Introduction to the Gospels & Acts

Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Acts

These brief introductions are intended merely as a first orientation to the individual books.
If they prove helpful in your Bible teaching, you may expand/adapt them as you wish. P.R.

The Gospel According to Matthew

Popular in Early Church
Sources
Authorship and Date
Five Discourses
Major Section
Detailed Outline
Dict. art. on Matthew
Original Language?
Dependent on Mark
Link with the apostle, Matthew
Infancy of Jesus
Church for all Nations
Eschatological Christology

Popular in Early Church

From the mid-second century, this Gospel according to Matthew has been listed first in the order of the four canonical Gospels and was most popular of the four in the church, mainly because of its wide selection of suitable readings for liturgical use, but also because it laid out the moral message of Jesus in a systematic form, beginning with the Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5-7). For many in the early church, Matthew's was the the most intelligible and comprehensive account of Jesus' teachings as well as his miracles.

Sources

On close analysis, it seems that much of Matthew's narrative material is drawn from the earlier, shorter and simpler Gospel of Mark, which our author developed and refined, to present a more reverential, kingly portrayal of Jesus. To Mark's narrative, Matthew added many of the Lord's moral teachings and parables � some of which he shares with Luke; thus, Luke and Matthew are believed to drawn material also from a shared source named Q (from German Quelle).

Matthew's Gospel has a more Jewish flavour than Mark's, and he quotes the Old Testament much more frequently to show it fulfilled in Jesus. Though we cannot be certain, it was likely written in Antioch, where the Christian community after the fall of Jerusalem (AD 70) included members both of Jewish and pagan background. We should date this Gospel around the year AD 80.

Authorship and Date

The writer of this Gospel is anonymous to us, and is unlikely to have been the tax-collector Matthew (Mt 9:9, or as Mark 2:14 calls him, Levi) who is named among Jesus' apostles. But in order to allow some validity to the witness of bishop Papias who, about the year AD 120 linked this Gospel with the apostle Matthew, it seems plausible to imagine a school of disciples of St. Matthew,-as deeply rooted as he was in Jewish ways of teaching and interpretation,-as the place within which this text was written. Perhaps Matthew the apostle's preaching was the source of its eleven formal quotations of Old Testament messianic prophecies which the Evangelist lists as fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus (note the recurring phrase: This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet . . . ).

Five Discourses

A striking feature of Matthew's Gospel is its division into five discourses, or sermons, each linked to a narrative section which flows into it. These discourses are:

(1) chapters 5�7: the Sermon on the Mount, a set of ethical ideals for the Kingdom, marked by a higher righteousness than that of the Pharisees;

(2) chapter 10: a discourse on the disciples' mission to spread the Gospel of Jesus;

(3) chapter 13: parables about the gradual and mysterious coming of the Kingdom of God;

(4) chapter 18: guidance on church discipline, critique of leaders who lead their flock astray and how to deal justly with sinning members; and

(5) chapters 23 � 25: the call to prepare for the end of time (Parousia, or return of Christ) and of how people will be judged on their behaviour.

Each of these discourses ends with a similar formula: now when Jesus had finished these sayings. . . . The pattern suggests that this Gospel was a teaching handbook to guide new Christians in the way of Jesus, and how to live as members of his community, the church. Among the Evangelists, only Matthew uses the Greek word ekklesia, (church 16:18 and 18:17), which is so widely used by St. Paul.

Matthew tells (1-2) of Jesus' descent (by adoption) through Joseph into the Abrahamic (Chosen People) and Davidic (Royal) line, though born of the virgin Mary. It tells of their flight into Egypt (recalling the story of Moses' infancy) and of the fulfilment of Scripture. This Gospel concludes with the appearance of the risen Lord in Galilee, where he gives the final great commission, to teach all nations.

It is clear that by the time this was written, the church had passed into a Gentile Christian milieu. The Gospel reflects some separation of Christianity from its Jewish matrix, by speaking very critically (Matt. 23) of scribes and the Pharisees, meaning those of the synagogue who had rejected Christianity, not recognizing it for what it truly is, the fulfilment of the whole prophetic movement in Israel. Matthew's church is conscious of its Jewish origins but also of a great difference now separating it from the synagogue. It sees itself participating in the sufferings of Christ (as in Mark) but also as functioning with the power of the risen Lord to bring his life and message to all the world.

Matthew's depiction of Jesus as Lord, King, Judge, Saviour, Messiah, Son of man, and Son of God (all messianic titles) is strongly eschatological. His death, and above all his resurrections, ushers in the final period of world history. In this Gospel, the resurrection is properly witnessed by more than one male witness so that there can be no ambiguity about the meaning of the empty tomb. The Lord directs his disciples to go to Galilee, and Matthew can end with the commission to the disciples/church, to convert the whole world, because the risen Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth for all time.

Major Section

A. Jesus' Origins (1-2)

B. Jesus' Ministry (3-25)

1. Beginnings of Ministry (3:1-22)

2. Sermon on the Mount (5,1�7,29)

3. Healings, and Gathering Followers (8,1�9,38)

4. Mission Discourse (10,1-42)

5. Rejection by This Generation (11,1�12,50)

6. Parables of the Kingdom (13,1-52)

7. Acknowledged by Disciples (13,53�17,27)

8. Community Discourse (18,1-35)

9. Other Teachings With Authority (19,1�23,39)

10. Eschatological Discourse (24,1�25,46)

C. Death and Rebirth (26�28)

1. Suffering and Death (26:1�27:66)

2. Resurrection and Great Commission (28:1-20)

Detailed Outline

A. Infancy Narrative (1:1--2:23)

1. Genealogy of Jesus (1:1-17)

2. Birth of Jesus (1:18-25)

3. Visit of the Wise Men (2:1-12)

4. Flight to Egypt (2:13-15)

5. Slaughter of the Innocents (2:16-18)

6. Return from Egypt (2:19-23)

B. Ministry of Jesus (3:1--25:46)

1. Beginnings of the Ministry (3:1�4:22)

a) Preaching of John the Baptist (3:1-12)

b) Baptism of Jesus (3:13-17)

c) Temptation of Jesus (4:1-11)

d) Beginning of the Galilean Ministry (4:12-17)

e) Call of the Disciples (4:18-22)

2. Sermon on the Mount (4:23--7:29)

a) Introduction (4:23�5:2)

b) Key Principles (5:3-16)

(i) Beatitudes (5:3-12)

(ii) Salt and Light (5:13-16)

c) New Ethic: Six Contrasts (5:17-48)

(i) Higher Righteousness (5:17-20)

(ii) Anger (5:21-26)

(iii) Adultery (5:27-30)

(iv) Divorce (5:31-32)

(v) Oaths (5:33-37)

(vi) Retaliation (5:38-42)

(vii) Love of Enemies (5:43-48)

d) Motive of Works of Piety (6:1-18)

(i) Almsgiving (6:1-4)

(ii) Prayer (6:5-15)

(iii) Fasting (6:16-18)

e) Further Instructions (6:19�7:12)

(i) Treasure in Heaven (6:19-21)

(ii) Single Eye (6:22-23)

(iii) God and Mammon (6:24)

(iv) Care and Anxiety (6:25-34)

(v) Judging Others (7:1-6)

(vi) Ask, Seek, Knock (7:7-12)

f) Conclusion of the Sermon (7:13-29)

(i) Narrow gate (7:13-14)

(ii) Bearing Fruit (7:15-20)

(iii) Not just Lord, Lord! (7:21-23)

(iv) Houses Built on Rock or Sand (7:24-29)

3. Healings, and Gathering Followers (8:1--9:38)

a) Cleansing of a Leper (8:1-4)

b) Cure of the Centurion's Servant (8:5-13)

c) Healing of Peter's Mother-in-law (8:14-15)

d) Sick People Healed at Evening (8:16-17)

e) On Following Jesus (8:18-22)

f) Stilling the Storm (8:23-27)

g) Cure of the Gadarene Demoniacs (8:28-34)

h) Healing of the Paralytic (9:1-8)

i) Call of Matthew, the Tax Collector (9:9-13)

j) Question about fasting (9:14-17)

k) Healing of a Ruler's Daughter (9:18-26)

l) Healing of Two Blind Men (9:27-31)

m) Healing of a Dumb Demoniac (9:32-34)

n) Compassion of Jesus (9:35-38)

4. Missionary Discourse (10:1-42)

a) Mission of the Twelve Apostles (10:1-4)

b) Commissioning the Twelve (10:5-15)

c) How to face Future Persecutions (10:16-25)

d) Appropriate and Inappropriate Fear (10:26-31)

e) Confessing Jesus before People (10:32-39)

f) Rewards of Discipleship (10:40-42)

5. Rejection by This Generation (11:1--12:50)

a) John the Baptist and Jesus (11:1-19)

b) Woes on the Cities (11:20-24)

c) Jesus' Cry of Jubilation (11:25-30)

d) Plucking Ears of Corn on the Sabbath (12:1-8)

e) Healing the Man with the Withered Hand (12:9-14)

f) The Chosen Servant (12:15-21)

g) Jesus and Beelzebul (12:22-32)

h) A Tree and its Fruits (12:33-37)

i) The Sign of Jonah (12:38-42)

j) The Return of the Evil Spirits (12:43-45)

k) Jesus' Family (12:46-50)

6. Parables of the Kingdom (13:1-52)

a) Parable of the Sower (13:1-9)

b) Purpose of the parables (13:10-17)

c) Parable of the Sower Explained (13:18-23)

d) Parable of the Weeds among the Wheat (13:24-30)

e) Parables of the Mustard Seed the leaven (13:31-33)

f) Jesus' Use of parables (13:34-35)

g) Interpretation of the Parable of the Weeds (13:36-43)

h) Parables of the Treasure, the Pearl the Dragnet (13:44-50)

i) Old and New (13:51-52)

