Acts of the Apostles Archives - The Bart Ehrman Blog

Discovering the book of acts and the apostles.

Did Jesus BECOME the Son of God? The Christology of Acts

In broad terms, there were two major kinds of Christology in the early church. One of them could be called an "incarnation" Christology, since it maintains that Christ was a pre-existent divine being who became a human, as explicitly stated in John 1:1-18 and Philippians 2:6-11. That's the view, of course, that most Christians have always held, and is often referred to as a "high" Christology, where Christ starts out up above, with God, as divine himself. The other could be called an “exaltation” Christology , sometimes called a “low” Christology or a Christology from below, where Jesus started out as a human, nothing more, but came to be exalted by God to become his Son, the Lord (at some point of his existence.) As I tried to show in my book How Jesus Became God, this was the oldest view among the Christians, and can be found in fragments of creeds and confessions that were later quoted by authors of the New Testament, so that in terms of raw chronology, they were formulated well *before* the [...]

BDEhrman2025-03-07T10:53:52-05:00March 6th, 2025|Acts of the Apostles|

The Acts of the Apostles: Who Wrote It, When, and Why?

Now that I have discussed the major themes and emphases of the Acts of the Apostles, I can summarize what (I think) we can know about its author, when he wrote, and why. As I’ve indicated, Acts is the second volume of a two-volume work by the anonynmous author of the Gospel of Luke. In my discussion of the Gospel I’ve show why the traditional view that the author was Luke the gentile physician, a traveling companion of Paul, is probably not right. In case you want to read/reread the post, it is here: https://ehrmanblog.org/the-gospel-of-luke-who-wrote-it-when-and-why/ There I point out what I’ve repeatedly argued on the blog, that in virtually every instance in which the book of Acts can be compared with Paul’s letters in terms of biographical detail, differences emerge. Some of these differences are minor – the kinds of things a friend might just get wrong; others are major and show that the author misunderstands or at least mischaracterizes Paul on significant issues, in ways hard to explain if he was closely associated with [...]

BDEhrman2025-03-05T15:06:41-05:00March 4th, 2025|Acts of the Apostles|

The Book of Acts in a Nutshell

Acts in a Nutshell The book of Acts is a truly important book for anyone interested in knowing how Christianity began: it is our only narrative of the spread of the faith in its first thirty years. Acts is a relatively long book – about the size of its companion volume the Gospel of Luke – and there is a lot going on in it. Have you ever read it all the way through? Do you know much about it? If not, this is the post for you. If so, then try to summarize the major themes and emphases of Acts in one sentence, of fifty words or less. Here’s how I would do it (today!): A companion volume to the Gospel of Luke, Acts narrates the miraculous spread of Christianity from Jerusalem to Rome, from Jew to gentile, through the miraculous deeds and inspired preaching of Jesus’ original apostles and the convert Paul, all empowered by the Spirit and in complete harmony with one another. In this post I’ll unpack this statement and in [...]

BDEhrman2025-02-23T12:19:30-05:00March 2nd, 2025|Acts of the Apostles|

An Imagined Dialogue for the Dispute Between Paul & Barnabas in Acts Part 4 by Angus Nisbet

We come now to the final post by Angus Nisbet on the dispute recorded in the NT between Paul and Barnabas, in which he tries to reconstruct what may have really happened (covered up by the NT reporting). Is it possible that Barnabas actually lashed seriously into Paul and became his enemy? Is it possible that Paul's enmity with Jewish Christians is what ultimately led to his martyrdom? Read on! And Respond! And remember: you as a Platinum member not only get access to all Platinum posts written by other Platinums, but you also can write some yourself! You don't have to be thoroughly well-versed in the field to write one! Do you have any thoughts or ideas or curiosities you would like others to see and respond to? Send us a post!! ****************************** In this fourth post on an Imagined dialogue between Paul and Barnabas for their dispute mentioned in Acts 15: 37-40, Barnabas points out to Paul in the dialogue that Paul’s words about being all things to all people (1 Cor 9: [...]

