At a glance
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Authorship | Luke (same as Gospel; volume 2) |
| Date | ~62-90 AD |
| Audience | Theophilus + early Christian readers |
| Genre | Historical narrative |
| Purpose | Spread of gospel from Jerusalem to Rome |
| Chapters | 28 |
Outline
| Section | Chapters | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Jerusalem | 1-7 | Pentecost; early church; first persecution; Stephen |
| Judea + Samaria | 8-12 | Philip; Saul's conversion; Cornelius; Peter's escape |
| Paul's missions | 13-28 | First, second, third missionary journeys + Jerusalem Council + journey to Rome |
Main themes
| Theme | Description |
|---|---|
| Holy Spirit's work | Pentecost + ongoing empowerment |
| Gospel's geographic expansion | Acts 1:8, Jerusalem → Judea → Samaria → ends of earth |
| Jewish-Gentile inclusion | Acts 10-15 pivotal |
| Persecution + church growth | Suffering doesn't stop the church |
| Pauline mission strategy | Synagogues then Gentiles; church planting |
| Continuity with OT promise | Apostolic preaching grounded in OT |
Key passages
- Acts 1:8, geographic mission scope
- Acts 2, Pentecost
- Acts 7, Stephen's martyrdom
- Acts 9, Saul's conversion
- Acts 10-11, Cornelius + Gentile inclusion
- Acts 13-14, first missionary journey
- Acts 15, Jerusalem Council
- Acts 16:6-10, Macedonian call
- Acts 17:16-34, Areopagus sermon
- Acts 20:17-38, Miletus farewell
- Acts 28, Paul in Rome