The Jesus-Tradition in 'Acts' (Exploring the first Christian generation's evangelistic, liturgical and polemical activities)

The infrequent use of the Jesus-tradition in Acts is seldom noted, but it h as implications for the use of the Jesus-tradition in early Christianity. I t is widely assumed that the Jesus-tradition served to justify and to legit imate changing Christian belief and practice. However, the church in Acts d oes not normally seek justification for its practices or beliefs from the t eaching or example of Jesus. The assumptions of gospel criticism about the function of the Jesus-tradition need to be tested against the observable ph enomena of the one writer whose interest spanned the life of Jesus and the life of the church.