a mere housewife
Not your cup of tea
I read these two in conjunction the other day and couldn't help wondering about the theological significance of what is taking place in Acts 4 after these Jews are converted to Christ. I have always heard the passage referenced especially with regard to charity; and of course their unity and compassion are highlighted. But the background, and even the means, of that unity and compassion seems to be this silent but completely radical shift in their view about the promised land.
In Leviticus 27, one could devote houses and lands to the service of God that were not part of one's inheritance, and this all took place in transactions involving the priests and the ceremonial system of temple worship. But one could not devote a house or land that was part of one's inheritance.
Yet there is no mention of anyone preserving their inheritance anymore in Acts. And there is this silent but utterly sweeping recognition that the priests are no longer involved in these transactions, in their simply selling it all off and bringing the money not to the temple but to the feet of the apostles. In accepting Christ, something seems to have happened in their understanding of the promised land. For surely it is not simply a statement about how we all ought to be charitable, but is loaded with theological implications, that one of the first things that characterised the early Jewish converts was their selling off of their lands and houses? Can anyone point me to further resources on this?
In Leviticus 27, one could devote houses and lands to the service of God that were not part of one's inheritance, and this all took place in transactions involving the priests and the ceremonial system of temple worship. But one could not devote a house or land that was part of one's inheritance.
Yet there is no mention of anyone preserving their inheritance anymore in Acts. And there is this silent but utterly sweeping recognition that the priests are no longer involved in these transactions, in their simply selling it all off and bringing the money not to the temple but to the feet of the apostles. In accepting Christ, something seems to have happened in their understanding of the promised land. For surely it is not simply a statement about how we all ought to be charitable, but is loaded with theological implications, that one of the first things that characterised the early Jewish converts was their selling off of their lands and houses? Can anyone point me to further resources on this?