Luke (Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament)

Parsons, Mikeal C., Parsons, Mikeal C., Talbert, Charles, Longenecker, Bruce

• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781441221551
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

Mikeal Parsons, a leading scholar on Luke and Acts, examines cultural context and theological meaning in Luke in this addition to the well-received Paideia series. This commentary, like each in the projected eighteen-volume series, proceeds by sense units rather than word-by-word or verse-by-verse. Paideia commentaries explore how New Testament texts form Christian readers by attending to the ancient narrative and rhetorical strategies the text employs, showing how the text shapes theological convictions and moral habits, and making judicious use of maps, photos, and sidebars in a reader-friendly format.

PART 1

Luke 1:1–4:13

Jesus’s Origins and Training

Under the influence of source and redactional analyses, many modern commentators have viewed the infancy narrative of Luke 1–2 as the first discrete unit of the Third Gospel (Plummer 1903; Laurentin 1957; Leaney 1961–62; Morris 1974; Fitzmyer 1981–85; Nolland 1989–93; Johnson 1991; Ernst 1993; Bock 1994–96; Culpepper 1995; Bovon 2002–13; but cf. Talbert 2002). From a redactional point of view, a clear demarcation emerges between Luke 1–2 (which contains material unique to Luke) and Luke 3 (which, like Mark, begins with the ministry of John and the baptism of Jesus). Based on the progymnastic topic lists conventional for ancient bioi, however, it is more likely that the authorial audience would have expected the opening segment to deal with matters related to Jesus’s “prepublic” career and thus would have heard Luke 1:1–4:13, the material leading up to the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry in Nazareth, as a coherent unit (see the introduction; Martin 2008). Furthermore, Luke employs the rhetorical device of synkrisis, or comparison, in his presentation of Jesus’s origins and nurture/training. Specifically, he compares Jesus’s origins and training with those of John the Baptist.

This Jesus/John comparison is especially concentrated on origins and nurture/training in this opening unit, 1:1–4:13 (see table 1), but does throughout the rest of the Gospel touch on the entire range of progymnastic topics, including John’s pursuits and deeds (5:33–35; 7:18–33; 11:1; 16:16; 20:1–8), the manner of his death (9:7–9), and events after his death (9:7–20; see Martin 2008, 40).

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Synkrisis in Luke

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In its simplest terms, synkrisis is “language setting the better or worse side by side” (Theon, Prog. 112, trans. Kennedy 2003, 52). Comparing two similarly noteworthy persons (or objects) for the purpose of praise is a synkrisis in a double encomium (see the introduction), which occurs, according to Nicolaus, when “the subjects under discussion are both equal to each other or that one is greater than the other” (Nicolaus, Prog. 60, trans. Kennedy 2003, 162; see Aphthonius, Prog. 31R–32R). In Luke 1:1–4:13, we have an example of a double encomium in which Luke praises both John the Baptist and Jesus but clearly prefers Jesus as John the Baptist’s superior.

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Luke 1:1–4:13 in Context

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►Jesus’s origins and training (1:1–4:13)

Preface (1:1–4)

Annunciations: John and Jesus (1:5–56)

The annunciation of John’s birth (1:5–25)

The annunciation of Jesus’s birth (1:26–38)

The visitation (1:39–56)

Birth and training: John and Jesus (1:57–2:52)

John’s birth and upbringing (1:57–80)

Jesus’s birth and upbringing (2:1–52)

Beginning Jesus’s public ministry (3:1–4:13)

John in the wilderness (3:1–20)

Jesus in the wilderness (3:21–4:13)

Jesus’s mighty words and deeds in Galilee (4:14–9:50)

Jesus’s mighty words and deeds along the way (part 1) (9:51–14:35)

Jesus’s mighty words and deeds along the way (part 2) (15:1–19:44)

Jesus in Jerusalem: teachings, death, and resurrection (19:45–24:53)

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Table 1. John the Baptist and Jesus Compared

