The Puzzle of Paul in Acts: A New Historiographical Interpretation

Abstract

The quest for the historical Paul is among the central issues in the critical study of the New Testament. In the history of this quest, the puzzle of Paul in Acts has been a priority concern. This is most notably true of the work of F. C. Baur and the Tübingen school in the nineteenth century and in a diversity of scholars of the time. While recent study of the historical Paul has at times neglected Acts, the subject nonetheless enjoys pride of place in influential scholarship since Baur’s time. Today, “Paul in Acts” resides at a crossroads where often diametrically opposed positions regarding the historical nature of Luke’s portrait of Paul in Acts are debated, inextricably bound to questions about the historical nature of Luke–Acts in general. Scholars have continually offered explanations about Luke’s story of Paul based on the text and language of Acts and Paul’s letters, but have not often considered how one text-based explanation is superior to another from a methodological perspective. Recognizing the above, I develop an approach that addresses the unique needs of linguistic and historical interpretation from a contemporary perspective: I treat language with insights from contemporary Greek linguistics and history with insights from the philosophy of history and historical epistemology. I offer a treatment of the historical nature of Luke–Acts, and then analyze three major issues in Luke’s story of Paul (Paul’s early chronology, the “we” passages, and Paul’s speech in Athens). I conclude that Luke’s story of Paul is coherent with yet independent of Paul’s letters, and that Luke likely got his information from identifiable sources in the narrative.