“Casting Lots”? An Alternate Reading of Acts 1:26

Abstract

This article offers an alternate reading of Acts 1:26, which is typically assumed to describe the apostles’ attempt to determine the Lord’s will through “casting lots.” It is proposed that 1:26 is concerned not with the decision making process but rather with the decisive results of the apostles’ prayer. In this view, portions in the ministry are given to both Matthias and Joseph, although Matthias alone is counted with the eleven apostles.