what is the background situation of Paul's vow ? (Acts 18:18)
Upvote:0
Good question, and you'll find that in answering it you will wind up with far more questions than answers.
The starting place, is of course, the Tenakh, what you may have been told is the "Old" Testament. Shaul was a man who was a slave to righteousness (Romans 6:18), and a prisoner for Jesus the Christ, or for the Gospel (Eph 3:1. but also Zechariah 9:12)
To understand the vow one needs to look into what a Nazirite was. Nazirite -- Wikipedia
Now the place in the Tenakh to go to is Numbers 6:1-21 describing the vow.
Short of two other occasions, is there ever a precedent where the head of someone follow G-d was shorn? The one occasion is he who has contracted leprosy, in order to be fully diagnosed and then as a condition of being declared clean, the head was shaved. The other instance which may or may not pan out--though if memory serves-- instances of extreme mourning. Since neither of these two qualify as a vow, nor are even alluded to, we must conclude that Shaul had voluntarily undertaken a Nazirite vow.
There is more I will add later, time permitting.
Upvote:2
A theme repeated consistently throughout Acts of the Apostles is that the Jews unfairly attack Paul for not following Jewish religious laws. In each case, Acts defends Paul by providing evidence that he was a loyal Jew, even if the defence sometimes seems contrary to what Paul states in his epistles to be his beliefs, including that Christians are not under Jewish law.
The vow in Acts 18:18 that required Paul to cut his hair would be the Nazarite vow that is stipulated in Numbers 6:1-21. Referring to claims that Paul taught his followers to abandon the Mosaic laws, Dennis E. Smith and Joseph Tyson say, in Acts and Christian Beginnings, page 225, "Luke intends to show that this is a false charge, and the taking of a vow of special devotion is probably intended to support the image of Paul as a faithful Jew."
More post
- 📝 Why didn't the Archangel Michael save Jesus when he was crucified?
- 📝 Mere Christianity Book IV Chapter 9 ("Counting the cost") : George MacDonald References
- 📝 Did any other early church fathers besides Origen teach the pre-existence of souls?
- 📝 In the Catholic Church, is there a punishment for "heresy"?
- 📝 According to Pentecostalism/Charismaticism, can Satan understand all tongues?
- 📝 State of Grace and Demonic Possession
- 📝 Can a Catholic mass be said for a deceased Protestant?
- 📝 Are There Names for the Sundays in Eastertide?
- 📝 How do we know that Judas was a "wealthy landowner"?
- 📝 Are the Sorrowful Mysteries recited when Christmas is on a Friday?
- 📝 Why were the interpreters called "Urim and Thummim"?
- 📝 What is the difference between humans as "image of God" and Jesus as "image of God"?
- 📝 Which Christians refuse vaccinations on religious grounds?
- 📝 Is the eternal life unique as it is?
- 📝 Did Mary and Joseph become rich with the presents given to them by the magi?
- 📝 Where does the concept of a "God-shaped hole" originate?
- 📝 Why was Jehu considered a "bad" king of Israel?
- 📝 Which, in Catholic belief, is the higher form of prayer - the Lord's Prayer/Our Father, or the Eucharist?
- 📝 Who is a Christian according to the Russian Orthodox Church
- 📝 What is the evidence that the bones found under St. Peter's Basilica are actually St. Peter's bones?
- 📝 According to Mormons, how did the unclean spirits sin by "not keeping the first estate"?
- 📝 Do we know which sea Jesus calmed?
- 📝 Christians showing purported satanic signs
- 📝 If a husband wants to recommit to Catholicism but his wife does not want to convert, will they be considered to be adulterers?
- 📝 Are any written instructions to deal with accidental spilling of the Blessed Sacrament of Blood of Christ on the Altar or aisle?
- 📝 Is it possible for a person to know now if he/she is saved and would be inheriting eternal life in the hereafter as per the Biblical teachings?
- 📝 Are blue rosary beads based on blue ribband (tzitzit) from Numbers 15?
- 📝 What is the Biblical argument used by Evangelical Christians against the Catholic doctrine of the invocation of the saints?
- 📝 Did Jesus have a physical body before his incarnation?
- 📝 Is receiving the Holy Spirit the completion of Salvation?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 what is the background situation of Paul's vow ? (Acts 18:18)
- 📝 What are the arguments that Acts was written prior to 70 AD?
- 📝 What is the background of the words "notitia," "fiducia," and "assensus" and how do they relate to the biblical notion of "faith"?
- 📝 What is the theological background to the belief that taxation is theft?
- 📝 What is the origin of the term Prima Scriptura and the background against which it was defined?
- 📝 What is the theological background of the WWJD movement?
- 📝 What is the significance of "Zealot" in Acts 1:13?
- 📝 What is the background of the verse Heb 10:25
- 📝 What is the origin and basis for the Catholic teaching regarding Mary's vow of celibacy prior to her betrothal?
- 📝 What are the arguments that the book of Acts was written after 70 AD?
- 📝 Is there a canon law for what to do if a hostage situation breaks out while consecrating the Eucharist?
- 📝 What is an overview of the interpretations of Acts 16:31 "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."?
- 📝 What is the basis for the Apostles devoting themselves to prayer for nine days in Acts 1:14?
- 📝 What were the findings of the Acts Seminar?
- 📝 What denominations believe that a Book of Acts style of interaction with the Holy Spirit is still possible today?
- 📝 What is meant by the 'Confirmation' concerning the receiving of Holy Spirit in Acts 8:5-19?
- 📝 What Bible principles and scriptures apply to a situation where self-defense results in the death of the attacker?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for the doctrine of the Trinity?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for the claim that abortion is immoral?
- 📝 What major translations of the Bible are in the Public Domain?
- 📝 What is the basis for saying Christians and Muslims worship the same God?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis to claim that masturbation is a sin?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for the concept that Jesus spent time in Hell?
- 📝 What is the biblical justification for permitting female pastors?
- 📝 What is the basis of my fractured understanding of "Sola Scriptura"?
- 📝 What is an overview of the main interpretations of "day" in Genesis 1?
- 📝 How can the Son not know what the Father knows?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for Jesus being God incarnate?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis for Total Depravity?
- 📝 To what extent does the Law of Moses still apply?