Chapter 1: The Acts of the Apostles and Pauline Christianity

In 1845 F. C. Baur outlined the Tendenz of the Acts of the Apostles in relation to his understanding of the influence of Paul's legacy on the development of early Christianity. In his reconstruction of the place of the Acts of the Apostles in early Christianity, Baur correlated the Acts of the Apostles with the Pauline letters in terms of the category of 'Paulinism'. For Baur, this 'Paulinism' stood in opposition to Jewish Christianity and was the historical manifestation of the decisive role played by Paul in the origin of Christianity. The portrayal of Paul in the Acts of the Apostles marks the endpoint of the decisive struggle between the historical Paul and his Jewish Christian opponents. The starting point for constructing the category of Pauline Christianity to describe historical development in early Christianity continues to be the shape of the New Testament canon.Keywords: Acts of the Apostles; Jewish Christianity; New Testament canon; Pauline Christianity; Paulinism