Acts 5:42??

by Curtains 23 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Ding

  The NT church met in homes of believers.

  They didn't have church buildings.
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  Curtains

  thank you all. lots to think about.

  I generally search this site re questions about scriptures that are going to come up in the meetings but was late doing my prep and late getting ready for the meeting, then found I had a five min gap because others were not ready and was able to find that amazing thread from the past.

  lol at Ray Ranz

  Fred has a lot to answer for - he was the brains

  yes ding I agree that the going from house to house refers to homes that were used for spiritual activties.
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  wobble

  Acts 5 seems to be before the "word" went to the Gentiles, so the christians would have called only on their fellow Jews anyway.

  I believe in both instances Acts uses a Greek expression akin to a Doctor doing housecalls on his patients, certainly not going from one house to the next "cold-calling".

  There is no 1st Century pattern for JW's present day door knocking`.
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  isaacaustin

  Comapre Acts 20: 20 while I did not hold back from telling YOU any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching YOU publicly and from house to house.

  With Acts 2;46:

  46 And day after day they were in constant attendance at the temple with one accord, and they took their meals in private homes and partook of food with great rejoicing and sincerity of heart

  The NWT translates the identical greek term as house to house in Acts 20 (and insists this means door to door preaching as done by JWs) while transalting the same term as in private homes in 2:46- where the disciples obviously did not knock at each door on a street to take communion. The NWT proves that Kat Oiken (the Greek term) does not necessarily mean what they are claiming it means in Acts 20:20, and translate differently to conceal this and hope one does not make the connection. They have a habit of doing that to verses that contradict their theology.
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  Terry

  Always check the LITERAL first!

  Acts 5:42 (Young's Literal Translation)

  42 every day also in the temple, and in every house, they were not ceasing teaching and proclaiming good news -- Jesus the Christ.

  Acts 20:20 (Young's Literal Translation)

  20 how nothing I did keep back of what things are profitable, not to declare to you, and to teach you publicly, and in every house,
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  isaacaustin

  Ok Terry...that's cool too. You also showed both texts- same term....same rendering.
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  jwfacts

  The only time that the term 'house to house' is used in regards to preaching to unbelievers was when Jesus sent out the 70 disciples. On this occasion Jesus plainly stated not to go house to house.

  Luke 10:1-7 "After these things the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. ? "Wherever YOU enter into a house say first, 'May this house have peace.' And if a friend of peace is there, YOUR peace will rest upon him. But if there is not, it will turn back to YOU. So stay in that house, eating and drinking the things they provide, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not be transferring from house to house. (Ek oikia eis oikia)""

  The Watchtower quotes two other scriptures from Acts to indicate a person should preach 'house to house', yet neither of these scriptures leads to such a conclusion.

  The principal way in which that work would be done became evident immediately after the day of Pentecost 33 C.E. "Every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus." (Acts 5:42) Some 20 years later, the apostle Paul was engaging in the house-to-house ministry, for he reminded Christian elders from the city of Ephesus: "I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house."-Acts 20:20. Watchtower 1991 January 15 p.11

  The Greek used at Acts 5:42 and Acts 20:20 is not Ek oikia eis oikia, but rather Kata oikos. For this reason most Bible translations render this "in every house", "at home" or "in their homes". The New World Translation uses the phrase "house to house" at Acts20:20, though the footnote acknowledges that the Greek word means "in private houses".
  
  Acts 20:17-20 Paul is not discussing preaching to unbelievers but rather teaching those who already were Christians. He says;

  "However, from Mi·le´tus he sent to Eph´e·sus and called for the older men of the congregation. 18 When they got to him he said to them: "YOU well know how from the first day that I stepped into the [district of] Asia I was with you the whole time, 19 slaving for the Lord with the greatest lowliness of mind and tears and trials that befell me by the plots of the Jews; 20 while I did not hold back from telling YOU any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching YOU publicly and from house to house."

  A more accurate way to understand these scriptures in Acts is "we were teaching you at your homes" similar to the way Witnesses hold congregation book studies. Paul here relates his past activity in teaching "the older men of the congregation" privately within Christian homes. Early Christians did not have Churches but met in homes, and it is to this that Paul was referring.

  Romans 16:5 "and [greet] the congregation that is in their house."
  
  Colossians 4:15 "Give my greetings to the brothers at La·o·di·ce´a and to Nym´pha and to the congregation at her house."

  In 1972 the Watchtower acknowledged that Acts 20:20 does not apply to door to door preaching. Hence, Organization for Kingdom-Preaching and Disciple-Making the page 56 footnote used the following quote from Doctor Robertson, showing that kai kat' oikous was used to indicate preaching to existing Christians such as Aquila and Priscilla.

  "...and from house to house (kai kat' oikous). By (according to) houses. It is worth noting that this greatest of preachers preached from house to house and did not make his visits merely social calls. He was doing kingdom business all the while as in the house of Aquila and Priscilla (1 Cor. 16:19)."

  Only seven years later, in 1979, the Watchtower went back to using Acts 20:20 to indicate that Jehovah's Witnesses must preach door to door.
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  Curtains

  Did Jehovahs witnesses get their ideas from Youngs translation? I've looked in my KIT and Young seems to have added in an extra word every (in every house) which does not appear in other translations and it does not seem to appear in the KIT either.

  edit: unless Young is carrying over every from the beginning of the sentence i.e. every day... I don't know much about koine greek grammar but if this is true then he is the most accurate and adds to the ambiguity because then Acts 5:42 would read "Both every day ... and in every house"

  Terry trust you to put a spanner in the works
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  Curtains

  ver interesting JWfacts thanks

  In 1972 the Watchtower acknowledged that Acts 20:20 does not apply to door to door preaching. Hence, Organization for Kingdom-Preaching and Disciple-Making the page 56 footnote used the following quote from Doctor Robertson, showing that kai kat' oikous was used to indicate preaching to existing Christians such as Aquila and Priscilla. "...and from house to house (kai kat' oikous). By (according to) houses. It is worth noting that this greatest of preachers preached from house to house and did not make his visits merely social calls. He was doing kingdom business all the while as in the house of Aquila and Priscilla (1 Cor. 16:19)." Only seven years later, in 1979, the Watchtower went back to using Acts 20:20 to indicate that Jehovah's Witnesses must preach door to door.
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  Curtains

  Acts2:46 is a clincher