7. Acknowledged by His Disciples (13:53�17:27)

a) Rejection of Jesus in his own Country (13:53-58)

b) Death of John the Baptist (14:1-12)

c) Feeding of the Five Thousand (14:13-21)

d) Walking on the Water (14:22-23)

e) Healing of the Sick in Gennesaret (14:34-36)

f) Jesus vs Pharisaic Tradition on Purity and Vows (15:1-20)

g) Canaanite Woman's faith (15:21-28)

h) Healing of Many People (15:29-31)

i) Feeding of the Four Thousand (15:32-39)

j) Demand for a Sign (16:1-4)

k) Leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees (16:5-12)

l) Peter's Declaration (16:13-20)

m) First Passion Prediction (16:21-28)

n) Transfiguration (17:1-13)

o) Healing of the Epileptic Boy (17:14-20)

p) Second Passion Prediction (17:22-23)

q) Coin in the Fish's Mouth (17:24-27)

8. Community Discourse (18:1-35)

a) True Greatness (18:1-5)

b) Leaders who Cause little Ones to Sin (18:6-9)

c) Parable of the Lost Sheep (18:10-14)

d) Trial Procedures (18:15-20)

e) Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (18:21-35)

9. Other Teachings With Authority (19:1--23:39)

a) Teaching about Divorce (19:1-12)

b) Little Children are Blessed (19:13-15)

c) Rich Young Man (19:16-30)

d) Parable of the labourers in Vineyard (20:1-16)

e) Third Prediction of the Passion (20:17-19)

f) Request of the Sons of Zebedee (20:20-28)

g) Healing of the Two Blind Men (20:29-34)

h) Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem (21:1-11)

i) Cleansing of the Temple (21:12-17)

j) Cursing of the Fig Tree (21:18-22)

k) Authority of Jesus Questioned (21:23-27)

l) Parable of the Two Sons (21:28-32)

m) Parable of the Vineyard the Wicked Tenants (21:33-46)

n) Parable of the Marriage Feast (22:1-14)

o) Paying Taxes to Caesar (22:15-22)

p) Question about the Resurrection (22:23-33)

q) Great Commandment (22:34-40)

r) Question about David's Son (22:41-46)

s) Woes against Scribes and Pharisees (23:1-36)

t) Lament over Jerusalem (23:37-39)

10. Eschatological Discourse (24:1--25:46)

a) Not One Stone upon Another (24:1-2)

b) The Coming Woes (24:3-14)

c) Great Tribulation (24:15-28)

d) Coming of the Son of Man (24:29-31)

e) Lesson of the Fig Tree (24:32-35)

f) Unknown Day and Hour (24:36-44)

g) Faithful and Unfaithful Servant (24:45-51)

h) Wise and Foolish Virgins (25:1-13)

i) Parable of the Talents (25:14-30)

j) Judgement of the Nations (25:31-46)

C. Death and Rebirth (26:1--28:20)

1. Suffering and Death of Jesus (26:1�27:66)

a) Plot to Kill Jesus (26:1-5)

b) Anointing at Bethany (26:6-13)

c) Judas' Agreement to betray Jesus (26:14-16)

d) Passover with the Disciples (26:17-25)

e) Institution of the Lord's Supper (26:26-30)

f) Peter's Denial Foretold (26:31-35)

g) Prayer in Gethsemane (26:36-46)

h) Betrayal Arrest of Jesus (26:47-56)

i) Jesus before the Sanhedrin (26:57-68)

j) Peter's Denial of Jesus (26:69-75)

k) Jesus Brought before Pilate (27:1-2)

l) Death of Judas (27:3-10)

m) Jesus Questioned before Pilate (27:11-14)

n) Jesus Sentenced to Die (27:15-26)

o) Soldiers Mock Jesus (27:27-31)

p) Crucifixion of Jesus (27:32-44)

q) Death of Jesus (27:45-56)

r) Burial of Jesus (27:57-61)

s) Guard at the Tomb (27:62-66)

2. Resurrection and Great Commission (28:1-20)

a) Resurrection of Jesus (28:1-10)

b) Report of the Guards (28:11-15)

c) Commissioning the Disciples (28:16-20)

Dict. art. on Matthew

The author wrote the Gospel of Jesus carefully assembling materials from the earliest preaching, and shaping them according to his own plans and aims, and from his own point of view, as did also the other "evangelists."

Most "Jewish" of the Gospels: As to the time of its composition, there is little in the text itself to indicate. The sharpness of Jesus' attack on the Pharisees (Mt 23) suggests that Matthew's community has been cast out of the Jewish synagogue - therefore at a time well beyond 70 AD. The forms of thought and expression employed by the writer show that this Gospel was written for Jewish Christians. His great object is to prove that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah, and that in him the ancient prophecies had their fulfilment. Matthew's story is full of allusions to those passages of the Old Testament in which Christ is predicted and foreshadowed. The aim prevading the whole book is to show that Jesus is he "of whom Moses in the law and the prophets wrote." This Gospel contains no fewer than sixty-five references to the Old Testament, forty-three being direct verbal citations, so greatly outnumbering those found in the other Gospels. Another way of expressing this central feature of Matthew's Gospel is Jesus' the motto, "I am not ome to destroy, but to fulfil." (Mt 5:17-19)

Original Language?

As to the original language in which this Gospel was written there is some controversy. Some would hold, following the tradition reported by bishop Papias, that it was originally written in Hebrew and afterwards translated into Greek, either by Matthew himself or by some person unknown. But Papias' "Hebraidi Dialektw" could mean "in a Jewish style" rather than "in the Hebrew tongue" and no primitive Hebrew text of it has ever been found. This Gospel in Greek was received in the Church and there is nothing in it to show that it is a translation. Though Matthew wrote mainly for the Jews, they were everywhere familiar with the Greek language. The same reasons which would require a translation into Greek would have led the evangelist to write in Greek at first.

From the mid-second century, this Gospel According to Matthew has been listed first in the order of the four canonical Gospels and was most popular of the four in the church, probably because of its wide selection of suitable readings for liturgical use. It was the the most intelligible and comprehensive account of Jesus' teachings as well as his miracles.

Dependent on Mark

Much of Matthew's narrative material is drawn from the earlier, simpler Gospel of Mark, and somewhat refined, to present a more reverential, kingly portrayal of Jesus. To Mark he has added many of the Lord's moral teachings and parables - some of which he shares with Luke; so, Luke and Matthew are said to draw material also from a shared source named "Q" (from German "Quelle"). Matthew's Gospel has a more Jewish flavour than Mark's, and quotes the Old Testament much more frequently to show it fulfilled in Jesus. Probably it was written in Antioch, where the Christian community after the fall of Jerusalem (AD 70) was of mixed Jewish and pagan background. We should date this Gospel around the year AD 80.

Link with the apostle, Matthew

The writer of this Gospel is anonymous to us, and is most unlikely to have been the tax collector Matthew (or Levi) named among Jesus' apostles. But in order to allow some validity to the witness of bishop Papias who, about the year AD 120 linked this Gospel with the apostle Matthew, it seems plausible to imagine a "school" of disciples of St. Matthew, as deeply rooted as he was in Jewish ways of teaching and interpretation, within which this text was written. Perhaps that apostle's preaching was the source of its eleven formal quotations of Old Testament messianic prophecies seen as fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus ("This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet . . .").

Infancy of Jesus

Church for all Nations

It is clear that by the time this was written, the church had passed into a Gentile Christian milieu. The Gospel reflects some separation of Christianity from its Jewish matrix, by speaking very critically (Matt. 23) of "scribes and the Pharisees," meaning those of the synagogue who had rejected Christianity, not recognizing it for what it truly is, the fulfilment of the whole prophetic movement in Israel. Matthew's church is conscious of its Jewish origins but also of a great difference now separating it from the synagogue. It sees itself participating in the suffering of Christ (as in Mark) but also as functioning with the power of the risen Lord to bring his life and message to all the world.

Eschatological Christology

Matthew's depiction of Jesus as Lord, King, Judge, Saviour, Messiah, Son of man, and Son of God (all messianic titles) is strongly eschatological, i.e. predicated on the belief that the final age of history has dawned, in Jesus. His death, and above all his resurrections, ushers in the final period of world history. In this Gospel the resurrection is properly witnessed by more than one male witness so that there can be no ambiguity about the meaning of the empty tomb. The Lord directs his disciples to go to Galilee, and Matthew can end with the commission (to the disciples/church) to convert the whole world, because the risen Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth for all time.

The Gospel According to Mark

The Earliest Gospel
Main Themes
"Messianic Secret" in Mark
Authorship and Date
Notable Passages
Major Section
Detailed Outline
Dict. art. on Mark

The Earliest Gospel

Mark, the earliest of the three Synoptic Gospels (i.e., those presenting a common or shared view of the life of Jesus) is the shortest of the four Gospels, and probably was written during the decade preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

It is virtually certain that this Gospel (or an early form of it) was used by Matthew and Luke in composing their more developed accounts; more than 90 percent of the content of Mark's Gospel appears in Matthew's, and more than 50 percent in the Gospel of Luke. Although it lacks literary polish, it is simple and direct and often quite vivid in its description of incidents and encounters. As the earliest of the four canonical Gospels, it is valued as our primary source of information about the ministry and message of Jesus. Mark's explanations of Jewish customs and his translations of Aramaic expressions fits well with the early tradition that he was writing for Gentile converts living in Rome, just after the death of the apostles Peter and Paul.

