1. The connection between the work of the apostles and that of Jesus (Ac 1:1-11).
2. The equipment of the early disciples for their task (Ac 1:12 through Ac 2:47).
(a) The disciples obeying Christ's parting command (Ac 1:12-26).
(b) The place of Judas filled (Ac 1:15-26).
(c) Miraculous manifestations of the presence of the Holy Spirit (Ac 2:1-13).
(d) Peter's interpretation of the situation (Ac 2:14-36).
(e) The immediate effect of the sermon (Ac 2:37-41).
(f) The new spirit in the Christian community (Ac 2:42-47).
3. The development of the work in Jerusalem (Ac 3:1 through Ac 8:1a).
(a) An incident in the work of Peter and John with Peter's apologetic (Ac 3:1-26).
(b) Opposition of the Sadducees aroused by the preaching of the resurrection of Jesus (Ac 4:1-31).
(c) An internal difficulty, the problem of poverty (Ac 4:32 through Ac 5:11).
(d) Great progress of the cause in the city (Ac 5:12-16).
(e) Renewed hostility of the Sadducees and Gamaliel's retort to the Pharisees (Ac 5:17-42).
(f) A crisis in church life and the choice of the seven Hellenists (Ac 6:1-7).
(g) Stephen's spiritual interpretation of Christianity stirs the antagonism of the Pharisees and leads to his violent death (Ac 6:8 through Ac 8:1a).
4. The compulsory extension of the gospel to Judea, Samaria and the neighboring regions (Ac 8:1-40:Ac 1:1-26b-40).
(a) The great persecution, with Saul as leader (Ac 8:1-40:Ac 1:1-26b-Ac 4:1-37).
(b) Philip's work as a notable example of the work of the scattered disciples (Ac 8:5-40).
5. The conversion of Saul changes the whole situation for Christianity (Ac 9:1-31).
(a) Saul's mission to Damascus (Ac 9:1-3).
(b) Saul stopped in his hostile course and turns Christian himself (Ac 9:4-18).
(c) Saul becomes a powerful exponent of the gospel in Damascus and Jerusalem (Ac 9:19-30).
(d) The church has peace (Ac 9:31).
6. The door opened to the Gentiles, both Roman and Greek (Ac 9:32 through Ac 11:30).
(a) Peter's activity in this time of peace (Ac 9:32-43).
(b) The appeal from Cornelius in Caesarea and Peter's response (Ac 10:1-48).
(c) Peter's arraignment before the Pharisaic element in the church in Jerusalem (Ac 11:1-18).
(d) Greeks in Antioch are converted and Barnabas brings Saul to this work (Ac 11:19-26).
(e) The Greek Christians send relief to the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem (Ac 11:27-30).
7. Persecution from the civil government (Ac 12:1-25).
(a) Herod Agrippa I kills James and imprisons Peter (Ac 12:1-19).
(b) Herod pays the penalty for his crimes (Ac 12:20-23).
(c) Christianity prospers (Ac 12:24 f).
8. The Gentilepropaganda from Antioch under the leadership of Barnabas and Saul (Ac 13:1-52 through Ac 14:1-28).
(a) The specific call of the Holy Spirit to this work (Ac 13:1-3).
(b) The province of Cyprus and the leadership of Paul (Ac 13:4-12).
(c) The province of Pamphylia and the desertion of John Mark (Ac 13:13).
(d) The province of Galatia (Pisidia and Lycaonia) and the stronghold of the gospel upon the native population (Ac 13:14 through Ac 14:24).
(e) The return and report to Antioch (Ac 14:25-28).
9. The Gentilecampaign challenged by the Judaizers (Ac 15:1-35).
(a) They meet Paul and Barnabas at Antioch who decide to appeal to Jerusalem (Ac 15:1-3).
(b) The first public meeting in Jerusalem (Ac 15:4 f).
(c) The second and more extended discussion with the decision of the conference (Ac 15:6-29).
(d) The joyful reception (in Antioch) of the victory of Paul and Barnabas (Ac 15:30-35).
10. The second great campaign extending to Europe (Ac 15:36 through Ac 18:22).
(a) The breach between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark (Ac 15:36-39).
(b) From Antioch to Troas with the Macedonian Cry (Ac 15:40 through Ac 16:10).
(c) In Philippi in Macedonia the gospel gains a foothold in Europe, but meets opposition (Ac 16:11-40).
(d) Paul is driven also from Thessalonica and Berea (compare Philippi), cities of Macedonia also (Ac 17:1-15).
(e) Paul's experience in Athens (Ac 17:16-34).
(f) In Corinth Paul spends nearly two years and the cause of Christ wins legal recognition from the Roman governor (Ac 18:1-17).
(g) The return to Antioch by way of Ephesus, Caesarea and probably Jerusalem (Ac 18:18-22).
