THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD IN THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

In order to better understand the context of the book of Acts I will look at how the people of his day understood divine providence. Was the author (presumably Luke) presenting an original theological concept? Or was he modifying, or making use of, notions of divine providence already available to his audience? Was there enough overlap between Jewish and Greco-Roman understandings of this idea for Luke to make a commonly understood appeal? Luke, as historian and theologian, clearly appeals to divine providence in his portrayal of how the early church was formed, spread and organized. To begin to answer these kinds of questions, I will begin by looking at the Jewish background and then examine the Greco-Roman background. This will enable us to make better sense of the form of Luke’s presentation of the early church, as well as to understand a prevailing theology of the Holy Spirit present in the early church