Bible Book Summaries

Acts · New Testament

Acts

c. AD 30–62

Section
Acts · New Testament
Events span
c. AD 30–62
Written
c. AD 62
Author
Luke, the physician and companion of Paul

Acts, Luke's sequel, tells how the risen Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and how the gospel spread from Jerusalem to Rome, through Peter's leadership of the early church and Paul's missionary journeys, despite persecution, all the way to the heart of the empire.

Historical setting: The church spreading from Jerusalem across the Roman Empire (c. AD 30–62); the Second Temple still standing, Judea under Roman rule.

Chronological placement: The backbone of New Testament history (c. AD 30–62). Most of the epistles were written during the events Acts narrates, and are placed after it here by date of composition.

Key themes

  • The coming of the Holy Spirit
  • The birth and growth of the church
  • Gospel to the ends of the earth
  • Persecution and boldness
  • Paul's missionary journeys

Key events

The Church in Jerusalem (Acts 1–7)

  • The risen Jesus commissions the disciples and ascends to heaven Acts 1c. AD 30
  • The Holy Spirit falls at Pentecost; Peter preaches and three thousand are saved Acts 2c. AD 30
  • Peter and John heal a lame man and preach boldly despite arrest Acts 3–4c. AD 30
  • The believers share everything; Ananias and Sapphira are struck down for lying Acts 4–5c. AD 31
  • Stephen becomes the first martyr, stoned as Saul looks on approvingly Acts 6–7c. AD 34

The Gospel Spreads (Acts 8–12)

  • Persecution scatters the church; Philip preaches in Samaria and to an Ethiopian official Acts 8c. AD 34
  • Saul is converted by the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus Acts 9c. AD 35
  • Peter is sent to Cornelius, and the gospel is opened to the Gentiles Acts 10–11c. AD 40
  • An angel frees Peter from prison, and King Herod dies under judgment Acts 12c. AD 44

Paul's Missionary Journeys (Acts 13–28)

  • Paul and Barnabas are sent out on the first missionary journey Acts 13–14c. AD 47
  • The Jerusalem Council decides Gentiles need not keep the law of Moses to be saved Acts 15c. AD 49
  • The second journey: Philippi, Thessalonica, and Athens (the Areopagus) Acts 16–18c. AD 50
  • The third journey centers on Ephesus, where the gospel disrupts the idol trade Acts 19–20c. AD 54
  • Paul is arrested in Jerusalem and testifies before governors and King Agrippa Acts 21–26c. AD 57
  • Paul survives shipwreck and reaches Rome, preaching the kingdom under house arrest Acts 27–28c. AD 60

Key lessons

  • The church’s mission runs on the Holy Spirit’s power, not human ability; at Pentecost ordinary people are transformed into bold, articulate witnesses. Acts 2:1–4
  • The gospel is for all peoples; God breaks down every barrier (Samaritan, Ethiopian, Gentile) to carry salvation to the ends of the earth. Acts 10:34–35
  • Opposition cannot stop God’s word; persecution only scatters the seed further, and the church grows through suffering rather than in spite of it. Acts 8:4
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Acts 1:8 KJV
Critical scholarship view

Where mainstream critical scholarship dates or attributes this book differently from the traditional view above.

Written
c. AD 80–90
Author
Anonymous (traditionally Luke), c. AD 80–90