I am studying the book of Acts, generally presumed to be written by Luke. Most of the book is written in the third person, as Luke is presumably writing an account of events for Theophilus (and the rest of us). I noticed an abrupt shift into first person starting in ch. 16 (We went here we did such and such etc) shifting back into third person in ch. 17. What am I to presume? Is this section written by a different author; i.e. Paul or did Luke join the journey here briefly?—Greg VanArsdall (Dayton, Ohio)
You have stumbled on to a well known fact Greg. Many commentators have noted the abrupt shifts from the "We passages" to the "They passages." The most natural conclusion is that 1st person plural is used when Luke is present; 3rd person plural, when he is not. Using this measure you can piece together Luke's itinerary, not just Paul's.
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