THRACE TUS ON Paul’s route P & Egnation Way A N I H Y B I T Published by Baker Academic © 2018 Mark Allan Powell MYSIA GALATIA ASIA Pisidian CAPPADOCIA Antioch ARMENIA I A G Y R Iconium H Pisidia Lystra P P H Y A M L Derbe P I A M Perga Tarsus E I A S LYCIA Attalia C O I Seleucia P C I L Pieria O TA M CRETE Antioch IA of Syria A S E A N CYPRUS SYRIA A N E Salamis E R R 0 50 mi M E D I T Paphos PHOENICIA 0 50 km Map 10.1. Paul’s first missionary journey.

The book of Acts may read like an adventure novel, but actually it is a his- apostle: “one who is sent” (apostolos); tory book. And Luke’s ultimate interests are theological, or at least spiritual used for certain lead- and pastoral. The book is sometimes called “Acts of the Apostles,” but that ers among the earli- est followers of Jesus, name can be misleading. Luke does recount stories of the apostles (and other especially the twelve prominent church leaders), but he is most interested in recounting the acts of disciples and Paul. God. The book could almost be called “Acts of the Holy Spirit” or “Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ.”

Overview The book of Acts opens with a preface to Theophilus (1:1–5), an account of Jesus’s ascension (1:6–11), and a brief narrative of how Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot as the twelfth apostle (1:12–26). Then, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit fills 120 believers, who speak in tongues (2:1–13), and Peter preaches to the crowd, gaining many new converts (2:37–41). The marks of the early church are described (2:42–47). The healing of a lame man (3:1–10) leads to another sermon by Peter (3:11–26) and to the arrest of Peter and John by Jewish authorities (4:1–31). The Jerusalem church practices communal shar- ing of possessions, and two believers, Ananias and Sapphira, are struck dead by God for trying to take advantage of this arrangement (4:32–5:11). Luke then relates another arrest of the apostles and records that they were spared EXPLORE 10.0 Acts: Outline of further suffering due to both miraculous intervention and the advice of a toler- Contents ant rabbi, Gamaliel (5:12–42). A dispute between Hellenists and Hebrews in EXPLORE 10.1 the church leads to the appointment of seven men to exercise leadership in the Content Summary: community (6:1–7); one of them, Stephen, is stoned to death by hostile Jews Expanded Overview of the Book of Acts after preaching a sermon accusing them of unfaithfulness (6:8–8:1).

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