Abstract
The application of comparative texts culled from the traditions of ancient historical writing has been the basis for a number of important interpretations of Acts in recent years. Although their methods and results have varied, it is possible to identify a number of observations emerging from these studies that represent general points of agreement as to Acts' cultural and literary profile. Several of these observations can be summarized by way of introduction to a pivotal episode in Acts, the founding of Christianity's first Gentile church. First, while it is clear that Acts represents a continuation of the biblical story,1 it is also true that its manner of literary self-presentation is not strictly biblical in nature. Like the OT narratives that inspire him, Luke conveys his i (plot),2 but this is a mythos whose full meaning is grasped only in the light of expectations intrinsic to his readers' hellenized milieu. Acts not only situates nascent Christianity in relation to events of Greco-Roman history (e.g., 18:2), but the particulars of its narrative style, logic, and form situate the text itself in relation to conventions of Greco-Roman historical writing.3 In this manner, Acts brings to bear on Christian traditions an outsider's perspective, emplotting the Christian story according to the criteria of pagan storytelling.4
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