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
- 📝 How do Theistic Evolutionists reconcile that Eve was called the "the mother of all living?"
- 📝 Are there any ecumenical movements among lay people working to unite Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians?
- 📝 Why was Jesus not welcomed and carefully tested by the Jews if they were (and are) actually waiting for Messiah?
- 📝 Was Peter part of a militant sect?
- 📝 What happens when one returns to faith?
- 📝 What is the biblical basis for the theory that Christians should not eat pork?
- 📝 Does the New Testament mention Christians worshipping the Holy Spirit?
- 📝 Why is the term "hymn" used so frequently to refer to "old-church-hymns?"
- 📝 If one abandons his faith in Catholicism and becomes an Atheist, could he still go to heaven?
- 📝 How do Christians explain Muhammad being mentioned in the Gospel of Barnabas?
- 📝 Do Mormons believe that all spirits are omnipresent?
- 📝 Do Catholics view atheism as a sin?
- 📝 Is it ever revealed that Paul released those that he imprisoned?
- 📝 Does "all have sinned" (Rom. 3:23, 5:12) include every single human being?
- 📝 How did the phrase "getting to know Jesus" come to be ubiquitous among Evangelicals (i.e. Campus Crusade for Christ)?
- 📝 Where is the martyrology in my breviary?
- 📝 Are there any non-pacifist traditions that object to military chaplaincy?
- 📝 Why did not Jesus praise John the Baptist before the latter's disciples?
- 📝 Who Said: "God Did Not Become Man in Order for Man to Become a Theologian''?
- 📝 How does the ancient Jewish Wedding tradition foreshadow Christ and the church?
- 📝 What's the proof for the existence of Angels as well as angelic hierarchy?
- 📝 How is God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit the same?
- 📝 What is purpose of being ready for the End Times?
- 📝 Does Romans 13:1-2 contradict the actions of civil disobedience taken by the apostles?
- 📝 How did Augustine of Hippo feel about Jerome's Latin translation of the Bible (the Vulgate)?
- 📝 Did Justin Martyr have a personal interaction with Jesus Christ?
- 📝 What is an overview of interpretations of the concept of "Sabbath-rest" presented in Hebrews 4?
- 📝 In Rev 9:4 What grass was left for them to not hurt?
- 📝 Why should contraceptives not be cheap and widely available?
- 📝 Does the RCC view 'prevention of ovulation' in the same light as 'abortion'?
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?