These essays use an interdisciplinary approach for recent 'Acts' scholarship. Insights from social sciences, narratological studies, Greek and Roman rhetoric and history, and classics, set 'Acts' in its original context.

Preface; Part I. Issues of Genre and Historical Method: 1. In the shadow of Thucydides W. J. McCoy; 2. How history should be written C. K. Barrett; 3. The Acts of the Apostles: monograph or bios? Charles H. Talbert; 4. The preface to Acts and the historians Loveday C. A. Alexander; 5. The future of the past: Luke's vision of salvation history and its bearing on his writing of history Jacob Jervell; Part II. Historical and Theological Difficulties in Acts: 6. Acts 6.1–8.4: division or diversity? Craig C. Hill; 7. James and the Gentiles (Acts 15.13–21) Richard Bauckham; 8. Kerygmatic summaries in the speeches of Acts Richard Bauckham; 9. The 'script' of the Scriptures in Acts: suffering as God's 'plan' for the world for the 'release of sins' David P. Moessner; 10. Luke's social location of Paul: cultural anthropology and the status of Paul in Acts Jerome H. Neyrey; Part III. Issues of Literary Criticism: 11. Internal repetition in Luke-Acts: contemporary narratology and Lukan historiography Joel B. Green; 12. Luke's characterising use of the Old Testament in the Book of Acts Bill T. Arnold; 13. Editing the Good News: some synoptic lessons for the study of Acts Ben Witherington, III; 14. The means of absent ends Wm. F. Brosend, II; Index of biblical references.