Richard P. Thompson is Professor of Greek and New Testament Studies at Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan and co-editor of Literary Studies in Luke-Acts.

"Thompson has provided an important work on narrative characterization, and his argument for the centrality of the church as a central character in the narrative of Acts is overall quite convincing. His narrative dialectic between the individual and corporate aspects of this characterization provides a much-needed balance with regard to readings of the NT that only focus on the corporate nature of these documents. Overall, the book is engaging and provides a good example of how narrative criticism may be applied to a NT document." -J. Brian Tucker, Bulletin for Biblical Research 19.1

• Chapter 1; Ancient Narratives, Characterization, and the Acts of the Apostles; Chapter 2: The Jerusalem Church as Narrative Character (Acts 1:1-8:3); Chapter 3: The Churches in Jerusalem and Beyond as Narrative Characters (Acts 8:4-12:25); Chapter 4: The Churches in the Roman Empire as Narrative Characters (13:1-28:31); Chapter 5: Conclusion.

Richard P. Thompson is Professor of Greek and New Testament Studies at Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan and co-editor of Literary Studies in Luke-Acts.

"Thompson has provided an important work on narrative characterization, and his argument for the centrality of the church as a central character in the narrative of Acts is overall quite convincing. His narrative dialectic between the individual and corporate aspects of this characterization provides a much-needed balance with regard to readings of the NT that only focus on the corporate nature of these documents. Overall, the book is engaging and provides a good example of how narrative criticism may be applied to a NT document." -J. Brian Tucker, Bulletin for Biblical Research 19.1

• Chapter 1; Ancient Narratives, Characterization, and the Acts of the Apostles; Chapter 2: The Jerusalem Church as Narrative Character (Acts 1:1-8:3); Chapter 3: The Churches in Jerusalem and Beyond as Narrative Characters (Acts 8:4-12:25); Chapter 4: The Churches in the Roman Empire as Narrative Characters (13:1-28:31); Chapter 5: Conclusion.