Strange Acts

This book examines many of the strange events and actions in Acts in the context of the Hellenistic world and from that perspective. These events and actions include the ascension of Jesus, direction by the Spirit, visions, angelophanies, prison escapes and resuscitations of the dead. Many of these events are either avoided in scholarship or are investigated with an agenda other than to understand them for themselves. The book constructs an ancient audience to be one that has a close familiarity with the Septuagint and with other Greek and Latin writings. The culturally-strange events are then interpreted through the lens of these texts.

Rick Strelan is Senior Lecturer in Studies in Religion at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. He has published a revision of his PhD thesis as 'Paul, Artemis and the Jews in Ephesus' (1996, BZNW 80) and a number of articles on cultural aspects of the New Testament world, especially as found in the Acts of the Apostles.

"Serious, solid work with imagination: this man is a treasure."
New Directions 2/2005

"Overall the book offers a fascinating introduction to an immensely significant area of ancient religious experience and would make an excellent basis for a college course."
Loveday Alexander in: Journal for the study of the New Testament 27/2005