Main Themes

After an introduction (1:1-13), this Gospel describes Jesus' ministry in and around Galilee (1:14�8:26); his journey to Jerusalem (11-13); his Passion (14-15) and Resurrection (16:1-8). The final passage (16:9-20) is omitted in some manuscripts, including the two oldest, and a shorter passage is substituted in others. Many believe that these last verses were not written by Mark, at least not at the same time as the rest of his Gospel, but were added later to provide some account of the Risen Christ.

This Gospel stresses the deeds, strength, and determination of our Lord, in overcoming evil forces and defying the power of imperial Rome. It narrates works of healing, exorcism, multiplication of food and nature miracles like the calming of the storm (Mk 4:36-41). Comparison of Mark's miracle stories with those of the other two Synoptics clearly suggests the priority of Mark, as being the simpler, less polished version. See the parallel accounts of the cure of the paralysed man, of Peter's mother-in-law, of stilling the storm on the lake and walking on the water, and of feeding the five thousand by multiplying the loaves.

In a special way, Mark highlights the Passion as something that our Lord had to undergo, alluding to it from an early stage (already at 3:6 the leaders plot to destroy him), having Jesus explicitly predict it (8:31; 9:31; 10:32), and devoting fully the final third of the text (chapters 11-16) to the last week of Jesus' life.

"Messianic Secret" in Mark

Mark shows Jesus as reluctant to call himself or have others refer to him as the Messiah. After working a miracle, he often commands that nobody be told about it (the leper, in Mk 1:44; the cured man in 7:36; even the demons are not permited to speak, because they knew him 1:34).

Jesus prefers to speak of himself as the Son of Man, and while Peter's profession in him as the Christ is tacitly accepted, he tells his followers not to tell anyone about him until after his resurrection (the Markan Messianic Secret). The inner meaning of the passion is brought out clearly in reference to a chalice that must be drunk (10:35 ff), as a work of service and sacrifice. The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (10:45).

Of course, by the time Mark wrote, it was fully appropriate to proclaim the risen Jesus in his full glory. Therefore Mark's account is introduced as the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:1). But the Evangelist wishes to warn his fellow-disciples that their way to glory in the life to come will lead them also to follow Jesus on the path of sacrificial suffering.

Authorship and Date

As with most of the biblical writings, the author is not named within the text. However, it was attributed in antiquity to John Mark (Acts 12:12; 15:37), an associate of Paul and a disciple of Peter, whose teachings the Gospel may indeed reflect. There is no compelling reason not to accept the early tradition � from a bishop Papias, writing about 120 AD � naming the author as Mark, a disciple of St Peter. If Peter was martyred in Rome during the persecution under Nero, in 64 AD, the question arises whether Mark wrote the Gospel before or after Peter's death. The early sources do not agree on this point, and it appears much more likely that Mark wrote his Gospel after that date, since the need for a written account of Jesus' words and actions would be felt more urgently with the disappearance of the eyewitnesses from among the community.

A more hotly debated issue is whether Mark's Gospel was written before or after the destruction of Jerusalem, in 70 AD.

Notable Passages

Jesus' Initial Proclamation (1:14-15)

Healing on the Sabbath (3:1-6)

Parable of the Sower (4:3-9)

Stilling the Storm (4:35-41)

Healing the Woman and the Little Girl (5:21-43)

Jesus Acknowledged as Messiah (8:27-30)

Blessing of the Children (10:13-16)

Blind Bartimaeus (10:46-52)

Resurrection of the Dead (12:18-27)

Major Section

Prologue: Baptism and Proclamation (1:1-15)
Jesus Exercises his Power, in Galilee (1:16�3:6)
Rejected in Galilee (3:7�6:6)
Misunderstood by Disciples (6:7�8:21)
Teaching His Disciples, Going to Jerusalem (8:22�10:52)
Final Week in Jerusalem (11:1�13:37)
Jesus' Death and Resurrection (14:1�16:20)

Detailed Outline

A. Prologue: Jesus' Baptism and Proclamation (1:1-15)

1. John's Ministry and Message (1:1-8)

2. Jesus' Baptism and Identity (1:9-11)

3. The Temptation in the Desert (1:12-13)

4. Jesus' Initial Proclamation (1:14-15)

B. Jesus Exercises his Power, in Galilee (1:16--3:6)

1. Call of the First Disciples (1:16-20)

2. Cures in Capernaum (1:21-45)

a) Teaching and Healing at Capernaum (1:21-28)

b) Healing of Peter's Mother-in-law (1:29-31)

c) Evening Healings (1:32-34)

d) Jesus' Temporary Withdrawal (1:35-39)

e) Healing of the Leper (1:40-45)

3. Five Conflict Stories (2:1�3:6)

a) Healing a Paralytic; Forgiving Sin (2:1-12)

b) The Call of Levi (2:13-17)

c) Question about Fasting (2:18-22)

d) Work on the Sabbath (2:23-28)

e) Healing on the Sabbath (3:1-6)

C. Jesus is Rejected in Galilee (3:7--6:6)

1. Positive Responses (3:7-19)

a) People Come to Jesus (3:7-12)

b) Appointment of the Twelve (3:13-19)

2. Negative Responses (3:20-35)

a) His Relatives think him mad (3:20-21)

b) The Scribes say Beelzebul (3:22-30)

c) Jesus' true Relatives (3:31-35)

3. Parables and their Meaning (4:1-34)

a) Setting (4:1-2)

b) Parable of the Sower (4:3-9)

c) Purpose of Parables (4:10-12)

d) Explanation of the Sower (4:13-20)

e) The Lamp and the Measure (4:21-25)

f) Parable of the Growing Seed (4:26-29)

g) Parable of the Mustard Seed (4:30-32)

h) Jesus' Use of Parables (4:33-34)

4. Three Miracles (4:35�5:43)

a) Stilling the Storm (4:35-41)

b) Exorcising a Demon (5:1-20)

c) Healing the Woman and the Little Girl (5:21-43)

5. Rejection of Jesus by his Own People (6:1-6)

D. Jesus is Misunderstood by his Disciples (6:7--8:21)

1. Disciples' Mission and the Baptist's Death (6:7-34)

a) Disciples' Mission (6:7-13)

b) Baptist's Death (6:14-29)

c) Disciples' Return (6:30-34)

2. Three Miracles and a Controversy (6:35�7:23)

a) Feeding of the Five thousand (6:35-44)

b) Walking on the Waters (6:45-52)

c) Healing of the Sick (6:53-56)

d) Controversy about Ritual Purity (7:1-23)

3. Three more Miracles and a Controversy (7:24 -8:21)

a) Healing a Gentile's Daughter (7:24-30)

b) Healing a deaf and dumb Man (7:31-37)

c) Feeding the Four Thousand (8:1-10)

d) Controversy about Signs (8:11-21)

E. Jesus Teaches His Disciples, Going to Jerusalem (8:22--10:52)

1. Healing a Blind Man (8:22-26)

2. Jesus acknowledged as Messiah (8:27-30)

3. First Teaching on Christology and Discipleship (8:31�9:29)

a) First Passion Prediction (8:31-33)

b) Its Consequence for Disciples (8:34-38)

c) Jesus' Transfiguration (9:1-8)

d) The Question about Elijah (9:9-13)

e) Healing a Possessed Boy (9:14-29)

4. Second Teaching on Christology and Discipleship (9:30�10:31)

a) Second Passion Prediction and its Consequence for Disciples (9:30-50)

b) Teaching on Marriage and Divorce (10:1-12)

c) Blessing of the Children (10:13-16)

d) Teaching about Riches (10:17-31)

5. Third Instruction on Christology and Discipleship (10:32-45)

a) Third Passion Prediction (10:32-34)

b) Its Consequence for Discipleship (10:35-45)

6. Healing Blind Bartimaeus (10:46-52)

F. Jesus' Final Week in Jerusalem (11:1--13:37)

1. Processional Entrance into the the City (First Day) (11:1-11)

2. Barren Fig-Tree, Temple Cleansing (Second Day) (11:12-19)

3. Teaching with Authority (Third Day) (11:20--13:37)

a) Warnings: Fig-Tree; Temple (11:20-26)

b) Controversies (11:27�12:37)

(i) Jesus' Authority (11:27-33)

(ii) Parable of the Vineyard (12:1-12)

(iii) Taxes to Caesar (12:13-17)

(iv) Resurrection of the Dead (12:18-27)

(v) Great Commandment (12:28-34)

(vi) David's Son (12:35-37)

c) Scribes are Condemned (12:38-40)

d) A Widow is Praised (12:41-44)

e) Jesus' Final Discourse (13:1-37)

(i) Introduction (13:1-4)

(ii) Beginning of the Sufferings (13:5-13)

(iii) Great Tribulation (13:14-23)

(iv) Triumph of the Son of Man (13:24-27)

(v) Exhortation of Confidence and Vigilance (13:28-37)

G. Jesus' Death and Resurrection (14:1--16:20)

1. Preliminary to His Passion (14:1-31)

a) Plotting against Jesus (14:1-2)

b) The Anointing at Bethany (14:3-11)

c) Last Supper (14:12-31)

(i) Arrangements for the Passover Meal (14:12-16)

(ii) Prediction of Judas' Treachery (14:17-21)

(iii) The Supper (14:22-25)

(iv) Prediction of Peter's Denial (14:26-31)

2. Jesus' Prayer and Arrest (14:32-52)

a) Prayer at Gethsemane (14:32-42)

b) Arrest (14:43-52)

3. The Trials of Jesus (14:53--15:15)

a) Trial before the High Priest, Peter's denial (14:53-72)

b) Trial before Pilate (15:1-15)

4. Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (15:16-47)

a) Mockery (15:16-20)

b) Crucifixion (15:21-32)

c) Death, and the Gentile's Response (15:33-39)

d) Burial of Jesus (15:40-47)

5. The Empty Tomb (16:1-8)

6. Appearances of the Risen Christ (16:9-20)

Dict. art. on Mark

The Gospel according to Mark: Mark, the earliest of the three Synoptic Gospels (i.e., those presenting a common view) was attributed in antiquity to John Mark (Acts 12:12; 15:37), an associate of Paul and a disciple of Peter, whose teachings the Gospel may indeed reflect. It is the shortest of the four Gospels, probably written during the decade preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. It is virtually certain that it was used by Matthew and Luke in composing their accounts; more than 90 percent of the content of Mark's Gospel appears in Matthew's, and more than 50 percent in the Gospel of Luke. Although it lacks literary polish, it is simple and direct and often quite vivid in its description of incident. Also, as the earliest Gospel, it is valued as our primary source of information about the ministry of Jesus. Mark's explanations of Jewish customs and his translations of Aramaic expressions fits well with the early tradition that he was writing for Gentile converts living in Rome.

