A Linguistic Analysis of Acts 13:48: Breaking Free from Calvinistic Eisegesis
Series: A Little Bit of This…A Little Bit of That
Dr. Randy White | RandyWhiteMinistries.org
Acts 13:48 stands at the center of theological debates concerning predestination.
The King James Version of Acts 13:48 reads, “And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.”
The Greek word translated “ordained” is τεταγμένοι (tetagmenoi), derived from the verb τάσσω (tassō).
The form τεταγμένοι is the perfect passive participle of τάσσω:
The root τάσσω undergoes reduplication (τε-) to form the perfect stem
The perfect tense adds -ταγ- as its stem modification
The passive participle ending -μένοι is attached
Thus: τάσσω → τε + ταγ + μένοι = τεταγμένοι
A perfect passive participle in Greek grammar has three key characteristics:
Perfect tense: Indicates a completed action with ongoing effects or results
Passive voice: Shows the subject receives rather than performs the action
Participle form: Functions as a verbal adjective, describing a noun while retaining verbal aspects
In τεταγμένοι, this means:
The arrangement was completed (perfect)
The subjects were arranged by someone else (passive)
It modifies the people being described (participle)
Calvinists interpret the verse as expressing a pre-temporal, unconditional predestination, while non-Calvinists argue the word indicates a straightforward arranging or setting in order. Many in the middle are confused by the verse.
The purpose of this study is to advance a reading rooted in the ordinary linguistic force of τάσσω, demonstrating that the text need not teach a Calvinistic, eternal decree.
A straightforward reading of τάσσω emphasizes its ordinary sense of arranging rather than implying an eternal decree.
1. The New Testament consistently employs τάσσω to denote organizing or placing in order.
2. Understanding Acts 13:48 in line with that consistent usage reveals no need to invoke a cosmic, unchangeable plan.
3. The argument rests on examining how τάσσω functions in various passages, rather than relying on an external theological system.
The so-called “law of first use” offers insight by examining the earliest scriptural appearances of τάσσω or related forms.
1. Investigating these appearances helps establish the term’s foundational meaning before theological debates layer additional interpretations onto it.
2. The verb’s essential force—“to arrange,” “to set,” or “to order”—remains visible even when combined with prefixes (e.g., προστάσσω).
Early New Testament examples in Matthew illustrate ordinary instructions rather than cosmic foreordination.
1. Matthew 1:24 shows Joseph doing as the angel “had bidden” (προσέταξεν), which is simply a command or directive.
The Greek word προσέταξεν (prosetaxen) combines the preposition πρός (pros, meaning "toward" or "to") with the verb τάσσω (tassō):
4. These instances confirm that the root τάσσω refers to normal directives and not a pre-temporal destiny.
Applying the same meaning to Acts 13:48 avoids reading a Calvinistic decree into the text.
1. The same Greek root in Matthew denotes practical, momentary orders, so it need not transform into eternal predestination in Acts.
2. The phrase “as many as were ordained to eternal life believed” should be understood as Gentiles being set or arranged by the logical presentation of the gospel, rather than by an irreversible, timeless decree.
3. No grammatical construction in Acts 13:48 forces the conclusion that God predetermined these individuals before creation.
Other New Testament passages corroborate τάσσω’s usual sense of administrative or situational appointment.
1. Matthew 28:16 describes Jesus directing the disciples to a meeting place He appointed.
2. Luke 7:8 involves a centurion who is set under authority, referencing military hierarchy rather than eternal destiny.
3. Acts 15:2 recounts believers deciding (τάσσω) that Paul and Barnabas should consult with leaders in Jerusalem.
4. Acts 22:10 shows the Lord having tasks “appointed” for Paul, referring to instructions he will receive in Damascus.
5. Acts 28:23 speaks of the Jewish leaders in Rome designating a day to meet with Paul, a simple scheduling matter.
6. Romans 13:1 uses the word for God’s arrangement of governing powers, implying social ordering without necessarily indicating an eternal blueprint for individuals.
7. 1 Corinthians 16:15 says certain believers “addicted themselves” to ministry (same root), denoting a deliberate, voluntary devotion.
These frequent uses confirm the notion that τάσσω denotes an everyday setting in order rather than an unchangeable eternal plan.
1. Scripture consistently presents τάσσω in contexts of routine organization or assignment.
2. Acts 13:48 fits within this pattern, suggesting a normal process of being arranged to receive and believe the gospel message.
Viewing Acts 13:48 as a predestinarian decree relies on external presuppositions not found in the language of the passage.
1. The verse’s passive form (“were ordained”) does not specify that God issued an eternal commandment; it simply notes the state of being aligned or arranged for eternal life.
2. The immediate context in Acts 13 highlights effective preaching and a ready audience, not an unchangeable predetermination.
3. Claims of a pre-temporal blueprint arise more from theological systems developed after the New Testament era than from the direct reading of τάσσω in Scripture.
Grammatical and contextual details throughout Acts 13 reveal a situational alignment rather than a timeless decree.
1. Paul’s preaching draws Gentiles who rejoice and glorify the word of the Lord, showing an active, reasoned response to his message.
2. Those who believed were “ordained” in the sense that they found themselves persuaded and ready, not that they had been marked by fate from before creation. Their thinking was “ordered” by Paul’s presentation, and with this straight thinking, they believed.
3. The broader narrative flow of Acts consistently depicts people coming to faith through clear teaching, guided by the Spirit, without emphasizing immutable foreordination.
