The Apostles (Elgar) the disciples of Jesus and their reactions to the extraordinary events they witness. Despite arranging the commission in December 1901, Elgar paid little attention to "The Apostles "until July 1902, when he had finished composing and rehearsing his "Coronation Ode", Op. 44. Elgar's planning of the libretto included a long immersion in theological writings, as well as Wagner's sketch for "Jesus von Nazareth", and Henry W. Longfellow's poem "The Divine Tragedy". He assembled his libretto from verses of scripture, as had been the pattern for many of the most influential oratorios, including Handel's "Messiah" (1741) and Mendelssohn's "Elijah" (1836). After
Acts of the Apostles (genre) Acts of the Apostles (genre) The Acts of the Apostles is a genre of Early Christian literature, recounting the lives and works of the apostles of Jesus. The "Acts" (Latin: "Acta", Greek: Πράξεις "Práxeis") are important for many reasons, one of them being the concept of apostolic succession. They also provide insight into the valuation of "missionary activities among the exotic races," since some of them feature missionary work done among, for instance, the Cynocephaly. Only one work in this genre is included in the New Testament canon, entitled the "Acts of the Apostles", sometimes called the "Book of Acts"