Topic of synkrisis	John the Baptist	Jesus
Homeland	Judea (1:5a)	Galilee (1:26a)
City	Jerusalem (implied by father’s status as “priest”; 1:5b)	Nazareth (1:26b), but born in Bethlehem (2:4)
Father	Zechariah (1:5b)	Joseph (1:27a), but conceived by the Holy Spirit as God’s son (1:35; cf. 3:21–38)
Ancestors	Zechariah from the priestly order of Abijah (1:5b)	Joseph from the house of David (1:27b)
Mother	Zechariah’s wife, a descendent of Aaron (1:5c); “Her name was Elizabeth” (1:5c)	“The name of the virgin was Mary” (1:27c)
Marvelous occurrences at birth	Zechariah’s vision of an angel (1:11–12)	Mary’s vision of an angel (1:28–29)
	angel’s oracle to Zechariah concerning birth, name, and career (= preparer figure) of son (1:13–17)	angel’s oracle to Mary concerning birth, name, and career (= Messiah) of son (1:30–37)
	Zechariah does not believe the oracle; he receives another oracle concerning his punishment for his unbelief (1:18–23)	Mary believes the oracle; she receives another oracle—from Elizabeth—blessing her and praising her for her belief (1:38–45)
	oracle’s fulfillment celebrated by Elizabeth: the Lord “looks favorably upon her” (she conceives despite barrenness; 1:24–25)	oracle’s fulfillment celebrated by Mary: the Lord “looks favorably upon her” (she conceives despite virginity; 1:46–56)
	oracle’s fulfillment: Elizabeth bears a son (1:57)	oracle’s fulfillment: Mary bears a son (2:1–7)
	neighbors/relatives told of birth (1:58)	shepherds told of birth (2:8–13) through visions (2:9, 13) and oracles (2:10–12, 14); given a “sign”: “you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger” (2:12 NRSV)
		shepherd’s witness, report marvelous events that occurred immediately after birth; amazement ensues (2:8–20)
		portentous distancing from Joseph: Jesus dedicated as firstborn to his “Father’s house” (2:49), but not sacrificially redeemed by Joseph
		oracle’s fulfillment: the child is named Jesus at his circumcision (2:21)
		Mary, hearing the shepherd’s report, ponders marvelous events that occurred after Jesus’s birth (2:19)
		three concluding oracles concerning the child Jesus (2:25–39)
Nurture and training	the child grows and becomes strong (1:80a)	the child grows and becomes strong (2:40–52)
	was in wilderness prior to beginning public career (1:80b)	was in wilderness prior to beginning public career (3:21–23; 4:1–13)

Note: Modified from Martin 2008, 39; see also O’Fearghail 1991, 16, 30.

The purpose of this synkrisis is to demonstrate the “superiority of Jesus” (O’Fearghail 1991, 35). The outline on page 22 takes into account the rhetorical topics of origins and nurture/training and the rhetorical vehicle of synkrisis through which those topics are conveyed.

Luke 1:1–4

Preface

Introductory Matters

The literature on Luke’s preface is voluminous (see preeminently Alexander 1993; also Cadbury 1921, 1922b, 1922c; van Unnik 1973; Klein 1964; Du Plessis 1974; Callan 1985; Marshall 1993; Palmer 1993; and especially Moessner 1996, 1999a, 1999b, 2008). Unlike his canonical counterparts, Luke begins his Gospel with a self-conscious reflection on the task at hand. He does so in a well-crafted sentence that consists of forty-two Greek words. Luke’s preface reflects the pattern of prefaces in ancient historiography (e.g., Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Polybius, Josephus), biography (e.g., Philo, On the Life of Moses), some novels (e.g., Lucian’s satirical preface in A True Story), and scientific treatises (including some rhetorical handbooks; see Alexander 1993).

Tracing the Narrative Flow

[1:1–4]. Ancient prefaces tended to include certain elements, and Luke’s opening sentence contains many of them. (1) There is a statement about the author’s predecessors—Luke begins: Many have attempted to compose a narrative (1:1a)—often accompanied by critical remarks about their shortcomings (see comments below). (2) The work’s subject matter is usually stated. So Luke describes the events that have been fulfilled among us (1:1b). It is impossible on the basis of the prologue itself to determine whether these “events” include those recorded in the Acts of the Apostles; on other grounds, however, it has been argued that Acts was written several decades later than Luke (see the introduction; Parsons 2008a, 16–17; 2009). (3) The writer’s qualifications are given. Luke claims to be one who has become thoroughly familiar with everything over a long period of time (1:3a). (4) The plan or arrangement of the work is given. Luke claims to have given an orderly account (1:3b). (5) The purpose(s) for writing is given. Luke writes so that his reader might know the certainty of the words you were taught (1:4). (6) Sometimes the author’s name is given. This element is missing in Luke. (7) Sometimes the addressee is named. In Luke, the addressee is the most excellent Theophilus, whose name means “friend of God” (1:3c; Talbert 1982, 7–10; Culpepper 1995, 39).

