Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel and tells the story of Jesus's followers during the 30 years after his death. It describes how the 12 apostles, formerly Jesus's disciples, spread the message of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean against a background of persecution. With an introduction by P.D. James

The Acts of the Apostles is an unjustly under-read text of the New Testament. Its story is by now old news. From its humble beginnings as a sect within Judaism, Christianity survived its first uncertain decades and emerged as one the most important world religions. Yet bypassing Acts because we know the ending misses out on the unfolding drama of the time. The first apostles struggled against the Jewish authorities and even quarreled among themselves, often with an acrimony that modern Christians find unsettling. We should think of the earliest decades of Christianity as a white hot crucible of conflict rather than a flower quietly unfolding and blooming. Putting this text in the hands of intermediate Latin students allows them to build on their years of study of a difficult language with a reading that is not only well within their grasp but is also of enduring importance.

The national directory addresses the dimensions and perspectives in the formation of deacons and the model standards for the formation, ministry, and life of deacons in the United States. It is intended as a guideline for formation, ministry, and life of permanent deacons and a directive to be utilized when preparing or updating a diaconate program in formulating policies for the ministry and life of deacons. This volume also includes Basic Standards for Readiness for the formation of permanent deacons in the United States, from the bishops' Committee on the Diaconate, and the committee document Visit of Consultation Teams to Diocesan Permanent Diaconate Formation Programs.

This book will review Luke's two volume historical narrative concerning Jesus' life and ministry as well the beginning and spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire as he experienced it.

Tannehill shows how the narrative contributes to the impact of Luke's literary whole. The study further shows that Luke's use of recurring words, patterns of repetition and contrast, irony, pathos, and many other features of this narrative contribute to the total fabric of Luke's masterpiece.

This groundbreaking commentary is the first to provide a detailed social and rhetorical analysis of the book of Acts. At the same time it gives detailed attention to major theological and historical issues.