Luke-Acts (BN2050P)

Content

Luke-Acts accounts for almost a third of the New Testament, making it one of the most significant contributions from a single author. From the outset, Luke’s Gospel is framed as a response to many other accounts (Lk 1.1-4), but what was important for the writer of the third gospel and why did they write another gospel? Taking an in-depth look at Luke-Acts in its historical context and the emerging Christian movement, we will explore themes such as inclusion and exclusion, hospitality, wealth, identity, ethnicity, disability, and gender (attending to both ancient and modern norms), noting how these intersect with Luke’s theology and purpose. Attention will be given to how Luke’s theology relates to his use of prophecy, account of justice, salvation, and end-time hope, and how this theology speaks to the contemporary church and world.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

NT Introduction

Pedagogy

Lectures, seminars, discussion groups, and interactive workshops.

Indicative Bibliography

• Bock, Darrell, A Theology of Luke and Acts (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012)
• Byrne, Brendan S.J. The Hospitality of God: A Reading of Luke’s Gospel (Collegeville, Mn: Liturgical Press, 2000)
• Carroll, John T. Luke: A Commentary (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2012)
• Jennings, Willie, Acts: A Theological Commentary (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2017).
• Levine, Amy-Jill & Ben Witherington, The Gospel of Luke (New Cambridge Bible Commentary Series, 2018)
• Neyrey, Jerome (ed). The Social World of Luke-Acts: Models for Interpretation (Baker Academic, 1999)
• Parsons, Mikeal, Luke: Paideia Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015)
• Skinner, Matthew, Acts: Catching Up with the Spirit (Nashville: Abingdton Press, 2020)
• Sugirtharajah, R. S (ed.) Voices from the Margin: Interpreting the Bible in the Third World ( Maryknoll, N.Y: Orbis Books, 2016)
• Wilson, Brittany E. Unmanly Men: Refigurations of Masculinity in Luke-Acts (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015)

Assessment