Diane2024-10-30T10:10:49-04:00November 8th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters, Public Forum|

An Imagined Dialogue for the Dispute Between Paul & Barnabas in Acts Part 3 by Angus Nisbet

Now we come to the third of four posts by Platinum member Angus Nisbet on the dispute between Paul and Barnabas recorded in the book of Acts, where he maintains that Mark (as in John Mark, allegedly the author of the Gospel!) was a spy who ratted Paul out. And it involves a connection with the Essenes who produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. Whoa! Check it out and tell us what you think! Remember: you as a Platinum member not only get access to all Platinum posts written by other Platinums, but you also can write some yourself! You don't have to be thoroughly well-versed in the field to write one! Do you have any thoughts or ideas or curiosities you would like others to see and respond to? Send us a post!! ****************************** In this third post on the Imagined dialogue between Paul and Barnabas for their dispute mentioned in Acts 15: 37-40, the dialogue uses verses from Paul’s letter to the Galatians in which Paul attacks those whom he refers to as false [...]

Diane2024-10-30T10:11:34-04:00November 4th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters, Public Forum|

An Imagined Dialogue for the Dispute Between Paul & Barnabas in Acts Part 2 by Angus Nisbet

Here Angus Nisbet continues his discussion of Paul and Barnabas and the dispute they had, where he gets into more fascinating issues, involving what might lie behind the dispute and how non-canonical writings that did not make it into the NT might help us figure it out. There are some controversial views here. What do you think? Remember: you as a Platinum member not only get access to all Platinum posts written by other Platinums, but you also can write some yourself! You don't have to be thoroughly well-versed in the field to write one! Do you have any thoughts or ideas or curiosities you would like others to see and respond to? Send us a post!! ******************************* In this second post on the imagined dialogue between Paul and Barnabas for their dispute mentioned in Acts 15: 37-40, I begin the first of 3 sections of the dispute dialogue, in which of Paul’s responses to Barnabas make use of Paul’s actual writings from his New Testament letters. In this first section of the imagined dialogue, [...]

Diane2024-10-27T19:37:06-04:00November 1st, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters, Public Forum|

An Imagined Dialogue for the Dispute Between Paul & Barnabas in Acts Part I by Angus Nisbet

Here is the first of a four-post thread for Platinum members by long-standing Platinum member Angus Nisbet. It is a terrifically imaginative discussion of Paul and Barnabas (focused on the book of Acts) that touches on a wide range of issues that we deal with a lot on the blog -- Paul's conflict with other apostles such as James; the views of Christ and salvation dominant among the earliest Jewish followers of Jesus; early Christian Gnosticism; the reliability of the book of Acts; and ... more! Angus will be interested in your feedback, and so will I! Remember: you as a Platinum member not only get access to all Platinum posts written by other Platinums, but you also can write some yourself! You don't have to be thoroughly well-versed in the field to write one! Do you have any thoughts or ideas or curiosities you would like others to see and respond to? Send us a post!! ****************************** This first post is an introduction to a series of 3 further posts, in which I have [...]

Diane2024-10-30T10:13:05-04:00October 28th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters, Public Forum|

Is the Paul of Acts at Odds with the Paul of His Own Letters?

Here I continue my few remarks on the differences between Paul’s proclamation as recorded in the speeches he gives in the book of Acts and the views he sets forth in his own letters. Again, this is taken from my book Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene (Oxford, 2006). ****************************** Further contrasts between what Paul says about his proclamation and what Acts says about it can be seen in the first major speech Paul delivers in Acts, on the first of his three missionary journeys in the book, in the town of Antioch, Pisidia (central Asia Minor). Paul and his companion Barnabas arrive in town, and on the Sabbath they go to the synagogue for worship with their fellow Jews. As outside guests, they are asked if they have anything to say to the congregation. Paul stands up and delivers a long sermon (Acts 13:16-42). He addresses his hearers as “Israelites,” and gives them a brief summary of the history of the Jewish people, down to the time of King David. He then [...]

