Luke's Gospel

Convocation Address at Bethel University, August 29, 2016 about recent troubles in Minnesota, particularly the shooting of Philando Castille, and our responsibility as followers of the Gospel. There is an audio link also available. After you click the link, it's the first one in the queue; fast-forward to 15:00:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/itunes-u/2016-2017-chapel-college-arts/id1148681753?mt=10

Only a select few scholars in the history of New Testament research have achieved the level of stature that Adolf Harnack enjoyed in the eyes of the academic guild of his day. Harnack's importance is often measured with regard to his historical-theological works on church history, the history of doctrine, and the essence of Christianity as defined within the paradigm of classical liberalism. The impact of his scholarship, however, was not limited to these areas of focus. He also made substantial contributions to New Testament research, not least to Lukan studies. In the first half of this essay, I describe the various areas of Harnack's scholarly endeavors within the context of his life, major influences, and academic career. This sets the stage for the second half of this essay where, having situated Harnack's contributions to Lukan scholarship within the context of his life and intellectual environment, I will present the content and arguments in his major works on the Third Gospel and book of Acts to critically assess their strengths and weaknesses and gauge their enduring value.

This conference paper investigates the story of Jesus Christ as it is presented in Luke and Acts. It shows how Luke in his two volume work connects a specific interpretation of Jesus’ ministry with the mission of the early church, especially Paul's way to Jews and Gentiles. The paper also looks at some specific characteristics of Lukan theology.

The Hebraic Concept of Time is non-linear, made up of repeating types and patterns. As opposed to Western chronology, the Gospels are not written in chronological order, but were written to show how Jesus is the fulfillment of types revealed in the Torah. They used the various books of the Torah upon which to model their individual books. Their main structural elements were typological.

I have been writing a commentary on Acts, a biblical book that provides more than enough insights by itself for this series on New Testament missiology. The line between writing a missiological commentary on Acts and developing Luke‟s missiology in Acts would be rather thin; Acts is about mission. I am therefore focusing the discussion on the opening two chapters of Acts, which set the tone for the rest of the book by showing how God‟s Spirit empowers crosscultural mission.1 The beginning of Acts recapitulates the end of Lk 24,2 hence functions as the pivot between Luke‟s Gospel and Acts. It is thus a critical section for showing how the message of his Gospel will apply to the church. In this introductory section of Acts, Acts 1:8 is central: “You will be witnesses … to the ends of the earth once the Spirit comes on you.” We will examine this verse in more detail in a few moments.

Author: Anna Beresford
Publisher: CBE International

In his response to a question posed by the Sadducees, Jesus said that those in the resurrection "neither marry nor are given in marriage." The reason women will not be "given in marriage" is that, in the resurrection, they will not be viewed as property.

Ostatnie godziny życia Jezusa to Jego duchowy testament. Tu każde słowo i gest mają szczególne znaczenie. Wszyscy Ewangeliści opisują ten czas, a w Ewangelii św. Łukasza, którą słyszymy w tym roku, jest coś szczególnego, czego nie ma w innych Ewangeliach.

This conference paper investigates the story of Jesus Christ as it is presented in Luke and Acts. It shows how Luke in his two volume work connects a specific interpretation of Jesus’ ministry with the mission of the early church, especially Paul's way to Jews and Gentiles. The paper also looks at some specific characteristics of Lukan theology.

The scandal of mercy Today's parable is the most moving passage in the Gospel. It reveals what the scandal of mercy is all about: "Why is God merciful to someone who does not deserve it?" (as Archbishop G. Ryś put it). In this parable we see that God always welcomes us and forgives all our faults, but He waits for us to make a move. He wants to grant us forgiveness, His life and all that belongs to Him, if only we are willing to return to Him, that is, if we are converted.

Dzisiejsza przypowieść to jeden z najbardziej poruszających fragmentów Ewangelii. Ukazuje na czym polega skandal miłosierdzia: „Dlaczego Bóg jest miłosierny wobec kogoś, kto sobie na to nie zasłużył?” (jak to określił abp G. Ryś). W tej przypowieści widzimy, że Pan Bóg przyjmuje nas zawsze i wybacza nam wszystkie winy, ale czeka na nasz ruch. Pragnie nas obdarzyć przebaczeniem, swoim życiem i wszystkim, co do Niego należy, jeśli tylko zechcemy do Niego powrócić, czyli jeśli się nawrócimy.

Dzisiejsza Ewangelia to pożegnanie Jezusa z uczniami przed Jego wniebowstąpieniem. To pożegnanie jest jednak tylko pozorne. Uczniowie to rozumieją, bo reagują radością i uwielbieniem Boga. Jezus jest zawsze ze swoimi uczniami. Co więcej, od tego momentu Jego obecność i działanie nie będą ograniczone do jednego miejsca. Jezus jest z nami, swoimi uczniami, tam, gdzie my jesteśmy, na całym świecie. Jak Jezus jest z nami teraz? Jak działa?

