ACTS: The Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles is a continuation of the Luke's Gospel and written by the same person (Lk.1.1-4; Acts.1.1-2). It gives the history of the early church and the spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria, to Syria, to the eastern part of the Roman Empire and finally to the heart of the Empire, Rome. It is a book of immense importance. It gives the only history we have of the early church in the apostolic age - in fact, there was not another history of the church written for next two hundred and fifty years (by Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, in the 4th century). The author links the history of the church with contemporary personalities and events and where these can be checked, the author's general accuracy can be confirmed. It is not a comprehensive history and concentrates mainly on Peter and Paul, and, to a lesser extent on James, the Lord's brother and Stephen.

Like Luke's Gospel, the author is anonymous. Traditionally, the book has been ascribed to Luke, the 'beloved physician', and companion of Paul (Col.4.14; 2 Tim.4.11; Philemon.1.24). Certain passages imply that the author was a companion of Paul - the so-called 'we' passages where the narrative changes from the 'third person' (they) to the 'first person' (we) (Acts. 16.10-17; 20.5-15; 21.1-18; 27.1-28.16). This suggests that the author is using a 'travel diary' which he had written. Against the author being a companion of Paul are the considerable discrepancies between the Acts and Paul's Letters (especially Galatians) which would indicate the author had an imperfect knowledge of Paul's Letters. We will probably never know the name of the author.

The date when Acts was written is also difficult to determine. The ending of the book is odd; it finishes with Paul in prison in Rome, with no indication of the result of his trial. This suggests that the book was finished before the trial was completed, i.e. about 62 AD. If the book was written later, it is strange that the author did not give some hint of the martyrdom of the three most prominent people in the book, Peter, Paul (both martyred about 65 AD) and James, the Lord's brother (martyred about 62 AD). However, Acts is the second volume of a two volume work; this would place the composition of Luke's Gospel before 62 AD and, as Luke's Gospel is dependent on Mark's Gospel, this would push the latter into the 50s - a most unlikely date. As so often with ancient documents no certainty is possible, but weighing all the evidence (impossible to detail here) most scholars would put 70-90 AD as the most likely date for both Luke's Gospel and the Acts.

One feature of the book is the number of speeches it contains. Ancient authors did not have the modern facilities for accurately recording speeches; they had to rely on the memories of people present of the general thrust of the speech and perhaps of some striking phrases. The method of recording speeches was laid down by Thucydides ( c. BC 460-400, Greek historian and the father of scientific history). He writes that he has "put into the mouth of each speaker the sentiments appropriate for the occasion, expressed as I thought he would be likely to express them, while at the same time I endeavoured, as nearly as I could, to give the general purport of what was actually said". This practice was followed by the ancient authors and has been followed by Luke - he has written in literary form a speech appropriate to the speaker, the audience and the setting. Much of the message of the book is contained within the speeches.

The author is obviously proud of the expansion of the Gospel and of its steady progress, with many difficulties, throughout the Empire. There is great emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit and the joy of the Christian message. The book has been an inspiration to those in every generation striving to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world.

The contents of the book are as follows:

The content of the book is as follows:
1.INTRODUCTION. 1.1-26.
Link with Luke's Gospel (1.1-5)
Ascension (1.6-11)
Restoration of the Twelve (1.12-26)
2.THE CHURCH IN JERUSALEM (2.1-5.42)
(a) Day of Pentecost (2.1-47)
Coming of the Holy Spirit (2.1-13)
Peter's message (2.14-36)
Call to repentance (2.37-40)
First Christian church (2.41-47)
(b) Success and persecution (3.1- 4.31)
Healing of the lame man (3.1-10)
Peter's message (3.11-26)
Peter and John arrested (4.1-22)
The Disciples' prayers (4.23-31)
(c) Sharing in the community (4.32-5.11)
Sharing goods together (4.32-37)
Ananias and Sapphira (5.1-11)
(d) More persecution (5.12-42)
Signs and wonders (5.12-16)
Second arrest and release (5.17-42)
3. PERSECUTION LEADS TO EXPANSION (6.1-12-25)
(a) Stephen (6.1-8.1)
Appointment of the Seven (6.1-7)
Arrest of Stephen (6.8-15)
Stephens speech (7.1-53)
Martyrdom of Stephen (7.54-8.1)
(b) Dispersion of disciples (8.1-40)
Dispersion to Judea and Samaria (8.1-3)
Phillip in Samaria (8.4-13)
Peter and John visit Samaria (8.14-25)
Phillip and the Ethiopian (8.26-40)
(c) Conversion of Saul (Paul) (9.1-31)
Conversion of Saul (9.1-19)
Saul preaches in Damascus (9.20-25)
Saul in Jerusalem and sent to Tarsus (9.26-30)
Peace in the church (9.31)
(d) Peter's missionary work (9.32-11.18)
Peter in Lydda and Joppa (9.32-43)
Peter and Cornelius (10.1-33)
Gentiles accepted into church (10.34-48)
Peter's report at Jerusalem (11.1-18)
(e) The church at Antioch (11.19-30)
(f) More persecution
Martyrdom of James (brother of John) (12.1-2)
Arrest and escape of Peter (12.3-19)
Death of Herod (12.20-25)
4. PAUL'S FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY (13.1-14.28)
Paul and Barnabus chosen and sent (13.1-3)
In Cyprus (13.4-12)
In Antioch in Pisidia (13.13-52)
In Iconium (14.1-7)
In Lystra and Derbe (14.8-20)
Return journey to Antioch in Syria (14.21-28)
5. THE COUNCIL AT JERUSALEM (15.1-35)
Paul and Barnabus go to Jerusalem (15.1-5)
The Meeting (15.6-21)
Letter to the Gentile Christians (15.22-35)
6. PAUL'S SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY (15.36-18.22)
Paul and Barnabus separate (15.36-41)
Revisiting the churches. Timothy joins them ((16.1-5)
Paul's vision at Troas (16.6-10)
In Philippi (16.11-40)
In Thessalonica (17.1-9)
In Berea (17.10-15)
In Athens (17.16-34)
In Corinth (18.1-17)
Return journey to Antioch (18.18-22)
7. PAUL'S THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY (18.23-21-16)
Visiting Galatia and Phrygia (18.23)
Apollos in Ephesus and Corinth (18.24-28)
Paul in Ephesus (19.1-41)
In Macedonia and Achaia (20.1-6)
In Troas (20.7-12)
Troas to Meletus (20.13-16)
Paul's farewell address to elders at Ephesus (20.17-38)
Return journey to Jerusalem (21.1-16)
8. PAUL, THE PRISONER, IN JUDEA (21.17-26.32)
Paul meets James (21.17-26)
Paul arrested and his defence (21.27-23.11)
Plot to kill Paul (23.12-22)
Paul sent to Caesarea (23.23-35)
Paul before Felix (24.1-26)
Paul before Festus (24.27-25.12)
Paul before Agrippa (25.13-26.32)
9. PAUL'S JOURNEY TO ROME (27.1-28.15)
Journey and shipwreck (27.1-44)
Paul in Malta (28.1-10)
Malta to Rome (28.11-15)
10.PAUL IN ROME (28.16-31)