Acts of the Apostles

Royal Priesthood, Holy Nation                                       Acts 1:1 – 5

Acts of the Apostles

by Robert T. Cooper

It is commonly accepted that the author of the book of Acts is Luke, the traveling companion of Paul the Apostle. Luke enters the Acts narratives in Acts 16. When Paul has seen the Macedonian vision, Luke writes that “we” got ready and went to Macedonia. From there to the end of the book, many of the passages are written in the first person plural, as though Luke is a full participant in those passages. No explanation is ever given as to why Luke comes and goes from the narrative, although it is clear that Paul deploys his associates according to the needs of the ministry and it is assumed he would have done the same with Luke.

The first thing Luke does in the opening of the book of Acts is to refer to his former book. That would be the Gospel of Luke. There is continuity in the narrative and in the story of what God did as a result of the life and ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Just as Luke carefully researched and wrote the Gospel narrative, so he carefully wrote and researched the narrative in the sequel.

Luke dedicated his Gospel to Theophilus, and Acts is dedicated to Theophilus as well. This might be an actual benefactor, a person paying for the publication of the works. It might be a person Luke is attempting to disciple through the works. It might be an actual name. Meaning “lover of God,” Theophilus might be a pseudonym for a single person or even for a group of people.

In the Gospel, Luke “wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach.” The implication is that what is going to happen in the book of Acts is a continuation of the actions and teachings of Jesus. It might not be Jesus in human form, but it is Jesus by His Holy Spirit Who is acting and teaching.

Luke mentions that

• Jesus ascended
•  He gave instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen
• Jesus suffered
• He showed Himself to the apostles
• Jesus gave many convincing proofs that He was alive
•  He appeared to them over a period of forty days
•  He spoke about the kingdom of God
• Jesus commanded the apostles not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit

All these things will play a role in the development of the book.