An evaluation of the historical reliability of Acts based on Lucian's 'How to Write History'

Until the nineteenth century, the Book of Acts had enjoyed unqualified recognition as the sourcebook for the history of the early church. The book is important for the study of the New Testament because of the historical structure it provides for the different events surrounding the life and ministry of the apostle Paul and the early church. Without it, one would not know how the different events in Paul's letters hold together historically. The rejection of its historical reliability, which began in the nineteenth century, brought the critical study of the Book of Acts to the fore. Its rejection is a concern for biblical scholarship for it threatens to dislodge the book (the only historical book in the New Testament) from the canon and rewrite the history of the church as Christians know it. In this dissertation, the researcher sought to evaluate the historical reliability of Acts based on Lucian's treatise on ancient historiography. The work involves an examination of the different arguments for and against the historical reliability of the Book of Acts, an inquiry into the practices of ancient historians in the matter of historical reporting, and an application of the principles in historical reporting that Lucian mentioned in his work. The result shows that Luke was in accord with the standard of historical writing at the time. The emphasis on being an eyewitness, being impartial, consulting reliable sources, and sifting through the reports were among the many principles in ancient historiography---principles that historians still observe today---that Luke maintained in his writing. The application of these principles shows that Luke was aware of what constitutes good historical reporting, and so made an effort to incorporate them in his work. Luke had a concern for truth and accuracy. He said so in the preface to his two-volume work and demonstrated it at various points in his writing. His consistency in being accurate renders the Book of Acts as a historically reliable document that deserves its place in the New Testament canon.