Gospel of Luke Lecture

Connects to Tanakh

Abraham and Sarah are equal to Elizabeth and Zachariah

Elizabeth and Zachariah

Descendants of Aaron (Moses brother); elite Jews

Mary & Elizabeth are Cousins

John the Baptist and Jesus are blood relatives

Cana (rural area in Galilee)

Grew up in

Betrothed to Joseph

Joseph is prominent in Marys pregnancy and Jesus early years but not really anywhere else

Mark is Negative toward Mary

Mary is clueless to Jesus messiahship

Lukes Positive Portrayal

Very positive, special woman, chosen woman

Pseudepigraphal Works

Followed Lukes positive portrayal of Mary

Gospel of James

Written by Jesus brother

Gospel of Thomas

about the boyhood of Jesus

Mary & Gabriel

Gabriel (one of two angels in the New Testament) warns Mary about Jesus

Holy Spirit "Overshadows" Mary

Holy Spirit impregnates Mary

John Represents Judaism

Elizabeth is carrying him miraculously just as women in the Old Testament had

Jesus Presented as Something New

Mary is the first and only virgin birth

Magnificat

Poem Mary Sings

Magnificat

Early Christian Hymn

Hannahs Song

Connects to the Tanakh and Hannahs barren birth

Late Tradition

mid 80s

Only mentioned in Luke and Matthew

Why not mentioned in other and earlier places

Virgin Births in Other Cultures

Not the first time because other cultures; may have been gotten from other sources

Theotokos

Barer of God, Mother of God

Perpetual Virginity

She never has sex with Joseph; brothers and sisters are actually cousins or children from Josephs previous marriage (Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Anglican, Methodist, Lutheran)

Sinlessness

Mary must be untainted for Jesus to be; Seen in pseudepigraphal texts (Gospel of James)

Immaculate Conception

Marys mother Ann was also overshadowed by the Holy Spirit

Ascension

Mary didnt die, she ascended into Heaven

Census

No record of this at this time; Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem (because David was born there so the Messiah would be too)

Shepherds

outcasts and poor people in that society; Angel tells shepherds that Jesus (the Savior) has been born

Contrast with Augustus

Caesar Augustus birth was sometimes connected to miracles so Luke uses it as a device showing the similarities but foiled

Eight days

resurrection

Seven days

creation; so eight is recreation

Inner Circle

Peter, John, James

"glory of God shined through his person"

Dazzling white robes

Moses

Personification of the Law

Elijah

Represents Prophets (because he was a standout prophet)

Meaning of Transfiguration

Foreshadow of the resurrection

Literary Device

introduces Jesus teachings (Q and L)

Reversal of roles

Samaritans typically bad, so Jesus shows them as good

Spirit and Letter of the Law

the saved do not look for loopholes or a minimum, its a transformation

Martha and Mary

Sisters of Lazarus

Traditional Roles for Women in Culture vs. the Kingdom

Martha portrays traditional women working, Mary represents women in the kingdom sitting at the feet of Jesus

Context

parables are meant to speak to all groups of people, the poor, tax collectors, and pharisees

Lost Sheep

religious leaders (99), the sinners and tax collectors (1), shepherd does the illogical thing (a message of affirmation for the sinners and tax collectors having a place in Heaven)

Lost Coin

God is portrayed as a woman finding the lost coin

Lost (Prodigal) Son

goes against the practice of violently forcing your children to respect you; pigs were unclean so it was the lowest of low; Jewish leaders should not run, but the father did; No public affection, but the father kisses his son; older brother is the religious leaders; were called to be more like the father (accepting and joyful)

When you cover someone in the Bible

it means taking them in and caring for them

Placing a ring on their finger symbolizes

familial inheritance

Without shoes is without dignity, so

putting shoes on someone is restoring the dignity

Calves are meant for big meals, so

they mean a party

Lukes Negativity Toward the Wealthy

Rich man is not named (minor character), Lazarus is named (major character)

Roles Reversed

Poor person is in Heaven and the rich man is in Hades

Illustration of Beatitudes and Woes

those in misery on the world is bless in the afterlife; those in joy (rich) on the world will weep in the afterlife

Difficulty for the Wealthy to Enter the Kingdom

"it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle"; wealthy man did not notice Lazarus (did not sacrifice for the kingdom of God)

Similar to Mark

though chronology is different and Jesus speaks on the cross

Sayings on the Cross

Speaks to the men on crosses with him

Soldier

changes line from Matthew and Mark

"Surely this man was innocent"

statement of injustice not Messiahship

Jesus as role model

Soldier did not view Jesus as the savior

Injustice

Soldier did not proclaim belief that Jesus was the savior

Women

A lot of women at the tomb and immediately report to the disciples

Peter

runs back to find the tomb empty too

Emmaus

where disciples are going and they did not recognize him when they saw him on the road, not until they did communion together

Jerusalem

Lukes disciples go here so the Jesus movement can begin with the Jews and spread throughout the rest of the world

Ascension

End of Luke and Beginning of Acts and all the disciples worshipped (but in Matthew some doubted)