Pertanyaan: 637. Mengapa Kitab Kisah Para Rasul Berakhir Begitu Tiba-tiba, Tidak Mengatakan Apapun tentang Kematian Paulus?
Telah diajukan saran bahwa Lukas bermaksud menulis karya ketiga yang menceritakan peristiwa-peristiwa setelah karyanya yang kedua, tetapi dicegah, atau bahwa ia memang menulisnya dan karya tersebut hilang. Asumsi yang lebih alami adalah bahwa ia meninggal selama atau pada akhir penahanan Paulus, dan bahwa ia menyimpulkan dalam sejarahnya semua peristiwa hingga akhir hidupnya sendiri. Masuk akal untuk mengira bahwa jika ia masih hidup untuk melihat Paulus dibebaskan, ia akan mencatat fakta tersebut. Akhir buku ini memiliki tampilan karya yang terputus oleh kematian. Namun, jelas bahwa Lukas bersama Paulus ketika surat kedua kepada Timotius ditulis (lihat II Tim. 4:11), dan pada saat itu ada jenis persidangan yang tidak dicatat oleh Lukas (lihat II Tim. 4:17). Kisah Para Rasul mungkin ditulis selama penahanan Paulus di Roma atau diselesaikan pada saat itu dan dikirim sebelum hasil akhir kasus Paulus ditentukan. Pendapat umum adalah bahwa setelah dibebaskan, Paulus melanjutkan perjalanan misi lainnya, sampai ke Spanyol, dan hanya pada penahanan keduanya ia menjadi martir. Keheningan Lukas tentang hal-hal ini mengarah pada kesimpulan bahwa ia meninggal sekitar akhir dua tahun yang disebutkan dalam ayat-ayat penutupnya.
Question: 637. Why Does the Book of Acts Close So Abruptly, Saying Nothing of Paul's Death?
The suggestion has been made that Luke intended to write a third work recounting the events subsequent to his second work, but was prevented, or that he did write it and it has been lost. The more natural supposition is that he died during or at the close of Paul's imprisonment, and that he concluded in his history all the events up to the end of his own life. It is reasonable to suppose that if he had lived to see Paul acquitted he would have recorded the fact. The close of the book has the appearance of a work interrupted by death. It is evident, however, that Luke was with Paul when the second epistle to Timothy was written (see II Tim. 4: 11), and at that time some kind of trial had taken place which Luke does not record (see II Tim. 4: 17). The Acts was probably written during Paul's imprisonment at Rome or completed at that time and was sent out before the final issue of Paul's case was determined. The general opinion is that after Paul's acquittal he went on another missionary journey, penetrating as far as to Spain, and that only on his second imprisonment was he martyred. Luke's silence on these matters leads to the conclusion that he died about the end of those two years mentioned in his concluding verses.
