Word and Sign in the Acts of the Apostles

The title The Acts of the Apostles, which we apply to Luke's second volume, is somewhat misleading in that the real topic of the book is not the activity of the apostles but rather the word of God. Just as the Gospel of Luke tells the story of Jesus, his birth, growth, rejection and eventual triumph in being preached unhindered in the capital city of the ancient world. The word which is the theme of Acts is a many - sided reality. It is first and foremost the message of the apostolic preaching, the complex of New Testament events and the message that bears witness to this complex. The message which the apostles preach can be described variously and interchangeably as the word of God, the word of the Lord or simply the word. The word rhema can also be used to describe the Christian message in Acts but always in the plural. This suggests that rhema has not become a terminus technicus as logos evidently has.