The Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the Apostles, traditionally attributed to Luke and planned as a continuation of his gospel, is one of the most interesting and important texts to have come down from the ancient world. It is the only account we have of how a Jewish sect began to evolve into the new religion of Christianity. In Acts we see from a unique perspective how the Roman Empire operated on the ground. The skilfully written narrative combines elements of history, biography and adventure story. Its complex background encompasses the Hebrew Bible, the accounts of the life and death of Jesus of Nazareth that formed the gospels, and the literature of classical Greece. Paul, the hero of Acts, has three identities: Jewish, Greek, and Roman.

Students of classical subjects often know little of the Bible, and readers of the Bible may be unfamiliar with the Graeco-Roman setting of the New Testament. This edition aims to provide accessible guidance through the text. Whatever view is taken of its historical accuracy, and whatever religious or other beliefs the reader brings to it, Acts has a compelling ability to hold our attention. Here more than anywhere else the biblical and classical worlds intersect.