thor introduces there letter in a similar fashion. Second, the Epistle of James also uses a distinct Greek term to exhort his "Brethren" (adelphos) to "listen" (akouo) to him (James 2:5). According to Acts, James uses the same language to exhort his "Brethren" (adelphos) to "listen" (akouo) when he begins his speech in Acts 15:13.
Although neither James nor Luke used each other's writing, they both portray some common, but unique, linguistic terms and sentiments and attribute them to James, the brother of Jesus.
4.     Paul's Speech at Miletus (20:17-38)
In Acts 20:17-38, Paul gives a farewell speech to the leaders of the Ephesus church that he had worked to establish. It is dealing with a figure--Paul--for whom we have many additional sources. Also, the context of the speech is similar to the context of Paul's letters: the audience is a Christian one. Accordingly, Acts 20 presents us with the best opportunity we have to examine Luke's representation of a speech and compare it to the language and emphasis of the speaker as we know him through independent sources. It is perhaps also significant that Luke claims to have been present for this speech. As we will see, Luke has presented Paul's speech in a manner strikingly similar to how Paul addressed Christians through his letters in similar situations.
Here is a rundown of some of the similarities:
Stanley E. Porter categorizes even more similarities into three categories 1) verbal parallels, 2) biographical details, and 3) theological similarities:
The first are verbal parallels, including the following phrasing: 'being a servant of the lord' (Acts 20:19; Rom 12:11), 'with all humility' (Acts 20:19; Eph 4:2), 'Jews and Greeks' (Acts 20:21; and especially Romans), 'complete the course' (Acts 20:24; 2. Tim. 4:7), 'complete service' (Acts 20:24; 2 Tim. 4:5; Col 4;17), 'the service which we received from our Lord Jesus' (Acts 20:24; Col. 4:17), 'grace of God (Acts 20:24, 32; frequently in Paul), 'the church of God' (Acts 20:28; frequently in Paul), 'watches out for yourselves' (Acts 20:28; 1 Tim 4:16), 'consider' (Acts 20:31; 1 Cor 16:13; Col 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:6, 10), 'build up' (Acts 20:32; Rom 15:20; 1 Cor 8:1, 10; 10:23; 14:4, 17; Gal 2:18; 1 Thess 5:11), 'inheritance among the saints' (Acts 20:32; Col. 1:12), 'hands...working' (Acts 20:34-35; 1 Cor 4:12; Eph 4:28), and repeated language of earnestness (Acts 20:31; 1 Thess 2:7-8). The second set of parallels includes biographical details: for example, Paul's not wishing to be a burden to his churches (Acts 20:33-34; 1 Corinthians 9; 2 Cor 11:7-11; 1 Thess. 2:9-12), and the length of his stay with the Ephesians. The third set of parallels covers theological similarities, including reference in Acts 20:28 to 'the blood of his own.' This redemptive language is untypical of Luke, both in the Gospel and in Acts.
Stanley E. Porter, Paul in Acts, page 117.
As a result of these similarities, "[t]he Miletus speech is widely conceded to contain Pauline characteristics." Hemer, op. cit., page 425. There are striking similarities of language, biography, and theology. "This is Paul, not some other speaker, and he is not evangelizing but recalling an already evangelized community to its deepest insights. The situation, like the theology, is precisely that of a Pauline epistle, not of preliminary evangelism." Ibid. at 426.
It appears that ancient historians were expected to accurately represent the speeches they recorded in their works. Although some did not, they were generally criticized for it. Luke's style is representative of those ancient historians which we know attempted to accurately record speeches in their works. Even more importantly, we know from reviewing the Gospel of Luke that the author of Acts was committed to faithfully relying on pre-existing traditions for his speech material. While it is true that Luke consistently polishes the Greek style throughout his work, this is not the same as redacting or manufacturing material. Finally, an examination of several of the major speeches in Acts reveals that while the author smoo