Page 28 - New Testament Survey Student Textbook

Provenance and Date: written from Rome, A.D. 62-63
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? It is plausible that Luke decided to publish his second volume at this time as a defense brief for
Paul’s upcoming trial, proving his innocent of violating Roman law.
There is no mention of Paul’s letters; thus, written before their broad dissemination (cf. 2 Pet 3:15-16).
There is 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).

Addressee(s)
directed to Theophilus (1:1; cf. Lk 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” (Lk 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.

Purpose(s)
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 (Chs
2, 10, 13, 17), and authentication of the apostolic message by miracles suggest Acts is in part designed
to lead non-believing Romans and Greeks to faith in Jesus.

Apologetic: Acts appears to be, in part, an apologetic for the Christian faith to the Roman people
against charges brought against it (see above): conversions of Cornelius’ household (10:1-11:18), the
proconsul Sergius Paulus (13:12), and the Philippian jailer (16:25-34); Gallio’s ruling (18:12-17); the
apology of the city officers of Philippi (16:37-39); city clerk and proconsuls in Ephesus (19:35-41); the
detailed coverage given to Paul’s trials before Roman authorities (Chs 22-28) which prove his innocence
and the prejudice of his Jewish opponents (24:27; 25:8-27; 26:30-32). In fact, an apologetic to Jewish
seekers or believers may also be part of Luke’s purpose: Paul is portrayed as a Jew whose faith in Jesus is
a fulfillment of his Pharisaic hopes (16:3; 18:18; 21:17-26; 23:6-8; 24:10-21; 26:4-11).

How does Acts Impact our Lives?
Missiologically speaking, the book of Acts can be easily trucked by the summary reports the author gives
at each stage of progression of the church. We will analyze those six summary points. Each part ends
with a report that “more people were joining the church.” Let’s analyze…

Acts 2:41; 4:4; 5:14; 6:7 – It is so amazing to see how the numbers of those who were being saved were
rapidly growing in Jerusalem even in the face of the oppositions and persecutions from the human
authorities (Jewish leaders). Here Jesus’ claim of possessing all authority and the promise of being with
the disciples in sharing the gospel was so real and true.

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