Acts 11 Study Notes
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11:1-3 News that Gentiles had also received the word of God spread quickly because it was so controversial. Jews who were of the circumcision party felt Peter had compromised God’s laws. This was a recurring source of conflict in the early church, but, informed as he was by the vision from God, Peter corrected those who argued against inclusion of uncircumcised Gentiles (vv. 4-18).
11:4-13 Peter rehearsed all the events that had occurred relevant to Cornelius.
11:14-17 The parallel between what happened on Pentecost and among Cornelius’s family proved that God was bestowing the same gifts on Jewish and Gentile believers. In this light, Peter rightly asks, How could I possibly hinder God?
11:18 They became silent indicates initial caution. These Jewish believers were having to process the same shocking revelation that had come to Peter at Joppa and then Caesarea (10:9-16,44-48). Eventually, however, they glorified God for what he had done.
11:19 The Christian mission continued to spread much farther afield, including areas well beyond Judea (Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch).
11:20-21 The evangelization of Antioch was carried out by believers from Cyprus and Cyrene. As a result, Antioch became the center of the Gentile mission and the church that sent Paul out as a missionary (see chaps. 13 and following).
11:22-24 The spiritual qualities of Barnabas were obvious to the Jerusalem church (4:36-37; 9:27). No wonder they sent him to Antioch. He was probably sent to determine the genuineness of the conversions taking place there and encourage them to remain true to the Lord.
11:25 Saul (soon to be Paul, 13:9) had faded from the picture, while the evangelization of Antioch moved forward. Once again Barnabas played a central role in involving Paul in ministry (see note at 9:27). On Tarsus, see note at 9:28-30.
11:26 The term Christians probably came from Romans who labeled Jesus’s followers in Antioch “little Christs.” Though it was likely intended as an offense, the label is actually an honor insomuch as it indicates disciples are living Christlike lives.
11:27-28 Agabus was a prophet from Jerusalem who reappears in 21:10. The reign of Claudius (AD 41-54) was marked with numerous famines in various parts of the Roman Empire. The famine referred to here may have occurred around AD 46-47, with the effects of the famine lasting for a number of years after that.
11:29 The church at Antioch determined to provide relief for the believers in Judea. In so doing, they gave back to the churches and believers who had brought the gospel to Antioch and abroad in the first place.
Christianos
| Greek pronunciation | [krihss tee ah NAHSS] |
| CSB Translation | Christian |
| Uses in Acts | 2 |
| Uses in the NT | 3 |
| Focus passage | Acts 11:26 |
From the Greek noun Christos (Christ or Messiah) comes the word Christianos, meaning belonging to Christ. The term occurs in only three places in the NT. Acts 11:26 explains that it was in Antioch that the disciples were “first called Christians.” The famine mentioned in the following verses occurred in AD 46 and indicates the term’s usage entered sacred vocabulary about that time. Since this new word for followers of Christ was coined in Antioch rather than Israel, it may indicate that the Christian movement was being recognized among Gentiles as something distinct from Judaism and not just another Jewish sect. In Ac 26:28, Agrippa referred to Paul’s attempt to persuade the king to become a Christian—an attempt Paul admitted applied not only to Agrippa but to everyone who was listening to his words of testimony (v. 29). Peter uses the term in reference to suffering “as a Christian” (1Pt 4:16).
11:30 Some object that the early church was loosely organized and dependent on the Spirit and did not have offices such as elders and deacons at this early date. However, there is abundant evidence that formal offices existed even in the earliest stages of the church (14:23; 15:2,4,6,22-23; 16:4; 20:17; 21:18; Php 1:1; 1Tm 3:1-13; 4:14; 5:17,19; Ti 1:5-9). There is nothing contradictory between the early church being filled with the Spirit and having leaders appointed to various responsibilities. The ministry of Paul was characterized by such a balance.