Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the Apostles (Ancient Greek: Πράξεις τῶν Ἀποστόλων, Práxeis tôn Apostólōn; Latin: Āctūs Apostolōrum), often referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian church and the spread of its message to the Roman empire.

Acts and the Gospel of Luke make up a two-part work, Luke–Acts, by the same anonymous author, usually dated to around 80-90 AD. The first part, the Gospel of Luke, tells how God fulfilled his plan for the world's salvation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the promised Messiah. Acts continues the story of Christianity in the 1st century, beginning with Jesus' Ascension to Heaven. The early chapters, set in Jerusalem, describe the Day of Pentecost (the coming of the Holy Spirit) and the growth of the church in Jerusalem. Initially the Jews are receptive to the Christian message, but soon they turn against the followers of Jesus. Rejected by the Jews, under the guidance of the Apostle Peter the message is taken to the Gentiles. The later chapters tell of Paul's conversion, his mission in Asia Minor and the Aegean, and finally his imprisonment in Rome, where, as the book ends, he awaits trial.

Conflict of the Ages

The Conflict of the Ages book series was written by American religious author Ellen G. White (1827-1915).

The books follow the Biblical history of the world, with special focus on the conflict between God and Satan. The series starts with the pre-creation rebellion of Satan in Heaven, then moves on to the creation of the earth, the fall of Adam and Eve into sin, the Old Testament, the birth and ministry of Jesus until His ascension, then the early Christian church, the Dark Ages, the Protestant reformation, the last days of earth's history, the second coming of Christ, the millennium, and the destruction of sin and finally the recreation of earth and God's kingdom with man for eternity. This progression explains in detail the SDA understanding of the conflict between God and Satan and their understanding of the Bible and much of world history. She wrote the books based on her research of other authors and special information which she claimed to receive through visions from God. The books thus include unique insights and concepts not found in other works of the time.

Acts of the Apostles (genre)

The Acts of the Apostles is a genre of Early Christian literature, recounting the lives and works of the apostles of Jesus. The Acts are important for many reasons, one of them being the concept of apostolic succession. They also provide insight into the valuation of "missionary activities among the exotic races," since some of them feature missionary work done among, for instance, the Cynocephaly.

One work in this genre is included in the New Testament canon, entitled simply Acts of the Apostles or Acts, and primarily concerns the activities of Saint Peter, John the Apostle, and Paul the Apostle, a convert. It is presumably the second part of a two-part work, the Canonical Gospel of Luke being the first part, with both works being addressed to Theophilus, and sharing a similar style.

List of acts

The following list is not exhaustive.

The Apostles

The Apostles are an experimental punk rock band who developed within the confines of the 1980s anarcho-punk scene in the UK, but did not necessarily adhere to the aesthetics of that movement.

History

The Apostles were formed in the Islington area of London in 1979 by William 'Bill' Corbett (vocals), Julian Portinari (bass), Dan McIntyre (drums) and Pete Byng-Hall (guitar). This line-up of the group did not play any concerts, and only appeared in a small number of fanzines (including Paroxysm Fear and New Crimes) before Bill Corbett left the group.

Andy Martin joined as vocalist in summer 1981, and the group played their first concert on 22 September 1981. This line-up of the group then recorded an eponymous demo tape later that year.

The music of the group is generally characterised by a varied eclecticism which encompasses punk and Blues rock, with influences like Lemon Kittens, Five Or Six, and other avant-garde groups.

The remaining founder members of the group left the group in early 1982. Martin recruited Dave Fanning (ex-Innocent Bystander) as bass player, along with a revolving line-up of musicians - including John Soares, Kev Apostle, Flump, Chris Low (ex-Political Asylum) and Olly Bucket (Eat Shit) - in order to continue the group, who went on to play numerous concerts in the London area, and to record 8 demo cassettes and 4 7" singles between 1982 and 1984.

The Apostles (Elgar)

The Apostles, Op. 49, is an oratorio for soloists, chorus and orchestra composed by Edward Elgar. It was first performed on 14 October 1903.

Overview

After his international success with the Enigma Variations (1899) and The Dream of Gerontius (1900), Elgar was commissioned by the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival, which had also produced Gerontius, to write a new choral work. This encouraged Elgar to start composing a large-scale work on a subject he had been contemplating, according to the composer, since boyhood when he had even started selecting the words. The Apostles, like its successor The Kingdom, depicts the disciples of Jesus and their reactions to the extraordinary events they witness.

Despite arranging the commission in December 1901, Elgar paid little attention to The Apostles until July 1902, when he had finished composing and rehearsing his Coronation Ode, Op. 44. Elgar's planning of the libretto included a long immersion in theological writings, as well as Wagner's sketch for "Jesus von Nazareth", and Henry W. Longfellow's poem "The Divine Tragedy". He assembled his libretto from verses of scripture, as had been the pattern for many of the most influential oratorios, including Handel's Messiah (1741) and Mendelssohn's Elijah (1836). After many delays, Elgar finally started formal composition of the music in mid-December 1902. Composition of the work in vocal-score format was complete by the end of June 1903, with scoring complete on 17 August.

The Apostles (film)

The Apostles (Chinese: 诡镇) is a 2014 Chinese horror thriller film directed by Joe Chien. It was released in China on 17 January.

Cast

Reception

The film has grossed US$1.13 million at the Chinese box office.

References

External links