Acts of the Apostles is the fifth book of the New Testament. It continues the story that begins in the Gospel of Luke. Luke and Acts were written by the same author. They are volumes one and two of a single work that scholars call Luke-Acts. According to Christian tradition, Acts was written by Saint Luke, a companion of Saint Paul. But many scholars doubt that this is true. Most scholars believe that Luke and Acts were written between A.D. 85 and 95.
Acts tells the story of the beginning and expansion of the Christian church. The story begins with the Ascension (rising to Heaven) of Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Because the Christian church began as a movement within Judaism, the inclusion of Gentiles (non-Jews) in the church was controversial. Acts justifies the Christian mission to the Gentiles as the fulfillment of the Jewish scriptures. Acts also defends the church against charges that it was a threat to the civil and moral order of the Roman Empire. Acts provides an account of Paul joining the church and of his three missionary journeys in what is now Turkey and Greece. The story ends with Paul imprisoned in Rome.