The episode of the trial of Jesus before Herod Antipas, being unique to Luke’s Gospel (23:6-12) – and despite the popular notion that it does not contribute to the development of the Lukan Passion Narrative – is nevertheless shown to fulfill a pertinent and multi-faceted function. In the course of the literary analysis, the most intriguing problem discussed was the origin of this narrative. Despite the prevailing opinion arguing for the Markan origin of the text, it seems more reasonable to assume the existence of an independent source (or sources), written or oral, which gave rise the whole tradition of the encounter between Jesus and Herod. Luke was fully responsible for the wording of this episode. As to the historicity of this encounter, there are good reasons to accept the fact that it really took place. All the objections advanced by a substantial number of authors can be reasonably countered. The exegetical analysis pointed out the importance of Jesus’ silence, the act of putting a white robe on Jesus, and the reconciliation between Herod and Pilate. Each of these three realities has profound christological meaning, revealing Jesus’ true identity.

The main objective of this article was the search for the most plausible reason(s) for including this episode within the Lukan Passion Narrative. Jesus always plays an active, dynamic role elsewhere in the Lukan Passion Narrative, but in the Herod pericope there is a striking contrast as Jesus remains passive. Jesus likewise usually dominates the Passion scenes, yet even when that domination is not by means of his words and deeds, as is the case in this episode, he remains in control through his silence. It seems that the main stress of the whole narrative lies on Jesus’ innocence. Under that overriding theme, the passage is seen to have at least a four-fold purpose: historical (Jesus was guiltless despite being placed on trial); christological (the true identity of Jesus’ person and mission is disclosed by Jesus’ behavior and its effect, i.e. reconciliation); pedagogical (Jesus is a model for later Christians to imitate, and Herod is an anti-model by his lack of faith); and apologetic (Jesus, and consequently Christians, are innocent of the charges brought against them by both Rome and the Jews).

Dopiero wtedy zrozumiemy Jezusa, gdy czytamy Nowy Testament w świetle Starego Testamentu. Trafnie to wyraził św. Augustyn: „Nowy Testament jest ukryty w Starym, natomiast Stary znajduje wyjaśnienie w Nowym”. Przykładem tego jest dzisiejsza Ewangelia.

“When should the children’s education begin? When they are three years old or five or more?” a married couple asked an elderly priest who had worked with families for years. He replied: “Ideally, at least 20 years before birth. Parents unknowingly transmit who they are to their children, and children absorb it like a sponge.”

Only when we read the New Testament in the light of the Old Testament do we understand Jesus. St. Augustine aptly indicated that “the New Testament is hidden in the Old, while the Old finds its explanation in the New.” Today's Gospel is an example of this.

The description of the multiplication of bread is very touching. Those who have followed Jesus to the place of his prayer, in the wilderness, and have listened to Jesus' words all day, do not have to leave hungry in the evening. Jesus gives them all bread and fish. Now this is a miracle, but this miracle is only a foreshadowing of the greatest miracle in the history of the world. Jesus wants to give us so much more. He wants to give us Himself.

Today's Gospel is Jesus' farewell to his disciples before his ascension. This farewell, however, is only apparent. The disciples understood it, and they responded with joy and praise to God. Jesus is always with his disciples. Moreover, from this moment on His presence and work will not be limited to one place. Jesus is with us, his disciples, where we are, all over the world. How is Jesus with us now? How is he at work today?

Poruszający jest opis rozmnożenia chleba. Ci, którzy poszli za Jezusem na miejsce Jego modlitwy, na pustkowie i cały dzień słuchali słów Jezusa, wieczorem nie muszą odchodzić głodni. Jezus daje im wszystkim chleb i ryby. To jest cud, ale ten cud jest tylko zapowiedzią największego cudu w dziejach świata. Jezus chce nam dać o wiele więcej. Chce nam dać Siebie Samego.

This thesis argues that the presentation of the Roman military in Luke’s Gospel is highly surprising and hugely significant. In contrast to Matthew, Mark and John, Luke’s soldiers and centurions are presented in a positive light, which subverted the ancient audience’s expectations and demonstrated Missio Dei for those regarded as the most marginal – the Roman military. The dissertation demonstrates that while Cornelius the centurion was the first Gentile to be baptised, men of the Roman military were already among those converted and their reaction to Jesus, was the correct response of a disciple. Their example was, therefore, to be imitated by the early Christian community and, in fact, the Roman military were instrumental in the expansion of the church. In summary, the analysis reveals John the Baptist had an appreciation for the institution of the military and the courage to speak truth to power, while the centurion who had heard of Jesus had a faith that amazed the Son of God. 

Consequently, the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department (RAChD) could be provoked to replicate Luke’s mission to those largely forgotten by the civilian church and recognise the privilege and peculiarities of serving the institution of the Army. Centurions in Luke’s Gospel both received clear teaching about Jesus and separately, proclaimed Christ boldly. The RAChD should be confident, therefore, to speak of Jesus and his exclusive salvation. Thirdly, as the Early Church and Roman Empire expanded symbiotically, the RAChD should refine their cross-cultural evangelism to reach today’s mostly male, ‘millennial’ military and so ensure no man is left behind. Finally, the thesis concludes that by converting soldiers and officers in their networked locations around the United Kingdom, the ‘missing generation’ could return to the Church, meaning, once again, the military could be instrumental in the evangelisation of the nation.

