The first account which I drew up, Theophilus, dealt with all that Jesus did and taught from the very first,

Down to that day on which he was taken up to Heaven, after he had, by the help of the Holy Spirit, given instructions to the Apostles whom he had chosen.

And once, when he had gathered them together, he charged them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for the fulfillment of the Father's promise-- "that promise," he said, "of which you have heard me speak;

And said: "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here looking up into the heavens? This very Jesus, who has been taken from you into the heavens, will come in the very way in which you have seen him go into the heavens."

Then the Apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called Olivet, which is about three quarters of a mile from the city.

"Brothers," he said, "it was necessary that the prediction of Scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit made by the lips of David about Judas, who acted as guide to the men that arrested Jesus,

This became known to every one living in Jerusalem, so that the field came to be called, in their language, 'Akeldama,' which means the 'Field of Blood.')

From his baptism by John down to that day on which he was taken from us--some one must be found to join us as a witness of his resurrection."

And they offered this prayer--"O Lord, who reads all hearts, show which of these two men you have chosen

To take the place in this apostolic work, which Judas has abandoned, to go to his proper place."

When suddenly there came from the heavens a noise like that of a strong wind rushing by; it filled the whole house in which they were sitting.

Men of Israel, listen to what I am saying. Jesus of Nazareth, a man whose mission from God to you was proved by miracles, wonders, and signs, which God showed among you through him, as you know full well--

But Heaven must be his home, until the days of the Universal Restoration, of which God has spoken by the lips of his holy Prophets from the very first.

You yourselves are the heirs of the Prophets, and heirs, too, of the Covenant which God made with your ancestors, when he said to Abraham--'In your descendants will all the nations of the earth be blessed.'

Jesus is 'the stone which, scorned by you the builders, has yet become the corner stone.'

And Salvation is in him alone; for there is no other Name in the whole world, given to men, to which we must look for our Salvation."

When their prayer was ended, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to tell God's Message fearlessly.

A Levite of Cyprian birth, named Joseph, (who had received from the Apostles the additional name of 'Barnabas'--which means 'The Consoler,')

Yet they were quite unable to withstand the wisdom and the inspiration with which he spoke.

On this, Abraham left the country of the Chaldaeans and settled in Haran; and from there, after his father's death, God caused him to migrate into this very country, in which you are now living.

But I myself will judge the nation, to which they will be enslaved,' God said, 'and after that they shall leave the country and worship me in this place.'

And their bodies were removed to Shechem, and laid in the tomb which Abraham had bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hamor in Shechem.

As the time drew near for the fulfillment of the promise which God had made to Abraham, the people increased largely in numbers in Egypt,

You took with you the tabernacle of Moloch and the Star of the god Rephan--the images which you had made to worship. Therefore I will exile you beyond Babylon.'

Our ancestors had the Tabernacle of Revelation in the Desert, constructed, just as he who spoke to Moses had directed him to make it, after the model which he had seen.

This Tabernacle, which was handed down to them, was brought into this country by our ancestors who accompanied Joshua (at the conquest of the nations that God drove out before their advance), and remained here until the time of David.

Which of the Prophets escaped persecution at their hands? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One; of whom you, in your turn, have now become the betrayers and murderers--

Saul approved of his being put to death. On that very day a great persecution broke out against the Church which was in Jerusalem; and its members, with the exception of the Apostles, were all scattered over the districts of Judea and Samaria.

The people, one and all, listened attentively to what Philip told them, when they heard of, and saw, the miracles which he was working.

Every one, high and low, paid attention to him. 'This man,' they used to say, 'must be that Power of God which men call "The Great Power."'

The passage of Scripture which he was reading was this--'Like a sheep, he was led away to slaughter, and as a lamb is dumb in the hands of its shearer, so he refrains from opening his lips.

But Philip was found at Ashdod, and, as he went on his way, he told the Good News in all the towns through which he passed, till he came to Caesarea.

At Jaffa there lived a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which is in Greek 'Dorcas'--a Gazelle. Her life was spent in doing kind and charitable actions.

Peter returned with them at once. On his arrival, he was taken upstairs, and all the widows came round him in tears, showing the coats and other clothing which Dorcas had made while she was among them.

Then he was aware of a voice which said-- "Stand up, Peter, kill something, and eat."

Again he was aware of a voice which said-- "What God has pronounced 'clean', do not regard as 'defiled'."

You yourselves know the story which spread through all Judea, how, beginning form Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed--

And he directed that they should be baptized in the Faith of Jesus Christ; after which they asked him to stay there a few days longer.

At that moment three men, who had been sent from Caesarea to see me, came up to the house in which we were.

For he will tell you truths, which will prove the means of Salvation to you and all your household.'

On hearing this statement, they said no more, but broke out into praise of God. "So even to the Gentiles," they exclaimed, "God has granted the repentance which leads to Life!"

One of them, named Agabus, came forward and, under the influence of the Spirit, foretold a great famine that was to spread over all the world--a famine which occurred in the reign of Claudius.

