Acts of the Apostles

3 credits · Divinity School

This course will guide students through a close engagement with the Acts of the Apostles. Acts is often understood as the first history of Christianity. By tending to and problematizing this idea, this course will lead students to examine critically Acts’ style of historiography, and it will consider ways that contemporary readers can chart a Jesus-centered movement for justice in Acts. Students will compare Acts with other canonical texts (especially the Gospel of Luke) and non-canonical texts (e.g. Acts of Paul and Thekla). The course will explore various approaches to Acts including abolitionist, post-colonial, feminist, womanist, critical race, queer, rhetorical, and material. [3]