After an introduction (1:1-13), this Gospel describes Jesus' ministry in and around Galilee (1:14-8:26); his journey to Jerusalem (11-13); his Passion (14-15) and Resurrection (16). The final passage (16:9-20) is omitted in some manuscripts, including the two oldest, and a shorter passage is substituted in others. Many believe that these last verses were not written by Mark, at least not at the same time as the rest of his Gospel, but were added later to account for the Resurrection.

This Gospel stresses the deeds, strength, and determination of the Lord, in overcoming evil forces and defying the power of imperial Rome. It also highlights the Passion of Jesus, alluding to it already at 3:6 (the leaders plot to destroy him), having him explicitly predict it as early as 8:30 and devoting the final third of his Gospel (chapters 11-16) to the last week of Jesus' life. The Markan Gospel shows Jesus as reluctant to reveal himself as the Messiah; he refers to himself only as the "Son of Man," and while tacitly acknowledging Peter's profession in him as "the Christ," his followers are commanded not to tell anyone about him until after his resurrection (the Markan "Messianic Secret").

The Gospel According to Luke

Title and Theme
Luke's sources
Authorship and Date
Luke's Style
Memorable Passages in Luke
The Structure of� Luke
Detailed Outline
Dict. art. on Luke

Title and Theme

The Gospel according to Luke (the third of our canonical gospels,) like its continuation in the Acts, is dedicated to the most excellent Theophilus. This Theophilus may have been a Roman of high status, whose name will commend the book to other readers within his social circle; or the name may be simply a generic title for the well-disposed Gentile Christians who are Luke's intended readership.

Luke sets out to establish the reliability of the faith, by linking it back to the apostolic age. Continuity of development � from the Old Testament to the era of Jesus, and through to the era of the church � is an important part of his message.

Luke's sources

Since his preface (Lk 1:1-4) follows the pattern of Greek historiography, Luke's is often considered the most formally historical of the four Gospels. However, since his sources were hardly limited to the strictly historical and verifiable eye-witness accounts, � for he was dependent like the other Evangelists upon materials already formed within the ferment of early Christian tradition and proclamation � and since he tells the story of Jesus in order to spread the faith, we should not designate Luke as a detached historian, but rather as an historical theologian. These are his sources:

a) Mark's Gospel;
b) A document (Q) that Matthew also used;
c) Luke's special source (L), from which he draws over a third of his Gospel, including the infancy narratives of chapters 1-2 and the many parables peculiar to Luke (e.g., the prodigal son, the good Samaritan, the rich fool).

Like Matthew, he is expert at structuring the Jesus material at his disposal, dividing his chronology into periods to show God's plan of salvation unfolding in world history. His genealogy of Jesus (Lk 3:23-38) goes back, not just to Abraham (as in Mt 1:1-18), but to Adam and the origins of humanity. Very effectively he shows Jesus at work as the Saviour of the world; then he illustrates the church in its mission (Acts) as continuing this, under the Holy Spirit's influence, according to God's plan.

Authorship and Date

The author has been identified with Luke, the beloved physician (Col. 4:14 and 11; cf. 2 Tim. 4:11, Philem. 24) and Paul's companion on his journeys, if we may trust the We"-passages in the Acts (16:11 etc. we set out). The main difficulty in accepting this identification is that some specifically Pauline ideas are either missing or not significantly present in the writings of Luke. In particular, he is not so insistent as Paul on the centrality of the death of Christ, and his ideas on Law and eschatology seem to diverge from those of the Apostle. However, if Luke's Gospel can be dated about the year 80 A.D., that may well explain why his theology has evolved to meet the changing conditions of Christian life, almost two decades after Paul's martyrdom. Although he is most welcoming to Christians of Gentile background, Luke himself was probably a Jew of the Diaspora, and possibly from Antioch, as the second-century tradition says about him.

Luke's Style

Luke has a good literary style with flexible syntax, using a vocabulary like that of the Septuagint Greek of the Old Testament, a translation that was made for Greek-speaking Jews. The hymns with which he punctuates chapters 1 and 2 (the Magnificat of Mary, Zechariah's Benedictus, and the Nunc Dimittis of old Simeon appear to be modelled on the language of the Septuagint. With them he has beautifully crafted the story of a major transition from the age of the Old Testament to that of the New. John the Baptist appears both as the heir of the prophets and as heralding in something new. The manner of his birth to Elizabeth recalls the birth of Samuel to the aged Anna. And then, the material about John the Baptist is shown as leading up to Jesus. When Mary visits Elizabeth, Jesus' superiority to John is already established. His Davidic origin is superior to John's priestly origin.

Luke paints a consistent portrait of Jesus as one to be admired and imitated. We learn the importance of piety and prayer, of love and compassion for the poor and the despised, as shown in Jesus' attitude toward outsiders, towards women, children, and sinners. During his crucifixion, the assurance that one of the two robbers crucified along withe Jesus would be with him in Paradise, and his final words, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit! continue this Lucan pattern, in sharp contrast to the darkness of Mark's Passion account.

Finally, it is to Luke that we owe the transmission of several of the best-loved parables (the good Samaritan, the lost coin, and the prodigal son,) all marked with a special quality of mercy and tenderness. These go some way to explain Dante Alighieri's famous description of Luke as the Scribe of the gentleness of Christ.

Memorable Passages in Luke

Annunciation to Mary (1:26-38)
Jesus' Nazareth Sermon (4:16-30)
Beatitudes and Woes (6:17-21)
The Good Samaritan (10:29-37)
The Prodigal Son (15:11-32)
In Zacchaeus' House (19:1-10)
Dying Words of Christ (23:44-46)
Road to Emmaus (24:13-35)

The Structure of� Luke

The most notable feature of this third Gospel is that, where Matthew has moulded Jesus' teaching into his five discourses, Luke sets it within a lengthy travel account (the "Journey Narrative" 9:51 onward,) on the road from Galilee to Judaea, and to the cross in Jerusalem.

Luke does something similar in the Acts, whose basic structural feature is also movement: how the word of Jesus was carried from Jerusalem to Rome (and to the ends of the earth).

A. Preface (1:1-4)

B. The Infancy Narrative: Dawn of Fulfilment (1:5-2:52)

C. Preparation for Jesus' Public Ministry (3:1�4:13)

D. The Galilean Ministry (4:14�9:50) Spirit-Guided Ministry (4:14�5:16)

E. Jesus' Journey to Jerusalem (9:51�19:27)

1. The Christian Way, Part I (9:51�13:21)

2. The Christian Way, Part II (13:22�17:10)

3. The Christian Way, Part III (17:11�19:27) [Parts...]

F. Jerusalem Rejects God's Son (19:28�21:38)

G. Jesus' Last Meal and his Death for Sinners (22:1�23:56)

H. Resurrection and Ascension (24:1-53)

Detailed Outline

A. Preface (1:1-4)

B. The Infancy Narrative: Dawn of Fulfilment (1:5�2:52)

1. Annunciation to Zechariah in the Temple (1:5-25)
2. Annunciation to Mary in Nazareth (1:26-38)
3. Elizabeth's and Mary's Prophecies (1:39-56)
4. Birth of John the Baptist (1:57-66)
5. Zechariah's Prophecy (1:67-80)
6. Angels' Message, about Jesus' Destiny (2:1-20)
7. Simeon's Message, about Jesus' Destiny (2:21-40)
8. Jesus' Prophetic Message about His Destiny (2:41-52)

C. Preparation for Jesus' Public Ministry (3:1�4:13)

1. John the Baptist's Preaching (3:1-20)
2. Jesus' Baptism (3:21-22)
3. Jesus' Ancestry, back to Adam (3:23-38)
4. Jesus' Temptation in the Desert (4:1-13)

D. The Galilean Ministry (4:14--9:50)

1. Spirit-Guided Ministry (4:14-5:16)

a) In the Power of the Spirit (4:14-15)

b) Jesus' Nazareth Sermon: His Programme (4:16-30)

c) His Cures, in Capernaum (4:31-44)

d) The Call of the Fishermen (5:1-11)

e) Jesus' Ministry for Outcasts (5:12-16)

2. Leaders Oppose Jesus' Message (5:17�6:11)

a) Jesus' Power to Forgive Sins (5:17-26)

b) Jesus' Mission is to forgive Sinners (5:27-32)

c) Jesus as Bridegroom, Provider of new Wine (5:33-39)

d) The Sabbath is Subordinate to Jesus (6:1-5)

e) Compassionate Cures on the Sabbath (6:6-11)