Passing the first Guard, and then the second, they came to the iron gate leading into the city, which opened to them of itself; and, when they had passed through that, and had walked along one street, all at once the angel left him.

While they were engaged in the worship of the Lord and were fasting, the Holy Spirit said: "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul, for the work to which I have called them."

And that, in union with him, every one who believes in him is absolved from every sin from which under the Law of Moses you could not be absolved.

'Look, you despisers, and wonder, and perish; for I am doing a deed in your days--a deed which, though told you in full, you will never believe'."

From there they sailed to Antioch--the place where they had been committed to the gracious care of God for the work which they had now finished.

Why, then, do you now provoke God, by putting on the necks of these disciples a yoke which neither our ancestors nor we were able to bear?

Every voice in the assembly was hushed, as they listened to Barnabas and Paul, while they gave an account of all the signs and wonders which God had shown among the Gentiles through them.

Simon has described the manner in which God first visited the Gentiles, in order to take from among them a people to bear his Name.

'"After this I will return; and I will rebuild the House of David which has fallen--its very ruins I will rebuild, and will set it up once more;

And delivered the letter, the reading of which caused great rejoicing by its encouraging contents.

Some time after this, Paul said to Barnabas: "Let us go back and visit the Brethren in every town in which we have told the Lord's Message, and see how they are prospering."

As they traveled from town to town, they gave the Brethren the decisions which had been reached by the Apostles and Officers of the Church at Jerusalem, for them to observe.

From there we made our way to Philippi, which is the principal city of that part of Macedonia, and also a Roman Settlement. In that city we spent several days.

"They are Jews, and they are teaching customs which it is not right for us, as Romans, to sanction or adopt."

So they laid hold of him and took him to the Court of Areopagus. "May we hear," they asked, "what new teaching this is which you are giving?

Because he has fixed a day on which he intends to 'judge the world with justice,' by a man whom he has appointed--and of this he has given all men a pledge by raising this man from the dead."

There he met a Jew of the name of Aquila, a native of Pontus, who, with his wife Priscilla, had lately come from Italy, in consequence of the order which had been issued by the Emperor Claudius for all Jews to leave Rome. Paul paid them a visit,

And you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but in almost the whole of Roman Asia, this Paul has convinced and won over great numbers of people, by his assertion that those Gods which are made by hands are not Gods at all.

When the Recorder had succeeded in quieting the crowd, he said: "Men of Ephesus, who is there, I ask you, who needs to be told that this city of Ephesus is the Warden of the Temple of the great Artemis, and of the statue which fell down from Zeus?

Serving the Lord, as I did, in all humility, amid the tears and trials which fell to my lot through the plots of the Jews.

But I count my life of no value to myself, if only I may complete the course marked out for me, and the task that was allotted me by the Lord Jesus--which was to declare the Good News of the Love of God.

Be watchful over yourselves, and over the whole flock, of which the Holy Spirit has placed you in charge, to shepherd the Church of God, which he won for himself at the cost of his life.

And now I commend you to the Lord and to the Message of his Love--a Message which has the power to build up your characters, and to give you your place among all those who have become Christ's People.

And then said good-bye to one another; after which we went on board, and they returned home.

During our visit, which lasted several days, a Prophet, named Agabus, came down from Judea.

"Brothers and Father, listen to the defense which I am about to make."

Having, however, information of a plot against the man, which was about to be put into execution, I am sending him to you at once, and I have also directed his accusers to prosecute him before you.'

"We owe it to your Excellency," he said, "that we are enjoying profound peace, and we owe it to your foresight that this nation is constantly securing reforms--advantages which we very gratefully accept at all times and places.

And you will be able, by examining him on all these points, to satisfy yourself as to the charges which we are bringing against him."

And they cannot establish the charges which they are now making against me.

This, however, I do acknowledge to you, that it is as a believer in the Cause which they call heretical, that I worship the God of my ancestors. At the same time, I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the prophets;

And I have a hope that rests in God--a hope which they also cherish--that there will one day be a resurrection of good and bad alike.

On Paul's appearance, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him, and made many serious charges, which they failed to establish.

A promise which our Twelve Tribes, by earnest service night and day, hope to see fulfilled. It is for this hope, your Majesty, that I am accused--and by Jews themselves!

That at mid-day, your Majesty, I saw right in my path, coming from the heavens, a light brighter than the glare of the sun, which shone all round me and those traveling with me.

But get up and stand upright; for I have appeared to you in order to appoint you a servant and a witness of those revelations of me which you have already had, and of those in which I shall yet appear to you,

We went on board a ship from Adramyttium, which was on the point of sailing to the ports along the coast of Roman Asia, and put to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, went with us.

And with difficulty, by keeping close in shore, we reached a place called 'Fair Havens,' near which was the town of Lasea.

Upon that the soldiers cut the ropes which held the boat, and let her drift away.

When daylight came, they could not make out what land it was, but, observing a creek in which there was a beach, they consulted as to whether they could run the ship safely into it.

There we found some of the Brethren, and were urged to stay a week with them; after which we went on to Rome.

For two whole years Paul stayed in a house which he rented for himself, welcoming all who came to see him,