Beacon UNIVERSITY
THE HISTORY, importance and VERACITY OF THE BOOK OF ACTS
A Research Paper Submitted to
Dr. JERRY HORNER
ACTs bib 300
By
tyrone steele
PALM HARBOR, FLORIDA
28 june 2005
I. INTRODUCTION
The book of Acts, called the Acts of the Apostles, was written by Luke who was also the author as the Gospel According to Luke. The book of Acts is commonly known as a continuation of that gospel. The beginning words of the book of Acts, “The former account I made,” are written to either a person or an alias of people named Theophilus. According to Luke 1:3, Luke’s gospel was also written to this person or alias. The book of Acts focuses on the Apostle Paul, whom Luke accompanied, probably as his personal physician.[1] According to Walter A. Elwell, the title of the book is “not entirely apt. Only one of the original twelve, Peter, receives extensive attention.”[2] A more appropriate title has been suggested, called, “Acts of the Holy Spirit.”[3]
Acts could have been written in Rome. According to Paul Benware, “Since Luke was with Paul in Rome at the time of writing, it is reasonable to assume that Rome was the place of writing.”[4] The purpose of the book of Acts, according to Yarbrough and Elwell, is to inform the reader of three things: 1) eyewitness, reliable information about Yeshua, 2) that Luke’s reports were carefully researched, and 3) the knowledge and growth of first century Christian faith.[5] However, Benware gives three alternate reasons:
1) “Acts is the record of the Apostles’ witness to the resurrected Lord; 2) Acts was to give a written defense of Christianity; 3) Acts was to provide stability to the new faith.”[6] However, since the name Theophilus is a Greek compound word meaning, God-lovers, if it were written, then, to a group of people it would have had a broader purpose than just these mentioned above. Yarbrough and Elwell do not provide a purpose for the authorship of Acts beyond the use of comparing it with the purpose of Luke’s gospel, which is already a reliable eyewitness of Yeshua’s life and ministry. Howard Marshall states that Luke “probably regarded himself as recording sacred history,” since his Greek was in the style of the LXX.[7] And that he was “attempting to write the story of Christian beginnings.”[8] The position of Yarbrough and Elwell is that Acts was probably written no earlier than when Paul was under house arrest in Rome awaiting trial, and no later than the early 60’s.[9] Others place it closer to the year 64, moving the date of Paul’s captivity to A.D. 62. Benware explicates that Paul arrived in Rome around A.D. 61, remained for about two years, ending the story of Acts in A.D. 63.[10] The best placement for the date of the authorship of Acts seems to be around that time, as well since there was no reference to the fall of Jerusalem or the death of Nero or the martyrdom of James.
Acts is outlined as such: 1) Introduction 1:1 – 2:4, 2) Witness in Jerusalem 2:5 – 8:3, 3) Witness in Judea and Samaria 8:4 – 12:25, and 4) Witness to the Uttermost Part of the
Earth 13:1 – 28:31.[11] The audience is clearly both Christians and non-Christians of all ages.
II. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK OF ACTS
Understanding the textual history of the book of Acts is a fundamental requirement in exercising any level of Christian apologetics or in-depth personal study. The understanding of the history of the text provides background, cultural context, historical context and an understanding of the originally intended audience, all of which are invaluable for biblical exegesis.
There are two main text types for the book of Acts: Alexandrian, represented by the Codex Sinaiticus, and Western, represented by the Codex Bezae. The Western text is ten percent larger than the Alexandrian.[12] Most scholars since A.D. 1684, beginning with Leclerc, embrace the theory that the Western text was the first of the two.[13] “Textual criticism is a branch of philology that examines the extant manuscript copies of an ancient or medieval literary work to produce a text that is as close as possible to the original.”[14] There are other text types, such as the Byzantine and the Caesarean. Those in favor of the Alexandrian argue that “the Byzantine church was dominated by Arianism around the time that we first see evidence of the Byzantine text emerging.” Those in
favor of the Byzantine argue that the “Alexandrian church was dominated by the Gnostics”[15] at the time of writing. There seems to be no clear affirmation in any case, by either scholastic favor. Nevertheless, there is a wealth of ancient manuscripts available for the study of Acts.
The book of Acts was canonized toward the end of the second century, along with other New Testament books, known as homologoumena.[16] The homologoumena are the four gospels, the thirteen Pauline epistles, Acts, Revelation, 1 Peter, and 1 John.[17] Saint Luke was a doctor who left his practice in order to assist Paul in his missions as his personal physician and stenographer. His reports of miracles in the book of Acts are considered accurate by ancient historians like Josephus Flavius and Thucydides.[18] Concerning the issue of authorship Benware states:
It is essential to note who the individual is that is being described and how much he knew. For example, well into the Church age (the New Covenant era) there were Jews who had genuine faith in the Lord God of Israel but had no knowledge of Jesus Christ. There were others who responded positively to the ministry of John the Baptist, but who knew almost nothing about the One he had announced. It is important, therefore, to observe carefully who the text is focusing on in order to properly interpret that text.[19]
Without researching, to some small degree, the knowledge of the audience and the author the gleanings from the text are trim.