3. The Gathering of Renewed Israel (6:12-49)

a) Jesus' selection of the Twelve Apostles (6:12-16)

b) The Sermon on the plain (6:17-49)

4. Kingdom Message Breaks the Boundaries (7:1�9:6)

a) Unclean Gentiles Receive Jesus' Message (7:1-10)

b) Jesus shows Compassion to a Widow (7:11-17)

c) Respective Roles of John and Jesus (7:18-35)

d) A Woman Receives Forgiveness (7:36-50)

e) Women Disciples of Jesus (8:1-3)

f) Various Ways of Hearing God's Word (8:4-21)

Parable of the Sower (8:4-15)

Parable of the Lamp (8:16-18)

True Relatives of Jesus (8:19-21)

g) Calming the Storm (8:22-25)

h) Restoring a Tormented Soul to Community (8:26-39)

i) Jairus' Daughter (8:40-42; 49-56)

j) Woman with Haemorrhage (8:43-48)

k) The Mission of the Twelve (9:1-6)

5. Responses at End of his Galilean Ministry (9:7-50)

a) Herod and Jesus (9:7-9)

b) Miracle of the Loaves (9:10-17)

c) The Cross Awaits the Messiah His Disciples (9:18-27)

d) Transfiguration of Jesus (9:28-36)

e) Cure of the Possessed Boy (9:37-42)

f) Suffering Awaits the Messiah (9:43-45)

g) The Disciples' Rivalry (9:46-50)

E. Jesus' Journey to Jerusalem (9:51--19:27)

1. Instruction on the Christian Way, Part I (9:51--13:21)

a) The Journey Begins: Rejection by Samaritans (9:51-56)

b) The Cost of Discipleship (9:57-62)

c) The Mission and Joy of the Disciples (10:1-24)

d) The Great Commandment (10:25-28)

e) Parable of the Good Samaritan (10:29-37)

f) Martha and Mary (10:38-42)

g) Jesus Teaches Prayer (11:1-13)

h) Controversies about Jesus' Exorcisms (11:14-36)

i) Attack on Pharisees and Scribes (11:37-54)

j) Disciples Face External and Internal Opposition (12:1-59)

(i) Open and Fearless Speech

(ii) On Hoarding Possessions (12:13-21)

(iii)Trusting in Providence (12:22-34

(iv) Ready for the Master's Return (12:35-48)

(v) Blazing Fire, Opposition (12:49-59)

k) All Need to Repent (13:1-9)

l) Healing the Crippled Woman (13:10-17)

m) Despite Opposition, God's Kingdom Grows (13:18-21)

2. The Christian Way, Part II (13:22--17:10)

a) Entering by the Narrow Door (13:22-30)

b) Despite Herod, Jesus Continues His Way (13:31-35)

c) Teachings at a Banquet

(i) Inclusion and Invitation (14:1-14)

(ii) Parable of the Banquet (14:15-24)

d) Renunciation required of Disciples (14.25-35)

e) God's Mercy illustrated in Parables (15:1-32)

(i) The Lost Sheep (15:1-7)

(ii) The Lost Coin (15:8-10)

(iii) The Prodigal Son (15:11-32)

f) The Right use of Possessions (16:1-31)

(i) The Unjust Steward (16:1-8)

(ii) Being Trustworthy (16:9-13)

(iii) Random Sayings (16:14-18)

(iv) Rich Man and Lazarus (16:19-31)

g) Spiritual Life: Upright, Merciful; Humble (17:1-10)

3. The Christian Way, Part III (17:11--19:27)

a) The Ten Lepers (17:11-19)

b) Waiting for the Son of Man (17:20-37)

c) The Widow and the Judge (18:1-8)

d) The Pharisee and the Tax-Collector (18:9-17)

e) The Dangers of Wealth (18:18-30)

f) Third Prediction of the Passion (18:31-34)

g) Recap on the Ministry to the Outcasts (18:35�19:10)

i. The Blind Man, near Jericho (18:35-43)

ii. Zacchaeus the Tax-Collector (19:1-10)

h) Parable of the Talents (19:11-27)

F. Jerusalem Rejects God's Son (19:28--21:38)

1. Jesus Takes Over the Jerusalem Temple (19:28-48)

a) Jesus is Hailed as King (19:28-40)

b) Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem (19:41-44)

c) Expulsion of Traders from the Temple (19:45-46)

d) Jesus Teaches in the Temple (19:47-48)

2. Jesus' Authority to Speak for God (20:1--21:4)

a) Jesus' Authority is Questioned by his Opponents (20:1-8)

b) Parable of the Wicked Tenants (20:9-19)

c) Tribute to Caesar, to God (20:20-26)

d) Is there a Resurrection from the Dead? (20:27-40)

e) Jesus, Messiah. David's Son David's Lord (20:41-44)

f) A Lifestyle of Justice (20:45�21:4)

(i) Scribes condemned for Avarice (20:45-47)

(ii) The Widows's Mite (21:1-4)

3. Threat for Rejecting God's Prophet (21:5-38)

a) The Coming Destruction of Jerusalem (21:5-7)

b) Warning Signs, Before the Son of Man Comes (21:8-33)

c) Be Alert for His Coming (21:34-38)

G. Jesus' Last Meal and his Death for Sinners (22:1--23:56)

1. Conspiracy against Him (22:1-6)

2. The Last Supper (22:7-38)

a) Preparation for the Last Supper (22:7-13)

b) The Eucharist in Remembrance (22:14-20)

c) Treachery of Judas, foretold (22:21-23)

d) Leadership and Service (22:24-30)

e) Peter's Denial and Repentance Foretold (22:31-34)

f) Justification for a Change in Missionary Praxis (22:35-38)

3) Jesus Comes to the Test (22:39-71)

a) Prayer and Agony (22:39-46)

b) Arrest of Jesus (22:47-52)

c) Peter's Denials and Repentance (22:54-62)

d) Jesus before the Sanhedrin (22:63-71)

4. Jesus is Tried by Frivolous Judges (23:1-25)

a) Before Pilate (23:1-7)

b) Before Herod (23:6-12)

c) Before Pilate, again (23:13-25)

5. Crucifixion and Burial (23:26-56)

a) On the Way to Calvary (23:26-31)

b) Jesus Forgives Sinners (23:32-34)

c) Responses to Jesus' Sufferings (23:35-49)

i) Mockery of the Crucified Christ (23:35-38)

ii) The Penitent Thief (23:39-43)

iii) Dying Words of Jesus (23:44-46)

iv) Responses to His Death (23:47-49)

d) Jesus Receives a Kingly Burial (23:50-56)

H. Resurrection and Ascension (24:1-53)

1. Empty Tomb and Angels' Message (24:1-7)

2. The Women's Message is Disbelieved (24:8-12)

3. The Road to Emmaus (24:13-35)

4. Final Commissioning of the Apostles (24:36-49)

5. The Ascension (24:50-53)

Dict. art. on Luke

This� Gospel was written by Luke, who does not claim to have been an eye-witness of Jesus's ministry, but to have carefully used the sources of information within his reach, and to have written an orderly narrative of the facts (Luke 1:1-4). The authors of the first three Gospels, the synoptics, wrote independently of each other. Each composed his independent narrative under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Each of the three has some things, both in matter and style, peculiar to himself, yet they have much in common. Luke's Gospel is the Gospel of the nations, full of mercy and hope, brought to the world by the love of a suffering Saviour. It is the Gospel of Jesus as the good Physician and the Saviour of mankind; the Gospel of the outcast, of the Samaritan, the publican, the harlot, and the prodigal. The character of this Gospel is fitly expressed in the phrase, "he went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil" (Acts 10:38; see Luke 4:18).

Luke's Greek is more classical than that of Matthew and Mark. There is less in it of the Hebrew idiom. And yet, this Gospel contains twenty-eight distinct references to the Old Testament. The date of its composition is uncertain. It must have been written before the Acts, the date of the composition of which could be as late as 85 or even 90 A.D. But on this point no positive certainty can be attained.

Like Matthew, Luke is expert at structuring his material, dividing his chronology into periods showing God's plan of salvation unfolding in world history. Effectively he shows Jesus at work as the Saviour of the world; then he illustrates the church in its mission (Acts) as continuing this, under the Holy Spirit's influence, according to God's plan.

Luke's sources were mainly three: a) Mark's Gospel; b) A document ("Q") that Matthew also used; and c) Luke's special source (L), from which he draws over a third of his Gospel, including the infancy narratives of chapters 1-2 and the many parables peculiar to Luke (e.g., the prodigal son, the good Samaritan, the rich fool).

The most notable feature of this Gospel is that, where Matthew structured Jesus' teaching into his five discourses, Luke sets it within a lengthy travel account on the road from Galilee to Judaea to the cross in Jerusalem. He does something similar in the Acts, where the basic structure is the bringing of the word from Jerusalem to Rome.

The author has been identified with Luke, "the beloved physician," a companion on Paul's journeys, presumably a Gentile (Col. 4:14 and 11; 2 Tim. 4:11, Philem. 24). A problem with this identification is that some Pauline ideas are either missing or not significantly present in the writings of Luke: he is not so insistent as Paul on the centrality of the death of Christ, and his ideas on Law and eschatology seem to diverge from those of the Apostle. However, if Luke wrote as late as 80 A.D., that may well explain why his theology has evolved to meet the changing conditions of Christian life, almost two decades after Paul's martyrdom.

