Basic Facts About The Acts of The Apostles

Basic Facts about the Acts of the Apostles
The Book of Acts was written by the same evangelist who wrote the Gospel of Luke.
It was written in approximately AD 80.
The Acts of the Apostles picks up where the Gospel of Luke ends.
It recounts how the early Church grew under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Content in the Acts of the Apostles

In the Acts of the Apostles, we see the Church grow under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
What begins with a group of frightened disciples in an upper room ends with a Church
spanning the Roman Empire.
Chapters 1–12 focus on Saint Peter’s leadership in Jerusalem and nearby communities.
Chapters 13–28 focus on the missionary work of Saint Paul and his companions.
The Pentecost Event

What is the Pentecost event?
The feast of Pentecost celebrates the fulfilment of Jesus’ promise to send the Holy Spirit to
guide the disciples and their followers as they proclaim the truth of salvation in Jerusalem
and beyond.
Is Pentecost still celebrated? If so, when?
We celebrate Pentecost fifty days after Easter. Some people call it the birthday of the Church,
because the disciples went in confidence to form the first Christian community in Jerusalem.
Saint Paul
Saint Paul lived during the early to middle first century AD.
He was born into a Jewish community. He was a Roman citizen.
He studied under Rabbi Gamaliel and became a Pharisee.
He spent the first part of his life persecuting Christians, and he witnessed
the martyrdom of Saint Stephen.
The Conversion of Saint Paul
Saint Paul encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, in Syria.
The story of his conversion is found in Acts, chapter 9.
His conversion led him to become a true Apostle.
He established many Christian communities in major Roman cities.
To remain in contact with these communities, he wrote letters offering advice,
encouragement, and teaching.
These letters are part of his great contribution to our understanding of the Christian faith.
Pauline Letters
What are the Pauline letters?
They are letters written to individuals and

Christian communities in the Apostolic
Church.
There are twenty-one letters.
Over half of the letters (thirteen) are attributed

to Paul or to disciples who wrote in his name.
Paul’s letters follow a specific pattern.
Nine of the Pauline letters are addressed to

communities and four to individuals.
Some letters are grouped into two
subcategories:
the captivity letters
the pastoral letters
The Catholic Letters
What are the catholic letters?
The word catholic here means

“universal” or “general.”
The catholic letters are

intended for a general
audience or an unnamed
individual.
Seven non-Pauline letters are considered part

of the catholic letters.
These letters are named after an Apostle.

Like Paul’s letters they offer advice,
encouragement, and teaching about community
life and faith in Jesus Christ.
Introduction to the Book of Acts
• Title of the Book: Acts of Apostles
• Place of the Book: New Testament Historical Book
• Author of the Book: Luke
− The book of Acts was authored by the same person who wrote the third
gospel account.
• Both books are addressed to the same person, Theophilus (Acts 1:1
~ Luke 1:1-4).
• Acts 1:1 ties the book of Acts with a “former treatise,” continuing
the historical flow.
− Interesting evidence of Luke’s authorship are the “we” sections in the
book (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16).
− There is a close correlation between Luke’s gospel account and the book
of Acts.
• The gospel ends (Luke 24:49-53) and Acts begins (Acts 1:4-11) with
the promise of the Spirit and the ascension of Jesus.
• The gospel ends with instructions to the apostles (Luke 24:45-49)
and Acts begins with the apostles (Acts 1:12; 2:5, 38) tarrying in
Jerusalem and preaching repentance and remission of sins.
− Luke was the only Gentile to author a New Testament book (cf. Col. 4:10-
17).
• Recipient of the Book: Theophilus
− “Theophilus” is a compound name: theos (God) and philos (love).
− Theophilus was most likely a Gentile Christian – may have been a
government official.
• Date and Place of the Writing of the Book: 61-62 A.D. from Rome
− The book closes (abruptly) with the imprisonment of Paul in Rome for
two years (28:30).
− Luke, the author, was with Paul during his 2-year Roman imprisonment
(60-62 A.D.).
• Main Theme of the Book: Establishment and Spread of N.T. Christianity
− The primary theme of the book is the historical record (the Divine record)
of the origin, establishment and spread of New Testament Christianity in
the first-century world during its first three decades of existence (33-62
A.D.).
− At the end of the book of Acts, Paul wrote that “the gospel” had been
“preached to every creature under heaven” (Col. 1:23).
• Main Purpose of the Book: Detail Accounts of Conversions to Christ
− This is the primary purpose/reason the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to write
the book of Acts: To give readers multiple cases of conversion (and even
non-conversions), the main purpose for which Jesus died and the main
work for which the apostles were commissioned.
• The Lord knew that men are more effectively taught and more
easily motivated by examples than they are by instructions. The
book of Acts contains the instructions, but it also contains the
examples of those following the Divine instructions.
− The conversion accounts not only show “how” to be saved but “who” can
be saved.
• The numerous converts in the book of Acts represented all classes
of people.
• Outline of the Book: Acts 1:8
− Spreading the Gospel in Jerusalem (Acts 1-7)
− Spreading the Gospel in Judea and Samaria (Acts 8-12)
− Spreading the Gospel in the Uttermost Parts of the Earth (Acts 13-28)
• The Book of Acts is a sequel to the Gospel of Luke (1:1).
− Jesus showed what and how to “do” and then “taught.” Practice it, then
preach it.
• Before ascending, Jesus made several post-resurrection appearances to disciples
(1:3).
− The resurrection of Jesus (i.e., the foundation of Christianity) is
absolutely certain.
− Between His resurrection and ascension, Jesus spoke about the
kingdom/church (1:3).
• Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives (1:9-12).
− Jesus will come again, just as He promised (cf. John 14:3).
• 120 disciples assembled in “the upper room” in Jerusalem after His ascension
(1:12-14).
− Mary, the mother of Jesus, is presented in Scripture as an ordinary
woman (1:14).
• The apostles set out to replace Judas among the apostles (1:15-20).
− The Bible teaches that it is possible for one to be saved and then fall away
(1:15-25).
• Matthias was chosen to take Judas’ place as an apostle (1:21-26).
− Being an apostle was a qualified position for a limited time (1:21-22).
• When Acts 1 ends, the context is specifically dealing with the 12 apostles (1:26).
− When chapter 2 begins with “they” (v. 1), the apostles are the antecedent
of “they.”

Basic Facts About The Acts of The Apostles

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Basic Facts about the Acts of the Apostles

Content in the Acts of the Apostles

The Pentecost Event

What are the Pauline letters?

They are letters written to individuals and

There are twenty-one letters.

Over half of the letters (thirteen) are attributed

Paul’s letters follow a specific pattern.

Nine of the Pauline letters are addressed to

The word catholic here means

The catholic letters are

Seven non-Pauline letters are considered part

These letters are named after an Apostle.

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