Literary Studies of Acts

Here is another bit from some of the material I have been reading.

"Luke-Acts will continue to invite historical inquiry. It is a ceucial source for any historical reconstruction of Christian origins, and knowledge of its own historical setting informs our reading of the narrativr. Yet literary approaches occupy center stage as Lukan scholarship enters its third millennium. Rhetorical critical studies examine the way Luke's artful composition achieves its intended effects on readers (Hearers). Reader-response critics shift focus to the reader and explore the ways in which the readers seek to find coherent meaning in the text. And narratological approaches are multiplying exponentially. Especially valuable is the current work on the characterization in Luke's narrative."

John T. Carroll, “Luke-Acts,” in The New Testament Today, ed. Mark Allan Powell (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 1999), 60.