Luke was almost certainly a Jew of the Diaspora, and possibly from Antioch, as told in the second century. He has a good literary style with flexible syntax. His language is that of the Septuagint Greek of the Old Testament, a translation that was made for Greek-speaking Jews. The hymns with which he punctuates chapters 1 and 2 (the "Magnificat" of Mary, Zechariah's "Benedictus," and the Nunc Dimittis of old Simeon appear to be modelled on the language of the Septuagint. With them he has beautifully crafted the story of a major transition from the age of the Old Testament to that of the New. John the Baptist appears both as the heir of the prophets and as heralding in something new. The manner of his birth to Elizabeth recalls the birth of Samuel to the aged Anna. And then, the material about John the Baptist is shown as leading up to Jesus. When Mary visits Elizabeth, Jesus' superiority to John is already established. His Davidic origin is superior to John's priestly origin.

Luke paints a consistent portrait of Jesus as one to be admired and imitated. We learn of his piety and prayer, his love and compassion for the poor and the despised, as is Jesus' attitude toward women, children, and sinners. During his crucifixion, Jesus' assurance that one of the two robbers would be with him in Paradise, and his final words, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" continue this Lucan pattern, in sharp contrast to the darkness of Mark's Passion account. He also has several of the best-loved parables (the good Samaritan, the lost coin, and the prodigal son) Marked with a special quality of mercy and tenderness. These go some way to explain Dante Alighieri's famous description of Luke as the "Scribe of the gentleness of Christ."

The Gospel According to John

Different Kind of Gospel
Authorship and Date
Notable Passages
Major Section
Detailed Outline
Dict. art. on John

Different Kind of Gospel

This Gospel differs from the Synoptics in several ways: it assigns a longer time-span for Jesus' ministry (through the mention of several Passover feasts) and it locates much of it in Judea. It ascribes to him a number of lengthy theological discourses, relating to his own identity. Its explicitly stated overall purpose is theological- the author wrote in order that his readers may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name (20:30). This motive pervades the narrative, as do a kind of mystic symbolism and a repeated emphasis on the divinity of Jesus, echoing the incarnation-prologue, with which this highly theological Gospel opens (Jn 1:1-18).

In his account of the public ministry, the evangelist adds interpretative comments to clarify Jesus' unique awareness and his motives. In certain narratives, e.g. the feeding of the five thousand (Jn 6:1-15), which appears in all four Gospels, John's version is resonant with a deeper spiritual truth (I am the bread of life. ). Throughout this Gospel, Jesus openly presents himself as the divine Son of God, not hiding his identity as he does in Mark, but declaring it in a series of I am statements. Thus, this Gospel does not narrate a random series of events but singles out those that support a theological interpretation of who Jesus is: the manifestation of God upon earth.

Authorship and Date

Although tradition has attributed the fourth Gospel to John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, there is considerable uncertainty about the author's real identity. The language of this Gospel and its developed theology suggest a date of composition later than the lifetime of the apostle John, though its traditional attribution to him may well be based on its deriving in some way from the apostle John's revered teachings and memory.

The place and date of composition of this Gospel are also uncertain; the fact that several episodes in the life of Jesus are recounted out of sequence and that the final chapter (Jn 21) appears to be a later addition suggest that the text may be a composite, developed through several editions. The text as we have it was perhaps finalised at Ephesus, in Asia Minor, about the year 95 AD, for the purpose of communicating memories and insights about Christ to Christians of mainly Hellenistic background. Raymond Brown, a highly respected Johannine scholar, argued for Samaria, as the most likely place where the specifically high Christology of this Gospel took rise.

A Story of Mission

The Gospel of John is a story of mission because it is a story of sending. Throughout its pages the evangelist speaks of God sending (a)postellein, pempein) the Son into the world in order that the world might be saved through him (John 3:17). Through Jesus' words and actions he bore witness to the God who sent him, in order that people might come to know God and find eternal life (17:3). Before his crucifixion, Jesus promised that he would send the Spirit or Paraclete from the Father, and that the Paraclete would remain with his followers as a continuing witness to Jesus (14:26; 15:26; 16:7). After his resurrection, Jesus sent his followers into the world and breathed the Spirit into them (20:21-22).

Notable Passages

Final verses of the Prologue (1:14ff)

End of the Cana story (2:11)

God so loved the world (3:16-21)

I will draw all people to myself (12:27)

Major Section

A. Prologue: The Word Comes into the World (1:1-18)

B. Book of Signs: 'His Own Did Not Receive Him...' (1:19�12:50)

1. Gathering Disciples (1:19�4:54)

2. Disputes over Jesus: Is He from God? (5:1�10:42)

3. Jesus Gives Life and Receives Death (11:1�12:50)

C. Book of Glory (13:1�20:31)

1. Last Supper Discourses (13:1�17:26)

2. The Passion Narrative (18:1�19:24)

3. Jesus is Raised (20:1-29)

D. Epilogue: the Lord Appears in Galilee

Detailed Outline

A. Prologue: God's New Gift

The Word Comes into the World (1:1-18)

B. Book of Signs: 'His Own Did Not Receive Him...' (1:19�12:50)

1. Gathering Disciples (1:19�4:54)

a) At John's Testimony (1:19-51)

(i) John is not the Messiah (1:19-28)

(ii) Jesus is the Lamb of God (1:29-34)

(iii) Andrew and Peter (1:34-42)

(iv) Philip and Nathanael (1:43-51)

b) Cana: His Disciples see His Glory (2:1-12)

c) Judea: Temple Cleansing (2:13-25)

(i) Sign of the Resurrection (2:13-22)

(ii) Comment: Faith Rejected (2:23-25)

d) Nicodemus: Rebirth and Eternal Life (3:1-36)

(i) Dialogue: Receiving Eternal Life (3:1-15)

(ii) Comment: God sent the Son to give Life (3:16:21)

(iii) John testifies to Jesus (3:22-30)

(iv) Comment: God sent Jesus to give Life (3:31-36)

e) Withdrawal to Galilee (4:1-3)

f) Samaria: Saviour of the World (4:4-42)

(i) Dialogue: Living Water (4:6-15)

(ii) Dialogue: the Messiah-Prophet (4:16-26)

(iii) Dialogue: the Harvest (4:27-38)

(iv) Samaritan Believers (4:39-42)

g) Galilee: Healing the Official's Son (4:43-54)

2. Disputes over Jesus: Is He from God? (5:1�10:42)

a) Jerusalem: Healing the Cripple: Life and Judgement (5:1-47)

(i) A Cripple healed on the Sabbath (5:1-18)

(ii) The Son's Authority to Give life (5:19-30)

(iii) Testimony of Jesus (5:31-38)

(iv) Unbelief condemned (5:39-47)

b) Galilee: the Bread of Life (6:1-71)

(i) Feeding of the Five Thousand (6:1-15)

(ii) Walking on Water (6:16-21)

(iii) Dialogue: Jesus is Bread from heaven (6:22-40)

(iv) Dispute over Jesus' Origins (6:41-51)

(v) The Bread is Jesus' Flesh (6:52-59)

(vi) Dispute: Jesus loses Disciples (6:60-66)

(vii) Peter's Confession (6:67-71)

c) Jerusalem at Tabernacles (7:1�8:59)

(i) Jesus rejects advice to go to the Feast (7:1-9)

(ii) He goes secretly to the Feast (7:10-13)

(iii) He teaches in the Temple (7:14-24)

(iv) Division: Is this the Messiah? (7:25-31)

(v) Soldiers sent to arrest Jesus (7:32-36)

(vi) Jesus is the Living Water (7:37-39)

(vii) Division: Is this the Prophet? (7:40-44)

(viii) The Authorities reject Jesus (7:45-52)

(ix) (agraphon) The Woman Taken in Adultery (8:1-11)

(x) The Father Testifies to Jesus (8:12-20)

(xi) Jesus is Returning to the Father ( 8:21-30)

(xii) The Seed of Abraham hear the Truth (8:31-47)

xiii) Before Abraham was, I Am (8:48-59)

d) Jesus Restores Sight to the Blind (9:1-41)

(i) Healing the Blind Man (9:1-12)

(ii) Questioning the Man: is Jesus a Prophet? (9:13-17)

(iii) Questioning the Parents (9:18-23)

(iv) The Blind Man expelled from the Synagogue (9:24-34)

(v) He confesses Jesus as Son of Man (9:35-38)

(vi) Blindness of the Pharisees (9:39-41)

e) Jesus, the Good Shepherd (10:1-42)

(i) Parable of the Sheepfold (10:1-6)

(ii) Jesus the Gate and the Good Shepherd (10:7-18)

(iii) Division: Is Jesus Possessed? (10:19-21)

(iv) Jesus' Sheep Know His identity (10:22-30)

(v) Attempt to Stone Jesus for Blasphemy (10:31-39)

(vi) Jesus Withdraws Across the Jordan (10:40-42)

3. Jesus Gives Life and Receives Death (11:1�12:50)

a) Raising of Lazarus (11:1-44)

(i) Waiting to Go to Lazarus (11:1-16)

(ii) The Resurrection and the Life (11:17-27)

(iii) Jesus Loved Lazarus (11:28-37)

(iv) Jesus Raises Lazarus (11:38-44)

b) Jewish Leaders Condemns Jesus to death (11:45-54)

c) Passover Draws Near (11:55-57)

d) Danger comes nearer (12:1-19)

(i) Jesus is Anointed for the Hour (12:1-8)

(ii) Plot Against Lazarus (12:9-11)

(iii) Entry into Jerusalem (12:12-19)

e) The Hour is at hand (12:20-36)

(i) Greeks Come to Jesus (12:20-26)

(ii) He Must Be Lifted Up (12:27-36)

f) Condemnation of Unbelief (12:37-50)

C. Book of Glory (13:1�20:31)

1. Last Supper Discourses (13:1�17:26)

a) The Last Supper (13:1-30)

(i) Washing the Disciples' Feet (13:3-20)

(ii) Jesus Predicts His Betrayal (13:21-30)

b) Jesus returns to the Father (13:31�14:31)

(i) Announcement of the Departure (13:31-38)

(ii) Jesus is the Way to the Father (14:1-11)

(iii) The Paraclete and Jesus' Return (14:12-24)

(iv) Conclusion: Jesus' Departure (14:25-31)

c) Jesus, the True Vine (15:1�16:4a)

(i) Jesus is the True Vine (15:1-11)

(ii) Disciples are Friends of Jesus (15:12-17)

(iii) The World will hate the Disciples (15:18-25)

(iv) The Paraclete as Witness (15:26-27)

(v) Persecution of the Disciples (16:1-4a)

d) Consolation for the Disciples (16:4b-33)

(i) The Paraclete will Convince the World (16:4b-11)

(ii) The Paraclete will Guide You into All truth (16:12-15)

(iii) Jesus' Departure and Return (16:16-24)

(iv) Jesus has Overcome the World (16:25-33)

e) Jesus' Prayer for the Disciples (17:1-26)

(i) Jesus Returns to Glory (17:1-5)

(ii) Jesus Sends the Disciples into the World (17:6-19)

(iii) That They May Be One (17:20-26)

2. The Passion Narrative (18:1�19:24)

a) The Arrest of Jesus (18:1-11)

b) Before the High Priest (18:12-27)

(i) Jesus is Brought to Annas (18:12-14)

(ii) Peter Denies Jesus (18:15-18)

(iii) Annas Interrogates Jesus (18:19-24)

(iv) Peter Denies Jesus (18:25-27)

c) Trial by Pilate (18:28�19:11)

(i) Long Dialogue (18:28-40)

(ii) Scourging, Mockery, End of Dialogue (19:1-11)

(iii) Jesus is Condemned to Death (19:13-16)

d) The Crucifixion of Jesus (19:17-30)

(i) The Charge on the Cross (19:17-22)

(ii) At the Foot of the Cross (19:23-27)

(iii) Jesus Dies (19:28-30)

e) The Burial of Jesus (19:31-42)

(i) Authorities Certify His Death (19:31-37)

(ii) Joseph & Nicodemus Bury Jesus (19:38-42)

3. Jesus is Raised (20:1-29)

a) The Empty Tomb, seen by Magdalene, Peter John (20:1-10)

b) Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene (20:11-18)

c) Jesus Appears to the Disciples (20:19-23)

d) Jesus Appears to Thomas (20:24-29)

e) Purpose of this Gospel (20:30-31)

D. Epilogue: the Lord Appears in Galilee

1. Appearances Beside the Sea of Galilee (21:1-14)

a) The Miraculous Catch (21:1-8;10-11)

b) The Meal (21:9,12-14)

2. Peter and the Beloved Disciple (21:15-23)

a) Peter, Shepherd and Martyr (21:15-19)

b) The Beloved Disciple (21:20-23)

3. Conclusion: Testimony to Jesus (21:24-25)

Dict. art. on John

The author's design in writing this Gospel is stated by himself (John 20:31). It was at one time supposed that he wrote to supply the omissions of the synoptics (the first three Gospels), but there is no evidence for this. It is a presentation of the Christian faith in relation to the person of Christ as its central point; and its focus is on the one hand on the antagonism of the world to the truth revealed in him, and on the other the spiritual blessedness of the few who yield themselves to him as the Light of life

After the prologue (1:1-18), the narrative consists of two major parts. The first (chs. 1-12) contains Jesus's ministry from the time of his public introduction by John the Baptist to its close. The second part (chs. 13-21) presents Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples (13-17), an account of his sufferings (18-19) and of his appearances to the disciples after his resurrection (20-21).

Peculiarities of this Gospel are the place it gives to

(1) the mystical relation of the Son to the Father,

(2) His intimate bond with his believers;

(3) the role of the Holy Spirit as the Comforter;

(4) the prominence given to love as central to the Christian character.

This Gospel was obviously addressed primarily to Christians. Tradition says it was written at Ephesus, which, after the destruction of Jerusalem (70 A.D.), became the centre of Christian life and activity in the East, about 90 A.D.

Although tradition has attributed this Gospel to John, "the beloved disciple" of Jesus, there is considerable uncertainty about the author's real identity. The language he uses and his developed theology suggest a date of composition later than the lifetime of the apostle John, although it may well be based upon John's revered teachings and memories.

Both its place and date of composition are disputed. The fact that several episodes in the life of Jesus are recounted out of sequence and that the final chapter appears to be a later addition suggest that the text may be a composite, developing through several editions. The text as we have it was perhaps finalised at Ephesus, in Asia Minor, about the year 95 AD, for the purpose of communicating memories and insights about Christ to Christians of mainly Hellenistic background.

This Gospel differs from the Synoptics in several ways. It assigns a longer time-span for Jesus' ministry (through the mention of several Passover feasts) and it locates much of it in Judea. It links him with a number of lengthy theological discourses, relating to his own identity. Its explicitly stated purpose is theological. The author wrote in order that his readers "may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name" (20:30). This motive pervades the narrative, as do a kind of mystic symbolism and repeated allusions to the incarnation which is affirmed in the splendid prologue.

In his account of the ministry, the evangelist adds interpretative comments to clarify Jesus' unique awareness and his motives. In certain narratives common to all four Gospels, for example, the feeding of the five thousand (Jn 6:1-15), John's version is resonant with a deeper spiritual truth ("I am the bread of life"; "the door of the sheepfold"; "the resurrection and the life"; etc). Throughout this Gospel, Jesus is openly aware of himself as the divine Son of God, not hiding his identity as he does in Mark, but declaring it in a series of "I am" statements. Thus, this Gospel is not a mere narrative of events but singles out details to support a theological interpretation of who Jesus is - the One who manifests the glory and love of God upon this earth.

The Acts of the Apostles

Second� of Two Volumes
Spirit-Guided Spread of the Gospel
Intended Readership
Literary Quality
Major Section
Detailed Outline
Dict. art. on Acts

Second� of Two Volumes

The Acts of the Apostles is the second half of a two-volume work compiled by the author of Luke's Gospel. Both volumes are dedicated to Theophilus (presumably an imperial official), and the contents of the two-volume work are divided clearly into periods. Near the end of the Gospel, the stage is set for the next period: the new era of the church as the Acts will present it.

Spirit-Guided Spread of the Gospel

After the Ascension of the risen Lord in Jerusalem (Acts 1), there is the feast of Pentecost, the Jewish festival celebrating the revelation of the Law, which now, for Jesus' followers, becomes the day when his divine Spirit is poured out into their hearts. This event marks the beginning of a new era (Acts 2). Just as Jesus was led by the Spirit from Nazareth to Jerusalem, so in Acts, the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost will lead his followers on their mission, from Jerusalem to Rome.

Intended Readership

Acts depicts the shift from Jewish Christianity to Gentile Christianity as relatively smooth, with the Roman government regarding the Christian doctrine as not contrary to imperial law and order. This book continues to see Jesus' followers as guided by the Spirit until the time of the Lord's return. It was probably in the middle eighties of the first century as a companion volume to the Gospel, although (strangely) none of the manuscripts or canonical lists sets the two texts side by side.

Literary Quality

Acts is written in relatively good literary Greek (especially where it has Paul addressing the Gentiles). Luke artfully uses some Semitisms, especially when stressing Jewish backgrounds; thus, Paul is called Saul in accounts of his conversion experience on Damascus road. Paul's speech on the Areopagus to an intellectual Athenian audience (17:22-31) is in good Greek, assimilating Gentile thought patterns.

Luke is often credited with gaining for Paul, posthumously, a respect and a wide hearing that the Apostle could hardly achieve in his lifetime, and it may be largely due to his account that Paul's letters were held in such esteem, and were preserved to form such an important part of the New Testament.

Major Section

A. Introduction to the Era of the Church (1:1-26)

B. The Mission in Jerusalem (2:1�5:42)

C. The Mission Spreads Outward from Jerusalem (6:1�12:25)

D. The Gospel Directed also to the Gentiles (13:1�15:35)

E. Paul's Path to Rome (15:36�28:31)

1. Paul's Major Missions (15:36�20:38)

2. Paul as Prisoner in Palestine (21:1�26:32)

3. Paul's Last Journey and Ministry (27:1�28:31)

Detailed Outline

A. Introduction to the Era of the Church (1:1-26)

1. Witnesses' Commission and Jesus' Ascension (1:1-14)

2. The Restoration of the Twelve (1:15-26)

B. The Mission in Jerusalem (2:1�5:42)

1. The Appeal to Israel (2:1�3:26)

a) The Holy Spirit, at Pentecost (2:1-13)

b) The Pentecost Sermon (2:14-41)

c) Summary: Community Growth (2:42-47)

d) The Healing in the Temple (3:1-11)

e) Peter's Temple Sermon (3:12-26)

2. The Life and Trials of the Apostolic Church (4:1�5:42)

a) Peter and John before the Sanhedrin (4:1-22)

b) The Apostles' Prayer (4:23-31)

c) Summary: Community Sharing (4:32-35)

d) Ananias and Saphira (5:1-11)

e) Summary: Community Morale; Miracles (5:12-16)

f) The Second Persecution (5:17-42)

C. The Mission Spreads Outward from Jerusalem (6:1�12:25)

1. The Hellenists and their Message (6:1�8:40)

a) The Commission of the Seven (6:1-7)

b) The Witness of Stephen (6:8�8:3)

(i) Mission and Trial (6:8�7:1)

(ii) The Speech of Stephen (7:2-53)

(iii) The Martyrdom of Stephen (7:54�8:3)

c) Philip Advances the Word (8:4-40)

