Our scripture discussion for today: Act 2:42-47

(42)  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

(43)  And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

(44)  And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

(45)  And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

(46)  And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

(47)  Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. [KJV]

Overview: Pentecost had come, the Holy Spirit imbued them, and they had gathered together in Jerusalem where the gift of tongues came upon the apostles who testified of the risen Christ Jesus to a crowd. At the end, 3,000 became believers.

Verse 42:

In this context, “fellowship” is taken to mean the group putting all their funds together to share expenses since they had been far from home for a long while.[PNT] VWS & Barnes note it is occasionally translated as “communion”. Clarke says the Greek means religious community. This is supported by verses 44 and 45.

There is scholarly disagreement on whether the “breaking of bread” means the Lord’s Supper or cracker bread eaten at many Hebrew meals. This type of cracker bread was broken, not cut. MHCC says it was the Lord’s Supper and while several note that “the Syriac” means “eucharist,” Barnes concludes it’s really not clear. JFB feels that is was not a Eucharistic meal. The bread in verse 46 is more likely the common meal. Some say that breaking bread was a sign of “intimacy or friendship”. Clarke explains that the master of the house performed the ritual as part of a pre-meal blessing. This may mean that even less well-known diners shared in it as well.

Verse 47:

There is much scholarly discussion about the tense used in the phrase “such as should be saved.” Barnes feels is merely a description of those in the crowd “who were about to be saved.” Clarke, Gill, PNT, and others feel it implies that not all are saved, only those “redeemed from their sins and baptized into the faith of Jesus Christ”. RWP and VWS speak about the continuity or “progressive condition” of salvation. That is past, present, and future.

PNT notes this is the first time the newly created “church” is mentioned. However, JFB and Clarke support my translation pet peeves by noting that “to the Church” is missing in the “most ancient manuscripts” (BC, Coptic, Sahidic, Ethiopic, Armenian, and Vulgat).

References

Barnes: Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible.

Clarke: Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible.

JFB: A Commentary on the Old and New Testaments by Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown.

MHCC: Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible.

PNT: The People's New Testament (1891) by B. W. Johnson.

RWP: WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas Robertson.

VWS: John Wesley's Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible.