By: Matthew D. Dyer
In my book, A Case for Biblical Kinism (click here to read the book for free), I devoted a chapter to Acts 17:26 and Paul’s statement that God “hath made of one blood all nations of men.” In that chapter, I argue that the word blood in this passage is referring to life, rather than to race, as the passage is often interpreted. I arrive at this conclusion by examining the way blood is used throughout both the Old and New Testaments and allowing Scripture to define the biblical meaning of the term, rather than our modern usage of the word blood.
I have also recently preached two messages on this subject. The first was a more detailed treatment of the passage as part of my verse-by-verse series through the Book of Acts, which I will link below. The second was a shorter presentation delivered to a group of ministers at a Ministers’ Colloquium in North Carolina.
At that Colloquium, there was disagreement among some of the men concerning my interpretation of the passage, and some felt I was presenting some type of new interpretation. However, although my conclusion was described as “really bad exegesis” from one of the ministers, no one was able to explain specifically where my exegesis of the word blood was incorrect or demonstrate from Scripture why the interpretation itself was wrong. Two of the men in the crowd even ask AI what it thought about my interpretation of the world blood in the passage, and one AI said what I said was correct, and the other said I was incorrect.
That discussion prompted me to examine the subject more thoroughly and to look more closely at what Christian scholars, commentators, and theologians have said about Acts 17:26—particularly regarding Paul’s use of the word blood and its connection with life to see if I truly was coming up with a new interpretation that historically had never been seen before. I seek to understand Scripture correctly, as I am sure all Christians do, and don’t wish to view any Christian incorrectly. Below are several quotations from Christian scholars and commentators that I believe display that this idea is not a new one.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary:
“26, 27. and hath made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on all the face of the earth–Holding with the Old Testament teaching, that in the blood is the life (Ge 9:4; Le 17:11; De 12:23), the apostle sees this life stream of the whole human race to be one, flowing from one source”
This section of the Commentary was written by David Brown. Brown was a Free Church of Scotland minister and professor, within the Scottish Reformed tradition.
John Calvin in his commentary on Acts 17:
“26.And he hath made of one blood. Paul doth now show unto the men of Athens to what end mankind was created, that he may by this means invite and exhort them to consider the end of their life. This is surely filthy unthankfulness of men, seeing they all enjoy the common life, not to consider to what end God hath given them life; and yet this beastly blockishness doth possess the more part, so that do not consider to what end they be placed in the world, neither do they remember the Creator of heaven and earth, whose good things they do devour. Therefore, after that Paul hath intreated of the nature of God, he putteth in this admonition in due season, that men must be very careful to know God, because they be created for the same end, and born for that purpose; for he doth briefly assign unto them this cause of life, to seek God. Again, forasmuch as there was not one kind of religion only in the world, but the Gentiles were distract into divers sects, he telleth them that this variety came from corruption. For to this end, in my judgment, tendeth that when he saith, that all were created of one blood.”
John Calvin, in the context of his commentary, seems to hold something of a hybrid view concerning the meaning of “blood” in Acts 17:26. He acknowledges that blood is associated with life in the passage, yet later explicitly refers to the “consanguinity and the same original” of mankind. Calvin therefore appears to connect the passage, at least in part, with mankind’s common descent or ancestry (race), while also recognizing the connection between blood and life. His interpretation does not seem to restrict the meaning exclusively to either concept.
Michael Baumgarten’s The Acts of the Apostles; or, The History of the Church in the Apostolic Age:
“the blood appears to St Paul as the life stream of the whole human race”
If you read Michael Baumgarten’s entire discussion of Acts 17, it becomes clear that he understands Paul’s use of the word “blood” primarily in relation to life. At the same time, however, Baumgarten takes an approach similar to Calvin by also connecting the passage with common descent, kinship, or race. In that sense, his interpretation appears to be a hybrid view: “blood” signifies life, but Paul’s statement also carries the implication of mankind’s shared origin and natural relationship.
Regardless of these hybrid views that appear in these two men, they both acknowledge that the blood Paul is speaking about is LIFE.
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