BDEhrman2024-04-04T10:39:39-04:00April 10th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters|

Is the Message of Paul in Acts the Same as the Message of Paul According to Paul?
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Is the Message of Paul in Acts the Same as the Message of Paul According to Paul?

Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters

Is the Message of Paul in Acts the Same as the Message of Paul According to Paul?

In September I'm going to be hosting an online conference of Bible scholars discussing their work for laypeople at a level that most anyone will be able to follow easily. This will be the second of our conferences, "New Insights into the New Testament" (if you don't know about the first one from this past year, focused on the Gospels, you can learn about it here: New Insights into the New Testament Conference). The topic will be The Life, Letters, and Legends of Paul, and we'll have 8 or 10 scholars making presentations with Q&A for each. We'll be announcing the course later (date, etc.), but just now as I've started thinking about it, I've been reflecting on some of the issues involved with trying to figure out what Paul actually preached. In addition to his hints and statements in his surviving letters, we have actual speeches allegedly delivered by him in the book of Acts in the NT. But do these accurately reflect what he really said? I've addressed the question on and off [...]

BDEhrman2024-04-04T10:54:51-04:00April 9th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters|

A Self-Evaluation of My Self-Debate: Is the Book of Acts Historically Reliable?

I have now completed my posts on the debate I had with myself in front of my New Testament class on the question of whether the New Testament book of Acts is historically reliable. If you want to see the whole debate, just read the posts in sequence: the affirmative speech arguing Acts is indeed reliable; the negative speech arguing that it is not; the negative rebuttal of what the affirmative side said; and finally the affirmative rebuttal of what the negative side said. In class I delivered the speeches one after the other. When “affirmative” I was wearing a sport coat, but no cap; when “negative” I was wearing a baseball cap but no sport coat – just so students would remember that it was a “different” speaker speaking. I have pointed out on the blog before that even though I do a lot of public debates, I often find them more than a little frustrating and frequently (in fact, almost always) ask myself, in the course of the debate, why I’m doing this [...]

BDEhrman2024-03-17T13:59:00-04:00March 24th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Bart's Debates|

Is the Book of Acts Reliable? The Affirmative REBUTTAL of the Negative Case

I have been discussing the debate that I had with myself in front of my New Testament class on the resolution, Resolved: The Book of Acts is Historically Reliable. So far I have indicated what the Affirmative side argued in favor of the resolution; what the Negative side argued against the resolution; and what the Negative side said in its rebuttal to the first Affirmative speech. NOW, at last, I can indicate what the Affirmative side said in its rebuttal to the two Negative speeches. You can find the posts here: the affirmative speech arguing Acts is indeed reliable; the negative speech arguing that it is not; the negative rebuttal of what the affirmative side said Recall: in this post I’m not indicating what I really think; I’m indicating what I would argue if this were the side I was required to argue (and what I did argue in class). Here it is: ****************************** Despite what the negative side has maintained, we remain convinced that the New Testament book of Acts is historically reliable. [...]

BDEhrman2024-03-17T13:58:33-04:00March 23rd, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Bart's Debates|

Is the Book of Acts Historically Reliable? The Negative REBUTTAL of the Affirmative Case

What follows is the “negative rebuttal” of the speech given by the “first affirmative” in its support of the resolution, “Resolved: The Book of Acts is Historically Reliable.” If you need to refresh yourself on what the affirmative team argued, you can find it on the March 16 post, here: The Book of Acts IS HISTORICAL! The Affirmative Argument. In the first negative speech (yesterday’s post) the negative team argued its case, without direct reference to the affirmative side. This, now, is the negative response to what the affirmative said (the next post in the thread will be the affirmative rebuttal to the negative side) (recall: this was a debate I staged with myself in front of my New Testament class. I didn't read this speech: I winged it. But this is the essence of what I argued, on the negative side against the affirmative) ****************************** If you choose to go point by point through the affirmative team’s case that the book of Acts is historically reliable, you will find that they have advanced their [...]

