How Acts got into the Bible

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The Book of Acts is traditionally ascribed to a companion of Paul, who refers to himself (using the pronoun "we") as a member of the party that accompanied Paul on his missionary travels. Tradition identifies him with Luke, the beloved physician, who joins Paul in Troas for the Macedonian mission. There are literary continuities between Luke's gospel and the Book of Acts. However, several scholars are sceptical of attributing the work to Luke, and contend that the author of Acts wrote at least a generation after the death of Paul. There is an extensive debate over the authorship of Acts, and you need to be aware that a number of different positions have been put forward.
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<br><br>The purpose of the Book of Acts is to mark the continuation of the Christian ministry after the death of Jesus. There may have well been a fear after Jesus' death that the movement he had began might fall into decline with the loss of its charismatic leader. The Book of Acts dispels such fears by showing how key figures in Jesus' fellowship, such as Peter and Paul, continued Jesus' teachings and also continued the performance of his miracles (e.g. Acts 3:6, 9:40; 19:11). It also shows how, as a response of their ministry, the movement began to expand rapidly, beginning from about 120 people (1:15) to an extra 3000 (2:41), and so on (4:4; 9:31; 11:21), spreading throughout Palestine and beyond.
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<br><br>The Book of Acts also reaffirms the Revelation presented by Jesus, emphasising the importance of repentence before the coming apocalypse. The execution and resurrection of Jesus is made a central feature in the message of the apostles (13:27ff), and there is a reaffirmation of ...