The Acts of the Apostles (Greek , Praxeis Apostolōn) is a book of the Bible, the fifth in the New Testament. It is commonly referred to as simply Acts. The traditional view is that it was written by the Macedonian Christian physician and historian Luke the Evangelist, the companion of Paul of Tarsus, in the first century.

Acts describes many of the journeys and actions taken by the apostles. The book of Acts contains many descriptions of miraculous events (which were given as signs from God to validate the apostles' teachings), which were performed by the Holy Spirit through the apostles. These included miraculous healings, casting out evil spirits, and the raising of the dead. The narrative also contains historical descriptions of everyday life in the Roman Empire and in ancient Jerusalem.

Content

---

Acts focuses on the work of the Holy Spirit among believers after Jesus' resurrection and ascension to heaven. Jesus promised his apostles:

• Baptism with the Holy Spirit (1:5; cf Mark 1:8, Matt 3:11, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, John 4:2, John 20:22) and
• Power from the Holy Spirit to be witnesses to the farthest part of the earth (1:8, cf Luke 24:47-49, Matt 28:19, Mark 16:15).

The promised baptism of the Holy Spirit arrives for the Jewish-Christian church on the Day of Pentecost, and is revealed as such to Peter during the conversion of the gentile Cornelius (11:15-16). Arrival of the Holy Spirit begins the process of witnessing, which results in the growth and spread of the Church despite (and because of) official persecution. The power provided by the Holy Spirit for witnessing at Pentecost was the ability to speak in every language known to the then Judeo-Roman world (2:8-11).

More on [ Acts of the Apostles ]