The question of where the Acts of the Apostles was written remains debated, since the author gives no explicit indication. Several hypotheses have been put forward by historians and exegetes, each implying a different date for the work.
1- Rome: the most widespread hypothesis (around AD 62-63)
Many scholars believe that Luke composed his Gospel and Acts while he was in , during Paul's first imprisonment.
This hypothesis rests on several observations:
- Luke accompanies Paul as far as (Acts 27.1-28.16);
- the book ends with Paul living under house arrest for two years (Acts 28.30-31);
- Luke is among the apostle's co-workers during this period (Colossians 4.14; Philemon 1.24);
- no later event, such as the death of Paul (around AD 64-67), that of Peter, or the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, is mentioned.
These elements lead several scholars to propose that Acts was written around AD 62 or 63, shortly after the events described in the last chapters. From this perspective, would be the most probable place of writing.
2- Caesarea: a hypothesis compatible with Luke's research (around AD 58-62)
Other authors believe that Luke began, or even completed, his work during Paul's two years of detention in Caesarea (Acts 24.27), that is, between AD 58 and 60 or between AD 59 and 61, depending on the chronologies adopted.
This hypothesis has several advantages:
- Luke would have had time to gather many testimonies;
- he could meet Philip the evangelist, who was settled in Caesarea (Acts 21.8-9);
- Since Jerusalem was relatively close, he could collect the memories of the first disciples and of the family of Jesus.
This possibility fits particularly well with the historical method claimed in the prologue of the Gospel:
“Having made exact investigations into all these things from their origin, it seemed good to me to set them out for you in order, most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1.1-3).
According to this hypothesis, the Gospel of Luke would have been written around AD 58-60, while Acts would have been completed shortly afterward, perhaps in .
3- Greece or Antioch: later hypotheses (around AD 70-90)
A few scholars place the writing in Syrian Antioch, Luke's traditional homeland according to some ancient testimonies, or else in Achaia, notably at Corinth.
These theories are generally accompanied by a later dating, between AD 70 and 80, or even between AD 80 and 90 for some authors. They rest in particular on the idea that Luke knew of the destruction of Jerusalem and wrote after that event.
However, these proposals have fewer internal arguments than the hypotheses of Caesarea or .
Conclusion
It is impossible to identify with certainty the place where Luke wrote the Acts of the Apostles. However, if an early date is adopted, remains the most frequently held hypothesis, with a writing around AD 62-63. Caesarea nevertheless represents a particularly attractive possibility, since it would explain how Luke was able to carry out the “exact investigations” he claims in his introduction (Luke 1.1-3).
One can also envisage an intermediate solution: Luke would have undertaken his research and written a first version of his Gospel during Paul's stay in Caesarea (AD 58-60), before completing Acts a few years later in (AD 62-63). Such a hypothesis makes it possible to reconcile the historical clues with the careful method of inquiry that the author claims at the beginning of his work (Luke 1.1-4; Acts 1.1).