"The Nazarenes" or "The Way"
Preface: The transition from the life of Jesus according to the earliest sources to the history of the early church
I. Authorship and Dating of Acts
A. Internal Evidence
1.
2. The Preface of Book One (Luke 1:1-4) and "we passages" of Book Two (Acts 16:11-18, etc.)
3.
4.
Addition of post-Temple "times of the gentiles" (Luke 21:23-24)
5.
B. External Evidence
1.
2
. Earliest Existing Manuscriptsa. Fragments from the 200s C.E.
b. First complete copy ca. 350 C.E.
c.
C. Conclusions
1. Consensus Date:
2. Author:
II. The Genre of Acts:
A. Use of Sources (Acts 1:1-2; cf. Luke 1:1-4)
B.
III. Traditions about the Earliest Followers of "the Way"
A. Acts 1:
B. Acts 2:
C. Acts 3: Peter's Mighty Deeds and Words
D. Acts 4:
E. Acts 5: More Wonders and Persecution
F.
G. Stephen's Radical Rhetoric and its Effect (6:8 - 8:3)
VidClip from the miniseries A.D. (12')