Resurrection and the end of history: The resurrection motif in Paul's preaching and defense in the Acts of the Apostles

An investigation of the resurrection-judgment motif in Paul's preaching and defense in Acts. Chapter 1 reviews the critical history and proposes an approach to the problem through the study of ancient literature.;Chapters 2--4 survey the portrayals of Jewish beliefs regarding the future life in 2 Maccabees, the Jewish Wars, and the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs.;These three works describe Jewish piety as hope in the reckoning of God's justice beyond death. Within the literary works in which they appear, these portrayals of Jewish piety ennoble the Jewish people and affirm an order of divine retribution that stands over the histories they relate.;Informed by these works, Chapter 5 pursues an exegesis of the resurrection-judgment motif in the scenes of Paul's preaching and defense. The exegesis observes that in Paul's missionary and forensic speeches, the author of Acts develops a concern with the idea of the resurrection itself that is distinctive from the earlier proclamation of Jesus' resurrection. Accompanying this development is the association between belief in Jesus' resurrection and Jewish hopes of a future resurrection-judgment.;Chapter 6 explores the theological-eschatological assumptions of this connection. The resurrection-judgment motif in the Pauline speeches assumes a comprehensive vision of the divine plan that extends from creation, to the resurrection of Jesus; and from the resurrection of Jesus, to a future resurrection-judgment.;Chapter 7 provides proposals for the rhetorical strategies that underlie this connection. Based upon the materials surveyed in Chapters 2--4, it concludes that Paul's hope in a resurrection-judgment is a device of characterization that heroizes his fidelity to Jewish ancestral religion. Paul's own faith in the resurrection-judgment also affirms that divine justice ultimately stands over the events related in Acts. These aspects of characterization and thematic commentary probably served a consolatory function in relation to readers.;The study of Paul's resurrection faith within the context of ancient Jewish literature reveals the models of religious heroism that Luke employed in his presentation of Paul. Even in the scenes of his persecution, Paul's speeches point to an ultimate divine reckoning that stands over the church's situation within the divine plan.