What authority or power is questioned in Acts 4:7? Acts 4:7 “They had Peter and John stand before them and began to question them: ‘By what power or what name did you do this?’ ” Immediate Literary Setting Peter and John have just healed a man born lame outside the Beautiful Gate of the temple (Acts 3:1-10). The miracle draws a crowd, Peter preaches Christ’s resurrection (3:11-26), and the temple guard arrests the apostles (4:1-3). By morning, the highest Jewish court—the Sanhedrin—convenes to interrogate them. The question in 4:7 is the opening salvo of that trial. Historical Body Asking the Question The Sanhedrin (Hebrew, bêt dîn “house of judgment”) wielded civil, religious, and—in limited matters under Roman oversight—judicial authority for first-century Judea. Archaeology corroborates its existence: the “Chamber of Hewn Stone” on the Temple Mount (described in m. Sanh. 11:2) has been identified in Herodian remains, and ossuaries bearing the names “Caiaphas” and “Yehosef son of Qayafa” (likely the high priest A.D. 18-36) were unearthed south of the Temple area in 1990. The body therefore speaks from the pinnacle of Jewish authority. Old Testament Background: Authority in “The Name” In Semitic thought the “name” represents the person and presence (Exodus 3:15; Leviticus 24:16; Deuteronomy 12:5). Prophets, priests, and kings act “in the name of the LORD” (1 Samuel 17:45; 1 Kings 18:32). To call on another name is to transfer allegiance (Hosea 2:17). Hence the council’s question implicitly tests loyalty to Yahweh alone (cf. Deuteronomy 13:1-5). Parallels in the Gospels Jesus Himself was confronted: “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” (Matthew 21:23). The pattern is identical: established leadership questions legitimacy when miracles expose their impotence. The Acts episode therefore continues the clash between the old guard and the ascended Christ’s emissaries. The Specific Authority under Scrutiny: The Name of Jesus Peter answers plainly in 4:10: “let it be known to all of you…that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands before you whole.” The power questioned is divine dynamis mediated through the resurrected Jesus; the authority questioned is the legal-covenantal right (onoma) of Jesus to commission acts within God’s temple precincts. Christological Significance a. Resurrection Validation—The miracle corroborates Jesus’ victory over death (cf. Acts 2:24, 32). b. Messianic Lordship—Psalm 118:22 is quoted (4:11) to confirm Jesus as the rejected-yet-exalted cornerstone. c. Exclusive Salvation—“There is salvation in no one else” (4:12). The Sanhedrin’s question unwittingly spotlights the exclusivity of Christ’s saving authority. Apostolic Commission and Transfer of Authority Luke 9:1-2, Acts 1:8, and John 20:21 record Jesus conferring His authority on the apostles. The healing demonstrates that the risen Lord’s jurisdiction extends beyond His earthly ministry and overrules the Sanhedrin’s. Legal Precedent and Miraculous Evidence Jewish law required at least two witnesses to establish a matter (Deuteronomy 19:15). The healed man stands as physical evidence; Peter and John are corroborating witnesses. Miracles validated prophetic claims (Exodus 4:30-31; 1 Kings 18:38-39). Thus, even by their own legal code, the council faces incontrovertible testimony. The Behavioral and Philosophical Dimension Power often threatens entrenched systems. Modern behavioral science labels this cognitive dissonance: the council’s authority structure is destabilized by empirical evidence that their theological narrative (that Jesus is a dead blasphemer) is false. Rather than adjust beliefs, they attempt to suppress the evidence (Acts 4:17-18). Concise Answer to the Original Question The Sanhedrin is questioning the divine authority vested in and exercised through the name of the resurrected Jesus Christ—the sole source of the miracle’s power and the apostles’ right to act. |
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