III. THE BIBLICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE BOOK OF ACTS
Acts as a History Book
The book of Acts contains acute reports of identifiable historical events, attested to by both modern and ancient scholars and historians. According to Yarbrough and Elwell:
Acts mentions over thirty counties, more than fifty towns or cities, numerous islands, and nearly one hundred persons. The author of Acts demonstrates impressive knowledge of geography, local politics and customs, seafaring, and the first-century Mediterranean world generally, as studies by scholars like F. F. Bruce, C. Hemer, M. Hengel, and W. Ramsay show.[20]
Acts serves not only as a record of New Testament events, but also as a record of historical places, people and occurrences.
Acts as a Record of
the Fulfillment
and Work of the Holy Spirit
The book of Acts records the fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy for the Apostles in Matthew 24:9, Mark 16:17-18, John 14:16-17, Matthew 20:23 concerning the fate of James and many others, as well as the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32. The Holy Spirit began working in the lives of Christians upon the commencement of the Great Commission, where the book of Acts begins. The first century milieu, commonly known in Christianity as the Apostolic Era, was without dispute the greatest recorded work of the Holy Spirit in the history of mankind. If not for the book of Acts, we would not have a record of the
miracles, or fulfillments of prophecies that come from both the Gospels and the Old Testament.
Acts as a Covenantal Bridge
Acts is the detailing of certain events that took place where the written gospels ended, such as the words in Mark 16:20, “And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word through the accompanying signs.” It was approximately ten days later that the first Christian Pentecost took place, as revealed in Acts chapter two. The Old Covenant ended at the resurrection of Christ, recorded at the end of each of the Gospels, and the New Covenant began. The book of Acts traces the transition from Old to New Covenants in a clear and understandable fashion.
Acts as a Roadmap to the Epistles
Acts builds the case for the apostolic events that follow the Gospels, as they went out and preached the Word. Without this record of events the Epistles would be no more than loose scatterings of theological diatribe at worst and collective Christian theology at best, without any common link or historical relevance. The story of Acts focuses intently, though not entirely, upon the life and ministry of Paul the Apostle, from before his conversion and name change from Saul to Paul and his missions overseas to all corners of the known Mediterranean world, and his final imprisonment and eventual execution under the reign of Caesar Nero. The book of Acts provides a clear layout and blueprint
for the threads of epistles to be woven together with. It is the trunk from which the branches of the Epistles can be clearly assessed and properly understood.
Acts as a History of
the Founding
and Growth of the Church
The book of Acts could be said to have begun its report of the founding of the Church with the anointing of the twelfth Apostle, Matthias who replaced Judas. However, it is more accurately stated that upon the pouring out of, or baptism by, the Holy Spirit upon the Jewish Christians at Pentecost the Church was commenced and began its growth. “At this same time, the event fulfills the prophecies of Isaiah 32:15 and Joel 2:28-32, and thus indicates that the last days have arrived.”[21] Luke continues his record of the growth of the Church in chapter two, verse fourteen, as Peter preaches the good news beginning with the words of the prophet Joel.
Acts dedicates a great deal of ink to the closeness of fellowship in Christ, known today as church cells. They “shared meals with each other, met for prayer meetings in their homes, and looked after each other’s physical and spiritual needs.”[22] The Church itself begins to expand at the beginning of chapter two, the body of the subject of the Church growth mostly covering the missions of Paul, and continues throughout the remainder of the book of Acts.
IV. The VERACITY OF THE BOOK OF ACTS
The Historical Authenticity of the Book of Acts
Concerning the historicity of the speeches made in the book of Acts, Howard Marshall states:
The speeches in Acts are based on traditional material, although they are insufficient to demonstrate that all the speeches were actually delivered on the occasions specified – a point which probably lies beyond historical proof in any case. In fact, there are a number of points which indicate that the speeches were never meant to be verbatim reports.[23]
His remarks articulate that the views postulated by many, that Acts is an exact record of various apostolic speeches, is unfounded. The book of Acts, as the Gospels, is not an exact account but is a result of first-hand material recalled later with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, and of verbal teachings and research conducted by Luke himself. Concerning the records of Paul’s statements in the book of Acts, “at most a general account of what he said [would] have been passed on to Luke.”[24] Luke most probably had no intention of giving a word-for-word account of the events in any case. However, the book is ripe with historical evidences attested to by several respected ancient historians and early church fathers such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus,[25] Josephus Flavius and Thucydides.[26] Thucydides wrote the following concerning the veracity recalling his speeches for others:
It was in all cases difficult to carry the speeches word-for-word in one’s memory, so my habit has been to make the speakers say what was in my opinion demanded of them by the various occasions, of course adhering as closely as possible to the general sense of what they really said.[27]
The Textural Integrity of the Book of Acts
Josephus Flavius recorded several historical facts consistent with the book of Acts. For instance, his record of the way in which King Agrippa died is congruent with the version of Agrippa’s death in the book of Acts 12:20-23:
On the second day of which he put on a garment made wholly of silver, and of a texture truly wonderful, and came into the theater early in the morning; and presently his flatterers cried out, one from one place, and another from another, that he was a god; Upon this the king did neither rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery. But as he presently afterward looked up, he saw an owl sitting on a certain rope over his head, and immediately understood that this bird was the messenger of ill tidings, as it had once been the messenger of good tidings to him; and fell into the deepest sorrow. A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began shaking in a most violent manner. … his pain had become violent. And when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life …[28]
Archaeologist Sir William Ramsay set out to disprove the writings of the Apostle Luke. In his search he, as have many others, unearthed only that the book of Acts is utterly reliable. Dr. James D. Kennedy, founder of Coral Ridge Ministries spoke on the subject of biblical archeology in April of 2003, and commented on the conversion of Sir William Ramsay:
He was an
atheist, the son of atheists; he was wealthy and a Ph.D. from Oxford. He gave
his whole life over to archaeology and determined that he would disprove the
Bible. He set out for the Holy Land and decided to disprove the Book of Acts.
