Those familiar with Craig Keener’s works will understand when I characterize his third volume on Acts as an encyclopedia of background, history, and solid exegesis all from a conservative evangelical stance. This mammoth tome runs from p. 2193-3348, with an additional 26 two column pages of the abbreviations used! This volume by the Asbury Theological Seminary professor covers Acts 15-23.

Keener argues that the Jerusalem Council met in 48 C.E. and should be paired with Gal 2:1-10. He thoroughly covers the Council’s meeting and its conclusions on the issues in just over 100 pages. Keener comments extensively on Jewish-Gentile marriage as seen in Timothy’s parents in Acts 16:1.

The Holy Spirit’s guidance in Acts 16:6 was primarily negative awaiting the vision of the Macedonian man in 16:9. Keener asserts that the Spirit forbade Paul’s movement into Asia to allow Paul to gain experience in Macedonia and Achaia against political and philosophic foes that would strengthen him for battle later on in Ephesus. He notes that the phrase “the Holy Spirit,” used only twice in the OT is now the standard nomenclature for God’s Spirit in 16:6 and that the next verse identifies the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of Jesus” in the UBS Greek text. This title for the Holy Spirit is unique to the NT.

Luke’s use of the first person plural “we” in his factual narratives identifies Luke as an eye witness in a group setting while keeping the focus on Paul and Silas and their larger mission. Keener discusses this “first person” issue and numerous other historical examples of it from other ancient writers. Keener points out the propriety of Paul’s company accepting the hospitality of Lydia and has excursuses on hospitality and inns in the ancient world.

Keener gives many pages to explaining “Pythoness Spirit” and “Demons and Spirit Possession” (pp. 2422-2456). Paul’s expulsion of the slave girl’s false spirit (16:18) is the first miracle Luke records on Paul’s second journey. Acting in Jesus’ name ties Paul to Jesus’ ministry in Luke’s Gospel (Lk 10:17).

Various ancient views on suicide accompany Keener’s treatment of the Philippian jailor who almost took his own life. The salvation of the jailor and his family was purely by faith in Christ.

Keener carefully notes how Luke chronicles Paul’s movements, for example, escaping from Thessalonica at night. Keener sees this as courageous and at the behest of the new Christian leaders of that city. Though Paul was willing to die for Christ, to stay in Thessalonica may have caused his death for a charge of treason, and may have jeopardized the new church’s continuance. Instead, both prospered.

The Epicureans and the Stoics are covered with extensive excursuses as background for Paul’s visit to Athens. Paul’s speech on Mar’s Hill also receives attention for its rhetoric and use by Luke in reporting speeches.

Craig Keener is in the midst of delivering the most ambitious commentary on Acts ever attempted. The volume under review is the second of four – each volume a sprawling treatment in its own right. Each volume’s pages pick up where the previous one left off. The final page of volume two, the halfway point for the entire commentary, is numbered 2191 (As volume four had not yet appeared at the time of this writing, it is unclear how much of the final volume will be taken up by a bibliography for the complete commentary. Volume 2 includes a CD-Rom of “Works cited and indexes for volumes 1-2”).

Anyone with time and an attention span can write a sprawling work, but few can write a work so sprawling and yet so efficient. Keener has mastered the craft of writing a commentary, and he does it better than perhaps anyone since C. K. Barrett. Obviously few people will sit down to read a commentary from beginning to end – they’re not meant to be read that way – but there is no better place to begin a foray into the world of Acts than to consult Keener’s word on a particular passage.

One other aspect of this work should be noted: although Keener never skimps in his use of secondary works, he always allows primary works (that is, the original sources from the ancient world) to guide the discussion. His knowledge of many different categories of primary works is impressive, and his handling of these works adds a great deal to the value of this commentary.

This review is supposed to be primarily about Volume Two, but everything I’ve said relates to the work as a whole. In that vein, it is worth pointing out that the reader is better off, of course, beginning with Volume One (which includes a number of introductory essays for Acts in general). Numerous centrally important events in the spread of Christianity are recorded in Acts chaps. 3–14, however, and those who move on to Keener’s Volume Two will almost certainly gain a clearer understanding of how the earliest readers of Acts understood what Luke was saying.

Reviewed by John C. Poirier

Publisher’s page: http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/acts-an-exegetical-commentary-volume-2/335571