Does Acts Portray Paul the Way Paul Portrays Paul?

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The Apostle Paul is a central figure in early Christianity, and features strongly in the New Testament in his own letters, and as a character in the Acts of the Apostles. But is the Paul of Acts the same man as the Paul of the Epistles? Does the writer of Acts change Paul's character and teachings, and why?

Megan asks Bart:

Why do you think it’s important to talk about the differing natures of Paul?

What role does Paul play in Acts?

Would the writer of Acts have had access to the Epistles?

Do we know what other information the author of Acts had about Paul and his life?

Why would the author include different, contradictory accounts of the same same event in a single work?

What are some of the main theological points that Paul makes in Acts, or how is he characterized?

Do we see theological disparities in Acts?

How about events? Are there differences in what Paul says or does in Acts and the Epistles?

Why do scholars think these differences occur? Do they have a substantial impact on the message of Acts?

Is the Paul depicted in Acts rooted in the historical figure, or is he more of a reflection of the author’s agenda?

Is it fair to say that the Paul of Acts and the Paul of the Epistles are different men?