(i) The Gospel's Triumph in Samaria (8:4-25)

(ii) Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (8:26-40)

2. The Persecutor becomes the Persecuted (9:1-31)

a) The Conversion of Paul (9:1-19a)

b) Saul's Preaching and Peril in Damascus (9:19b-25)

c) Saul's Encounters in Jerusalem ( 9:26-31)

3. Peter as Missionary (9:32�11:18)

a) Miracles in Lydda and Joppa (9:32-43)

b) Conversion of Cornelius and his Household (10:1-48)

1) The Vision of Cornelius (10:1-8)

2) Peter's Vision (10:9-16)

3) Reception of the Messengers (10:17-23)

4) Cornelius and Peter (10:24-33)

5) Peter's Sermon in Cornelius's House (10:34-43)

6) Baptism of the Household (10:44-48)

c) Peter Justifies the Baptism (11:1-18)

4. Between Jerusalem and Antioch (11:19�12:25)

a) The First Church of the Gentile Mission (11:19-30)

b) Herod's Persecution and Peter's Escape (12:1-25)

D. The Gospel directed also to the Gentiles (13:1�15:35)

1. The First Missionary Journey of Paul (13:1�14:28)

a) Prelude to the Journey (13:1-3)

b) Barnabas and Paul in Cyprus (13:4-12)

c) Mission and Rejection at Pisidian Antioch (13:13-52)

d) Rejected Missionaries turn to the Gentiles (13:44-52)

e) Mixed receptions in Central Asia Minor (14:1-20)

(i) Iconium (14:1-7)

(ii) Lystra Derbe (14:8-20)

f) Return to Antioch (14:21-28)

2. Jerusalem Conference and Resolution (15:1-35)

a) Background: the Question (15:1-5)

b) Peter's Appeal to Precedent (15:6-12)

c) James' Confirmation and Amendments (15:13-21)

d) Resolution of the Question (15:22-29)

e) Aftermath (15:30-35)

E. Paul's Path to Rome (15:36�28:31)

1. Paul's Major Missions (15:36�20:38)

a) Mission Journeys Resumed (15:36-41)

b) On Road to Europe (16:1-10)

(i) Timothy's Circumcision (16:1-5)

(ii) Paul's Vision (16:6-10)

c) The Mission in Greece (16:11�18:17)

(i) Visit in Philippi (16:11-40)

(ii) Paul in Thessalonica and Beroea (17:1-15)

(iii) Paul in Athens (17:16-34)

(iv) Paul in Corinth (18:1-17)

d) Return to Antioch and Journeys Resumed (18:18-23)

e) The Mission in Ephesus (18:24�19:40)

(i) The Ministry of Apollos (18:24-28)

(ii) Paul the Baptist's Disciples (19:1-7)

(iii) Paul's Message and Miracles in Ephesus (19:8-20)

(iv) Silversmiths' Riot and Paul's Departure (19:21-40)

f) Final travels between Asia and Greece (20:1-16)

(i) To Greece and Back to Troas (20:1-6)

(ii) Eutychus Restored (20:7-12)

(iii) Troas to Miletus (20:13-16)

(iv) Paul's Farewell to his Missions (20:17-38)

2. Paul as Prisoner in Palestine (21:1�26:32)

a) The Return to Caesarea (21:1-14)

b) Paul's Imprisonment in Jerusalem (21:15�23:11)

(i) Paul's Reception by the Church (21:15-25)

(ii) Paul's Arrest in the Temple (21:26-36)

(iii) Paul's Appeal to Address the People (21:37)

(iv) Paul's Speech on the Steps of the Temple (22:1-29)

(v) Paul Before the Sanhedrin (22:30�23:11)

c) Paul Testifies at Caesarea (23:12�26:32)

(i) Transfer to Caesarea (23:12-35)

(ii) The Governor's Hearing (24:1-23)

(iii) Paul Still Held at Caesarea (24:24-27)

(iv) Paul's Appeal to Caesar (25:1-12)

(v) Festus Consults King Agrippa (25:13-22)

(vi) Paul's Witness to Agrippa (25:23�26:32)

3. Paul's Last Journey and Ministry (27:1�28:31)

a) The Journey to Rome (27:1�28:16)

(i) Sea Voyage, Shipwreck, Deliverance (27:1-44)

(ii) Paul on Malta (28:1-10)

(iii) The Prisoner's Arrival in Rome (28:11-16)

b) Paul's Ministry in Rome (28:17-31)

Dict. art. on Acts

"Acts" is the title given to the fifth and last of the historical books of the New Testament. The author styles it a "treatise" (1:1). Various commentators have called it "The Gospel of the Holy Spirit," and "The Gospel of the Resurrection," or simply "The Acts." It contains no details of any of the apostles except Peter and Paul. John is briefly mentioned only three times; and all that is recorded of James, son of Zebedee, is his execution by Herod. It is properly therefore not the full "Acts of the Apostles," but more correctly, "Some Acts of Certain Apostles."

As regards authorship, it was certainly the work of the evangelist Luke, (Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1) who wrote the third Gospel. This is the uniform tradition of antiquity, although the writer nowhere mentions himself by name. The style and idiom of the Gospel of Luke and Acts, and the usage of words and phrases common to both, strengthen this opinion. The writer first appears in the narrative with the phrase "We set sail from Troas" in 16:11, and then disappears till Paul's return to Philippi two years afterwards, when he and Paul left that city together (20:6), and the two seem to have been constant companions from then to the end of Paul's life. He was certainly with Paul at Rome (Acts 28; Col. 4:14). Thus he wrote much of that story from personal observation. For what lay beyond his own experience he musta have had Paul's instruction. If 2 Tim 4:11 was written during Paul's second imprisonment at Rome, Luke was still with him then as his faithful companion. Of Luke's subsequent history we have no Scriptural inormation.

If the design of Luke's Gospel was to describe the character and work of Jesus until he was taken up from his disciples into heaven, the Acts, as its sequel, illustrates the power and working of the gospel when preached among all nations, under the Holy Spirit's impulse, "beginning at Jerusalem." The opening sentences of Acts are an expansion and an explanation of the closing words of the Gospel. This book is a continuation of the history of the church after Jesus's ascension. Luke here carries on the story in the same spirit in which he had begun it. It is only a book of beginnings, of the founding of churches, the initial steps in the formation of the Christian society in the different places visited by the apostles. Acts records a cycle of "representative events."

�All through the narrative we see the ever-present, all-controlling power of the living Saviour. He works in spreading abroad his truth among men by his Spirit and through the instrumentality of his apostles. The narrative extends down to the close of the second year of Paul's first imprisonment at Rome. It could not therefore have been written earlier than 61 A.D. or 62. Paul was probably put to death during his second imprisonment, about 64 A.D., or, as some think, as late as 66 or 67. If indeed Luke accompanied Paul in his prison voyage, the place where the book was written was probably Rome.

The key to the contents of the book is in 1:8, "Ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth." After referring to his "former treatise" on the sayings and doings of Jesus Christ before his ascension, the author records the spread and triumphs of Christianity over the world during a period of about thirty years. The record begins with Pentecost (33 A.D.) and ends with Paul's first imprisonment (61 A.D.-63). The whole contents of the book may be divided into these three parts,

(1.) Chaps. 1-12, "From Jerusalem to Antioch," describing the first twelve years of the Christian church. It is the story of the planting and extension of the church among the Jews by the ministry of Peter.

(2.) Chaps. 13-21, "From Antioch back to Jerusalem," Paul's missionary journeys, giving the history of the extension and planting of the church among the Gentiles; his ecumenical journey to strengthen the ties between his missionary churches and the base-church in Jerusalem.

(3.) Chaps. 21-28, "From Jerusalem to Rome," Paul's final imprisonment and what led to this.

Strangely, no mention is made of the writing by Paul of any of his epistles. This may be because the writer confined himself to the planting of the church, and not to that of its training in doctrine. But the relation between Acts and the epistles of Paul is such as to prove the authenticity of both. (See Paul) The Acts of the Apostles form the second half of a two-volume work compiled by the author of Luke's Gospel. Both volumes are dedicated to Theophilus (presumably an imperial official), and the contents of both works are divided clearly into periods. Near the end of the Gospel, the stage is set for the next period � the "new dispensation" of the church as presented in Acts. After the Ascension of the risen Lord in Jerusalem (Acts 1), there is Pentecost, the Jewish festival of the revelation of the Law, which now becomes the day when the Spirit is poured out. This event marks the beginning of a new era (Acts 2). Just as Jesus was led by the Spirit from Nazareth to Jerusalem, so in Acts, the outpouring of he Spirit at Pentecost will lead his followers on their mission, from Jerusalem to Rome.

Acts depicts the shift from Jewish Christianity to Gentile Christianity as relatively smooth and the Roman government as regarding the Christian doctrine as unopposed to imperial law and order. This book continues to see the church as guided by the Spirit until the time of the Lord's return. It was probably in the middle eighties of the first century as a companion volume to the Gospel, although (strangely) none of the manuscripts or canonical lists sets the two texts side by side.

Luke wrote the Acts in relatively good literary Greek (especially where he has Paul addressing the Gentiles). He artfully uses some Semitisms, especially when stressing Jewish backgrounds; so, Paul is called Saul in accounts of his conversion experience on Damascus road. In chapter 17, Paul's speech on the Areopagus to an intellectual Athenian audience is in good Greek, assimilating Gentile thought patterns. He is often credited with gaining for Paul, posthumously, a respect and a wide hearing that the Apostle could hardly achieve in his lifetime, and it may be largely due to his account that Paul's letters were held in such esteem, and were preserved to form such an important part of the New Testament.