for the decision to by the gift of tongues and, at Pentecost, the gift about gentiles forever, we note that the Holy Spirit of prophecy; God would not share His Spirit with plays a particular role: the Spirit gives the outward the unclean of heart. We have already read Luke’s sign of the internal relationship between God and story about Cornelius and noted particularly how, Cornelius. just at the mention of the name of Jesus Saviour, the After Peter’s speech, James proposes that gentile Spirit descended on the gentiles and they spoke in Christians stay away from certain practices, but the tongues (Acts 10:43–44). The astonishment of the basis for this proposal is concern for harmonious circumcized Jewish Christians at this marvel suggests unity between Jewish and gentile Christian. The four not only that they were marvelling that God was matters he identifies are not to be practised because present, but that God was sharing Himself with they are necessary for salvation – faith in Jesus alone people uncircumcized, people who are unclean. By is necessary for salvation – but out of love for Jewish referring to the fact of the Cornelius episode, Peter Christians. in Chapter 15 argues (as he had in his own way in In this way, Acts argues that the Law (including Chapter 11) that the salvation of gentiles depends on circumcision) is no longer what causes salvation. 38 THE EXPOSITORY TIMES THE EXPOSITORY TIMES 39 There are, however, other things to be said. First, unity between the burgeoning Samaritan church and at the same meeting in which Peter spoke his historic the established Jerusalem church and its Apostles; words, Paul and Barnabas related their experiences, Peter and John, as ‘elder authorities’ mean to show summed up for us in Acts 13 and 14. Second, the this solidarity, this ecclesiality. But that purpose does gift of tongues or of prophecy certainly shows the not answer the question about the role of the Holy presence of God’s Spirit, but that is a transient Spirit here, ‘in order that they may receive the Holy presence, meant for convincing or, in the case of Spirit’. If not for mission or for prophecy, to what end Pentecost, meant for giving revelation to listeners. is the Spirit most profoundly given and enjoyed? As for the experiences of Paul and Barnabas, there Acts 2:38 follows upon two ‘imperatives’: repent, is a notable silence in Acts 13 and 14 in regard be baptized. Thereafter, you will receive the Holy to the question: of those who believed in Jesus, Spirit. Again, to what end are these converts given was it necessary for their salvation that they obey the Holy Spirit? Not that they will prophesy, not the Law? That silence, however, means ‘no’; that that they will be inspired to further the mission. silence, when added to what Peter says in Acts 15, Here, better than in Acts 8:15 (the understanding of becomes further proof that gentile Christians were which depends on our having read Acts 2:38 first), being saved by faith, not by Law. As for the gifts of one has no impression that the Spirit is a transitory prophecy and speaking in tongues, one recognizes gift or a sporadic mover of mission. Rather, if one the roles they play in the forwarding of mission that goes to the end of Chapter 2 (the logical end of the is so central to Acts; Acts was written to show how Pentecost experience), one reads there, not prophecy the disciples were witnesses to Jesus in Jerusalem, in or mission, but of actions that befit a holy person. Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the world Indeed, idealized or not, this behaviour of the Jewish and the occasional gift and cause of mission at key Christians is the fullest living-out of the Law ever moments served that inexorable movement. Can one seen in Old and New Testaments. To what is that life find evidence of the Spirit’s presence in Acts 13 and owed? If Luke offers us any help in identifying this 14? One might point out that Barnabas and Saul presence of the Spirit, let Luke 1:35 be our guide: here had been sent to the activities of these chapters by holiness is caused by the Holy Spirit. Thus, a role the Spirit (Acts 13:1–3), but beyond that, one can of the Spirit in Acts, though not often mentioned, is only look in vain for reference to the Spirit in the not transitory, but indwelling: the Spirit makes one missionizing of Acts 13–14; no gifts of the Spirit are holy. mentioned here. Thus, the Spirit’s activity is indeed When one thinks of the Spirit in this way, one only occasional and to a certain degree ‘external’, sees that the holiness bestowed by the Spirit is really and this type of presence is what one comes to expect the culmination of faith in Jesus, that faith necessary as one reads on in Acts.