Historical ContextThe Book of Acts, or sometimes known as The Acts of the Apostles, was written between 62 and 70 AD To better understand the meaning behind the Acts, one should look at the history and what they bring to the writing of this book. It was written as the second half of a two-part series, with Luke as the first half. Without mentioning himself in any of his writings, Luke, a traveling companion of Paul, as mentioned in Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11, and Philemon verse 24, is believed to be the author of both Luke and Acts . We are told that Luke wrote or dedicated both works to Theophilus (meaning friend of God). Already in the Gospel of Luke chapter 1, Theophilus is also called "most excellent", which in Greek is Kratistos, to indicate an expression of honor. The social scale of the Roman Empire was divided into four groups; 1) Phelps (common people), 2) Knights (rich, dignified people of high social standing) and 3) Senators (the highest awards of government). "Kratistos is the epithet used for Felix, the Roman governor of Judea, later found to describe Theophilus." Theophilus is believed to have been a Christian convert, master of a Greek slave/servant named Luke, who was also a doctor. Luke was then freed or freed, then, to Theophilus' gratitude, he wrote his gospel. Luke wrote the Book of Acts to continue the story of Jesus. He was seen as a pattern of the Lord, like John when he wrote the book of Revelation. When Luke wrote the book of Acts, the Roman Empire had already conquered the Mediterranean world and was reaching what is now Britain, North Africa, and parts of Asia. So during the early church, the empire would still have been growing and would have had influences of p......middle of paper......and that unity of spirit and purpose essential to effective witness. ”Works CitedBarclay, Guglielmo. The Acts of the Apostles. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1976. 29-31. Print.Buttrick, George Arthur. The Bible Dictionary for Interpreters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. vol. 1. New York: Abingdon, 1962. Print. Criswell, W.A. “Divine Great Expectations.” Proceedings, an exhibition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Pub. Home, 1978. 13-18. Print.Drane, John William. The first Christians. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1982. Print.Harrison, Everett Falconer. Acts: The expanding Church. Chicago: Moody, 1975. 64. Print.Marshall, I. Howard. "Introduction." Introduction. The book of Acts: an introduction and commentary. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2007. 17-53. Print.Polhill, John B. The New American Commentary-- ACTS. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman, 1992. 118-22. Press.