Asbury Bible Commentary – D. Structure of the New Community (2:43-47)
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D. Structure of the New Community (2:43-47)

D. Structure of the New Community (2:43-47)

The people of this new order of being structure themselves along the lines of the old covenant holiness communities (2:42). The holiness movement of the day, the Pharisees, gathered as a “house” around the scribes who were their teachers. They formed fellowships (chaburim) that supported and reinforced their commitment to live lives of priestly holiness in the world. One of the essentials of these fellowships was their common meals, which assured meticulous observance of the purity laws. Finally, they were characterized by their communal prayers. In the apostles' teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers, we see the Christian community using the old structures of their lives for the shaping of their life together as a new people of God. The Christian community, like their Pharisaic counterparts, initially had two foci: the temple and the house (v.46).