Theology: the Acts

Literary Context

The Acts of the Apostles (Greek Praxeis Apostolon) is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. It is commonly referred to as simply Acts. Most scholars agree that the book of Acts is written as both a historical narrative as well as an apologetic work. Proof of the book being a historical narrative can be seen in the way in which the book describes events that occurred during the establishment of the church and how select major events are recorded within it.

In addition to the book being a historical narrative, biblical scholars such as Dr. Lars Dahle, the author of Acts 17 and the Biblical Basis for Apologetics, believe that the book of Acts should be understood as an apologetic. He states that Acts was written for Christians with the dual intention to provide them both with confirmation of the truth of their Christian faith and with apologetic tools and models for reaching outsiders. This is a credible literary context for considering Acts 17:16-34 as an apologetic model (1). Agreement on the books apologetic tone is noticed by most scholars through their interpretation of Lukes writings.

Historical Context

Author

The traditional view is that it was written by the Macedonian Christian physician and historian Luke the Evangelist, the companion of the apostle Paul, in the first century A.D. The belief that Luke authored the Acts is a common view among many scholars. They feel that Luke wrote it to describe the events that took place between Christs departure and the establishment of the faith. Attestation of Lukan authorship is found in the Muratorian Canon, the anti-Marcionite Prologue to Luke, Irenaues, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Tertullian, Eusebius, and Jerome (Wallace). Wallaces key points are accepted by many biblical scholars who have studied the authorship of Acts. The extensive linguistic and theological agreements and cross-references between the Gospel of Luke and the Acts indicate both...