Bible question, Acts 17:15

Found an interesting term this morning in Acts 17:15. As is generally agreed, Luke wrote the book of Acts. Up to 16:19, he writes from what Paul and others related to him. But in that verse, he clearly joins the troup of missionaries. Later in chapter 16, he records the experiences of Paul and Silas, but he is understandably absent from the prison experience. In chapter 17, he says "they [Paul & Silas et al.] had passed through ... [and] came to Thessalonica...]." The account remains in the third person for some time after that.

But the word that caught my attention, in 17:15 is the word "brought" (NIV). The men who accompanied Paul "brought him to Athens...." I have become a bit sensitized to the words "bring/take" and "brought/took". These are terms that my Filipina BW confuses frequently. (In their language, the word they use basically means "carry" without distinction to bringing or taking.) So we have created a catchphrase that says: "Bring here; take there."

So when I came to the above term, I stopped and asked: Is Luke intentionally saying, "they brought him here to Athens"? Or is this a slip of the pen? Luke, a physician, is not prone to slips of the pen. He writes very intentionally and accurately. So I conclude that he means to say "they brought him here to Athens."

The following question is: From what perspective is Luke saying this: Did Luke go ahead of Paul to Athens for some personal reason? Did he go ahead of the team in order to prepare lodging and other arrangements? Did he act as what we would call today an "advance man," getting things ready for the missionary team to arrive? Or did Paul just not need him for a little while and released him to earn some money through his profession as a doctor?

An alternative view: Did Luke write the book of Acts from the city of Athens? After Paul's imprisonment in Rome, did Luke return to Athens to resume his medical practice and there write the book of Acts?

I don't have an answer to these questions. I am inclined to the former scenario: That Luke went ahead of Paul for whatever reason or a combination of reasons. And therefore, he was already in Athens when Paul arrived there from Berea.

Just some questions.

What do you think?