BDEhrman2024-03-17T13:58:25-04:00March 21st, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Bart's Debates|

The Book of Acts is NOT RELIABLE! The Negative Case
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The Book of Acts is NOT RELIABLE! The Negative Case

Acts of the Apostles, Bart's Debates

The Book of Acts is NOT RELIABLE! The Negative Case

I have already devoted to a post to argue the AFFIRMATIVE side to the debate resolution: "Resolved: The Book of Acts is Historically Reliable" (see the post two days ago, and for an entire post devoted to showing a major irrelevancy in the affirmative case, see the one from three days ago). In this post I will lay out the NEGATIVE case, as well as I can in this amount of space, arguing that Acts is NOT reliable. Again, I am not necessarily agreeing or disagreeing with this argument; I’m giving it as I would in a debate. ****************************** The New Testament book of Acts is not historically reliable. Before showing that to be the case, I want to make two preliminary remarks, both of them related to the question of what it means for an ostensibly historical account (a narrative of what allegedly happened in the past) to be reliable. First, when readers today want to know whether the book of Acts is reliable, they mean that they want to know whether the events [...]

BDEhrman2024-03-17T13:58:14-04:00March 20th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Bart's Debates|

Arguments for “Historical Accuracy” That Are All Smoke and Mirrors.

In my next post I will be staking out the “negative” side on the debate I had with myself in class, arguing against the resolution, Resolved: The Book of Acts is Historically Reliable. I have already made the affirmative case; in the negative I will argue that the book is not reliable (that first speech was a set speech, prepared without reference to anything the affirmative side said). I will then give a negative refutation of the affirmative’s first speech, and I will end with an affirmative rebuttal of the negative’s two speeches. Before I do all that, however, I need to take a time-out and explain one negative counter-argument that would take too much space if it were simply part of a longer post laying out the negative position. The affirmative side in the debate argued that based on archaeological evidence Luke can be shown to have presented accurately the laws, custom, and geography mentioned or alluded to in the book of Acts: there really was an Areopagus where philosophers gathered, as [...]

BDEhrman2024-03-04T10:20:04-05:00March 17th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Bart's Debates|

The Book of Acts IS HISTORICAL! The Affirmative Argument

I am ready now to explain how I did the debate with myself in front of my undergraduate class on the resolution, Resolved: The Book of Acts is Historically Reliable. As always happens in a debate, the Affirmative side goes first and gives a prepared speech. In arguing for the affirmative, I made the following points (Note: I’m not saying I personally agree with these points, just as I’m not going to be saying that I agreed with the Negative points. I’m simply making the best case I can for both positions.): THE REST OF THIS POST IS FOR MEMBERS ONLY. If you don't belong yet, JOIN! 100% of membership fees go directly to charity! The Book of Acts is historically reliable, as can be seen by considering three major points: First, the author of the book of Acts explicitly tells us that he was concerned and committed to present a historically accurate account of the history of the early church. The author of Acts, of course, was the author of the [...]

BDEhrman2024-03-18T20:28:15-04:00March 16th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Bart's Debates|

Who Cares if the Book of Acts is Historical??

The debate over the historical accuracy of the book of Acts is important, in no small measure because – as I have pointed out already – it provides us our one and only narrative of what was happening among the followers of Jesus in the years immediately after his death. This is the key, formative period in the formation of Christianity. How did it start as a religion? Acts is our only surviving historical account. But is it an accurate history? The first thing to stress is that Acts – like all histories – is highly restrictive in what it talks about. It is not a comprehensive history and makes no pretense of being a comprehensive history. The title “The Acts of the Apostles” was given it by later readers and scribes. The author himself (whoever he was) does not give it a title. And this particular title is not particularly apt, for one very important reason: most of the apostles do not figure in the account at all. This is a narrative [...]

