J. B. Lightfoot: Illustrations of the Acts from recent Discoveries, in the "Contemporary Review"
for May, 1878, pp. 288–296.
Dean Howson: Bohlen Lectures on the Evidential Value of the Acts of the Apostles, delivered in
Philadelphia, 1880. London and New York, 1880.
Friedr. Zimmer: Galaterbrief und Apostelgeschichte. Hildburghausen, 1882.
Comp. also, in part, J. H. Scholten: Das Paulinische Evangelium, trsl. from the Dutch by
Redepenning, Elberf., 1881. A critical essay on the writings of Luke (pp. 254 sqq.).- Commentaries on Acts.
By Chrysotom; Jerome; Calvin; Olshausen; De Wette (4th ed., revised by Overbeck, 1870); Meyer
(4th ed., 1870; 5th ed., revised by Wendt 1880); Baumgarten (in 2 parts, 1852, Engl. transl. in
3 vols., Edinburgh, 1856); Jos. A. Alexander; H. B. Hackett (2d ed., 1858; 3d ed., 1877); Ewald
(1872); Lecher-Gerok (in Lange’s Bibelwerk, transl. by Schaeffer, N. Y., 1866); F. C. Cook
(Lond., 1866); Alford; Wordsworth; Gloag; Plumptre; (in Ellicott’s Com.); Jacobson (in the
"Speaker’s Com.," 1880); Lumby (in the "Cambridge Bible for Schools," 1880); Howson and
Spence (in Schaff’s "Popul. Com.," 1880; revised for "Revision Com.," N. Y., 1882); K. Schmidt
(Die Apostelgesch. unter dem Hauptgesichtspunkt ihrer Glaubwürdigkeit kritisch exegetisch
bearbeitet. Erlangen, 1882, 2 vols.); Nösgen (Leipz. 1882), Bethge (1887).
The Acts and the Third Gospel.
The book of Acts, though placed by the ancient ecclesiastical division not in the "Gospel,"
but in the "Apostle," is a direct continuation of the third Gospel, by the same author, and addressed
to the same Theophilus, probably a Christian convert of distinguished social position. In the former
he reports what he heard and read, in the latter what he heard and saw. The one records the life and
work of Christ, the other the work of the Holy Spirit, who is recognized at every step. The word
Spirit, or Holy Spirit, occurs more frequently in the Acts than in any other book of the New
Testament. It might properly be called "the Gospel of the Holy Spirit."
The universal testimony of the ancient church traces the two books to the same author. This
is confirmed by internal evidence of identity of style, continuity of narrative, and correspondence
of plan. About fifty words not found elsewhere in the New Testament are common to both books.^1096
Object and Contents
The Acts is a cheerful and encouraging book, like the third Gospel; it is full of missionary
zeal and hope; it records progress after progress, conquest after conquest, and turns even persecution
and martyrdom into an occasion of joy and thanksgiving. It is the first church history. It begins in
Jerusalem and ends in Rome. An additional chapter would probably have recorded the terrible
persecution of Nero and the heroic martyrdom of Paul and Peter. But this would have made the
book a tragedy; instead of that it ends as cheerfully and triumphantly as it begins.
(^1096) See the conclusive proof in Zeller, pp. 414-452 (Engl. transl. by Dare, vol. II. 213-254). Holtzmann (Syn. Evang., p. 875):
"Als ausgemacht darf man heutzutage wohl annehmen, dass der Verfasser der Apostelgeschichte und des dritten Evangeliums
ein und dieselbePerson sind."Renan speaks in the same confident tone (Les Apôtres, pp. x. and xi. .): "Une chose hors de doute,
c’est que les Actes ont eut le méme auteur que le troisiéme évangile et sont une continuation de cet évangile ... La parfaite
ressemblance du style et des idées fournissent à cet égard d’abondantes démonstrations .... Les deux livres réunis font un ensemble
absolument du mime style, présentant les mémes locutions favorites et la méme façon de citer l’écriture."Scholten dissents from
this view and vainly tries to show that while both books originated in the school of Paul, the third evangelist elevates Paulinism
above Jewish Christianity, and the author of Acts recommends Paul to the Jewish-Christian party. The Gospel is polemical, the
Acts apologetic. Das Paulinische Evangelium, etc., transl. from the Dutch by Redepenning, Elberf., 1881, p. 315.
A.D. 1-100.