During the first half of Acts, Peter, the minister to the circumcision, is mentioned 67 times. In the last half, Peter is never mentioned after Acts 15:13 and Paul (as Paul) is mentioned 132 time, beginning with Acts 13:9. In all the messages of Paul, from Acts 9:14 to 2 Timothy 4:22, he uses the first person pronoun in speaking of himself more than 1200 times. Acts closes in the middle of Paul's Epistles. Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Timothy, Titus, Philemon and 2 Timothy were all written after Acts closes.
There is not a single word in the first nine chapters of Acts that "Peter and the eleven" preached justification by faith alone, the gospel of the grace of God, the ministry of reconciliation; or that they urged the Jews, to whom they preached, to forsake Moses, give up circumcision, or to abandon their hope of the Messianic kingdom. Of course there was the element of grace in their messages of repentance and restitution, but they preached to Israel only the gospel of the earthly kingdom and of circumcision (Gal 2:7-9). They preached to Cornelius the word that God sent to Israel (Acts 10:34-43). Paul, on the other hand, preached to Gentiles the gospel for the uncircumcision. This was not preached to Israel. God preached the gospel (good news) to Abram in uncircumcision, when he was 75 years old. Abram was circumcised when he was 99 years old (Gen 17:3-20). From that day until when Cornelius was saved, all blessings were on the grounds of circumcision.
All of this is further evidence that the Book of Acts is principally the record of the fall of Israel, not "the story of early-day Christianity."
There is not a single word in the first nine chapters of Acts that "Peter and the eleven" preached justification by faith alone, the gospel of the grace of God, the ministry of reconciliation; or that they urged the Jews, to whom they preached, to forsake Moses, give up circumcision, or to abandon their hope of the Messianic kingdom. Of course there was the element of grace in their messages of repentance and restitution, but they preached to Israel only the gospel of the earthly kingdom and of circumcision (Gal 2:7-9). They preached to Cornelius the word that God sent to Israel (Acts 10:34-43). Paul, on the other hand, preached to Gentiles the gospel for the uncircumcision. This was not preached to Israel. God preached the gospel (good news) to Abram in uncircumcision, when he was 75 years old. Abram was circumcised when he was 99 years old (Gen 17:3-20). From that day until when Cornelius was saved, all blessings were on the grounds of circumcision.
All of this is further evidence that the Book of Acts is principally the record of the fall of Israel, not "the story of early-day Christianity."
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