Acts of the Apostles

the long version

In Jesus After 2000 Years, New Testament historian Gerd Ludemann analyzed the four traditional gospels, plus the more recently discovered Gospel of Thomas and apocryphal literature, to ascertain which of the alleged words and actions of Jesus can be judged authentic. In this companion volume, Ludemann takes the same historical-critical approach to the Acts of the Apostles. Together these two in-depth studies lay the groundwork for a factual and accurate history of Primitive Christianity. The Acts of the Apostles explores the early Church in Jerusalem, the spreading of the Gospel in the Gentile world, Paul's missionary journey beginning and ending in Jerusalem, Paul as the prisoner of the Romans and the defender of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Rome, and the real historical value of Luke's account in Acts, and it concludes with a brief narrative of Primitive Christianity from 30-70 CE.