La Chiesa della Dormizione di Maria, on Mount Zion in Jerusalem

Paul's Testimony Of His Conversion

And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. And I said, What shall I do, Lord?

And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came into Damascus.

And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him.

And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. (Acts 22:6-16)

THE ACTS of the Apostles The Book of Acts was written by Luke, the physician, to Theophilus as a supplement to the Gospel of Luke (Acts 1:1, cf. Luke 1:1 -3). The Gospel of Luke relates 'all that Jesus began both to do and teach" (Acts 1:1). The Acts of the Apostles, on the other hand, begins with the Ascension of Jesus and tells the story of how the gospel was spread far beyond the confines of the Jewish community to the whole world. The statement of Jesus in Acts 1:8, ". . . and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth," provides an excellent outline for the book. The Book of Acts concludes rather abruptly with Paul's imprisonment in Rome. It is assumed that the reason for this unexpected closing is that Luke had recorded all the significant events known to him at that time. Hence, the date for the writing of the book is generally agreed to be about A.D. 61. It is clear from certain passages within the Book of Acts that the author was with the Apostle Paul on several occasions (Acts 16:10 -17; 20:5 -21:18; 27:1 -28:16). In fact, many believe that Paul was referring to Luke in 2Corinthians 8:18 when he mentions "the brother" who was praised "throughout all the churches." Luke's purpose in writing Acts was not to give a complete history of the growth of the church, but only to list those events with which he was familiar. He does not record how the gospel spread to the east and south of Palestine, or why there were already believers in Damascus before Paul arrived. Nevertheless, the lives and ministries of the prominent individuals that Luke does include sufficiently demonstrate the shift of the evangelical concerns of Christianity from Jews to Gentiles. [Source for Introduction of chapter: Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible KJV edited by Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN 37422]