Six Things You Probably Did Not Know About Luke-Acts

I have a book on Luke and Acts coming out in less than a month, so feel free to pre-order.

To prepare my peeps for its release, let me tell you six things about Luke and Acts you probably did not know!

First, Luke and Acts make up 28% of the New Testament. Paul’s epistles are 24% and John’s Gospel and Letters make up 20%

Second, while scholars frequently pair Luke and Acts together (i.e., Luke-Acts), the two books were not really studied together as a narrative or theological unity until the twentieth century. For most of church history and Christian book culture, Luke was associated with the three other Gospels and Acts placed among the Catholic letters.

Third, Codex Bezae (D), is a Latin-Greek Diglot text, and its text of Acts is 10% longer than most other manuscripts.

Fourth, Luke includes some unique material, like how three women financially supported Jesus in his ministry:

Soon afterwards, Jesus went about in person, with the Twelve, through the towns and villages, announcing and telling the good news of God’s kingdom.  They were accompanied by various women who had been healed from evil spirits and diseases: Mary who was called ‘Magdalene’, from whom seven demons had gone out,  Joanna the wife of Chouza (Herod’s steward), and Susanna, and many others. They looked after the needs of Jesus and his companions out of their own pockets (Luke 8:1-3).

Fifth, according to Biblegateway, the most commonly searched verse in the Gospel of Luke is Luke 4:18, which is ironic, because it’s a quote from Isaiah 61:1. Also, according to Biblegateway, the most common searched verse in the Book of Acts is Acts 1:8.

Sixth, Luke is the only author who mentions the ascension, but he mentions it twice, at the end of Luke 24 and again in Acts 1.

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