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Paperback - 228 pp
ISBN 1888961-10-4
Sigler Press

Editorial Review

Martin Dibelius (1883-1947) was one of the giants of twentieth century German New Testament scholarship.  His remarkable historical knowledge together with a distinctive literary and social sensitivity enabled him to reach insights of fundamental importance on the formation of the gospels, the life and writings of Paul, and the letter of James.  Less philosophically inclined and theologically ambitious than his contemporary Rudolf Bultmann, many of Dibelius' exegetical contributions have proved more enduring than Bultmann's.
Among his many contributions to the study of early Christianity, the collection of essays in Studies in the Acts of the Apostles is particularly impressive.  Rather than pursue a single reading of Acts by means of a commentary, Dibelius takes up the central critical questions that any such reading must take into account.  His analysis of the summaries and speeches in Acts are classic and point to a way of reading Acts that has now become standard.  With Cadbury and Dupont, Dibelius is required reading for any serious student of Acts and the reprinting of this collection is cause for genuine celebration.

Luke Timothy Johnson
Robert W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins, Emory University

Martin Dibelius was a member of the remarkable generation of German scholars which included such giants as Hans Lietzmann (b. 1875), Ernst von Dobschuetz (b. 1870), Wilhelm Bousset (b. 1865), Johannes Weiss (b. 1863), and his student Rudolf Bultmann (b. 1884).  Beneficiaries of superb, late nineteenth century classical education, already early in their scholarly careers they set much of the agenda and the standard for twentieth century New Testament scholarship.
Dibelius' essays on Acts represent the best of that tradition of historical, philological and literary scholarship.  Four of the eleven articles presented here were written between 1923 and 1941; the other seven appeared in 1947 and shortly afterwards, a period when Acts was viewed more as a theological than a historical document.  Their importance was recognized by their publication in one volume in 1951, followed by an English translation in 1956.  Their republication now, almost fifty years later, at the beginning of yet another century, is the most eloquent testimony of their enduring value.

Abraham J. Malherbe
Buckingham Professor Emeritus of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation, Yale Divinity School