11. The third great tour, with Ephesus as headquarters (Ac 18:23 through Ac 20:3).
(a) Paul in Galatia and Phrygia again (Ac 18:23).
(b) Apollos in Ephesus before Paul comes (Ac 18:24-28).
(c) Paul's three years in Ephesus (Ac 19:1 through Ac 20:1a).
(d) The brief visit to Corinth because of the troubles there (Ac 20:1-38:Ac 1:1-26b-Ac 3:1-26).
12. Paul turns to Jerusalem again with plans for Rome (Ac 20:4 through Ac 21:16).
(a) His companions (Ac 20:4).
(b) Rejoined by Luke at Philippi (Ac 20:5 f).
(c) The story of Troas (Ac 20:7-12).
(d) Coasting along Asia (Ac 20:13-16).
(e) with the Ephesian elders at Miletus (Ac 20:17-38).
(f) From Miletus to Tyre (Ac 21:1-6).
(g) From Tyre to Caesarea (Ac 21:7-14).
(h) From Caesarea to Jerusalem (Ac 21:15 f).
13. The outcome in Jerusalem (Ac 21:15 through Ac 23:30).
(a) Paul's reception by the brethren (Ac 21:15-17).
(b) Their proposal of a plan by which Paul could undo the work of the Judaizers concerning him in Jerusalem (Ac 21:18-26).
(c) The uproar in the temple courts raised by the Jews from Asia as Paul was carrying out the plan to disarm the Judaizers (Ac 21:27-30).
(d) Paul's rescue by the Roman captain and Paul's defense to the Jewish mob (Ac 21:31 through Ac 22:23).
(e) Examination of the chief captain (Ac 22:24-29).
(f) Brought before the Sanhedrin (Ac 22:30 through Ac 23:10).
(g) Cheered by the Lord Jesus (Ac 23:11).
(h) Paul's escape from the plot of Jewish conspirators (Ac 23:12-30).
14. Paul a prisoner in Caesarea (Acts 23:31-26).
(a) The flight to Caesarea and presentation to Felix (Ac 23:31-35).
(b) Paul's appearance before Felix (Acts 24).
(c) Paul before Festus (Acts 25:1-12).
(d) Paul, as a matter of curiosity and courtesy, brought before Herod Agrippa II (Ac 25:13 through Ac 26:32).
15. Paul going to Rome (Acts 27:1 through 28:15).
(a) From Caesarea to Myra (Acts 27:1-5).
(b) From Myra to Fair Havens (Acts 27:6-8).
(c) From Fair Havens to Malta (Ac 27:9 through Ac 28:10).
(d) From Malta to Rome (Acts 28:11-15).
16. Paul in Rome at last (Acts 28:16-31).
(a) His quarters (Acts 28:16).
(b) His first interview with the Jews (Ac 28:17-22).
(c) His second interview with the Jews (Ac 28:23-28).
(d) Two years afterward still a prisoner, but with freedom to preach the gospel (Ac 28:30 f).
LITERATURE
Besides the works referred to above see Wendt's edition of Meyer's Kommentar (1899); Headlam inHDB ; Knowling on Acts in Expositor's Greek Testament (1900); Knowling, Witness of the Epistles (1892), Testimony of Paul to Christ (1905); Moffatt, Historical New Testament (1901).
Here is a selected list of important works:
1. Introduction:
Bacon, Introduction to the New Testament (1900); Bennett and Adeney, Biblical Introduction (1899); Bleek, Einleitung in das New Testament (4 Aufl, 1900); S. Davidson, (3rd edition, 1894); C. R. Gregory, Canon and Text of the New Testament (1907), H. J. Holtzmann, Einleitung in das New Testament (3 Aufl, 1892), Jacquies, Histoire des livres du New Testament (1905-8); Julicher, Introduction to the New Testament (translation, 1904); Peaks, Critical Introduction to the New Testament (1909); Reuss, Canon of the Holy Scriptures (translation, 1886); Salmon, Hist Introduction to the Study of the Books of the New Testament (7th edition, 1896), von Soden, The History of Early Christian Lit. (translation, 1906), B. Weiss, A Manual of Introduction to the New Testament (translation, 1889), Westcott, History of the Canon of the New Testament (1869), Zahn, Introduction to the New Testament (translation, 1909), Moffatt, Introduction to the Lit. of the New Testament (1911).
2. Text:
See general works on textual criticism of the New Testament (Gregory, Kenyon, Nestle, Tischendorf, Scrivener, von Soden, B. Weiss, Westcott, etc.). Of special treatises note Blass, Philology of the Gospels (1898). Acta Apostolorum (1895); Bornemann, Acta Apostolorum (1848); Chase, Old Syriac Element in the Text of Codex Bezae (1893), Corssen, Der cyprianische Text der Acta Apostolorum (1892); Klostermann, Probleme im Apostel Texts (1883), Klostermann, Vindiciae Lucanae (1866); Nestle, Philologia (1896); J. Rendel Harris, Study Codex Bezae (1891).
