Getting Biblical in Daily Life
Acts of the Apostles records the first days after Jesus's death and the growth of the early church in the ancient world. So you can bet it's jammed packed with lots of interesting theological goodies. Let's take a stroll, shall we?
Who Wrote Acts?
Christian tradition says that both the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles were written by Luke, a Gentile-Christian doctor who traveled with Paul (source, 987). He's mentioned as one of Paul's traveling companions in Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11, and Philemon 1:24. So case closed, right?
Not quite. None of the letters that mention Luke are considered totally authentic. That means lots of people don't think Paul actually wrote them himself, and that someone else wrote them using his name (don't try this one at school, kids). That doesn't mean there wasn't a Gentile doctor named Luke who wandered around with Paul, but it also doesn't mean that a Gentile doctor named Luke was the guy who wrote Luke and Acts.
Scholars do think that the same person wrote both of these books, though. After all, the style and themes in them are super similar (source, 988). The person who wrote them both might have also traveled with Paul. He clearly knows the eastern Mediterranean really well. There are also lots of passages in Acts that talk about a "we" roaming around, so these sections seem to be told from personal experience. Sadly, the author never directly refers to himself (source, 1028). That would have been way more helpful.
The author is also most probably Jewish just because he's so familiar with Jewish scripture and customs. He also sees Jesus as the continuation of the Jewish story. Luke and Acts kind of read as a sequel to the Hebrew Bible (a.k.a. Old Testament). The author definitely has a soft spot for the Gentiles, just like Paul does, but he probably wasn't one of them (source, 1029).
So was Acts written by a guy named Luke? Maybe, maybe not. But since we have no clue, we'll just keep on calling him Luke. It's such a nice name. Plus, it just makes life a little bit easier.
When Was Acts Written?
Since Acts name-drops Porcius Festus, and he came on the job in 60 CE, the story had to be written after that. And Irenaeus the bishop of Lyons mentions it around 200 CE, so it has to be before that (source, 987). Either that or Luke was quite a time traveler. The book is typically dated around 80 CE, which would put it almost 50 years after Jesus died (source, 1028).
Why Did Luke Write Acts?
The simple answer is that Luke wanted to write down the history of the early church. Jesus was awesome, but lots of stuff happened after he died too. The first apostles worked really hard to get this whole Christianity thing up and running and they definitely deserve some kudos for that.
In addition to telling the stories of the early church, Luke also wants to uphold the apostles as examples of Christian living. After all, they spent their lives preaching and talking about Jesus all over the world. They were willing to suffer through any kind of hardship and (in most of their cases) even die for Jesus. That's dedication. It's also the kind of devotion Luke thinks everyone should have to Jesus (source, 1029).
He's Jewish History
The gospels focus on Jesus, and Acts is all about people talking about Jesus. So, what kinds of theological gems does it have to pass on?
Like we said before, Luke sees Jesus as the logical progression of Jewish history. Over and over again, he quotes the Hebrew Bible to prove that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah that everyone's been waiting for. Not only that, but he believes that scripture predicted the coming and death of Jesus. He had to die and David and all the prophets knew it (source, 988). Check and mate.
Jesus has come to bring God's message to the Jewish people. Awesome, right? But it doesn't all work out as smoothly as planned. In both the gospels and Acts we see Jesus and his disciples running up against some of their fellow Jews who simply won't put their faith in Jesus. What's a struggling start-up religion to do? It's time to branch out.
Gentiles Wanted
Luke is really insistent that the message of Jesus doesn't only apply to the Jewish people. It's for non-Jews (a.k.a. Gentiles), too. Unfortunately, not all the Jewish-Christians think that's such a fine idea. Lots of folks who really dig Jesus and their Jewish heritage aren't too tickled by the thought of welcoming Gentiles into the fold. And that leads to a lot of issues.
The big one that Acts deals with is circumcision. Essentially the question is: do Gentiles who decide to become Christians have to become Jewish too? Does following Jesus mean following everything that Jewish law says? Not quite, according to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem. Gentiles can become followers of Jesus without being circumcised as long as they follow a few simple rules (15:20). Think that settles all the issues? Oh, silly rabbit.
Don't Forget The Holy Spirit
The third person of the trinity also makes quite a few appearances in Acts of the Apostles.
- The Holy Spirit is a best-selling author! It's responsible for writing the whole Hebrew Bible. (1:16)
- The Spirit gives people the ability to speak in different languages. Handy. (2:4)
- It can teleport you, and it doesn't even need a TARDIS. (8:39)
- It tells you what places to cross off your travel itinerary. Thoughtful. (16:6)
- It makes really accurate predictions. It's pretty darn good. (20:23)
Basically, the Holy Spirit is always hanging out making sure that things go a-okay for the church. (Or, in the case of Stephen, making sure death isn't too terrible.) The Spirit communicates God's word to the disciples, shows them visions, and delivers messages. It's kind of acting in the place that Jesus would have if he were around. Anyone who's really in tune with God is described as being "filled with the Holy Spirit" (4:8) Cool, right?
So how does one get this Holy Spirit awesomeness? Well, the first step is putting your faith in Jesus. After that, some believers receive the Holy Spirit at baptism (1:5). Some get it before baptism (10:47). And some only get it when another disciple lays his hands on them and prays for them to have it (19:6). The Holy Spirit can be a bit finicky, so sometimes you just have to give it a minute.
He'll Be Back
Finally, Acts predicts the return of Jesus. No, not the resurrection. Another return. What's sometimes referred to as the Second Coming because, well, it'll be the second time Jesus sets foot on Earth. After Jesus ascends into Heaven, two men in white robes tell the apostles that Jesus "will come in the same way you saw him go into heaven" (1:11). So, you know, look for that.
This visit isn't gonna be as lovey dovey as the first one though:
Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time of universal restoration that God announced long ago through his holy prophets. (3:19-21)
[God] has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead. (17:31)
Yup. That's right. The next time Jesus stops by the world as we know it will end. Those who are down with J.C. will get to spend an eternity hanging with him in Heaven. Those who aren't… well, not so much. Jesus will judge everyone who's ever lived, so don't think you can sneak by and creep past the pearly gates when he's not looking. We hear God's bookkeeping skills are pretty good.