The Book of Acts contains elements of human actions and inactions that depict the beginning of a
new religious dispensation – Christianity that sought to redefine the nexus between the nascent
Christian faith, ethnicity, and identity. Identity is a hallmark of many religious groups manifest in
their practices that become a cultural identity of the group. This did not leave out ethnic issues in
the nascent group called Christianity. Early Christianity is construed as a "Jewish ethno-religious
identity into a Christian identity that was unattached to a particular geopolitical and ethno-cultural
identity” (Bennema 2015). This identity was formulated and emerged through conflict with
Judaism and the Roman Empire. It is an identity that emerged situationally and is not limited to
geographical jurisdictions. Towards the nineteenth century, four themes emerged: ethnicity,
theology, social-scientific perspectives, and literary modes (Baker 2011) have been outlined as the
main inputs and influences of early Christian identity in the Book of Acts.  
Gruen (2013) has posited the intriguing notion that while the scholarly examination of ethnicity
holds substantial promise and potential for yielding insightful revelations, the task of dissecting
and interpreting the linguistic manifestations of ethnicity as they pertain to the ancient historical
context presents a formidable challenge, characterized by a multitude of intricate nuances that
complicate the analysis significantly. “The term ethnic has been variedly defined from
archeological, anthropological, and social perspectives. It can mean different things to different
people. Some understand it as a social construct in which people of a minority group in a particular
society were referred to as ethnic” (Aryeh 2021). The volume is expected to demonstrate how the
Early followers of Jesus started, developed, and emerged as identifiable group of Christians
(Holmberg 2018). This call for papers invites submissions from scholars of Luke-Acts, and Early
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Christianity among other interested scholars to submit abstracts and papers on the underlisted
themes but not limited to them. Any related theme is most welcome.  
• Identity of the Church in Jerusalem
• Identity of the Church in Antioch
• Ethnicity and social service in Acts 6:1-7
• Identity of Judaism in the Book of Acts
• Conflicts and Identity in the Book of Acts
• The Identity of Jesus in the Call Narrative of Paul (Acts 9:1-19)
• The Identity of Paul in the Book of Acts
• Identity and Ethnicity of “God Fearers” in the Book of Acts
• Identity of Beroean Christianity (Acts 17:10-15)
• The Identity of the “gods” (Acts 14:8-20)
• Ethnicity of the Apostles (Acts 1:12-14)
• Identity of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts
• Ethnicity, Identity, and Mission in the Book of Acts
• Identity of miracles in the Book of Acts
• Identity construction in the Book of Acts
• Ethnicity of Early Christianity
• Identity of Peter’s speeches in the Book of Acts
• Identity of Jews in the Book of Acts
• The Ethnicity Component and Identity of the Synagogue in the Book of Acts
• The Ethnicity and Identity of the People of the "Way" (Acts 9:2, 19:9, 22:4, and 24:14)
• Identity of Angels in the Book of Acts
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Prospective contributors are allowed to select any topic emanating from the Book of Acts or Early
Christianity of the first century. All enquiries and submissions should be made to Prof. Daniel Nii
Aboagye Aryeh danielniiaboagyearyeh@gmail.com. The accepted papers are expected to be
published by Morh Siebeck or Bloomsbury publishing.

Important Dates
Submission of Abstracts June 30, 2025
Notice of acceptance of abstract July 30, 2025
Submission of Draft full papers January 30, 2026
Peer review report for improvements March 30, 2026
Submission of Revised papers April 28, 2026
Publication July 2026