The Assumed Authorial Unity of Luke and Acts: A Reassessment of the Evidence

For nearly nineteen hundred years, few have questioned the single authorship of Luke and Acts. A careful reassessment of the internal and external evidence, however, reveals this assumption to be built on a shakier foundation than was previously thought. Patricia Walters's innovative study offers a newly designed statistical analysis of Luke and Acts, pointing to the existence of highly significant differences in their prose style. In particular, a comprehensive survey and re-examination of the two books' least contested authorial stratum - their seams and summaries - brings to light ancient prose compositional patterns that distinguish Luke and Acts beyond a reasonable doubt. Walters's application of statistical analysis is unique in biblical scholarship, and will provide impetus for using similar methods in other areas of the field. This book will therefore be of great interest to academic researchers and students of early Christianity, classical literature and rhetoric, and New Testament studies.

1. Background and methodology; 2. Authorial data: seams and summaries; 3. Authorial criteria: Greek prose compositional conventions; 4. Authorial unity: analysis results and probabilities; 5. Final considerations and future directions.