Page 4 - Acts Student Textbook

3. Acts, in the original language, contains several terms which were characteristically used by
physicians, and Luke was a physician (Col. 4:14).
4. The text passes from third person (“they”) to first person (“we”) and back again repeatedly
when describing some of Paul’s travels. These changes would indicate that the author was
one of Paul’s traveling companions, which Luke was (Col. 4:14; 2 Philem. 24). Luke was
present in Rome with Paul during his first Roman imprisonment, which concludes the last
we-passage (later 2 Tim 4:11).Further, the author does not name himself but uses “we.” So it
appears that the author is a traveling companion who is nowhere named in Acts. The
companions other than Luke are nearly all named in Acts, so this also seems to confirm that
Luke was the author. Also, the changes in person logically agree with the times when Luke
seems to join or leave the group. (Ex.: Acts 16:6-10).

Where and when did Luke write the book of Acts?

It is logically correct that Luke wrote this book from Rome while waiting for Paul’s trial which might
have taken place before 64 A.D. The book could be better dated from A.D. 62-63 for the following
reasons:

1. Acts ends abruptly with Paul under house arrest in Rome awaiting trial (28:30-31). If later,
why is the outcome not given, especially in light of the detailed coverage given the series of
trials in chapters 21-26? Plausible that Luke decided to publish his second volume at this
time as a defense brief for Paul’s upcoming trial: innocent of violating Roman law.
2. No mention of Paul’s letters; thus written before their broad dissemination (cf. 2 Pet. 3:15-
16).
3. No mention of major events of the mid- to late sixties which would have affected the
historical narrative: fire in Rome and subsequent persecution under Nero (A.D. 64); the
Jewish revolt (A.D. 66-on); deaths of James the Just, Peter, Paul; the fall of Jerusalem (A.D.
70).

Who were the recipients of the book?

The book is clearly directed to Theophilus (1:1; cf. Luke 1:3), probably the patron supporting Luke’s
literary publication. Perhaps Theophilus, representative of the broader audience, was a God-fearer
or perhaps a recent convert who needed further instruction to bolster his assurance. “Most
excellent” (Luke 1:3) indicates a high ranking Roman official (cf. Acts 24:3; 26:25 of Governors Felix
and Festus) or at least an upper middle class educated citizen.

Under what occasion did Luke write the book?

By the time of the writing of Acts, the gospel had spread from Jerusalem as far as Rome, covering five
Roman provinces: Syria, Galatia, Asia, Macedonia, and Achaia. Now the witness of Paul in Rome was
sparking interest among Romans in the heart of the empire (Acts 28:30-31; Philippians 1:12-18).

What was Luke’s Purpose(s) in writing the book?

Historical and Pastoral: Lk. 1:1-4 is the prologue to the two volume work (cf. Acts 1:1: “what Jesus
began to do and to teach”); thus Luke’s primary purpose is to complete the orderly historical account
of Jesus’ doings and teachings in order to confirm the truth of the Christian message and to
strengthen the confidence of the readers (primarily Gentile Christians like Theophilus) in it.

Evangelistic: The orderly, reliable historical account of the advance of the church in its gospel witness
“to the ends of the earth” (1:8; cf. Lk 24:47-48), the inclusion of a number of evangelistic speeches

3