Noah and Moses in Acts 15: Group Models and the Novelty of the Way

This article argues that Acts 15 alludes both to commandments associated with
Noah and pentateuchal legislation on the gerim, though without consistently
developing either of these allusions. As a result, this chapter presents the Way
as a novel movement that both corresponds with and transcends familiar
categories. By discussing Acts’ simultaneous evoking and negation of other
models (voluntary associations, Bacchic mystery cults, philosophical schools
and ethnic groups), I argue that Acts 15 reflects a literary strategy evident
throughout Acts. This strategy enabled the author of Acts to anchor the Way
into the structures and traditions of the early Roman Empire.