After twenty-five or more years (he had released book after book during this
time) he was incredibly impressed by the accuracy of Luke in his writings and
finally declared that Luke was exact, down to the most minute details.
In his attempts to disprove the Bible, Sir William
Ramsay uncovered hundreds
of things that confirmed the historicity of the book of Acts. Finally, in one of his books he shocked the whole critical world by declaring himself to be a Christian. The world’s greatest authority on the book of Acts and the travels of the apostle Paul was converted by his digging, as have been numerous other archaeologists over the centuries.[29]
Historians and archaeologists have found the book of Acts to be conclusively authentic and with the highest level of integrity possible for a manuscript that was adopted into the New Testament scriptures nearly two thousand years ago.
V. CONCLUSION
The book of Acts, due to its linking of Old Covenant theology to the New, and the Gospels to the Epistles, its internal textural veracity and its historical accuracy, could be considered the most important book in the New Testament. It is the only continuation of the Gospels and the only book of its kind in the Bible. As well, Luke could be considered the world’s first historian, documenting the events of a consolidated time period for the first time. Doctor Luke provided for us, through his ministry, with a concise atlas of first century events, without which we would be lost in the plat of New Testament literature, astray in understanding the correlation of historical and first century biblical events, and without insight to Paul’s conversion and life history. The fate of many of the Apostles would too be lost. There is simply no book in the New Testament shown to be more valuable than the Acts of the Apostles.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Elwell, Walter A., Robert Yarbrough W. Encountering the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998.
Benware, Paul. Survey of the New Testament. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1990.
Howard, Marshall. Acts. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1980.
Flavius, Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews. Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003.
“Acts of the Apostles.” Encyclopedia online. Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_the_Apostles.
“Textual criticism.” Encyclopedia online. Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textual_criticism.
“Alexandrian text-type.” Encyclopedia online. Available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandrian_text-type.
“Cannon of the New Testament.” Encyclopedia online. Available from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03274a.htm.
Coral Ridge Ministries. “Why I Believe.” Article online. Available from http://www.coralridge.org/impact/2003_Apr_Pg5.htm.
[1] Walter A. Elwell, Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998), 210.
[2] Ibid., 211.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Paul N. Benware, Survey of the New Testament (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1990), 126.
[5] Elwell, 210.
[6] Benware, 126.
[7] Howard Marshall, Acts (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1980), 18.
[8] Ibid., 19.
[9] Elwell, 210.
[10] Benware, 126.
[11] Ibid., 126.
[12] Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, “Acts of the Apostles” [encyclopedia on-line]; (accessed 07/05/2005); available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_the_Apostles; internet.
[13] Ibid.
[14] Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, “Textual criticism” [encyclopedia on-line]; (accessed 07/05/2005); available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textual_criticism; internet.
[15] Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, “Alexandrian text-type” [encyclopedia on-line] (accessed 07/05/2005); available from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandrian_text-type; internet.
[16] New Advent, Catholic Encyclopedia, “Cannon of the New Testament” [encyclopedia on-line] (accessed 06/29/2005); available from http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03274a.htm; internet.
[17] Ibid.
[18] Elwell, 218.
[19] Benware, 128.
[20] Elwell, 211.
[21] Marshall, 68.
[22] Elwell, 219.
[23] Marshall. 41.
[24] Ibid.
[25] Elwell, 211.
[26] Ibid., 218.
[27] Marshall, 42.
[28] Josephus Flavius, Antiquities of the Jews, XIX, viii, 2 (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003), 523.
[29] Coral Ridge Ministries, “Why I Believe” [article on-line] (accessed 07/02/2005); available from http://www.coralridge.org/impact/2003_Apr_Pg5.htm; internet.