Some Facts about Acts

It’s not a fact that Luke wrote Acts, but evidence points us in that direction.

Here are some facts:

Acts was written on a Papyrus roll (35 to 40 feet long).
Both Luke and Acts are about the same length in material.
Luke is the longest book in the New Testament. Acts is the second longest book in the NT.
Both books describe arrests and trials in about the same way. Luke spends almost ¼ of his gospel on Jesus’ arrest and trial. Luke spends almost ¼ of Acts on Paul’s arrest and trial.
Both books are written to the same man, Theophilus, who may have hired a copyist to make copies of these two books so that they were distributed around the ancient world. Both books cover around 30 years of history...the gospel starting around 4 BC and ending around 30 AD. Acts picks up at about 30 AD and ends close to 60 or 62 AD. The gospel foreshadows Acts with references to things that are not fulfilled until Acts is laid out.

Themes in Luke are continued in Acts:

1) Favorable attitude towards Samaritans (Luke 9:52-56; 17:11-19; Acts 8)
2) Role of women among Christ followers (Luke 8:1-3; Acts 16 & 18)
3) Clarification that John the Baptist was NOT the Messiah (Luke 3:15 & Acts 13:25; 19:5)

Some seeds that were planted in Luke are cultivated and matured in Acts. Ancient authors who wrote histories tried to make the volumes symmetrical in size and scope. Luke has done this with his gospel and Acts.

Mark