of opinion that no particular design should be ascribed to the evangelist in composing this book beyond that of furnishing his friend Theophilus with a pleas- ing and instructive narrative of such events as had come under his own personal notice, either immediate- ly through the testimony of his senses or through the medium of the reports of others ; but such a view sa- vors too much of the lax opinions which these writers unhappily entertained regarding the sacred writers to be adopted by those who regard all the sacred books as designed for the permanent instruction and benefit of the Church universal. Much more deserving of notice is the opinion of Hanlein, with which that of Michaelis substantially accords, that "the general de- sign of the author of this book was, by means of his narratives, to set forth the co-operation of God in the diffusion of Christianity, and along with that, to prove, by remarkable facts, the divinity of the apostles and the perfectly equal right of the Gentiles with the Jews to a participation in the blessings of that religion" (Elnkitwig, iii, 156. Comp. Michaelis, Introduction, iii, 330). Perhaps we should come still closer to the truth if wc were to say that the design of Luke in writing the Acts was to supply, by select and suit- able instances, an illustration of the power and work- ing of that religion which Jesus had died to establish. In his Gospel he had presented to his readers an ex- hibition of Christianity as embodied in the person, character, and works of its irreat founder; and having followed him in his narration until he Avas taken up out of the sight of his disciples into heaven, this second work was written to show how his religion operated when committed to the hands of those by whom it was to lie announced "to all nations, beginning at Jeru- salem" (Luke xxiv, 47). Hence, as justly stated by Baumgarten in his work on the Acts, Jesus, as the already exalted kins of Zion, appears, on all suitable ocasions, as the ruler and judge of supreme resort ; the apostles are but his representatives and instru- ments of working. It is He who appoints the twelfth witness, that takes the place of the fallen apostle (chap, i, 24); He who, having received the promise from the Father, sends down the Holy Spirit with power (chap, ii, 33) ; He who comes near to turn the people from their iniquities and add them to the mem- bership of his Church (chap, ii, 47 ; iii, 26) ; He who works miracles from time to time by the hand of the apostles ; who sends Peter to open the door of faith to the Gentiles ; who instructs Philip to go and meet the Ethiopian ; who arrests Saul in his career of per- secution, and makes him a chosen vessel to the Gen- tiles ; in short, who continually appears, presiding over the affairs of his Church, directing his servants in their course, protecting them from the hands of their enemies, and in the midst of much that was adverse, still giving effect to their ministrations, and causing the truth of the gospel to grow and bear fruit. We have therefore in this book, not merely a narrative of facts which fell out at the beginning of the Christian Church, in connection more especially with the apos- tolic atrency of Peter and Paul, but we have, first of all and in all, the ever-present, controlling, administra- tive agency of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, shedding forth the powers of his risen life, and giving shape and form to his spiritual and everlasting kingdom.
IV. Time and place 'of Writing. — These are still more uncertain. As the history is continued up to the close of the second year of Paul's imprisonment at Rome, it could not have been written before A.D. 56; it was probably, however, composed very soon after, so that wc shall not err far if we assign the close of the year 58 as the period of its completion. Still greater un- certainty hangs over the place where Luke composed it ; but as he. accompanied Paul to Rome, perhaps it wras at that city and under the auspices of the apostle that it was prepared. Had any considerable alteration in Paul's circumstances taken place before the publica-
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tion, there can be no reason why it should not have been noticed. And on other accounts also this time was by far the most likely for the publication of the book. The arrival in Koine was an important period in the apostle's life ; the quiet which succeeded it 6eemed to promise no immediate determination of his cause. See Theofhilus.
V. Style.— This, like that of Luke's Gospel, is much j purer than that of most other books of the New Testa- j merit. The Hebraisms which occasionally occur are almost exclusively to be found in the speeches of oth- ers which he has reported. These speeches are in- deed, for the most part, to be regarded rather as sum- maries than as full reports of what the speaker utter- ed; but as these summaries are given in the speaker's own words, the appearance of Hebraisms in them is as easily accounted for as if the addresses had been re- ported in full. His mode of narrating events is clear, dignified, and lively; and, as Michaelis observes, he " has well supported the character of each person whom he has introduced as delivering a public harangue, and has very faithfully and happily preserved the manner of speaking which was peculiar to each of his orators" (Introduction, iii, 332). See Luke.