Historical Authenticity and Literary Craft in the Book of Acts

Squabbles over the historicity of Acts have surfaced off and on for generations. Think Martin Dibelius versus C. H. Dodd on the question of whether the speeches in Acts are predominantly historical, evidence of the early Christian kerygma (Dodd), or the sort of literary compositions that were characteristic of such works as Josephus’ Antiquities (Dibelius). In this paper, that squabble resurfaces in a brief perusal of moments in Acts that are, at one and the same time, historically situated in the first century and indications of literary composition—moments such as when key characters become the inspired interpreters of scripture, in a manner that is at home in Discoveries from the Judean Desert and, at the same time, the product of literary artistry. The question of historical authenticity versus literary craft in the Book of Acts, it would seem, offers the opportunity for further scholarly conversation and concord.