of Gamaliel. The appointment of the Seven. The preaching of Stephen. The Hpeech of Ste])hen. Death of Stephen and persecution of the Church.
Tub Cm-
la- «
oi-ia_
♦2-47' U.S1
M-5'«.
9-lB 71-63
The Church in Jud.ea and Samaria.
S*-". Philip in Samaria, Simon Magns. 10-40 Philip and the Kthiopian eunuch. 91.30 Conversion of Saul.
*'. Extension of the Church. 31-43 Peter at Lydda and Joppa.
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
29
10*-**. Conversion of Cornelius. Sjii^^cft o/ PfUr. 11*-**. Discussion on the subject al Jerusalem, Speech o/ Peter.
TUK ClIl'RCII IN AsTiocn.
11"'-*'. Foundntion of the Church In Antioch. *•-**. Collection for the poor in Jerusalem. Mission of Paul and Hurnabas. joi-itt. Persecution of Herod. Peter thrown into prison. •«-=. Death of llerod.
-*. Proffress of the Church. 12aa-i;i5. IJaruabas and Saul sent forth ft-om Antioch.
First Missiosarv Joubney of Paul and Barnabas. 13*-'^. Cyprus. Klymas and Sergius Paulus. 13-5*. Antioch in Plsidia. Speech of Paul to the Jews. 141-^. Iconium. *-^. I-ystra. Speech of Paul to the Geniftes. "-M. V'isit to I>erbe and return journey to Antioch on the Orontes. IM-^. The apostolic council in Jerusalem. Speeches of Peter and Jamen. Letter to ih« Chmrches.
SEroNn Missionary Journ'ey of St. Paul.
ISM-ll"^.
1T"-1\
IS"-"! 10U31
The Churches revisited
Journev into Europe. PbiUppl.
Thessalonica and liercea.
Athens. Sjietch of Paul in the Areopagus.
Corinth.
Keturn to Antioch in Syria.
Visit to Jerusalem.
TiiiBD Missionary Journey. I'J". Visit to Galatia. **-^. .\ polios at Ephesus. 191-*'. Paul at Ephesus. Disturbance In the theatre. !iH'-«. Journey iu Macedonia and Greece. '-'». Troas. ' "-21'". Journey to Jerusalem. Speech to eiders of Ephenu9 at Jfiletua.
Paul in Jerusalem.
21'^-*'. Disturbances arise.
2'J'-*'. J'aul'M npeech to the people.
•S-'i^". Paul before the Sanhedrin.
\z-xt_ i>aul .sent to Ca-sarea.
24i-2T_ Paulnnd FelLx. Speechenof Tertullusand Paul.
2.Vl'6. I'aul and Festus. SpeecJi be/ore Affrippa.
2T-2S"'. Journey to Kome.
Paul in Rome.
2S"-3i. Inter\'iew with the Jews. Paul begins to preach.
vii. AUTHOIifllTP AND DATE. — The following arguments enable us to fix with a considerable ai)proacli to certainty the authorship of the Acts. (1) It is quite certain that it is written by the author of the third Gospel. This is shown by the preface, which, like that of the Gospel, is addressed to Theophilus, and shows that the author claims to have written such a Gospel, and by the identity of style between the two books (the best and nio.st recent demonstration is that of Friedrich). This fact may be taken as admitted on all sides. (•J) The presence of certain portions written in the first person, seems to imply that the writer was an eye-witness of some of the events he describes, and a companion of St. Paul. In the Acts there are certain passages which are tech- nically known as the 'we' sections, viz. IG"-" 20^""21'-'«'27i-28".| Here the writer .speaks in the first person. Moreover, these sections and also the accompanyins; incidents, in which the writer does not lake part, but at wliich he was probably present, are presented with great fulne.ss and exactness of detail, and seem to imply that the writer was an eye-witne.ss. So far there is general agreement. Hut two explanations then become jiossible. Either the author of these sections was the author of the Acts, who changes the person when he becomes himself one of the companions of St. Paul, or these passages are one of the sources which the compiler of the work makes use of. All probability is in favour of the lirst view. The style of the ' we ' sections is that of the author. It is perfectly true, indeed, that the author works u)) his sources in his own phra.seology. as may lie seen by a study of the third (iospel ; but it is hardly possible to believe that a writer so artistic as the author of the Acts certainly is slionld have left these exceedingly incongruous lirst jiersons. So
keenly has this been felt, that it has been suggested that the author introduced these sections in tlie first person to give an appearance of genuineness to his narrative — a suggestion which refutes both itself and some other tlieories. An examination of the scope of these sections lends itself to the same view. The first section begins at Troas (Iti"') and continues to Philippi (10'"'); the .second begins at Philippi (20^) and continues over tlie whole period to the end of the book, the third person being occasionally adopted, as in 16'', when the event recorded concerns only St. Paul and some of his companions, and not the whole party, nor the author personally. The mo.st reasonable explanation of that fact is that the writer of these .sections joined the party at Troas and went to Philippi ; that after an interval of some years he again joined St. I'aul at Philippi, perhaps his native place, and accompanied him first to Jeru- salem and then to Rome. If any other hypothesis be adopted, it is difficult to account for the exceedingly fragmentary character of the sections. On the other side, it is argued tliat the ' we ' sections are so much more historical in their char.acter than some of the other sections, and so much fuller in detail, that they clearly betray a different hand. But the difference is never greater than would be found in passing from the work of an eye-witness to the work of one who, although a contemporary, is not an eye-witness. It is urged, again, that the work cannot be from the hand of a contemporarj' because of the inexactness and incorrectness of the knowledge of apostolic times which it exhibits. But this is really begging the whole question. We have no right to argue that a book is late because it is unhistorical, unless we have objective reasons for stating that it is so, which overpower the positive evidence for the early date. The balance of probability is in favour of the author of the Acts being identical with the author of the ' we ' sections, and therefore of being a companion of St. Paul, but a companion who joined the apostle somewhat late in his career, and who therefore could only have a second-hand acquaintance with earlier events.