Luke-Acts as a Document of Political Legitimation for the Early Christian Movement

The books of Luke and Acts, forming a two-volume work attributed to the same author, serve as a foundational narrative for understanding the early Christian movement within its historical, political, and theological context. Written in the late first century CE, most likely between 80-100 CE, these texts present a carefully structured account of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, followed by the expansion of the early Church.
More than theological reflections or historical chronicles, Luke-Acts operates as a work of political legitimation, positioning the Christian movement as a legitimate entity within the Greco-Roman world. The need for such legitimation arises from the precarious status of early Christians, who existed at the intersection of Roman political authority, Jewish religious traditions, and emerging Christian self-definition.