3. Apostolic History:
For literature on the life of Paul see Robertson, Epochs in the Life of Paul (1909), 321-27, and articlePAUL in this encyclopedia. Important general works are the following: Bartlet, The Apostolie Age (1899); Baumgarten, The Apostolic History (translation, 1854); Blunt, Studies in the Apostolic Age (1909); Burton, Records and Letters of the Apostolic Age (1895); Doellinger, The First Age of the Church (translation, 1867); Dobschutz, Christian Life in the Primitive Church (translation, 1904); Ewald, History of the Apostolic Times (translation, Vol VI in History of Israel); Farrar, Early Days of Christianity (1887); Fisher, The Beginnings of Christianity (1877); Gilbert, Christianity in the Apostolic Age (1908); Harnack, The Expansion of Christianity in the First Three Centuries (translation, 1904-5); Hausrath, Neut. Zeitgeschichte (Bd. 2, 1872); Heinrici, Das Urchristentum (1902); Holtzmann, Neut. Zeitgeschichte (1895); Hort, Judaistic Christianity (1898); Organization of the Early Christian Churches (1895); Lechler, The Apostolic and Post-Apostolic Times (translation, 1886); Lightfoot, Dissertations on the Apostolic Age (1892); Lindsay, The Church and the Ministry in the Early Centuries (1902); McGiffert, A History of Christianity in the Apostolic Age (1897); Neander, History of the Planting and Training of the Christian Church (1889); Pfleiderer, Christian origins (1906), Pressonse, The Early Years of Christianity (1870); Purves, Christianity in the Apostolic Age (1901), Ramsay, The Church in the Roman Empire (1893); Ritschl, Die Entstehung der altkath. Kirche (1857); Ropes, The Apostolic Age in the Light of Modern Criticism (1906); Weizsacker, The Apostolic Age of the Christian Church (translation, 1894-95); Pictures of the Apostolic Church (1910).
4. Special Treatises on the Acts:
Belser, Beitrage zur Erklarung der Apostelgeschichte (1897); Benson, Addresses on the Acts of the Apostles (1901); Bethge, Die paulinischen Reden der Apostelgeschichte (1887); Blass, Acta Apostolorum secundum Formam quae videtur Romanam (1896); Chase, The Credibility of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles (1902); Clemen, Die Apostelgeschichte, im Lichte der neueren Forschungen (1905); Fiene, Eine vorkanonische Nebenlieferung des Lukas in Evangelium und Apostelgeschichte (1891); Harnack, Luke, the Physician (translation, 1907); The Acts of the Apostles (1909); Hilgenfeld, Acta Apostolorum Graece et Latine (1899); Jungst, Die Quellen der Apostelgeschichte (1895); Krenkel, Josephus und Lucas (1894); Luckok, Footprints of the Apostles as Traced by Luke in the Acts (1897); J. Lightfoot, Hebrew and Talmudical Exercitations on the Acts of the Apostles (1768); Paley, Horae Paulinae (Birks edition, 1850); Ramsay, Paul the Traveler (1896); Pauline and Other Studies (1906); Cities of Paul (1908), Luke the Physician, and Other Studies (1908); J. Smith, Voyage and Shipwreck of Paul (4th edition, 1880); Sorof, Die Entstehung der Apostelgeschichte (1890); Spitta, Die Apostelgeschichte, ihre Quellen und deren geschichtlicher Worth (1891); Stiffler, An Introduction to the Book of Acts (1892); Vogel, Zur Characteristik des Lukas nach Sprache und Stil (1897); J. Weiss, Ueber die Absicht und die literarischen Charakter der Apostelgeschichte (1897); Zeller, The Contents and Origin of the Acts of the Apostles (translation, 1875); Maurice Jones, Paul the Orator (1910).
5. Commentaries:
There are the great standard works. like Bede, Bengel, Calvin, Chrysostom, Grotius. The chief modern commentaries are the following: Alexander (1857), Alloral (6th edition, 1868), Bartlet (1901), Blass (Acta Apostolorum, 1895), Ewald (Apostelgeschichte, 1871), Felten (Apostelgeschichte, 1892), Hackett (1882), Holtzmann (Hand-Commentar, 3 Aufl, 1901), Knabenbauer (Actus Apostol, 1899), Knowling (Expositor's Greek Text, 1900), Luthardt and Zoeckler (Apostelgeschichte, 2nd edition, 1894), McGarvey (1892), Meyer (translation by Gloag and Dickson, 1885), Meyer-Wendt (Apostelgeschichte, 1888). Noesgen (Apostelgeschichte, 1882), Olshausen (1832), Page (1897), Rackham (1901), Rendall, (1897), Stokes (1892), B. Weiss (Apostelgeschichte, 1892, 2nd edition).
A. T. Robertson