The book of Acts opens with the dramatic story of tongues of flame descending upon believers at Pentecost and the prophecy of an egalitarian dispensation of the Spirit being fulfilled. Yet, as the narrative unfolds, we become aware of a tension between the socially egalitarian promise of the Pentecost story and the author's underlying concern to provide reassurance for his elite patron Theophilus that Jesus followers do not disturb the existing social order.In this guide, Acts is read as a struggle to tame the tongues of fire. Acts mutes the egalitarian promise of the Spirit through presenting an 'orderly account' (as its author calls it) of the Jesus movement that appeals to elite sensibilities. And, at the same time, the narrative contains contradictions, gaps and fissures that suggest the outlines of a more complex, and even subversive, religious movement.

1. TRADITIONAL QUESTIONS IN ACTS SCHOLARSHIP Luke-Acts or Luke and Acts? The Lukan Preface Acts and the Question of Genre Acts among Ancient Historical Narratives Acts and the Pauline Corpus Dating Acts2. NARRATIVE OVERVIEW The Jerusalem Section, Acts 1.1-8.3 Connecting Paul to the Jerusalem Apostles, Acts 8.4-12.25 Paul's Gentile Mission, 13.1-20.38 Paul in Roman Custody, 21.1-28.313. ACTS AND EMPIRE: SECURITY IN ROMAN TERMS Gullible Women and the Dregs of Society Jabbering in Corners Worshiping the Crucified Spitting at the Gods and Scorning Public Robes Worse than the 'Wretched Tribe' of the Jews4. ACTS ON JEWS AND JUDAISM: VIOLENCE 'TURNED INWARD' UNDER EMPIRE The Nature of Intramural Polemic Roman Perspectives on Jews and Judaism Acts' Love of 'Things Jewish' First, to the Jews Beyond the Pale Making Sense of Things5. THE PENTECOST The 'Orderly Account' of the Spirit's Descent Reading against the Grain Other Readings of the Pentecost Imagining What Luke Attempts to Suppress