Acts of the Apostles @ the title now given to the fifth and last
of the historical books of the New Testament. The author styles
it a "treatise" (1:1). It was early called "The Acts," "The
Gospel of the Holy Ghost," and "The Gospel of the Resurrection."
It contains properly no account of any of the apostles except
Peter and Paul. John is noticed only three times; and all that
is recorded of James, the son of Zebedee, is his execution by
Herod. It is properly therefore not the history of the "Acts of
the Apostles," a title which was given to the book at a later
date, but of "Acts of Apostles," or more correctly, of "Some
Acts of Certain Apostles." As regards its authorship, it was
certainly the work of Luke, the "beloved physician" (comp.
Luke:1:1-4; Acts:1:1). This is the uniform tradition of
antiquity, although the writer nowhere makes mention of himself
by name. The style and idiom of the Gospel of Luke and of the
Acts, and the usage of words and phrases common to both,
strengthen this opinion. The writer f