Page "Acts of the Apostles" Paragraph 33

An early theory, suggested by Swiss theologian Jean LeClerc in the 17th century, posits that the longer Western version was a first draft, while the Alexandrian version represents a more polished revision by the same author.

Adherents of this theory argue that even when the two versions diverge, they both have similarities in vocabulary and writing style — suggesting that the two shared a common author.

However, it has been argued that if both texts were written by the same individual, they should have exactly identical theologies and they should agree on historical questions.

Since some modern scholars do detect subtle theological and historical differences between the texts, such scholars do not subscribe to the rough-draft / polished-draft theory.