BDEhrman2024-03-12T11:09:10-04:00March 14th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles, Bart's Debates|

Important Literary Features of the Book of Acts

I am in the middle of a thread dealing with debates over the New Testament book of Acts, the first account that we have of the history of the Christian church at its very beginnings – starting with the events happening right after the resurrection of Jesus and covering the spread of the Christian faith through the Roman world up until the time Paul reached the city of Rome, presumably in the early 60s CE. And so this is an account of the first three decades of Christianity. It’s the only one we have of this period. That’s one reason it is so important to know if it’s historically reliable or not – if it’s not, we have very restricted access to what was happening in these most critical years of the early Christian movement. Before I discuss the issue of Acts’ historically reliability (the subject of my debate with myself in front of my undergraduate class), I need to provide a bit more background. In my textbook on the New Testament I [...]

BDEhrman2024-03-04T10:53:13-05:00March 13th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles|

What is the Book of Acts About?
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What is the Book of Acts About?

Acts of the Apostles

What is the Book of Acts About?

To understand a debate about whether the book of Acts is historical, I first have to explain -- by way or reminder or by way of ... minder -- what the book of Acts is actually about. After this post I'll lay out how I debate (with myself) whether what it says can actually be seen as historically accurate. The first four books of the NT are Gospels, followed then by the book of Acts. The Gospels each, in their own way, present accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The book of Acts picks up where the Gospels drop off, by describing the activities of Jesus’ disciples after he is raised from the dead and then ascended into heaven. One key fact to bear in mind is that the author of Acts also wrote the Gospel of Luke. There really should be little debate about that (although as with every historical claim, there is *always* some debate!). You can see for yourself just by reading the first few verses of Luke and then [...]

BDEhrman2024-03-14T12:20:03-04:00March 12th, 2024|Acts of the Apostles|

Did Paul Get Along with the Other Apostles?
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Did Paul Get Along with the Other Apostles?

Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters

Did Paul Get Along with the Other Apostles?

I mentioned in my previous posts that there are discrepancies between Paul’s letters and the book of Acts in both major and minor ways, and in my last post I dealt with some differences that appear when one looks closely at the details (the issue I addressed: what does Paul do immediately upon his conversion). There are many instances like that throughout Acts: if you compare what Paul has to say with what Acts has to say, on the same topic or about the same event, you will find differences, and often these differences matter a lot to the overall narrative. There are also of differences that emerge from the overall portrayal of Paul and his Christian mission. In this post I’ll deal with one example, Paul's relationship with the other Apostles. In both Acts and Paul's letters its clear that Paul had relations those who were apostles before him, chiefly the former disciples of Jesus (Peter, John, etc.) and Jesus’ own brother James, who was to become the leader of the church in Jerusalem. [...]

BDEhrman2023-06-26T18:48:12-04:00June 29th, 2023|Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters|

After Paul Converted… Does the Book of Acts Contradict Paul Himself?

Is the account of Paul's life in Acts at odds with what Paul says himself? If not, are the stories in Acts just invented out of whole cloth? Some people who responded to my previous post on the historical trustworthiness of the book of Acts suggested that maybe its author “Luke” (we don’t know the author’s real name, so we may as well call him this) wasn't just makin' stuff up, but had sources of information available to him for the book of Acts, just as he clearly did for the Gospel (e.g., the Gospels of Mark and Q). I think this is absolutely right, he almost certainly did have sources. It should be clear that he wasn't simply creating complete fictions about Paul: that there are numerous close parallels in Acts to what Paul has to say about himself. So there is a historical gist to his accounts on some level. At the same time, almost all these parallels also contain striking discrepancies from Paul. So Luke had sources, but the sources were not [...]

BDEhrman2023-06-16T11:35:37-04:00June 28th, 2023|Acts of the Apostles, Paul and His Letters|

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