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Luke 1:1–4 in the Narrative Flow

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Jesus’s origins and training (1:1–4:13)

►Preface (1:1–4)

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There has been much debate about the first component. Did Luke, like so many ancient writers, intend to criticize others who had written about Jesus? Further, if Luke did intend to refer to his predecessors’ inadequacies, would the authorial audience have understood these criticisms? These questions require careful and nuanced examination of the prologue’s structure.

Some have seen a two-part structure in the preface arranged in a protasis/apodosis pattern (“since” [vv. 1–2]; “then” [vv. 3–4]), with each part containing three corresponding elements. John Nolland, however, has argued that the “just as” (v. 2), rather than qualifying the writing activity of the “many,” points to a comparison with what follows in verse 3. Further, the use of the word “passed on” (paradidōmi) may suggest the transmission of oral material rather than written narratives (see esp. Acts 16:4; also 1 Cor. 11:2, 23). Thus, verses 1 and 2 should be taken as parallel clauses, each with an independent relationship to verse 3 (Nolland 1989–93, 1:8; see table 2).

Table 2. Structure of Prologue

	Written sources (1:1)	Oral traditions (1:2)	Luke’s project (1:3)
Clause	Since	just as	it seemed good
Who?	many	those who were, from the beginning, eyewitnesses who became servants of the message	to me as well
How?	have attempted to compose	handed to us	(as one) who has carefully investigated everything for a significant amount of time, to write . . . for you
What?	a narrative	[the message/tradition]	an orderly account
Why?	the events that have been fulfilled among us		so that you might know the certainty of the words you were taught

In this construal, Luke is both continuous with and discontinuous from his predecessors. On the one hand, Luke shows his continuity with those previous attempts to narrate the Jesus story by beginning with a term, “since” or “inasmuch,” that rightly suggests a causal relation between these earlier narratives and Luke’s own narrative. Luke writes because others have written. The continuity is clear also in the phrase “it seemed good to me as well [kamoi].” Here Luke intends to stand in the tradition of those who had earlier narrated the matters that had been fulfilled. On the other hand, of course, Luke does write, and the very act of writing seems to imply some criticism of previous attempts. But how much criticism? This question takes us into the rhetorical flow of the argument itself (for much of what follows, see Parsons 2007, 40–50).

While there seems to be no criticism of those eyewitnesses who handed down the oral tradition (1:2), there is evidence of some dissatisfaction on Luke’s part with his literary predecessors mentioned in 1:1 (see Klein 1964). We do not know the extent of the “many” (though it presumably included Mark; see the introduction). The use of this term and its cognates was a known rhetorical device employed in the beginning of narratives and speeches (e.g., Sir. prol. 1; Heb. 1:1; Acts 24:2, 10) and should not therefore be pressed to mean a large number. The term “attempt” (epecheirēsan; lit., “take into hand”) is crucial for understanding Luke’s attitude. The term is sometimes used in a neutral sense of “undertaken” (Polybius, Hist. 2.37.4), even in literary prefaces (Josephus, Ag. Ap. 1.13). Elsewhere, however, the term is used in a negative sense—that i...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• List of Figures and Tables
• Foreword
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Luke 1:1–4:13 Part 1: Jesus’s Origins and Training
• Luke 4:14–9:50 Part 2: Jesus’s Mighty Words and Deeds in Galilee
• Luke 9:51–14:35 Part 3: Jesus’s Mighty Words and Deeds along the Way (Part 1)
• Luke 15:1–19:44 Part 4: Jesus’s Mighty Words and Deeds along the Way (Part 2)
• Luke 19:45–24:53 Part 5: Jesus in Jerusalem: Teachings, Death, and Resurrection
• Bibliography
• Index of Subjects
• Index of Modern Authors
• Index of Scripture and Ancient Sources
• Back Cover