The book of Acts has been read by Christians for nearly two thousand years, but what do we actually know about when it was written, who wrote it, and what the author was trying to accomplish? This talk will explore how Christians and modern scholars have understood Acts, from its earliest reception to contemporary debates about its authorship, date, genre, and historical context. Along the way, we will consider what these questions can—and cannot—tell us about the early Christian movement.

Rochelle Willingham is a Ph.D. candidate in New Testament and Early Christianity in the Department of Religion at Rice University. Her research interests include social memory, identity formation, and the process of writing history, with a particular focus on second century Christianity. Her current research examines the compositional context of the Acts of the Apostles.