We have finished reading through the gospel of John and Paul’s letter to the Romans. We now begin the book of Acts.
Click here for an online Bible. Acts 1:1-3
As we begin Acts, we may ask, “Who wrote this book and who did he write it for?” This book has been attributed to Luke since it was first written. He begins Acts with a reference to his first narrative. That would be the gospel of Luke. Notice the similar way of beginning both works. He addressed “most excellent Theophilus” in Luke 1:3. Here in Acts 1:1, he just calls his reader “Theophilus.” The name could mean either “lover of God” or “beloved of God.” There is debate over whether this is a real name or just a pseudonym that Luke uses. The use of “most excellent” in Luke 1:3 makes many believe that this Theophilus is a government official. Paul used that form of address when he spoke with Felix (Acts 23:26) and Fetus (Acts 26:25). The historian Josephus also used that form of address to his patron, Epaphroditis.
When was the book of Acts written? The last event recorded is the imprisonment of Paul which probably occurred in 62 AD. Yet the major event of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD is not mentioned. So, it is probably safe to date Acts between 62 and 70 AD.
Luke gives a quick summary of the gospel. Jesus preached and taught then rose from the dead and spent 40 days with His apostles. He provided clear evidence of who He was though miracles. He taught about the Kingdom of God.
So, why did Luke record all of this? Again, we have to look back at the gospel of Luke. He told Theophilus the reason in Luke 1:4, “So that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” In Luke 1:3, Luke said that he made a careful investigation. He verified the accounts from the eyewitnesses to determine the truth of the gospel. Then in Acts chapter 16, a shift takes place in the narrative. Luke changes his account from “they” to “we”. Paul mentions Luke as one of his companions in some of his letters (Colossians 4:14, Philemon 24, and 2 Timothy 4:11). So, for much of the book of Acts, Luke was a participant.
The book of Acts is the account of the spread of Christianity from Jerusalem to the other parts of the world, from a few Jewish followers of Jesus to all people. It is the story of the beginning of the church.
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2 comments:
This serves as great evidence too that Jesus rose from the dead and appeared and instructed his apostles over 40 days, showing them how to teach as He had while on earth and it also regards the starts of His church - and provides evidence to show all of mankind that we indeed serve a living Savior. Amen!! Does 40 have a significance here? I know it's used throughout the Bible, such as in Deut. 8:2 (I think), and then of course the Great Flood which occured over 40 days/40 nights. Any thoughts?
Sarah,
The number 40 appears often and seems to have some significance. We have to be careful because we are not told anywhere in the Bible just what the significance of the number is. Some examples:
- Rain for 40 days in the flood
- Moses spent 40 days with God on Mt Sinai
- Joshua and the spies scouted the promised land for 40 days
- The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years (one generation)
- David was king for 40 years
- Solomon was king for 40 years
- Elijah fasted for 40 days
- Jesus fasted for 40 days
- Jesus was on earth for 40 days after the resurrection
There are many more examples.
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