The last hours of Jesus' life are his spiritual testament. All his words and gestures have a special meaning. All the Evangelists describe this moment, and in the Gospel of Luke, which we hear this year, there is something special that is not found in the other Gospels.

A summary and critical analysis of Hans Conzelmann's life and contributions to the study of Luke-Acts. This chapter particularly focuses on Conzelmann's contributions in the areas of theology (Luke as a theologian) and methodology (redaction criticism). This chapter is posted with permission from the publisher.
www.kregel.com/stanley-e-porter/luke-acts-in-modern-interpretation/

A review of A Gospel Synopsis of the Greek Text of Matthew, Mark and Luke: A Comparison of Codex Bezae and Codex Vaticanus. Edited by Jenny Read-Heimerdinger and Josep Rius-Camp, in collaboration with Enric Muñarch. Leiden: Brill, 2014. Pp. xxi + 315. Cloth, $240.00.

Matthew C. Williams' "Two Gospels from One: A Comprehensive Text-Critical Analysis of the Synoptic Gospels" promises more than it can deliver, misleads readers with its subtitle, and stymies rather than advances the agendas of text-critical research and gospel criticism. Williams' study not only fails to shed new light on the synoptic problem, but also misappropriates (and misapplies) text-critical criteria to problems beyond their purview. The result is a work that amounts to little more than a cataloguing of well-known arguments for Marcan priority, encumbered by repeated attempts to tether a text-critical approach to the Synoptic Problem. Despite the appearance of copious detail, the work is selective in its treatment and founded upon a number of abstractions.

"The early papyri of Luke are remarkable for their diversity. Six pre-fourth century witnesses are extant. The content, date, provenance, textual relationships, and scribal habits of each vary from fragment to fragment. Their texts range from a few paltry lines to nearly an entire gospel. All were produced in the second, third, or fourth centuries. All are from Egypt--though their precise sites of discovery differ. The nature and frequency of their scribal variations also fluctuate. Nonsense readings, itacisms, and similar orthographic 'deviations' prevail in some; others exhibit little to none of these. The incidence of nomina sacra and numerical abbreviations varies from scribe to scribe, even line to line. Their significance is debated. The amount of surviving text is at once both an accident of history and a byproduct of particular scribal habits. The rates of additions, omissions, transpositions, and the like can be tracked to the individual copyist. Human hands have shaped the bequeathals of history and the absence of 'expected' readings continue to hold the imagination hostage. Questions swirl over textual alignments, while the very nomenclature of 'text types' is decried in some quarters. More than simple artifacts of early Christian piety, these papyri disclose the fault lines of Luke's textual history--well in advance of the great fourth-century codices."

This is a joint meeting of the AAR, SBL, and ASOR academic societies. I presented my paper, "The 'Bad' Samaritan? A View of the Economics of Radical Generosity from Luke 10:25–37" in Session IV (Saturday March 04, 4:30-6:00pm) of the AAR Bible and Modern Culture section.

Roger Stronstad inaugurated what is currently known as the William W. Menzies Lectureship at Asia Pacific Theological Seminary, Baguio City, Philippines, in February, 1993. This volume includes the four major lectures that he gave, revised and updated for publication. It was originally produced by Sheffield Academic Press in the Journal of Pentecostal Theology Supplement Series in 1999. It was also reprinted by T & T Clark in 2003. Now it is a delight to see the new edition of Stronstad’s The Prophethood of All Believers: A Study in Luke’s Charismatic Theology in print once again, courtesy of the CPT Press. It brings out the best of Pentecostal scholarship. This volume is a follow-up work of the author for one of the crucial Pentecostal publications on Luke-Acts, namely, The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke (Hendrickson Publishers, 1984) where he argues that Luke should be treated as a theologian in his own right apart from Paul and so should his pneumatology be seen as vocational. Accordingly, the charismatic theology of Luke-Acts is prophetic in nature. His conclusion is based on an inductive study of the Spirit. In The Prophethood of All Believers, once again the author focuses on the narrative hermeneutics in interpreting Luke-Acts. The result of his study is a strong argument for viewing the pneumatology of Luke as describing the prophethood of all Christian disciples. It has been highlighted again in this title that Luke is using his narrative to communicate theology. Stronstad's exegesis of Luke-Acts is a perceptive one and it is contributing something to the articulation of Pentecostal hermeneutics and theology. Hence, this work of Stronstad is appropriately reissued in a new edition by the Centre for Pentecostal Theology– CPT Press in the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, Cleveland, Tennessee. Reading The Prophethood of All Believers is a must for this current generation of Pentecostal students and ministers.

The criminal in Luke 23:42 is the only person in the whole NT who addresses Jesus by his name “Jesus” alone, without any further specification. This literary hapax in Luke’s Gospel has been noticed by the exegetes, but a satisfactory explanation has not yet been given. Based on the fact of the name Ἰησοῦς and on the positive typology of Joshua’s leadership of his people into the Promised Land, the present essay aims to show that by this hapax Luke had the intention of presenting a dying criminal as a voice expressing a high typology of Jesus’ eisodos into his kingdom.